4-28-11

Mac & Cheese with Chicken

Penne pasta and roasted chicken breast tossed in a four cheese cheese sauce baked with a seasoned crumb topping; served with steamed broccoli.

4-27-11

Thai Chicken with Snow Peas

A twist on an ATK recipe. The chicken breast that is minced is sauteed with minced Thai basil, garlic, ginger, snow peas and shallots; finished with oyster sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar. Served over basmati rice.

4-26-11

 Pea Soup

Not a fan, but I got the coveted Easter Ham bone and therefore, pea soup was in the offing. All of this will be given away.

Turkey Tacos

Ground turkey (instead of beef) seasoned up for taco meat and served with all the fixings; shredded lettuce, grated cheese and homemade salsa.

4-25-11

Roasted Chicken Beast

A bone in breast of chicken seasoned and roasted, served with baked potato and green beans.

4-21-11

Pan Seared Steak

Seasoned rump steak pan seared and served with roasted potatoes, asparagus and carrot.

4-20-11

Jambalaya

The classic with smoked sausage, chicken and shrimp in a robust tomato sauce served over white rice.

4-19-11

Pork Loin Paillard

A slice of pork loin pounded thin, breaded in panko, sauteed and topped with a homemade salsa; served with broccoli and mac & cheese topped with crispy fried kielbasa.

4-18-11

Roasted Chicken Breast

A skinless breast of chicken seasoned and roasted, served with baked potato and roasted green beans.

4-15-11

White Pizza

A homemade crust topped with a garlic parmesan sauce, roasted chicken breast, broccoli, rasted red peppers and a four cheese blend (not shown).

4-14-11

BBQ Beef

I slow cooked a chuck roast in seasonings and liquid smoke. The meat was taken out and left aside to cool slightly. While the beef cooled enough to handle I strained and defatted the cooking liquid and reduced it on the stove. The beef was broken into good sized pieces and placed on a lined sheet pan. After the liquid cooked down enough I added store bought BBQ sauce then coated the beef and broiled it to create a sticky "bark" I repeated and did the same on the other side. The beef was served with green beans and a roasted sweet potato.

4-13-11

Vietnamese Pho (Ga)

I made the stock traditionally with pork and chicken bones/parts, ginger, lemon grass and star anise.

The dish consists of the stock poured over cooked rice noodles & shredded chicken. I also added some finely julienned snow peas. All is topped with crispy fried shallots that I get from a Korean store in my area - great store. The classic "sides", added by the diner are lime, jalapenos, Thai basil (also from the Korean store) and bean sprouts. Not bad for a home version. I didn't forget the chili garlic paste or Sriracha.

4-12-11

Jerk Chicken Breast

Slices of chicken breast marinated in Jamaican Jerk seasoning grilled with asparagus and served with roasted potatoes.

4-11-11

Grilled Pork Loin

A seasoned loin of pork grilled, topped with a light sauce with Asian flavors and served with a saute of snow peas, carrot, green beans and red pepper.

4-7-11

Grilled Chicken Breast

A marinated breast of chicken (simple vinaigrette) with grilled potato with green beans I blanched and tossed with roasted garlic and then heated on the grill.

4-6-11

Beef Quesadilla

I shredded the leftover pot roast and heated it in a combination of BBQ sauce & beef gravy with cumin, chili powder and ground chipotle. Filled flour tortillas with the beef and shredded cheddar cheese, pan fried them and served them with homemade salsa, shredded iceberg and shoestring fries.

4-5-11

Cajun Pork

Pork loin coated with Cajun spice, pan seared and served with rice pilaf and roasted asparagus and broccoli.

4-4-11

Cappelletti

Rain/snow and cold made today perfect for my first attempt at making this meat filled pasta. The filling is a combination of beef, pork, chicken, aromatic vegetables and herbs. After sauteing it, you process it until it's smooth but not a paste. The pasta is simply pasta that you roll out as if you were making ravioli. The final product is not unlike a tortellini, just a bit larger. These are traditionally served in a simple chicken stock (Cappelletti en Brodo).

Pot Roast

The Cappelletti was frozen for later use, dinner was Crock Pot pot roast with mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans - so tender I didn't even try to slice it, just pulled it into chunks.

4-1-11

Italian Chop Suey

A variation on the comfort food classic; this one is made with beef and sweet Italian sausage in a more robust tomato sauce with cavatapi pasta. This was showered with grated Parmesan and served with garlic bread.

3-31-11

Biiiiiiig Salad

To quote Elaine Bennes, greens with lots of stuff and shredded chicken breast.