Prosciutto & Asparagus Risotto

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

Risotto is a little intimidating at first (well, to me at least), but it's actually pretty simple -- it's just a bit time consuming. You must stand at the stove during all of the cooking time, but it's so worth it :) The best thing about risotto is you can start with a generic base and add whatever ingredients you want! Tonight I was in the mood for prosciutto and asparagus...mmmm.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I prefer Pinot Grigio)
1 shallot, diced (or small onion)
3 cups chicken broth
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 pound asparagus, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
3 slices prosciutto, cut into strips about 3/4 inch
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and cook the shallot, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of the hot broth, the salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper and simmer, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding hot broth, about 3/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the broth to be absorbed before adding more, until rice is almost tender and creamy-looking, about 18 minutes.

Add the asparagus and cook just until the vegetables are hot. Stir in the prosciutto and parmesan.

*Note: If the risotto is too thick, add more broth to thin it out...or wine :)

Good Ole' Meatloaf & Mashed Potatoes

Courtesy of Plated Perfection (and my Mom)

You've probably noticed that I was blessed with great women cooking great food all of my life! I've posted a few of my Mom's recipes that were some of my favorites as a kid (and as an adult). This meatloaf is another one of hers :) And yes, I got her permission to post it! I must say, the best part about this dish is the sauce that goes with it. I could put it on many things, and I actually put it on stuffed peppers, whenever I make those. But back to the point, this recipe is for the meatloaf and the delicious sauce that goes with it. What goes best with meatloaf? Mashed potatoes! These are my own recipe, but I top them with Mom's sauce :) I highly recommend it.

Meatloaf + Sauce
1.5 pounds ground beef (I used 85/15 but will probably go with something leaner next time)
1/2 diced green pepper
1/2 diced red pepper
1 small onion
1 egg
8 oz. tomato sauce (you'll use half in the meatloaf, half for the sauce)
1 tsp salt and dash of pepper
2 slices bread (crumbs) or 3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup water
2 tb vinegar
2 tb mustard
4 tb brown sugar
3 tb tomato paste (optional -- something I added to thicken the sauce a bit)

In a bowl, mix together the ground beef, salt, pepper, red peppers, green peppers, onion, egg, half the can of tomato sauce, and the bread crumbs/oatmeal. If using bread, pulse the slices in a food processor to get good sized bread crumbs. Mold the mixture into a greased loaf pan (ideally). Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Top with some of the sauce (recipe below) and bake an additional 15 minutes.

In a saucepan, combine the rest of the tomato sauce, water, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer and serve on top of the meatloaf and mashed potatoes (recipe below).

Mashed Potatoes

6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tb butter
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp salt and pepper
2-3 tb fresh chives

Boil the potatoes for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Combine the butter, sour cream, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Either blend in a mixer until smooth or mash until you reach your desired consistency. Top with chives and the meatloaf sauce!

BBQ Spare Ribs

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

This recipe evolved because my good friend Tim (aka T-Pain), bought me his favorite BBQ marinade from Buffalo :) It's called Chiavetta's Barbeque Marinade. I decided to marinade some spare ribs with this and some other things and then bake it off in the oven...since I lack the summer weather and grill outdoors. These only took about 1 hour to cook (I only had about 1.75 pounds). This was kind of a "throw random things together" type of thing, but they came out pretty good! I served these with some seasoned potatoes and a dipping sauce (leftover marinade). Please Note: This is based on a pretty small recipe. Make sure to increase if need be.

• 1.5-2 pounds of spare ribs
• 1 tb brown sugar
• 1 cup Chiavetta's BBQ Marinade
• few dashes of garlic salt, onion powder, salt, pepper, meat tenderizer (change at your discretion)

Line a baking dish with foil, big enough to create a tent over the ribs. About 2 hours prior to cooking, place the ribs on the foil and season with the garlic salt, onion powder, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Pour the marinade over the ribs. When ready to cook, season with meat tenderizer and poke a few holes in the meat. Pour enough water in the baking dish to where it's about 1/4 inch. This will help create steam. Fold the foil over to create a tent over the meat, but do not vacuum seal as this will give it no room to breathe.  Cook for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. Take the ribs out, flip them, baste it with some more sauce, and cover. Continue cooking for 15 minutes. Take out of the oven and continue covering with the foil to keep warm. Serve with dipping sauce (recipe below).

Dipping Sauce

• 1 cup Chiavetti's BBQ marinade
• 1 tb honey
• few dashes of onion powder and garlic salt
• 1 tb brown sugar
• 1 tb cajun marinade

Breakfast Buttercups

Courtesy of Cook's Country

I follow a lot of cooking blogs and this was something I stumbled across on The Bitten Word. Originally, the recipe is from Cook's Country. I made just a few modifications.

I'm always looking for ways to spice up breakfast and these just looked fun to make :) Who doesn't love ham, egg, and cheese?

• 10 medium eggs
• 10 slices thin white sandwich bread, crusts removed (I used Pepperidge Farm Very Thinly Sliced White Bread)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 10 thin slices cheddar cheese (about 5 ounces)
• 5 thin slices deli Black Forest ham (about 5 ounces), halved crosswise
• Salt and pepper

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Place eggs in large bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let sit 10 minutes. Grease muffin tin with some of the melted butter.
2. Meanwhile, roll bread as thin as possible with rolling pin and press into cups of 12-cup muffin tin, leaving 2 center cups empty.
3. Layer the bread with ham and cheese. Crack 1 egg into each cup and season with salt and pepper.
4. Return muffin tin to oven and bake until egg whites are barely set and still appear slightly moist, 14 to 18 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Let sit 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops -- Seafood Extravaganza II

I absolutely love seafood, and thankfully, so does my boyfriend. We cooked up a seafood extravaganza a few months back, so we decided to do the same thing for dinner last night! This go around, I made bacon wrapped scallops, steamed shrimp, and steamed crab legs.  All of these things are very easy because there isn't a lot of prep work, and they don't take very long to cook. I got too excited about the crab legs being ready and forgot to take a picture, but I did manage to get pictures of the rest :)

Bacon Wrapped Scallops
1 pound of scallops (I prefer the larger sea scallops) 
Strips of bacon (cut in half, enough for each scallop)
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Toothpicks/kitchen twine/skewers
Lemon wedges

These can be cooked in multiple ways. This go around, I decided to cook them in a skillet. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel and season each side with the lemon pepper, salt and pepper. Wrap each scallop with a piece of bacon (make sure it fits all around the scallop). Pin the bacon so that it stays in place with either a toothpick, kitchen swine or skewers (I have wooden skewers on hand). If using wooden skewers, make sure you soak them first so they will not burn. Heat the olive oil and saute the scallops a few minutes per side. I try to rotate them so that all 4 sides get cooked. Squeeze a little lemon over scallops and serve.

Steamed Shrimp
1 pound of shrimp (I prefer medium - large)
2 tb Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
Lemon Wedges

Mix together the water, vinegar, and old bay. Bring to a rapid boil. Dump in the shrimp, cover, and reduce heat. Boil for approximately 3-4 minutes (depending on size of shrimp). The center should be opaque. Serve with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce.

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis

As you may or may not be able to tell, I love Giada. I've made a lot of her recipes and am usually very satisfied! This is a great recipe for breaded pork chops and I decided to throw in something healthy and just heated up some green beans (yes, all I did was heat those up). This is a fairly easy recipe - the only downside is that you use a lot of dishes in the process :)

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
• 3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan
• 4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil 

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate/bowl to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate/blend. Place the cheese in a third pie plate/bowl. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side.

Note: For my first batch, I accidentally mixed the cheese and bread crumbs together in one pie plate. I dipped the chops in the egg and then the bread crumb/cheese mixture. I actually found these cooked better than having everything separate, as in the recipe.  The chops burnt more easily following the recipe's instructions.

Italian Breakfast Sandwich

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

This is a new take on your typical breakfast sandwich, one in which I welcome :) It's super fast and easy! I made a few variations from the original recipe and spiced it up a bit!

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large egg
• Salt and pepper
• 1 slice fresh bread (I used jalapeno cheddar -- sourdough is also delicious)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 slice of prosciutto
• 1/4 cup warm tomato sauce/pizza sauce
• parmesan (optional for topping)

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a heavy small skillet over medium heat. Crack the egg into the skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook until the white is firm and the yolk is almost set, about 4 minutes. Season with salt. Meanwhile, toast the bread until golden brown. Rub the garlic over the toast. Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Spoon the marinara sauce over the Parmesan. Top with a slice of prosciutto and the egg. Serve open faced.

Grilled Salmon, Pancetta & Ranch Packets

Adapted from Rachael Ray

I love salmon, and bacon, and ranch...so this was like love at first sight. The original Rachael Ray recipe called for bacon, but I used pancetta instead. I had some Boar's Head pancetta on hand (delicious) and I highly suggest using that if possible. It had so much more flavor than regular bacon. It's pretty salty, so if you use pancetta, I would not add anymore salt. The recipe also called for an outdoor grill to cook this, but my high-rise doesn't quite allow that -- so I opted for baking it. It was so tender and delicious! (I halved this recipe, didn't exactly "measure" the toppings, and had the nice seafood man at Teeter take the skin off for me!)

• Four 6-ounce, 1-inch-thick salmon fillets, skin on and at room temperature
• 1/2 cup good ranch dressing (I've fallen in love with Cindy's Kitchen Buttermilk Ranch - Whole Foods)
• 1/4 pound pancetta, cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tomatoes, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut four 8-by-12-inch sheets of heavy-duty foil. Place each salmon fillet skin side down on a sheet; season with pepper, top each with 2 tablespoons ranch dressing, 1 tablespoon pancetta and 1 tablespoon feta. Fold up the sides of the foil, leaving the top exposed.

Place in the oven on a broiler sheet and cook until almost opaque in the thickest part, approximately 10 minutes. Serve topped with the tomatoes.

Roasted Carrots & Asparagus (best to do this before cooking the salmon)
In an attempt to eat more meat and vegetables, I decided to roast some carrots and asparagus. This was very simple -- trim the carrots and asparagus, spray a baking dish with PAM, cover vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of salt, pepper and italian seasoning, drizzle with balsamic vinegarette. Bake at 375 for approximately 25 minutes. Cover with foil to keep warm if necessary.

Penne with Sausage and Tomato Sauce

Courtesy of Plated Perfection, adapted from Giada de Laurentiis
Shocking, another recipe from Giada. I <3 her. I made a few changes in terms of the the meat that is used (she uses tuna) and I've also just made a few minor changes. I've had the original tuna recipe, which is good, but you have to buy high quality tuna to use. This is great for a group, or else you'll have leftovers for a few days!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound penne
• 1 (26-ounce) jar homemade sauce or other purchased marinara sauce (I used Barilla this go around)
• 3 Mild Italian Sausages (probably about 12 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• freshly shredded or grated parmesan cheese
• Texas Toast, this was just something I had to throw in :)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Cook the sausage in a skillet with approximately 1 tb olive oil. I prefer to take them out of the casings and cut into chunks. Cook for about 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Combine the tomato sauce, sausage, capers, and lemon peel in a heavy large skillet. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Toss the pasta with enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Stir in the parsley and serve. Top with parmesan cheese and some extra parsley. Serve with Texas Toast.

What? A Pork Butt?

Courtesy of a Family Recipe
I am aware that there are many kinds of BBQ, but my all time favorite for as long as I can remember is North Carolina style. This probably has something to do with the fact that my family, and my friends, would travel to the Outer Banks at least once a summer. This was our tradition! Even though I now live in DC, I still try to get back when I can :) Nothing beats it...in my opinion anyway :) One of my favorite things to do is pick up authentic BBQ on the way home so that I can bring some OBX with me. However, my Mom made these a while back and it tastes delicious, and the sauce reminds me of good ole' North Carolina. The perk -- this way, I can save myself about a 7 hour drive.
This does involve using a crock pot, so have one of those on hand.

Ingredients
2 onions, quartered
2 tb brown sugar
1 tb paprika
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 (4-6 lb) pork butt/shoulder roast (Nick located a 5 pounder)
3/4 cup cider vinegar
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
hamburger buns

Place onions in crock pot. Combine brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper. Rub over roast.

Combine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, dry mustard, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper. Mix well.

Drizzle 1/3 of the vinegar mixture over the roast. Cover and refrigerate remaining vinegar sauce.

Cover crock pot and cook on low for 10-12 hours on LOW or 4-6 hours on HIGH. In my case, this took about 6 hours. Drizzle 1/3 of reserved vinegar over roast during last half hour of cooking. Remove meat and onions and drain. Chop or shred meat  and chop onions. Serve meat and onion mixture on a toasted bun. Feel free to add more sauce if desired, it does have a little bit of a kick! Top with cole slaw, if desired :)

Beef Tacos, Nachos, and Burrito Bol? Yes, please!

Courtesy of Plated Perfection

 Nick had his eye on the ground beef in the fridge and suggested tacos for dinner tonight. My response, "I concur." I knew I had all of the ingredients at home, and you can't beat that! After making the tacos and running out of corn tortillas, I came up with two other ways to finish off the ground beef/meal. Nick wanted to involve chips, so I made him nachos. As for me, I must say, I'm a religious follower of Chipotle and their burrito bol. I gotta say that this was a pretty close combination and will definitely suffice if I'm ever in a pinch and can't get to Chipotle! I suggest making this and then letting everyone decide how they would like to eat their meal: tacos, nachos, burrito bol, all of the above? YES.

Ingredients
*1 pound ground beef
*half of a yellow onion, diced
*1 large clove of garlic, minced
*few dashes of salt, pepper, ground cayenne pepper, paprika, dried oregano, cumin (I was out of cumin)
***I apologize for the "few dashes" instruction, but I literally just tossed some in of each and did some taste testing.
*approximately 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes (I prefer them a bit more crushed)
*juice of half a lime
*corn tortillas (however many you prefer)
*chopped lettuce (for toppings and the burrito bol)
*shredded mexican blend cheese (for toppings)
*sour cream (for toppings)
*homemade salsa (recipe previously posted on blog -- for toppings)
*tortilla chips (for nachos)

Ground Beef
In a skillet, brown about a pound of lean ground beef (I get 90/10) with the garlic and onion, over medium to medium-high heat. Once the ground beef browns, toss in the spices, as well as the tomatoes and lime juice. Mix together and stir over low heat to keep warm. This meat was lean enough to where you did not need to drain it, or add any water. This may need to be adjusted depending on the ground beef you use.


Tacos
Toast the tortillas on both sides over a low open flame if possible. Top with ground beef mixture, lettuce, salsa, cheese and sour cream.

Nachos
Top tortilla chips with the ground beef mixture and cheese. Melt in the microwave for about 1 minute. Top with salsa and sour cream.

Burrito Bol
Top shredded lettuce with the ground beef mixture, cheese, salsa, and sour cream. I actually prefer to then mix this together with a fork, but that's personal preference :)

Ginger Soy Glazed Mahi Mahi with Asparagus & Oranges

Courtesy of Coastal Living
Fish is one of my favorite things to cook -- it's healthy, quick, and usually very tasty. The key is to buy fresh, good quality fish. I actually prefer Harris Teeter because they have weekly specials and I always go for what is fresh that week, or on the day(s) that I go (which is way too often in one week). Mahi Mahi is one of those fishes I tend to get at restaurants, but not make on my own. I'm not sure why -- maybe because it's usually pretty expensive. In any event, I purchased it this week and it was delicious! I think this sauce/recipe would be good with any somewhat firm white fish. I decided to add some asparagus since I had some on hand, and would have liked to have some rice, but there was just no time! I was too hungry.

Mahi Mahi

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 (6- to 8-ounce) mahi mahi fillets, about 1 inch thick

Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside. Heat canola oil and sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until fragrant. Stir in soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Add fish fillets; cook, covered, 4 minutes. Carefully turn fillets over using a spatula, cover, and cook 3 to 5 additional minutes. Transfer fillets to serving plates, and drizzle each evenly with the pan sauce. Serve immediately.

Asparagus

• 1 to 1 1/4 pounds asparagus spears
• 2 navel oranges
• 1-inch fresh ginger root
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (I didn't have these on hand, so left them out)

Let me start by saying, I screwed up the oranges in terms of how you were supposed to cut them. Things got a little messy, so I just decided to wing it -- therefore, mine do not look AS pretty :)

Using a peeler, make thin long strips of orange zest from both oranges. Cut the ends off the zested oranges and stand them up right on a cutting board. Remove the pith in strips using sharp knife and cutting down from the top of the orange. Discard the pith. When the oranges are both peeled and trimmed, turn them on their sides and slice into 1/4-inch rounds, cross sectioning the whole. Set the orange disks aside. In a skillet with a cover, bring 1-inch water to a boil with the zest of the oranges and grated fresh gingerroot. Allow the orange zest and ginger to simmer for at least 1 minute then add salt and asparagus spears. Simmer the spears 3 to 5 minutes until just tender. Drain the asparagus. Discard the orange zest and ginger. Sprinkle sesame seeds over asparagus and oranges.

Pan Seared Filet with Cabernet Sauce

Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis

I just moved over the weekend and last night was the first time I was able to cook in the new kitchen! What better meal to break it in than filet mignon? I decided to make some asparagus and potatoes as well, because they just naturally seem to go well with steak :)  My boyfriend, aka new roommate, also worked an extremely long day, so I thought coming home to a steak dinner could be nice. Cooking with wine also gives me an excuse to drink the wine, minor detail. I did scale this recipe in half, and it turned out just fine!

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled butter
• 4 filet mignon steaks (each about 4 ounces
• 1/3 cup chopped shallots
• 2/3 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 generous tablespoon drained capers
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of steaks with salt and generous amount of ground black pepper. Add to skillet and cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium. (This actually took me a bit longer to cook b/c the filets were thick -- adjust as necessary.) Transfer steaks to 4 plates. Tent with foil. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; sauté 1 minute. Add wine, capers, and mustard; simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley. Reduce heat to medium-low. Whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Spoon over steaks.

Roasted Potatoes
Take about 12 small golden potatoes and half them (you could also use red). Coat a baking dish with Pam and drizzle a little olive oil over the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Rosemary Herb Seasoning (or whichever seasoning you prefer, but rosemary works nicely). Bake at 375 for approximately 35 minutes. Stick a fork in the potatoes to ensure they are tender.

Asparagus
Portion this out however you would like. Snap the spears at their natural snapping point. Place into a Ziploc Steamer bag if you have these on hand -- they are wonderful. Drizzle a little olive oil, salt and pepper into the bag. Steam for about 1.5 minutes. If you do not have steamer bags, simply broil these in the oven for a couple of minutes, or bake them.