Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

This is one of my go-to meals when I have zero time for dinner, like tonight.  It's super quick, healthy, and only requires one pan (easy cleanup).  The kids got Egg Toast (that's what we call it when you cook an egg inside a piece of toast) while the tomato sauce was cooking.  We also had Parmesan Roasted Broccoli.

I learned this recipe from Martha Stewart years ago, and she said it's an old Italian dish called Eggs in Purgatory.  I think I like that name better, but anyway...

 

Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

1 large can crushed tomatoes (I like to use fire roasted tomatoes)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

pinch of red pepper flakes

4 large eggs

4 slices toasted bread (thick country style bread is best)

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and bring to a boil, and then season with salt and pepper.   Cook the sauce for 10 minutes.  Gently crack the eggs into the tomato sauce, cover, and let cook for 5 minutes.  Transfer each egg to a piece of toast.  Spoon over extra sauce, garnish with cheese, and season with salt and pepper.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

Make this up to keep in the pantry and never buy those yellow packets again. 

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix

4 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Store at room temperature in an airtight container

To use the seasoning:
 Brown 1 lb. of extra lean ground beef. Add 2 tablespoons of seasoning mix and ¾ cup water and 1 tsp salt to the ground beef. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and coats the beef, and there is not much liquid left.

We had tacos for dinner tonight, and this is the way I like to serve them. Make your own.  And also, we ate before John got home and I could easily keep the beef hot in the warming drawer and the toppings cold in the fridge.  Toppings: Monterrey Jack, tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, avocados (drizzled with lime juice to keep them from turning brown), limes, salsa. 

Homemade Caesar Salad

When I go to restaurants, I like to order things I cannot make at home.  Either dishes with ingredients unavailable to me, things I've never heard of, or dishes I don't know how to or don't like to cook.  Caesar Salad fits into the category of food I don't know how to cook.  Until now! Thanks to the good ol' interwebs, the Caesar is no longer a mystery!

Caesar Salad (adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook)

2 1/2 cups cubed crusty bread for croutons
3 garlic cloves
2 large egg yolks**
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 teaspoon minced flat anchovy filet*
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 large heads romaine, torn into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (actually Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is sold in the bulk cheese case at my Walmart)
freshly ground black pepper

Make the croutons.  Spread bread on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 350 until golden, about 7 minutes.

Grate the Parmesan cheese in the food processor.  Cut the block of cheese into big cubes and just pulse the food processor until it's a fine consistency.  Remove cheese from processor.

Add the garlic cloves and anchovy* to the food processor.  Chop them very finely.  Add egg yolk, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and process until frothy.  With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil.  Process for about 10 seconds.

To assemble the salad, toss dry romaine with Parmesan cheese, dressing, and croutons. 

*I left out the anchovy, only because my Walmart didn't have anchovies.  The dressing was delicious, but didn't have the distinctive "Caesar" taste; I'm certain because it was lacking anchovies.  Don't leave them out!

**I know you're not really supposed to eat raw eggs, but I like living on the edge. Seriously though, don't serve them to babies, unhealthy people, or pregnant women.  Be sure they are fresh (organic and free range if possible) and rinse the eggs before you crack them. 

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Did you know that my kids love broccoli?  They are weird, I know.  I cannot stand it, myself, but they eat just regular frozen broccoli, steamed in the microwave, with a little salt.  Yuck.  But THIS broccoli recipe has made a broccoli lover out of me! Excellent.  This guy says it's the best broccoli of your life, and he's not exaggerating.   We also had baked chicken and roasted potatoes, but the broccoli stole the show!

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

2 large heads of broccoli, cut into florets
4 garlic cloves, sliced
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
juice of half a lemon
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place broccoli florets on a sheet pan, and drizzle generously with olive oil.  Toss in the garlic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast at 450 for 20 minutes, or until browned. 
Remove broccoli from oven, and add lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and extra salt and pepper to taste. 

Tenderloin Steaks with Rosemary Butter

Tenderloin Steaks with Rosemary Butter

tenderloin steaks (actually, any steak would work, but Sams has great tenderloin steaks)
salt and pepper
1/2 stick softened salted butter
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Heat oven to 450.  Then, heat heavy bottom skillet to high and add 2 teaspoons olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan).  Salt (generously) and pepper steaks.  Place steaks in hot skillet and allow them to cook for 5-7 minutes, or until very brown (look at the picture above, there is about 1/2 inch of brown).  Flip the steaks, transfer entire pan to oven, and cook until they are as done as you like them.  The time depends on the thickness of the steak. 

Use the touch test:  if the steak feels like your cheek when you touch it, then it's rare.  If it feels like your chin, it's medium rare.  And if it feels like the end of your nose, it's cooked medium.  Don't cook steak any more than medium. 
Let the steaks rest for 10 minutes, then place rosemary butter on top and allow it to melt into the warm steak.   You can also pour the pan drippings on top, too, for extra flavor.

Rosemary Butter
Soften butter on the counter or in the microwave.  Stir in finely chopped rosemary.  Store in refrigerator until ready to put onto steaks.

Monkey Bread Muffins

The easy to delicious ratio for these Monkey Bread Muffins is really high.  I made these as a thank you gift for a neighbor, and I had to stop myself from eating them straight out of the oven with a spoon.  The sweetened condensed milk is the key, don't leave it out.  Soo good.

Monkey Bread Muffins
makes about 22 muffins

2 cans Grands Homestyle biscuits
1 1/2 sticks butter
cinnamon
sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add 1/2 teaspoon butter to each muffin cup (that's about half a pat, don't bother to measure any of this). Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to each muffin cup.
Cut biscuit dough into quarters, and place three into each muffin tin containing butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
Top muffins with another 1/2 teaspoon butter. Sprinkle about 1/3 teaspoon sugar and a big pinch cinnamon on top to finish.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
Remove from oven and immediately drizzle a big teaspoon of sweetened condensed milk over the top of each one. Be generous! Allow rolls to cool completely before serving (if you can).

Since I was making these for a friend, and I had a hunch they were going to be sticky and gooey, I got some disposable muffin tins.  They came with a plastic top and it was the perfect way to give them. I would suggest these disposable muffin cups if you plan to take them anywhere as well....they're kind of messy.

Parmesan Basil Orzo with Oven Roasted Shrimp

Parmesan Basil Orzo

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup orzo (rice shaped pasta)
1 14 oz can chicken broth
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (I used leftover freshly grated cheese from Thursday)
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large saucepan and add orzo.  Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until orzo is coated with butter and lightly browned.  Stir in chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to simmer and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Mix in Parmesan cheese and basil before serving.  Taste for salt and pepper and add it to taste.

Oven Roasted Shrimp

To roast shrimp, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast at 400 for 6-8 minutes, or until just pink.  Don't overcook them! They continue to cook after you take them out of the oven.

Quick Artichoke Pasta

This was a quick one.  And good thing, too, because the school year is underway and we've got after school activities, homework, and playing to be done in the afternoon! 

Quick Artichoke Pasta 

1 can artichoke hearts (not marinated), drained and rinsed
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper, to taste
juice of half a lemon
6 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter
about half a box of thin spaghetti

Cook pasta in salted water.  Meanwhile, saute artichokes in about 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.  Add chopped garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, lemon juice and let it cook for about 5 minutes.  Add wine, deglazing the pan with the liquid, and allow to simmer until the pasta is ready.  Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.  Add the pasta directly to the pan containing the artichokes and add 1/2 the Parmesan cheese and the butter.  Stir together and add basil.  Add remaining cheese to individual servings.

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

I get asked all the time if I ever make anything that isn't any good.  Well, I typically just don't blog about that stuff (clever, right?). Really, I usually know what I like and I don't try difficult or weird recipes, unless they are given to me by a friend. 

But tonight, I made this chicken, because I saw it on Pinterest and it peaked my interest.  It seemed too good to be true in how easy it is.  Throw frozen chicken and some other stuff in the crock pot and that's it??  It was, in fact, really easy.  But I'll have to say it wasn't that good.  I mean, it was ok, and the kids really liked it.  But, I wouldn't make it again, though, at least this way.  It wasn't very flavorful, even after I added a bunch of spices, and it was kind of soup-y.  I still like the idea of adding frozen chicken breasts to a crockpot....I'm going to give it some more thought.  Maybe replace the rotel with salsa and omit the corn...

Creamy Crock Pot Chicken

5 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 oz package of lowfat cream cheese
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Rotel (tomatoes and green chilies)
1 small bag of frozen corn
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Just dump it all in the crock pot and set it to low.  Cook for 8 hours.  At the end, turn the crock pot up to high and leave the lid off for a bit to let some of the liquid evaporate.  I served the chicken with tortillas, shredded cheese, fresh cilantro, and fresh lime. 

Truffle Oil Roasted Potatoes with Fleur de Sel

Our family of 5 just got back from a wonderful extra long weekend trip to Chicago.  In taking the kids, we got to have a whole new experience in one of our favorite cities. 

We usually refrain from taking the children to any restaurant we would consider "nice", but I CANNOT go to Chicago without eating good food.  We did eat our share of Chicago style pizza and hot dogs (sans pickles; sorry, Chicago), but one night we went to a restaurant that didn't have a kids' menu.  It was wonderful, and tonight for dinner, I tried to recreate the food we had that night.

We ate Pan Roasted Tenderloin Steaks with Rosemary Butter and Truffle Oil Roasted Potatoes with Fleur de Sel.  I'll tell you about the steaks later in the week, but these potatoes were fabulous! 

 

Truffle Oil Roasted Potatoes with Fleur de Sel

1-2 lbs. baby Yukon Gold potatoes

salt and pepper

olive oil

truffle oil*

fleur de sel*

Boil potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes or so.  Remove from water and let them cool until you're ready for dinner.  Heat broiler to high.  When you're ready to eat, drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on a sheet pan and toss potatoes in the oil and sprinkle a little salt and a lot of black pepper.  Broil until they brown a bit, about 3-5 minutes.  Remove from oven and drizzle with about 2 teaspoons of truffle oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel.

*I found truffle oil at TJ Maxx. Yep, that's right, TJ Maxx.  Truffle oil isn't a cooking oil, it's kind of like a condiment, in that you use it for finishing a dish.  If you've ever had it, then you know it's distinctive in it's taste, and amazing.

*I got my fleur de sel at Williams Sonoma.  It's a french sea salt that has huge grains; they almost crunch they are so big.  I don't use it that much, but it's perfect on potatoes and salads.