Mushroom Scampi

As I have said in previous posts I have a strange taste in food, since I was a child I have loved mushrooms......I know most kids cringe at the word, but I could not get enough of them.  Lucky for me I found a husband who loves them as much or more than I so I can make things like mushroom scampi for an appetizer and it will actually get eaten.  This recipe is very similar to a shrimp scampi but obviously with mushrooms and a couple other differences.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Mushroom Caps
3 Large Garlic Cloves, Minced
2 Tbsp. Whole Balsamic Capers
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/4 Cooking Sake
3 Tbsp. Butter, cut up
2 tsp. Lemon Juice
1/4 C. Fresh Parsley

Directions:

1. If needed slice the stems off the mushrooms and place in a shallow baking dish.
2.  In the baking dish add the capers, garlic, olive oil, and sake and mix until well coated.

3.  Once mixed well, place butter on top and bake at 450 degrees for 7.5 minutes.

4.  Take dish out of the oven and stir the mushrooms, then put it bake in the over for another 7.5 minutes.
5. Take dish out of the oven, then stir in the lemon juice and parsley and serve.

This appetizer is great with some crusty bread, personally I go and get some from this awesome sandwich place we have here called Grand Junction (if you are ever in Fargo, ND make sure you stop at a Grand Junction). If you even semi like mushrooms this appetizer is for you it is simple and fresh tasting

Enjoy

TaterTot Hotdish

I have lived in many different places in the U.S. including Pennsylvania, California, Minnesota and North Dakota, and it was not until I moved to the Midwest did I hear of a "hot dish" and for all of you out there who have no idea what a hot dish is, it is simply a casserole.  If I had ever had this dish before moving here I would never call it a hot dish but since I did not I will use the mid-western terminology. The reason I enjoy this meal so much is for the simple fact that it is all in one dish and I can simple slap it together with out thinking much and you can improvise and it still taste good.  When making this I use canned vegetables so whatever I have in the pantry is what is going in.  Although the hubby and I do prefer green beans and creamed corn.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Beef
1/2 Onion Chopped/ or handful of Chopped Dried Onion
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can French Cut Green Beans, Drained
1 Can Creamed Corn
1 Bag Frozen Tater Tots

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2.  In an oven safe dish spread the ground beef evenly over the bottom.

3.  On top of the beef, spread the onions and then the cream of chicken soup.

4.  Then spread the vegetables on top.

5.  Place the tater tots on top in a single layer and then spread the cream of mushroom soup.

6.  Bake for 55 minutes and then let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Honestly this is a simple meal that will please not only yourself but the whole family, even the kids.  This dish is one that will help clean out your pantry, so I like making it when ever I feel I am getting too much stuff in there.

Enjoy

Pesto Stuffed Shells

Since I have started this blog I have made this meal twice, which I have not done with any other dish.  So, obviously its good.....really, really good!  Its creamy and flavorful and oh so tasty! It uses a prepared pesto and I have used a different brand of pesto each time, both were great but the Hubby preferred the Classico brand, it is bigger and cheaper than the other brands that are offered at our grocery stores. The awesome thing about this meal is that you can make a part of it the day before and have it ready for the next day.  I pre-cook the chicken and shred it the night before, that way, dinner the next day doesn't take that long, and after a long day of work the easier the better for meals.

Ingredients:
16 Jumbo Pasta Shells
4oz. Cream Cheese, Softened
1 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 C. Mozarella Cheese
3 Heaping Tbsp. Prepared Pesto
4 Chicksen Breast, Cooked and Shredded
2 -3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
Pasta Sauce

Directions:
1. Cook and shred the chicken, I use a trick that I have previously mentioned in the "Green Enchiladas" post where I put the hot cooked chicken in my kitchen-aid stand mixer and mix, it shreds perfectly.
2.  Cook the pasta shells as directed, drain and set aside.
3.  In the stand mixer, mix the chicken, cream cheese, mozarella cheese, parmesan cheese, pesto and garlic.

4.  Fill each shell with the chicken mixture and arrange in a 13x9 pan.  Once the pan is filled spoon pasta sauce on top and spinkle with mozarella cheese.

5.  Bake the shells at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

This dish is so yummy, I have them for lunch for the next two days and never tire of it....always a good sign. This meal is a crowd pleaser and does not take too much time to make, so you can still have a night, which is what I love about it!

Tip: add more or less garlic depending on what you like, I LOVE garlic and I add three cloves, there is some garlic in the pesto so start with adding one clove and see how you like it.


ENJOY

Best Garlic Bread...EVER!

So I searched all over the internet today to find the "perfect" garlic bread recipe...all I could find was garlic bread with cheese on top, which by the way is cheesy garlic bread not garlic bread (really annoying to search the internet for garlic bread only to come up with cheesy)  So I took a little from one recipe and a little from another to make what sounded like perfect garlic bread....and I found it!!!!!!!!! This is simple and most of what this recipe calls for I already had the only part I did not have was the bread, not that all of you will have everything needed but none of what is called for hard to find/get. To start with get a loaf of french bread!

Ingredients:

 1 loaf French Bread, sliced in half
5 Tbsp. Butter, at room temp.
2 tsp. Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves Crushed
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 Bunch of Chives, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Preheat the broiler.
2.  Slice the bread horizontally and place on a baking sheet.
3.  Mix the rest of the ingredients together until smooth.
4.  Spread the mixture on the bread, and place under the broiler and broil for about 4-5 minutes, checking often.



Tip:broil the bread just before you want to eat, it cools quickly and it tastes soooooOOOooo good when it hot.  I honestly have never had better garlic bread in my life, and that includes in restaurants! Feel free to add more or less garlic, depending on how much you like garlic.  Next time you need a nice and delicious side, please make this and you will want to make it for every meal after that!

ENJOY

Orange Steak w/ Fried Rice

I love all sorts of food, I am a picky eater, but I like foods from all over the world.  I have opened my hubby's eyes to world of food and it has been so much fun watching him become more adventurous than I. This dish is one of our favorites and you can interchange chicken for the steak if you prefer.  The reason I love this is because there are very few ingredients and it takes little time to make.

Orange Steak:

1 lb. Steak, thinly sliced
1 1/2 C. Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
1 1/2 C. Orange Juice
1 bag of Asian Vegetable Medley
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil


Directions:
1.  Heat a deep pan over high heat, put oil in the pan and let heat up,  once the pan in hot stir fry the steak for about 5 minutes.

2.  Once the steak is pretty much cooked through, add the juice and dressing and vegetables, let simmer for about 7-10 minutes.

Fried Rice.


2 C. Cooked Rice
1 C. Frozen Peas and Carrots Mix
2 1/2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 Eggs
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1/4 C. Green Onions


1.  Preheat the oil in a pan over medium heat,rice and stir  rice begins to brown.

2.  Add soy sauce and vegetables, cook for about 2-3 minutes.

3.  Make a hole with the rice and vegetables in the middle of the middle of the pan, crack an egg then stir it until the egg is fully cooked, add the second egg and do the same.

4.  Add the onions and cook for about 1 minute, then serve.




I could eat the fried rice all by itself as a meal it is so tasty, and even if you do not like onions, please try some in the rice, it adds a nice flavor.   To save yourself some time, you can make the rice the night before and refrigerate it, it makes no difference to the taste or consistency to the fried rice.

ENJOY!

Easy Grilled Teriyaki Chicken and Fresh Green Beans

 As I have posted before I am a huge fan of ways to make my life more simple, and instant/prepared things, so for this meal I bought store bought teriyaki sauce and marinated chicken breasts for about 45 minutes.  My hubby helped with cooking since really the grill is his domain.  I made rice using  my rice cooker with one cup of rice, one cup or water and 2 Tbsp. of butter.  After taking the chicken out of the marinade I left a little in a dish to baste the chicken with and let the hubby do his thing. With the rest of the marinade let it boil in a pot while whisking, serve it over the rice and chicken. What I did make from scratch was the green beans, the hubby and I are huge into vegetables and so be warned we make a lot at a time.

Ingredients:
1 lb Fresh Green Beans
I Tbsp. Butter, divided into four squares
1 Tbsp. Dehydrated Chopped Onions
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
Salt and pepper to Taste.

Directions:
1.  Wash and cut off the ends of the green beans.
2.  Steam the beans over a pot of boiling water about 1 inch deep, steam for about 7-10 minutes, the beans will turn a bright green color.
3.  Meanwhile place the butter and seasoning in a bowl, once the beans are steamed properly place them in the bowl and toss.

Towards the end of the grilling process place some pineapple rings on the hot grill and let the sugars caramelize. Put everything on a plate and eat, the chicken, pineapple and rice go so well together!

ENJOY!

Liz's Perfect Pork Chops

Sometimes I read blogs or posts about all the things people make and how they seem to spend so much time in the kitchen how could they possibly have a life, sometimes I even feel bad because I tend to cut corners, I use prepared/ instant things a lot, they make life so much easier and honestly who has time to prepare a full meal from scratch (definitely not me).  I am going to be honest with all of you, I probably use at least one prepared/instant item in everymeal that I make.  Tonight's dish is no exception, I made a quick seasoning rub for my pork chops and a simple mashed potato recipe, and yes an instant pork gravy mix....gasp!  This is a simple and easy pork chop recipe that I can easily make after working a 9 hour shift.

Pork Chops:

Ingredients:

3-4 Pork Chops

2 Tbsp. Butter

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp. Onion Powder

1/2-1 Tbsp. Rosemary

1 tsp. Ground Pepper

Directions:

1.  Set a pan over high heat and let the butter melt.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

2.  Meanwhile mix together the seasonings and sprinkle over the pork chops and rub it in.

3.  Once the pan is hot, place the chops in and sear for about 5 minutes on each side.

4.  Place the chops in a oven safe dish and cook for about 30 minutes.

Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients:

4 Potatoes (Rule of thumb is 2 potatoes per person you are cooking for)

2 Tbsp. Butter

1/4 C. Half and Half

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp. Garlic Salt

Directions:

1.  Chop up potatoes into smaller pieces and place in a pot of boiling water, boil until the potatoes are fork tender (you can place a fork into the potatoes and it does not stick, they just fall apart).

2.  Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and place them in a mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients, blend until smooth.  Feel free to add more half and half until you get the desired consistency.

As I was mixing the potatoes I mixed together the gravy mix, it only takes about 2 minutes to make and honestly it is pretty tasty so why not use it,  granted I did add some ground pepper.

Place all on your plate and enjoy, such a tasty meal with out all the hassle of having to suffer  in the kitchen all night. 

ENJOY!