Stuffed Eggplant

Ground Sirloin that I ground myself with the old Kitchen Aid.

So I found this recipe here. I used some of my ground sirloin, reserving the rest to make into taco meat. I found that the beef really needed something else, so I added a dash of cinnamon to make it a bit more savory. Really, I forgot to salt the eggplant and it was a bit tough, maybe it was because I bought it at Market Basket, Home of the Worst Produce Ever. It was good but I wouldn't say it was great, I may actually do my own take on this at some point, so watch out! And yup, them be yeller tomaters on to thayr.

Outta Sight Mac and Cheese and Grilled Pork Tenderloin Dinner

I think I one-upped Martha Stewart here. You know I love ya Martha, but I just had to. The Mac and Cheese comes from her Cooking School book. Which if you really want to improve your cooking skills, I highly recommend. I added a generous helping of panko top the top ans well as bacon that I cooked and chopped. But what makes this a dish-o-awesomeness are the roasted, seeded, chopped jalapenos I mixed in with the pasta before topping. Heart-attack!


Roasted Portobello: drizzle in olive oil, season with salt and pepper, top with fresh mozzarella and bake on 350 until cheese bubbles, about 10-15 minutes.

Watercress with Roasted tomato dressing, toasted pecans and goat cheese: Recipe. I toasted my pecans (about 3-4 tbsp) on 350 for about 10 minutes and let them cool. I also diverged from the recipe by using small, halved tomatoes that I had on hand.

The pork tenderloin was marinated with rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil. You should really marinated it for at least two hours in the fridge. And then I ruined it on the grill by cooking it too long. Don't be like me, cook it to 155 and let it stand covered for about 10 minutes. Pork cooking guidelines have changed, and pork can be served slightly pink in the middle. I was grilling in the dark so I have somewhat of an excuse.

Grilled Tomato Risotto with Roasted Portobellos

The last time I made risotto, 5 years ago it was awful. It took about a year to cook. Well, nott hat long but I royally messed it up. So this was my second attempt ever at making a risotto. I had some ingredients that I wanted to use up and it was a Friday, so it had to be meatless. I found this (click "this" for link):

This is about halfway through before adding the tomatoes.




After adding grilled tomatoes. Don't forget to taste it and add a little salt if needed!











And this is what the dish looks like, assembled with the portobello.

I just want to take a minute here and apologize to Emeril. I know you are probably really excited to see your recipe on my blog, Emeril. I just know you check it every day. And I want to say I am sorry for thinking this recipe would be bland and boring before I actually made it. It was so good, flavorful and I know you would think I did a great job seasoning it. I will make this recipe again and again.

Spinached Eggplant, ButterHerb Grilled Chicken and Stuffed Tomatoes

This is a variation of the awesomely eggplant recipe I posted here. Add some baby spinach in between those layers of eggplanty-goodness. That's the only variation, but it was too good not to share.








Next, I'd like to give a little shout out to my favorite farm. Tendercrop Farm. These are four of their own chicken breasts stuffed with my very own herb butter and some lemon slices. Make sure the butter is cold when you put it between the meat and the skin, it melts slowly and stays on your chicken longer. I grilled these on low for about 30-45 minutes. Be careful about flare-ups that may be caused by the butter. When the juices run clear, or it reaches the right temp, it's done.


Tomatoes Provencal a la greque?
Alright, so I was trying to use up these tomatoes and I came up with this. Then I saw it in a recipe book, though slightly different and I felt really stupid.

Core the tomatoes, scooping out the seeds. Mix about 4 tbsp of feta, with a tablespoon of parsley, a small clove of garlic chopped finely, and just enough breadcrumbs to make a stuffing that loosely holds together, probably not more than a handful. Stuff the tomatoes and bake on 350 until they begin to soften. Another variation would be to use Parmesan instead of bread crumbs or feta.

A Special Dinner and One Mean Dinner Breakfast

Corn, red mashed potatoes, asparagus (click here for recipe), sauteed mushrooms, herb butter, and a salt and pepper seasoned, grilled rib eye.


German Pancakes

Asparagus with Hollandaise
And the breakfast plate

The Breakdown:
1.First German Pancake recipe here I add about 1/3 c. sugar, get it in the oven because it takes the longest, I bake mine solely in a glass pan and on 350 for about 45-50 minutes
2. Apples (peel and cut into small pieces) sauteed in 2-3+ tbsp unsalted butter with vanilla, 1/3c sugar and cinnamon to taste. When all prep is done for other foods, start these over medium heat until tender
3. Eggs, just enough scrambled eggs for your family we like 2-3 per person depending on what we're having, add a little butter to the pant and then garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste with a handful or so of shredded cheese.
4. Asparagus, season with salt, pepper and olive oil, put in oven with German pancakes for 10-15 minutes or until tender
5. Hollandaise Sauce, there are a lot of variations, some are intimidating. I halved the one I hyper-linked and cooked it over low in one sauce pot, no complicated equipment necessary. I omitted the cayenne, though I like it, my family does not. It takes about 10 minutes to make.
6. Ham, I reheated leftover ham. In the microwave.

Whew! It is a lot but I also had an egg retirement home living in my fridge and we need to eat them before they went to the Dark Side.

Strawberry Jam and Spatchcocked Chicken

This was my second and much more successful attempt at jam-making. We picked our own strawberries at a local farm, and as it was the end of the season and they were rather ripe, I dropped everything to can them when we got home. So, I followed the directions on the recipe for Sure-Jell, but this time I added almost double the pectin, and I did everything in the proper order. Simple delicious and they make a great gift. However, there probably won't be any around to give away by Christmas. I felt like my grandma was there with me when I had my first PB and J. Growing up, my grandma would always make freezer jam for me and I loved it. I even complained if my mother tried to put store-bought jelly in my lunch.

Spatchcocked Chicken

I was introduced to this method of cooking by a magazine. Basically, you spatchcock the chicken, meaning you turn it over and cut out the spine along each side, so you are left with a cowardly, spineless chicken. Then you flip it over and flatten it out. There are so many advantages to cooking it this way, one being that it cooks evenly and more quickly than other methods. So your white meat and dark meat won't dry out.

Here is what I did: Stuff the chicken with slices of lemon and cold herbed butter under the skin (probably about a 3/4 stick of butter), season with salt and pepper. Add favorite vegetables, tossed with olive oil to the pan. I used red potatoes and onion, but I suppose carrots, celery or squash would work too. Roast on 325 until juices run clear and thermometer reads proper temperature.

Now you are probably wondering how to make herb butter. Easy. Soft butter + your favorite herbs. You can mix it by hand, make small or large amounts, or even use the food processor. I like parsley, garlic, lemon juice, pepper, and chives. Add a little of each at a time to your own taste. It keeps for weeks in the coldest part of your fridge. Great on steaks too!

Ice cream for Dinner and Asparagus for Dessert.

Recently, I made Honey-Vanilla Ice Cream, which basically is any vanilla ice cream recipe, minus the sugar plus honey. I borrowed a book from the library and followed the recipe to the letter. After the ice cream had its go in the magical carousel, I swirled in some blackberry jam that I made. The jam was a little runny so it made a perfect addition to this ice cream. I ripened it in the freezer and it was amazing.








Here is the asparagus that my friend Ermentrude* made for us when she and her family visited in May. It has my children begging for more. And just so I am not stepping on any toes, she told me that this is similar to the one on the Pioneer Woman's Website. But old Erm does it her way, I hope she won't mind me sharing!

Season asparagus with salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes on 400. Sprinkle 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese over asparagus, and put it back into oven until asparagus is melted. Before serving squeeze 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice over asparagus. Watch it disappear and pat yourself on the back.

*Ermentrude is not my friend's name.