Tomato & Roasted Red Bell Pepper Soup

"Carmageddon" has officially hit Louisville.  While probably not as drastic as the major traffic that was caused in Los Angeles - but definitely something that perturbs me.  I love Louisville for the fact that it doesn't have 'major city traffic'.  Sure, we have crazy rush hour, but nothing compared to cities like LA, New York, or even Nashville.

Until last Friday.  The Sherman-Minton bridge was closed "indefinitely" due to some cracks found in some foundation beams.  While yes, safety is priority - it has put Louisville (and most parts of Southern Indiana - as the bridge connects New Albany, IN to Louisville) in a traffic tizzy, because now everything has to filter through to the other bridge (The Kennedy) - adding about 76,000 more cars that way.  And don't even get me started on the stupid detours.  My normal 20-25 minutes commute to work took a little over an hour today.  Yeah, I wasn't in a good mood.  But surprisingly enough, my commute home was more of normal pace, about 30 minutes.  I'll just have to think smarter for tomorrow's drive in.

Now that I've got my rant out of the way (I'm sure you all just wanted to hear about my traffic annoyances, right?) - let me tell you about something that calms me down... soup.  Yes, soup.  Now that fall has set in, soup will be a regular occurrence in our house - at least weekly.  And this week's soup?  This wonderful tomato and roasted red pepper soup.  Perfect for dipping grilled cheese!

Ingredients: 
Adapted from Sea Salt With Food's recipe

2 Red Bell Peppers
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Onion, peeled and diced

3 Cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped

2 Heirloom Tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tablespoons Tomato Paste
small handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 & 1/2 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sour Cream
Croutons

Broil red peppers under a broiler or open flame on gas stove until charred on all sides.  Place red peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside until cool enough to handle.  Peel, remove seeds, and roughly chop.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven.  Add onion and garlic.  Cook until soft and translucent but not brown in color, about 3 to 5 minutes. Then turn the heat on high and mix in the tomatoes, tomato paste, peppers, cilantro, cumin, and paprika. Sauté the mixture for a minute or 2, and add the chicken stock.  Bring mixture to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes.

Allow the soup mixture to cool slightly, then puree it with an immersion blender. Bring the soup back to the boil and season with some salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, some croutons, and a grilled cheese sandwich (if you're the dipping kind of gal like me!)

This was super tasty, made great use of our CSA tomatoes, and will be a soup that paired perfectly with a simple grilled cheese!


Hope you guys have a great Tuesday!  See you tomorrow night!

Black Bean Salad

Hope everyone is having a good week so far!  I'm already ready for our three-day weekend!

I've got to head out to work tonight, but I just wanted to do a quick post first.

This black bean salad is quick, easy, and practically goes with any summer meal!  You could even eat it all by itself (I know, because I did for lunch a couple times!)

Ingredients:

1 15 oz. can seasoned black beans, drained
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
small handful fresh Basil, chopped
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium sized bowl, toss together black beans, cucumber, tomatoes, garlic, parsley, basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.

Let marinate in the fridge for at least 45 minutes for flavors to meld.  Serve as a side dish for practically anything!

Don't you just love easy, throw together dishes like this?  I know I do!  Have a great Tuesday guys!

Sausage & Peppers

Phew what a busy day it has been! 

I know it's crazy late, but you know me... had to get a post in.

After work today, I headed over to register for classes.  CULINARY SCHOOL CLASSES.  Oh yeah.  I don't think I've ever been so excited to receive a stack of textbooks and binders.  I think today it's really starting to sink in.  I'm actually going to culinary school.  I'm following a dream.  And it is awesome.

So now that I've gotten my excitement out of the way, let's talk food.

I recently received a package in the mail from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's program to try a sample of an upcoming line of Birdseye Chef's Favorites.  They're a variety of side dishes that include Mushroom & Green Bean Risotto, Creamy Primavera Risotto, and Lightly Sauced Creamed Spinach. 

I paired the Mushroom & Green Bean Risotto with this sausage and peppers meal and it was okay.  It was a tad bit "mushroomy" for my taste - but I mean, it was Mushroom and Green Bean Risotto after all.  I tried the Creamy Primavera Risotto as well and I found it more appetizing.  My only real complaint was that the packaging said there were 2 servings per package.  Now, I don't know if Andy and I just expect big servings of things or what, but there was definitely only 1 feasible serving on the package.  But other than that, if you're looking for a quick side without the hours of labor - then this might be for you, so look out for it!

Now, these sausage and peppers are a different story.  Quick, easy, and tasty.  No complaints on this one!


Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 purple bell pepper, sliced
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 mild italian sausages, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet under medium to medium high heat.  Add onions, jalapeño, and bell pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until starting to soften.  Season with salt.

Add sausage slices and cook until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and mozzarella cheese until heated through and cheese is melted.


This was definitely a winner in my book.  Almost doesn't even need a side dish accompanied with it.


Well, I'm off to bed.  Have an early morning at work again tomorrow!  See you all in the afternoon!

*I received a free sample of Birdseye Chef's Favorites through the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's Program.  All opinions shared in this post are my own.

Duck Breasts w/ Panzanella

Happy Monday everybody! 

How was your weekend?  Ours was pretty relaxed, nothing new right? 

We had our first Fantasy Football draft of the season (we're in 3 leagues!) yesterday and I ended up with a pretty solid team.  I'm just so happy that #1.  NFL Football is actually happening this year. & #2. That the season is actually here!  Sundays = Football in our house!  And I can't help but laugh when I think about when I first met Andy, he didn't like any sports whatsoever.  I guess we do rub off on eachother.

Anyway...

I usually don't post something I've made right away.  I usually wait a day or two most of the time.  I've just got tons of things in my Lightroom gallery that it's hard picking what to do next.  However, we had this for dinner last night, and it was so amazing that I couldn't wait to share it.  Seriously, if you like duck (it's probably my favorite protein) and want something special and elegant - this is it.  Trust me.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's recipe

2 boneless duck breasts
4 ears of corn
2 potatoes, scrubbed and diced
15 asparagus spears, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 slices of bacon, chopped
5 slices of bread (we used a local bakery's Cereal Loaf), cut into 1 inch cubes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

I'm so glad I decided to buy a whole duck instead of just the breasts.  It's a lot cheaper, plus I have the rest of the duck to use to make a confit (which is actually in the works as we speak! The house smells so good right now!).

Food & Wine recommends aging the breasts for 4 days - but I didn't have 4 days.  So I quickly aged the duck breasts for about 2 hours.  Just place the duck breasts in a glass dish, skin side up.  Season with salt and pepper and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, and up to 7 days.

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Line up corn, asparagus, and potatoes on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown, stirring occasionally.  You'll want to flip around your corn every once in a while too.  Let vegetables cool slightly, then cut off kernels from corn cob.

While the vegetables are roasting, heat a large cast iron skillet under medium heat and add bacon.  Cook until bacon is crisp, about 5-7 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel-lined plate.

Add the bread cubes to the bacon fat (this was genius!) and coat well.  Transfer skillet to the oven (on a rack underneath the vegetables) and bake until crisp, about 13-15 minutes.  Season croutons with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat.  Add duck breasts, skin side down, and cook until skin is golden and crisp - about 12-14 minutes.  Turn duck over and cook until medium-rare (if you're not comfortable with that, cook it a little longer) about 4-6 minutes. 

Transfer duck to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.  Slice thinly.

While the duck is resting, you can prepare your panzanella.  In a large bowl, combine the corn, potatoes, asparagus, bacon, croutons, tomatoes, scallions, and oregano.  Toss well. 

In a small bowl, combine the red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil.  Season dressing with salt and pepper and drizzle over vegetables and croutons in bowl.  Toss to mix well.

Divide the panzanella among plates and top with slices of duck. 

Seriously, this was absolutely amazing.  I think it took Andy all of 5 minutes to clear his plate.  He said it was so good he couldn't help but keep shoving it in his mouth.  Me, I took it slow.  So I could enjoy every bite because it was really the perfect meal! 

Have a great Monday guys!

Blueberry & Avocado Spinach Salad

Happy Monday guys!  Anybody do anything exciting?

Again, we were pretty lazy.  Andy had to go into work yesterday night for some end of the month reports, so I sat around the house catching up on some Netflix action.

It's also August!  Boy has this year flown by!

I thought I'd start the week with something light.  I usually take my lunch to work 99.9% of the time, and this is just a glimpse of the sort of thing I take with me!

Ingredients:

1 Avocado, cubed
1/4 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
a few slices of ham, chopped
1/4 cup blueberries
1 cup spinach
juice from 1 lime

I'm one of those weird people that prefers their salad undressed most of the time.  And plus, the avocado is creamy enough that it adds a faux dressing feel.

Combine avocado, tomatoes, ham, blueberries, and spinach in a large bowl.  Toss until mixed well. 

Squeeze lime juice over salad and toss again. 

Dig in!

Quick and easy lunch any day of the week!

Do you bring your lunch to work?  What sort of things do you take with you?



Well, I'm off to get some cleaning done around the house - since I let myself be lazy all day yesterday!  Have a great start to the week guys!

Garden Update & My New Favorite Sandwich

The garden is really freakin' green right now!  It's definitely in better shape than last year's garden!  We've got tons of lettuce, that's for sure!  The onions are doing pretty well too, well, besides the fact that I planted the pumpkins right next to them.  Maybe next year, the pumpkins will have their own patch of land - I'm still learning =)

The herbs are growing nicely too - parlsey and cilantro are practically a-plenty... anybody need some?  Hehe.

And my tomatoes!  They're flowering, which is exciting - because they didn't even get to this stage last year.  Looks like I'll be buying plants from now on, as opposed to seeds like I did last year!

Anyway, with all the lettuce we've been having, in our CSA and in the garden - salads seem to be a go-to lunch.  But when we tire of salads, I like to make a nice little sandwich!  And this just happens to be my fave at the moment:

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread, toasted
lettuce
hummus 
smoked gouda slices
cajun turkey

Assemble all ingredients into a sandwich and enjoy!

Hummus is seriously my favorite sandwich condiment... especially since I HATE putting mayo on sandwiches =)

What's your favorite sandwich?  How's your garden (if you have one) shaping up??

Have a great Tuesday guys!

Springtime Salsa

Hey guys!  Happy Friday to ya!  Am I ever happy for this week to be over with!  It's just been quite hellish, to tell you the truth.  And after my shift tomorrow morning, I'll have Sunday and Monday off, so I'm definitely looking forward to some rest!

On a side note - sorry if any of you tried to visit the blog the past day or so - Blogger was apparently working out some kinks and removed Wednesday's & Thursday's post amidst all the craziness!  They're back now though, so all is (seemingly) back to normal!

Anyway, no big plans for the weekend - just relaxing!  How about you guys?

I know I'll be finishing off this salsa, because it was super delicious!  Next time, I'll probably make my own tortilla chips, though - has anyone noticed that store-bought tortilla chips just keep getting saltier and saltier?  I felt like I was eating a salt lick by eating the ones pictures with the salsa! 

Ingredients:

28 oz. can whole tomatoes, with juice 
1-2 jalapeno peppers (depending on how spicy you want it! - I only removed half of the seeds, I live on the edge!)
1/2 small onion
small handful cilantro
salt and pepper, to taste

In the bowl of a food processor, combine tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, onion, and cilantro.  Puree until smooth (or keep it chunky - it's your salsa, get it to your liking!).  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Bam!  You've got yourself salsa in about 10 minutes.  Seriously, I'll be eating salsa with everything now that the weather is warm and sunny!  It's just one of those "sunshine" foods, don't you think?  And of course, you could always use fresh tomatoes - but it's still a little too early for my garden beauties, and I just had a can in the pantry, so I said why not?


What's your favorite way to make salsa?

Anyway, sorry for the short and simple posts this week!  I'm still working on getting the congestion out of my head from being sick and it's just easier to do simple things right now!  So I promise I'll be back Monday with some awesome stuff (esp. Derby Pie Fudge!!)

Have a great weekend guys!

Barbecue Carnita Tacos

Tacos are hard to photograph! Tips?

Happy Friday guys!  I just got back from a grueling spinning class (high resistance for 90% of the class = major leg workout!).  I've been really digging it, though, and going at least 2-3 times a week.  I think it just might be the workout I can live with.  For now, anyway.

I've got the day off today and tomorrow from work (unfortunately I've got to work Easter.  Retail is a bummer.)  So I'm making use of my days off and keeping busy.  I'm cleaning out our bathroom (for one of the smaller rooms in a house, it's a lot of work!) and heading to a movie tonight with my book club girls.  Anybody read Water for Elephants?   It was our first book club book and since the movie comes out tonight, we're all heading out to see it.  Should be fun, and plus, it'll give me something to do because Andy has class until 10 tonight.

So I suppose you guys came here for some food right?  Right.

One of my favorite things to do with leftovers is turn them into tacos!  I mean seriously... it's perfect.  You have your protein already made.  You just have to chop up some vegetables.  Warm up some tortillas.  And bam!  You've got dinner made in less than 30 minutes!

Remember Wednesday's barbecue?  Well, I had a ton of brisket leftover!  So it was obvious what I would be doing with it.  Tacos!  After perusing The Food Addicts' site, I thought I'd follow suit and jazz them up by turning them into a 'healthy' carnita form (no frying here!).

And don't forget to vote in the poll for this week!  I need to make something this weekend, and more than likely it's going to Easter-related!


Ingredients:

2-3 cups leftover pulled barbecue (like this recipe here)
Fresh sweet corn (or frozen), cut from the cob - you can cook it first if you like, but I actually like raw corn
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 soft flour tortillas, warmed
1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
Salsa and sour cream, optional

Preheat your oven broiler to the "High" setting and place the oven rack towards the top of your oven (if your broiler is in your oven instead of below it.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread you meat in an even layer.  Broil meat in oven until slightly browned and crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Make sure to flip the meat over to get an even broil on both sides.  Alternatively you could always do the "frying" route to make your carnitas, but we're trying to be somewhat healthy around here so we didn't opt for that.

Once meat is at your desired crispness, assemble your toppings with your desired toppings (we did some fresh tomatoes, cheddar cheese, corn, and lettuce.  Simple and delicious!

See.  Dinner ready in no time flat.  Using leftovers!  So next time you open your fridge and see those leftovers, don't pass them by.  Turn them into tacos and you'll have a delicious meal in minutes!


How about you guys?  How do you use up your leftovers?  How do you fix your tacos?

What sweet treat should I make for Easter?

Mexican BLTs

I didn't say it wasn't messy.

I've been making a lot of sandwiches lately.  I blame it on my new found love (and New Year's resolution) of making our own bread.  There's just something about a freshly made loaf that makes a sandwich better, don't you think?

So the other day, I came home to a box from Foodbuzz.  Inside was some Pace Picante Sauce, thanks to Foodbuzz's Tastemakers program.  I'll be honest, I don't usually buy salsa at the grocery.  I prefer mine chunky and fresh.  But Pace is different.  It reminds me of being at a Mexican restaurant.  The salsa is usually thin and packs some heat.

I pondered what I would make with the sauce.  Should I stick with a Mexican theme since it made me nostalgic?  Or should I go a different route?  If you know me, I don't like to go with the obvious, so of course, I had to do something out of the box.  And so ties in my love for sandwiches.  BLT's in particular.


Ingredients:
Adapted from Mommy Cooks!'s recipe

Fresh baked bread, sliced
olive oil
pinch of cumin powder
pinch of chipotle chili powder  
8 slices of thick-cut bacon
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Pace Picante Sauce
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
1 tomato, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 F.




Place bacon a rack over a baking sheet and bake until crisp, about 15-20 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Brush the olive oil over the top of the pieces of bread.  Sprinkle cumin and chipotle chili powder over top of bread slices.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, Pace Picante sauce, and the chopped poblano pepper.

Spread the mixture over the top of your bread slices.

Top bread slices with pepper jack cheese (you can do one slice if you want, but I like the cheese coming at me from both ends!)



Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and bake for about 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is nice and melted.  You could always broil it also if you want the cheese to brown and crunch up a bit.

My bacon slices were pretty long so I just snapped them in half.  Place about 4-6 pieces of bacon (and of course, you could get buck wild and go with more if you're so inclined) on top of one slice of bread.  Top with a tomato slice and finally some romaine lettuce.  Close sandwich with another slice of bread.

This was one hell of a BLT.  It comes mighty close to beating my ultimate favorite BLATE (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato, Egg - of the poached variety, of course).  I loved the salsa/mayo mixture, which is odd because I usually stray away from mayo at all costs.  This was new to me, this was fresh, and it was a different way to use up some Pace Picante!  Definitely give it a go if you're in the mood for a delicious BLT!

* The Pace Picante Sauce was provided to me by Foodbuzz's Tastemakers program and no additional compensation was given.  The opinions of this post are strictly my own.

* This post was also entered to take part in Foodbuzz & Denny's BACONALIA challenge for a chance to win.

Roasted Shrimp, Tomato, & Feta Pasta

Looks like a big pile of whatever here, but trust me... this was delicious!

Can I just take this first second to say how awesome you guys are?  Yeah.  You guys!  That come here, day in and day out.  Reading my blog.  Leaving me comments.  You. Guys. Are. AWESOME.

With that being said, I think I'm on absolute Cloud 9 right now.  Why?  Well, yesterday... I had a record-breaking day on the blog, pertaining to unique visits.  The old record was 600 visits in 1 day.  Now, 600 is a hell of a lot.  But yesterday... that was completely shattered!  I had over 1000 visits!  Way awesome in my book.  Yes, I know, a lot of you have that many visits in the matter of half a day on a regular basis... but I'll take my little achievements as they come!  So when that next mile-stone of breaking 1500 visits comes... you guys will be the first to know!

Okay, now to the good stuff.

This was a pretty darn delicious meal.  Packed with some of my favorite ingredients.  Shrimp.  Tomatoes.  Feta.  And to make it a complete meal, I boiled some quick egg noodles and called it a perfect pasta dish!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Ina Garten's "How Easy Is That?"

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 celery ribs, chopped
pinch of fennel seeds
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup madeira wine
14 oz. can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon Pernod
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveiled - tails left on
5 oz. feta cheese crumbles
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon dried parsley
zest from 1 lemon
juice from 1 lemon
 dried egg noodles

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large, oven-proof skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil under medium high heat.  Add celery and fennel seeds.  Saute for about 6-8 minutes, or until celery is starting to soften. 

Add garlic and cook for about a minute.

Stir in madeira wine and bring to a boil.  Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the liquid is half reduced.

Add diced tomatoes with their liquid, tomato paste, oregano, Pernod (this is a licorice-flavored alcohol that really brings out the "seafood" flavor in the shrimp!), salt, and pepper.  Simmer mixture for about 15 minutes.

Add shrimp to pan in an even layer, over the tomato sauce.  Sprinkle feta atop the shrimp.

In a small bowl, combine both bread crumbs, lemon zest, parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Scatter bread crumb mixture over shrimp.

Place skillet in oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until shrimp are pink.  Squeeze lemon juice atop shrimp before serving.

About 5 minutes before shrimp are done, bring a pot of salted water to a boil.  Add egg noodles (I love the kind from the Asian market because they cook in practically a minute!) and cook according to package directions.

Place a serving size amount of the egg noodles on each plate and top with tomato-shrimp mixture.

 This was definitely a delicious dinner.  Ina just serves the shrimp by itself with some crusty bread, but I thought the pasta really made it a solid dinner!  Give this a go if you're looking for something relatively quick for the weekday!  Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday guys!

Simple Seabass w/ Grape Tomato "Salsa"

Ok, so the NCAA Championship game is tonight. Butler vs. Duke. This is somewhat of a double-edged sword here. #1. I hate Duke. I think they're like the Yankees of baseball. Yeah, they're good, but who wants to watch the same team win and win and win? Unless you're a Duke or a Yankees fan, I don't think anyone enjoys the same old monotony. And Butler... yeah, Cinderella schminderella. I'm tired of hearing about them. And trust me, living in Nothern Kentucky, bordering Southern Indiana, and working with many Butler grads... I have to hear about it. And it makes me want to vomit. So, yeah, I want them to lose... but I don't want Duke to win... so it looks like I'm just s.o.l. there. My bet is on Duke mauling right over the little bulldogs though... we'll see.


Ingredients:
Adapted from Food & Wine's March 2010 issue - "Sea Bass w/ Tomato & Black Olive Salsa"

2 5 oz. Chilean sea bass fillets
juice from 1 lemon, with 1 tablespoon reserved
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and fresh black pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon basil puree (it comes in a tube and it keeps longer than fresh basil, with the same taste)
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and diced

In a shallow dish, rub the sea bass with lemon juice and 1 tablespoon, each, of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. This will really allow the simple flavors of the lemon to enter the fish and make it truly fantastic.

Heat a large skillet under medium high heat.

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, basil, dill, and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix well. Add remaining tablespoon of lemon juice and give it a quick toss. Add mixture to hot skillet and saute until onions and tomatoes start to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Wipe down skillet and return to heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat until shimmering.

With a paper towel, pat dry the fillets and add to skillet, skin side down. Cook under medium high to high heat until skin is browned, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until fish is white throughout, about another 4 minutes.

Transfer the fish to plates and immediately top with tomato mixture and a nice piece of crunchy bread.

This was absolutely delicious. The simple flavors of the tomatoes pair so well with the buttery taste of the sea bass. The fish had so much natural flavor that excessive seasoning was not necessarily. The lemon, salt, and pepper was enough to allow it to shine and the crispy texture of the skin was just phenomenal. Definitely a must try! Enjoy!

Bangers N Beans

When I gave Andy his choices of what I was to make this past Sunday, he didn't sound thrilled with any of the choices whatsoever. I was for certain he was going to pick the ribs, but no ribs. I guess he didn't like the last time I made ribs (too much fennel in the rub overpowered the ribs, my own fault of course). So he reluctantly said the sausages and beans. I find myself using Cannelini beans a lot lately, and why not? They're full of nutrients and way cheap. Bon Appetit featured this recipe in it's October 2009 issue in a series of 10 rustic Italian recipes using the beans.

Ingredients:
adapted from Sausages w/ White Beans in Tomato Sauce from Bon Appetit Oct 2009

2 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
4-5 hot Italian sausages, cut in half
2 15 oz cans Cannelini beans
1 cup plus more of chicken stock
2-4 fresh sage leaves
1 15 oz. can whole tomatoes plus juice
1 cup elbow macaroni
salt and pepper to taste

The original recipe said to use whole dry beans and cook them in this flavorful broth. One problem... I couldn't find dry cannelini/kidney beans for the life of me. Maybe I wasn't looking hard enough, but I made do with what I COULD find and used the canned beans and made my own little simmering broth.

Combine the beans, chicken stock, 1 sage leave, and 1 crushed garlic clove (or more if you want). You want to make sure the stock covers the beans by at least 2/3. Then let that come to a boil and simmer on the stove for about 10-15 minutes. The longer you let it sit, the more the flavor will penetrate the beans, but if you let it sit too long, you end up with little or no liquid, so just watch it carefully and you be the judge.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet and over medium heat add the garlic. Saute until slightly brown, about 1-2 minutes. Add the sausages and cook until browned, 5 minutes or so. Add 1/2 cup of the bean cooking liquid (or water), tomatoes, and the rest of the sage to the pan. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the beans, along with the rest of the liquid (should be about a cup or so). Cover the pan with aluminum foil or a lid and let simmer under medium heat for about 30 minutes. About halfway through, about 15 minutes, add the elbow macaroni and cover again to resume simmering.

After the 30 minutes, uncover and you can keep simmering if you want the sauce to slightly thicken, or you can serve right away after adding salt and pepper to taste. I didn't simmer for any longer because I found that the macaroni absorbed a lot of liquid and in itself somewhat thickened the mixture.

Serve while hot and garnish with either sage leaves or parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

And once again, I prove Andy wrong. He found that the beans were quite flavorful and actually enjoyed the meal! What can I say...

Hot Caprese Pasta

Yes, I know the title is hypocrisy. Caprese is supposed to be cold. But I wanted a hot dinner. And so I give you, HOT Caprese Pasta, inspired by a COLD Caprese Pasta found over at Framed.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 medium sized tomatoes, diced
6 or 7 small balls of fresh mozzarella, diced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
1 lb. egg noodle pasta
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Combine everything but pasta and basil leaves in medium bowl. Mix to coat well. Set aside.

Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salt water until al dente, about 5 or 6 minutes. Time will vary depending on the type of pasta you use, so just watch it carefully.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium to high heat, add tomato mixture to skillet and saute down until kind of thick. The cheeses melted and created a thick tomato sauce that reminded Andy of "bruschetta".

When pasta is done, drain and add to tomato sauce. Stir in basil leaves.

Plate while it's hot and enjoy!

This was incredibly easy, and definitely tasty. It really is versatile. It could just as well be eaten as a cold pasta, as it was intended. Enjoy!

Thai Red Curry W/ Zucchini & Tomatoes

Curry is one of my favorite things to eat. I've never tried cooking it, so when I saw this recipe, I had to give it a go. I love the heat that enters my mouth when tasting a delicious curry. It never fails to clear my sinuses, and always pleases.


Ingredients:

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb chicken breasts cut into strips
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion, sliced thin
2 zucchini cut into strips
1 cup cherry tomatoes, or roma tomatoes quartered
1 tablespoon thai red curry paste (or more if you want it more spicy)
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons water
zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

I couldn't believe how easy and versatile this recipe was. Any of the ingredients could easily be substituted out. You can vary your proteins, the vegetables, and even the curry paste comes in red, yellow, and green varieties. Definitely something you can play with to find your perfect curry match!

In a large wok, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the chicken. Season with desired amount of salt and pepper and cook until white throughout. Then take chicken out and set aside on a plate.


Add remaining oil to wok and stir in onion until just soft. Then add zucchini and tomatoes and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Stir in curry paste, coconut milk, water, lime zest, lime juice, and bring to a simmer.


Add chicken back in and stir in cilantro. I must say, cilantro is definitely a powerful flavor, but this is one dish where it did not overpower anything. It was more of a subtle taste, and I'm glad it was, because Andy doesn't really like cilantro, and I like how I was able to sneak it in there.


And you're done! Serve over rice and enjoy!