Broken hand

I was out for a while with a broken hand but I'm back! Looking forward to returning to the world of cooking!

Butternut squash and goat cheese pasta

Butternut Squash Goat cheese pasta

This is savory sweet pasta that is perfect for fall! The sweetness of the butternut squash and brown sugar are balanced out by the bitterness of the goat cheese.

1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1/2 onion, diced

1 pound rigatoni or penne pasta

1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled

¼ cup brown sugar

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

2 teaspoons chopped basil leaves

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

Salt and Pepper to taste

 1.Preheat oven to 450’. Start water to boil. To speed up cooking process, use a microwave safe back dish. Place squash and 3 tablespoons water in dish. Cover with saran wrap and microwave for 5 minutes.

2. Uncover dish from microwave and drain water. Add walnuts and onions. Cover with salt, pepper, basil and brown sugar and drizzle with olive oil. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes.

3. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1/2 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bon appetit!

Coconut Chicken

Coconut Chicken

Sometimes I surprise myself, and this was one of them! This recipe was amazing! The perfect combination of sweetness and warmth. It’s better than take out thai or Chinese.

Chicken:

1 lb chicken breast or 1lb jumbo shrimp (peeled and deveined with tails off)


Salt and pepper


Red pepper to taste

1 cup breadcumbs (Panko preferred)

¼ cup flour

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

½ cup olive oil

1. Slice chicken and set aside. On cutting board pour out half cup flour. Next have a bowl of a mixture of egg and milk. For breading, mix breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
2. Coat chicken in flour. Dip in egg batter and coat with breadcrumbs.
3. Heat oil to medium and sauté chicken until brown.

Rice:

1 cup jasmine rice

1 can coconut milk

3 teaspoons sugar

1. In rice cooker combine rice with coconut milk. Using directions for rice, but milk instead of water. Add 3 teaspoons of sugar.

Sauce:

1 green onion (chopped)
 (optional)

1 tablespoon amaretto or frangelico liquor

1 can coconut milk


¼ cup milk


2 tablespoons sugar (or less)


2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a wok heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add green onions and amaretto liquor. Cooking for another 1-2 minutes until the shrimp begins to caramelize.
2. Add to the wok- coconut milk, milk, and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer (stirring occasionally) until the sauce is reduced by half (about 6 minutes).

On plate, arrange rice, top with chicken and pour sauce on top! Delicious, sweet and light!!

Bon appetit!

Easy Rice Cooker Paella

Easy Rice Cooker Paella 

Prep Time:
5 Min

Cook Time:
35 Min

Ready In:
40 Min


Paella is traditionally made in a large pan, paellera, with a very distinct flavor of saffron threads and variance protein such as chicken, pork, chorizo (spanish sausage), mussels, clams, shrimp, crab... the list goes on..


Being that I don't own a paellera and I cooking in a pan is always more complicated than a rice cooker, why not?!!?


Serves 2-3


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 cup yellow saffron rice (I used Vigo Brand, saffron is included as it is expensive to buy on it's own!)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth 
1/4 cup peas (I skipped this as I don't like peas, but common in most paella)
1 teaspoon capers
1 teaspoon Cilantro
1 teaspoon parsley


Optional meats:
1/4 lb small or medium raw shrimp

1 chicken breast

1/2 lb sausage (pork sausage, chorizo or italian sausage)

1 can clams, drained

1 can crab, drained

1 lb mussels

For this recipe I used chicken, pork, crab, clams, and mussels. 

1. Set rice cooker to cook and saute olive oil, onion, pepper and garlic for about one minute. Add chicken and sausage (save seafood for later in the recipe). 

2. Add all seasonings (salt through marjoram), stir and saute for an additional two mintues, only partially cooking the meats. 

3. Add rice and stir, coating the rice in the oil. Stir for one to two minutes. Add wine and cook for another two minutes. 

4. Add broth and close rice cooker. Let cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Add seafood, and ingredients peas through parsley. Close lid and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until rice has soaked up all liquid. 

Bon appetit! 

Stuffed Rosemary Pesto Cornish Hens

So I have never cooked, or for that matter, eaten a cornish hen before. These were on sale 2 for $5, so I guess it's time to learn! They look intimidating, but trust me these are easy and look and taste great!


Prep Time:
15 Min

Cook Time:
55 Min

Ready In:
1 hr 10 Min


You will need:

2 cornish hens

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 package of pesto

2 teaspoons rosemary (optional: 4 fresh sprigs)

4 tablespoons minced garlic (6 garlic cloves)

1/3 cup white wine

1/3 cup chicken broth

1 box stuffing

1/4 cup butter

Serves: 4

1. Preheat oven to 450'. Rub with one teaspoon of olive oil. Gently pull skin away from breast of hen. Rub pesto between skin and chicken. Flip hen and do the same on the other side.  

2. Melt half the butter and mix with half the box of stuffing. Place one clove of garlic on each hen. Stuff each hen full of stuffing. Rub remaining pesto, rosemary, and sprinkle of salt and pepper on hens.

3. Spray baking dish with non stick spray. Spread garlic on dish and place hens on top. Dribble lemon juice over each hen. Bake for 25 minutes. 

4. Reduce heat to 350'. Mix wine, chicken broth, lemon juice and pour over hens. Flip and baste every ten minutes. Cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Follow directions to cook the remainder of stuffing. 

5. Pour remaining sauce into pan and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce. Cut hens in half length wise and plate. Pour remainging sauce over hens and stuffing and enjoy!

Bon appetit! 

Goat Cheese White Wine Pasta

This recipe is one of my favorites! Quick meal and the sauce amazes me every time! I cook this meal once or twice a week. 


Prep Time:
5 Min

Cook Time:
15 Min

Ready In:
20 Min


You will need:

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablesspoons butter

1 teaspoon garlic

3 chopped green onions
2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup white wine sauce
3 teaspoon basil

1 can diced tomatoes (or 1 tomato diced)

1 can artichoke hearts

Handful of spinach

2-3 heaping tablespoons of goat cheese (to taste)

Sprinkle of pine nuts (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Pasta (Linguine or medium shells work best)

Optional: Additional vegetables (such as zucchini, squash, asparagus..)

Serves: 2

1. Start Pasta to boil. 

2. Drain artichoke hearts. Slice. Chop Onions. 

3. At a medium heat melt butter. Add olive oil. Add garlic and onions and saute, but do not brown. 

4. Add artichokes, tomatoes, basil and salt and pepper. If using canned tomatoes, drain first. Saute for 5 minutes, but do not brown. Pour in wine and lemon juice. Simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Place spinach on top and cover with a lid. Saute for 5 minutes covered. Add goat cheese and pine nuts and stir to smooth.

 

6. Stir in pasta and plate!


Bon appetit! 

Seared Tuna and Grapefruit Salad

This recipe is one of my favorites! This meal is quick, light and filling. The citrus flavor of the grapefruit mixes perfectly with the tuna. The best part about tuna is one tuna steak only has about 300 calories. In this recipe you get your servings of fruit, veggies and lean meat.


Prep Time:
10 Min

Cook Time:
5 Min

Ready In:
15 Min


You will need:


For Salad1 tuna steak (this is a large meal for one, or enough for two)
1/2 Grapefruit segments
Handful of spinach
2 Tablespoons goat cheese
1 tablespoon pine nuts 


For Dressing
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon basil
Juice from 1/2 grapefruit
Grapefruit zest
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients for dressing. Use half the dressing to marinade the tuna steak. Place tuna in a ziplock bag and in the fridge for a half hour. The longer the tuna steak marinades, the stronger the flavor will carry. If you do not have time to marinade for a half hour, just marinade while you are making the dressing.


2. Preheat small pan on medium heat. Press salt and pepper into each side of the tuna steak. Sear on each side for 1-2 minutes. Center should still be read and cooked tuna should be about 1/2 cm on each side. 


3. While tuna is cooking, plate the spinach and top with cheese, nuts and grapefruit. 


4. Slice tuna into 1 cm slices and top salad. Stir dressing and spoon onto salad. 


Bon appetit! 

Spaghetti Squash in a tomato white wine sauce

Spaghetti squash.. what a mystery. Never tried spaghetti squash before tonight, but I plan to continue! Yes it can be used like spaghetti, who knew?!!

Spaghetti can be baked, boiled, steamed, or microwaved. (of course my favorite choice being microwave!) It can be served with or without sauce, as a substitute for pasta. The seeds can be roasted, similar to pumpkin seeds. But the best past is there are only 42 calories per half cup!

It all starts like this:

Prep Time:
5 min

Cook Time:
20 min

Ready in:
25 min

You will need:

1/2 spaghetti squash (save the other half, another recipe to come this week)

1/2 can diced tomatoes (variation: use a fun flavor like sweet onion or basil and garlic)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup white wine

2 green onions (variation: 1/2 white onion)

1 handful of spinach

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons basil

1/4 cup parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut Squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place squash cut sides up in a microwave dish with 1/4 cup water. Cover dish with plastic wrap and cook on high for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand covered for 5 minutes. With a fork, comb out the strands into a mixing bowl.

2. In a frying pan, melt butter. Add garlic and onions and saute for 1-2 minutes but do not brown. Add olive oil, basil, salt and pepper and white wine and reduce until only half the liquid remains (about 5 minutes).

3. Add tomatoes and stir together. Place squash into pan and fold into sauce. Place handful of spinach on top and cover with a lid for 5 minutes. Fold spinach into pasta.

4. Add to serving dish and top with parmesan.

Bon appetite!

Lemon Risotto in a Rice Cooker

Risotto always sounded so complicated me, but it is so easy! Rice is always something tricky to cook, but a rice maker does everything for you. So why not combine the two and cook the risotto in my rice cooker. Anyone can do that!

The great thing about risotto, is it is so customizable. Add any vegetables you would like to create your own flavor. I made a mushroom and spinach risotto, but some other good vegetables are asparagus, arugula, squash, and the list goes on...

Prep Time:
5 min

Cook Time:
30 min

Ready in:
35 min



You will need:

6 cups chicken broth (variation: 6 bouillon cubes with water)
3 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots (variation: green onion, leeks)
2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons grated lemon peel (variation: 2 extra teaspoons lemon juice)
About 2-3 cups of a vegetable of your choice, such as asparagus, mushrooms, squash, etc. The vegetable should be cut into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch


If your rice cooker will stay on cook without the lid down, you can do all preparations in the rice cooker turned onto its reguar cook setting, no need to dirty any pans! Mine does not stay on unless the lid is down, so steps 1 and 2 were done in a pan.



1. In a medium saucepan melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and oil. When the oil is heated, add the onion, shallot or leek and stir to coat with the oil. Saute it, stirring occasionally, until it softens and turns translucent. This should take about 4 to 5 minutes.

2. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and tir to coat the grains of rice completely with the wine. Saute, stirring frequently, until the rice starts to absorb the wine. The rice will eventually become translucent around the edges, with a small white dot remaining.

3. If you are using vegetables, add and saute them for a minute or two, stirring occasionally. Only add the harder vegetables that will need time to simmer and cook (such as mushrooms, asparagus, squash...Leafy vegetables, such as arugula, spinach or watercress should not be added until the last minute.

4. Transfer the rice into the rice cooker and pour in the stock or broth, all at once, and stir to combine it with the rice.

5.Close the lid on the rice cooker. If your cooker has a porridge setting, set it for this. If it is an on-off cooker, or only has a "Regular" setting, then use that setting. Either way, set a timer for 20 minutes.

After 10 minutes, check on the rice and give it a stir to recombine the ingredients. When the timer goes off, check on the risotto. If there is still a lot of liquid remaining, and the rice is still hard in the middle, cook it a little longer. The rice should be tender, but still have a little "bite" to it, what the Italians refer to as al dente. And there should be enough liquid remaining to make it just slightly soupy.

6.Stir in cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in parsley, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Season risotto with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

Bon appetite!

Mussle a la Mariniere over Fettuccine

Prep Time:
10 Min

Cook Time:
15 Min

Ready In:
25 Min



Peopod has mussels on sale, meaning we were having mussels for dinner. After searching the web looking for different ways of preparing mussels I came across this recipe... I started there and then added some twists. If you're looking to make an impression - this recipe is delicious and has a beautiful presentation. Don't be intimidated! It really is simple to make.

À la marinière is a French phrase meaning "mariner's style." It refers to the preparation shellfish with white wine and herbs.

You will need:
1 lb (about 30) fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 gloves of garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons butter
3 green onions, chopped
1 bunch of parsley chopped (variation: 3 tablespoons parsley flakes)
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes (variation: use a flavor, such as garlic or sweet onion)
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons cream cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1. Run mussles under water and scrub off and dirt or sand. Do not soak mussles in tap water, as that could kill them

2.Start the water for the fettuccine.

3.Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add garlic, and saute for one minute, but do not brown. Add the chopped green onion and tomatoes, and cook until almost tender. Pour in the white wine, and stir in the parsley and butter. Bring to a boil, and allow to boil until the liquid has reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3.Add the mussels to the pot, cover and allow to cook until the shells are opened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the mussels and sauce to a large serving bowl, discarding any unopened shells. Add in the sour cream and cream cheese and stir until melted smoothly into sauce.





4.Add noodles to your bowl and cover the sauce and mussels and enjoy! A nice slice of bread to soak up extra sauce is yummy also!

Bon appetit!



Tips for storing mussels:
Take them out of their shell and store mussel in the broth. This will ensure that it stay juicy!

Start Up

Well, for starts I love to cook and I love googling ingredients to find great recipes and then turning them into my own. I'm 24, I don't have much money and I cook for one or two people everyday. I always seem to come up with great recipes, so I figured I can start sharing them with everyone else. Everything is pretty simple to make since it's only from ingredients that I have at my house.

Enjoy.