Fallen Souffle

Today I had an office holiday potluck party and with all the craziness that is leading up to my sister’s graduation and…um…yeah Christmas….I haven’t had much time to cook. Weeks ago I told our office manager that I would bring something and ofcourse realized yesterday I needed to make something for today! Ugh…story of my life. So at 10:30 last night I’m boiling chicken and pasta for a pasta salad. I had hopes to make something hot but I don’t have the energy to lug a crockpot to work. So I went for a tasty pasta salad. My mom had been making the first pasta recipe for a while and then she lost the recipe on her computer somewhere and then she found it…two nights ago…so I knew I and to make it…it’s always a hit at potlucks.

I first tasted the second recipe a few months ago at a house warming party, the ingredients are so simple but it is sooooo good! I made it for another office party a while ago and it was very well received.

No pics unfortunately but the visual is nothing too impressive but the taste speaks for itself.

Chicken and Artichoke Pasta Salad

4-6 chicken breasts
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2-2 ½ cups water
¼ cup chopped onion
16 oz. vermicelli pasta
1- 14 oz. can plain artichoke hearts-halved
1 pint cherry tomatoes-halved

Dissolve bouillon cubes in water, simmer chicken and onion in bouillon until done, about 45 mins. Strain and reserve broth. Remove chicken, allow to cool and chop coarsely.

Break vermicelli pasta into 2 inch pieces. Add enough water to broth to cook pasta according to package directions.

DRESSING

1 ½ Tbsp. grated onion
1/3 cup oil
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 ½ tsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. seasoned salt
1 ½ tsp. dried basil, crushed

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

When vermicelli is done, drain thoroughly and mix with chicken and dressing. Add artichoke hearts and toss.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

To serve, add tomatoes and toss.

Serves 6-8

Lemon Basil Pasta Salad
1 pound farfalle pasta
4 plum tomatoes, cut into 1 inch dice
8 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 teaspoons salt
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way with water and place over high heat. Add plenty of salt and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water to cool down.

Put the pasta in a large serving bowl and add the tomatoes, basil, lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Toss well and garnish with fresh basil leaves

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I was in Virginia again this weekend for the wedding of a childhood friend of mine and Mom and I always talk about what we plan to make for the week ahead. Mom is a very busy woman, managing a ton of dialysis clinics in Hampton Roads, and combine that with her after work workout routine equates to not a lot of time for dinner prep. She also like to make salads and such for lunch or a quick dinner and we always end up coming up with new ideas for pasta salad. Pasta salad is great because you can make a huge bowl of it and divide it up for lunches throughout the week. This is one of my favorite pasta salad recipes and I use the dressing a lot for other dishes. However, we wanted to incorporate the plethora of basil that my Mom has grown in her garden, so we made up a batch of sun-dried tomato pesto and I decided to use that as my inspiration for this week’s pasta salad. I also used this salad as a sort of “cleaning out the fridge/pantry” dish, which actually ended up working out really well. A co-worker of mine gave me a bunch of the sweetest grape tomatoes ever and I have been waiting to use them in something like this. I also added some leftover steamed broccoli, a bag of wacky mac pasta (which is why the pasta is an assortment), cubed mozzarella, and a can of cannellini beans for some protein. The beans were a last minutes addition as I didn’t feel like grilling up chicken, but they ended up being wonderful in this. You could also add some chickpeas if you had those around.

Below is a recipe for the pesto we made, I based it off the traditional pesto recipe I would make at the bakery but added sun-dried tomatoes for something different. I think it turned out very well and I will use the leftovers for some bruschetta.

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
2 cup fresh basil
3/4 cup pine nuts
3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon each of salt and pepper
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/2-2 cups extra virgin olive oil (depending on the consistency you are looking for)
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Add basil, pine nuts, garlic, s&p and sun-dried tomatoes to a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add olive oil and pulse until smooth. Add Parmesan and pulse until just combined. Put into jar and refrigerate. When ready to use, set out on counter the come to room temperature.

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I had all intentions of making August the Month of Daily Blog Posts, but seeing as it is already August 2nd, I have already failed on that goal. Nonetheless, I will try to keep up the posting this month seeing as I have no trips planned this month so no excuse to not post.

I have been trying to use up all of the stuff we have in the freezer and pantry so that I can start freezing complete meals. I had an abundance of flour tortillas and a couple cans of fat free refried beans so I decided to make some burritos for lunches. Trader Joe’s has some bean and rice burritos that I love! I pour some enchilada sauce over then, nuke them and the whole office gets jealous. So I thought I would make some with Spanish rice, beans, and some chipotle cheddar I had hanging around. I made 12 burritos from one can of beans, and about 3 cups of Spanish rice. Wrap these up in some plastic wrap, put them in a freezer bag and freeze until you are ready to eat. I usually take 2 to work and nuke them for about 2-3 minutes until warm. For something extra special pour some enchilada sauce over it…yum! You could really change this around to suit your taste, I will probably make some chicken and green chile burritos next time.

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I have fallen in love with sandwiches. I love that they are so versatile, they fill you up and the possibilities are endless! I love having sammich night during a busy week, we pull out the leftover meats from the week and pair it with whatever cheese is floating around and grill them in our panini press. Now that the weather is getting a bit cooler, I love adding a cup of soup to my meal to warm me up.

I was inspired to make these sammiches after visiting a local bar/grill in which they had something similar on the menu. They served theirs with roast beef and swiss incased in a crusty garlic bread. Yeah…it was so good it was sickening!

I also love how easy they guys are to make. I started with the bread and slathered it with butter and chopped garlic then placed it in the oven to toast for a minute. I pulled them out and dressed them with meat and cheese and put it back in the oven to warm up. A few minutes later, put the bread together and you have a one of a kind sammich and an easy dinner.

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The pretzel roll. Make your own version of the Bennegin’s Turley O’Toole with a pretzel roll…YUM! I got these for 99 cents a piece at A Southern Season which is an East Coast Gourmet Mecca! I never spend less that $50 and 2 hours in there…it rocks! Slap some good mustard and turkey on one of these and dinner is done!

PS-Pic to come…Blogger is sucking again!

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So I have been trying to use up some of the condiments in the fridge and pantry- I am the self- proclaimed condiment queen, which is funny because the only condiment Evan eats is barbeque sauce. So I have been taking inspiration from various sources, one being the latest issue of Cooking Light. I am totally hit or miss with this magazine, some month’s there isn’t a single thing I want to make or like this month, there are multiple things that look good.

One dish was a French inspired sandwich, I believe. It called for roasted red peppers and an olive spread. So I decided to use some Trader Joe’s olive tapenade and one of the many Roma tomatos I currently have in my kitchen. I picked up some nice ciabatta bread and Boursin cheese and lunch was ready! Layer it on however you like, stick it under the broiler and your done!

I really wanted to give goat cheese a try in this recipe, but I am just scared for some reason, so I stuck with what I usually get. I decided on a garlic and herb variety which was superb. I also want to try it with some Light Laughing Cow French Onion spread I got today (for when I don’t want to indulge so much!)

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I am usually pretty good about planning meals for the week, whether or not I actually stick to that menu is another story. Evan had a softball game on Wednesday night so I took this opportunity to watch some of the shows I had DVRed from the week. One that I recored was a 30-Minute meals about things you can make after you go to a wedding. Who needs to eat after attending a wedding is what I want to know- but that’s beside the point, it goes along well with the Wedding Week on Food Network I guess.

She made the very lady-like Croque Madame- which I have seen Ina make and have always wanted to try. It seemed like the perfect time to make it since Evan would not touch something like this- especially with the egg staring at him.

This was a wonderful light dinner. I really love sunny side up eggs and I would never have thought to top it on a sandwich. I like Rachael’s open faced version, which doesn’t seem as heavy as Ina’s version. I made this with a multi grain bread and reduced fat swiss to not feel as guilty. I did use 2% milk instead of my usual skim to keep a nice consistency. I did overcook my bechamel a bit, hence the tan color, I would have liked it to be more pale. Nonetheless this was a delicious meal that I will certainly make again…when Evan is away that is

Rachael Ray’s Croque Madame

4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
1/8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg, eyeball it
2 teaspoons Dijon style mustard
2 slices white bread
2 large eggs
4 slices deli ham
4 slices deli Swiss cheese
Chopped parsley leaves, chives or thyme leaves, for garnish - choose from any or all on hand

Place a small sauce pot over medium low heat and melt 2 tablespoons butter in it. Whisk in a rounded tablespoon of flour and cook 1 minute or so. Whisk in milk and bring to a bubble then drop heat to low. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, nutmeg and Dijon. When sauce coats back of a spoon, turn off heat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in each of 2 medium nonstick skillets, both over medium low heat. When butter melts add 2 large eggs to the first skillet, keeping the whites separate from each other. To the second skillet add 2 slices bread and toast lightly on first side then turn the bread. Top turned bread liberally with sauce and 2 slices of the ham and the Swiss cheese on each slice of bread. Use a spatula to transfer the eggs to the tops of the open faced sandwiches. Cover the pan with foil and turn off heat. Let pan stand 5 minutes to melt cheese and set sauce and eggs.

Top sandwiches with chopped herb or herbs of choice and serve. Spoon any leftover sauce over top of the eggs before garnishing.

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One of the great things about traveling is that in the end, for the most part, you are happy to live where you live and you truly appreciate what you have back home. I appreciate my car, my grocery stores and the warm weather. I love seeing new places and encountering different people and cultures, but I always look forward to sleeping in my own bed and seeing the mutts.

This trip was no different. For one thing, I was sick of being cold. We kinda skipped over winter here in NC so I really have had no need to wear a heavy coat except for a few days of the month. In London, it never made it over 35 degrees and there was wind everyday. I think I saw sun two days out of the week we were there. Though I did not go to London for warm weather (especially in March! What was I thinking!) I went for the sites, the history, and Big Ben (Ok inside joke!) I also did not go particularly for the food though I did have a specific list of things to try. I was surprisingly surprised by the food in London- it actually isn’t bad. It is definitely a culture thriving on hearty meat and potato meals but I think all of our meals were of the utmost quality.

One of the things I love to do is bring back little ideas for enhancing some of the things I currently cook. I am a lover of sandwiches, which shouldn’t come as a huge shock since I am surrounded by amazing bread all day. Before we were about to tour the Tower of London, I was becoming cranky because my breakfast was quickly wearing off and I knew we would be inside the Tower for a while among many people. So we stopped in a little cafe called “Eat.” and I found myself in a foodie’s heaven. Not only did they create made to order sandwiches and pies but they had amazing sandwiches pre-made with some of the most interesting combinations. I actually settled for a veggie sandwich, English cheddar with mayo, leafy greens and a sweet sauce on a grain bread. This sandwich was amazing! The sauce was sweet while the mayo added a nice creaminess and the bread was just perfect. This I had to re-create! I jotted a few notes in my notebook and vowed to make this at home.

Before leaving we stopped in a grocery store; my kind of gift shop if you know what I mean! Along with the hoards of Cadbury chocolate and orange marmalades I found an apple and walnut chutney. Eureka! This would be perfect on my sandwich.

Fast forward three days, our first day back in the states and I am craving something light and simple (did I mention how much fried food I ate-yikes!) I picked up a loaf of whole wheat from the bakery, slapped on some light mayo on one side and a thick layer of chutney on the other and sandwiched in some white Vermont cheddar. Divine! A great take on a British treat and a nice change of pace from a heavy meat sandwich.

So I will be writing on some of our meals in the coming days- I don’t want to bombard you all at once. Evan should have his take on the trip up soon and I will link to that as well as our pictures once we get them up.

Ah…It’s good to be home!

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I discovered this bread while shopping at my favorite grocery store of all time. My Mom convinced me to try them because she fell in love with them at a local sandwich shop. Not that it takes much to convince me to try anything in this store because I will chuck into the basket anything that will survive the three hour drive home. I have been known to stand there in the checkout line and throw in in large chunks of semi sweet chocolate and Toblerone bars. It’s really bad.

Anyways, back to the bread! Lavash is a Turkish flatbread that is fat free. Mine came in a square shape- though I don’t know if they all do- but I think it adds to their appeal. They are soft and yummy…much better than tortillas. I added chopped turkey and celery, dried cherries and some sliced brie. Delish! The only tip would be to fold your wrap before you heat it or you will end up with something like you see to the right. Evan, Mr. Smarty-Pants, wrapped his then toasted it and it was perfect. But they are awesome not heated as well. So pick some up next time you see them and you will have one heck of a lunch!

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Oh how I love Adam Sandler and the Thanksgiving Song, there need to be more Thanksgiving songs because it is just too darn early to be listening to Christmas songs!

But I digress…

So our supply of turkey is slowly but surely dwindling down and I am in desperate need of finishing it so I can clean out the fridge! We are somehow out of bread…I am utterly shocked but refuse to buy bread since I will be working the bakery tomorrow. So it’s time to get creative. I was surfing Martha’s website last night when I saw this yummy and surprisingly uncomplicated recipe for Turkey Quesadillas. Perfect! I altered her ingredients a bit, her recipe called for brie (who the heck keeps brie in the house!) which I substituted with swiss cheese and cranberry relish which I somehow forget to bring home from VA, so I used my favorite Harry and David Pepper and Onion Relish. This was perfect for a quick lunch and I will definitely make again with turkey or any other leftover meats or veggies!

Love to Eat Turkey Quesadillas
Serves 1

1. Start with 1 large flour tortilla, soften in microwave if necessary to make pliable. Spread half the tortilla with Dijon mustard.

2. Lay shredded turkey along the top of the mustard. Spread the relish overtop, and finish with the cheese of your choice.

3. Carefully fold over and pop in the toaster oven to toast until cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream if desired.

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