Traditional Chicken Salad

The other day I took out a few chicken breast for dinner, unfortunately my son ended up getting sick with the stomach bug, and my in-laws decided that they would come up to help take care of him. When my father-in-law comes to town he always cooks, (which I love, because he can really cook.) The only thing is he doesn't really cook much with chicken.

Long story short my chicken ended up sitting in the frig for a few extra days, and to avoid it from going bad I ended up poaching the chicken to make chicken soup for my son for the week, and the extra chicken I used to make some chicken salad. Totally different from what I had originally planned. However, I must say that this recipe was really good and was a great way of using up leftover chicken. The best part about it is that both my husband and son loved it.

Recipe adapted from the Food Network link below
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chicken-salad-recipe/index.html

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

4 cups diced cooked chicken
1 stalk celery, finely diced
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 cup prepared mayonnaise (I like to use the reduced fat/lite mayo)
2 teaspoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

In a mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, scallions and herbs. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper.

Add to the chicken and mix gently until combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

So simple, yet so good! Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetables

I have to say that when I was younger I never eat enough vegetables. In fact, I think that the only veggie that I did eat was carrots and cabbage. I kinda blame my parents for that, had they "made" me eat my veggies when I was younger, I don't be trying to "learn" to eat them now.

Long story short, this recipe and method of making veggies has made getting my daily intake of veggies much easier. I don't think I'll ever go back to just steaming veggies, even more so, seeing how easy it is to make, and how it pairs up well with any main dish.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
5 carrots, peeled, cut into thirds
3 medium turnips, peeled and cut into 6 wedges
2 medium red onions, peeled, cut into 6 wedges
1 small head of cauliflower
1.5 lbs of broccoli
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Put the carrots, turnips, onions, red peppers, cauliflower, and broccoli, on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Roast for the last hour, stirring occasionally, until tender throughout.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

So for Easter I wanted to make something different with shrimp. My guests and I were lucky enough that Tara shared her baked shrimp scampi recipe with me.

This recipe is so good that I really didn't make many changes to it, (besides cutting back on the amount of butter.) aside from that I kept the recipe the same. I can't wait to make this again soon.

Thanks again Tara for sharing the recipe!

Recipe source http://smellslikehome.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/bb-baked-shrimp-scampi/


WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (I personally found this to be a lot of butter, so I cut it back to 8 tablespoons and it still came out amazing)
4 teaspoons minced garlic... 4 large cloves
1/4 cup minced shallots (I omitted this because I didn't have any that day)
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 extra-large egg yolk
2/3 cup panko bread crumbs
Lemon wedges, for serving

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Peel shrimp leaving the tails on, and devein the shrimp.

Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.

Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish.

Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp.

Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes

Serve with lemon wedges.

Tyler Florence's Roasted Prime Rib with Horseradish Crust

All I'm going to say is OMG!!! This was an amazing dish and I could have not asked for a better main course for my Easter lunch. My guests all loved it. Just like all of Tyler Florence's ultimate dishes this recipe is a keeper. I did make a few minor changes example cutting back on the salt for the crust...I think that using the whole amount makes the roast salty, aside from that this is an outstanding recipe.


Source http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/roast-prime-rib-of-beef-with-horseradish-crust-recipe

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 bone in prime rib beef roast, 5 ribs, about 9 pounds
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup grated fresh or prepared horseradish
Leaves from 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs (I only use 1 spring because we don't really care for thyme)
1/2 cup kosher salt (I only use 1/3 cup of salt because more will make the meat too salty)
1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper (you can also use a few tablespoons of ground pepper ant then use peppercorns for the rest
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups canned chicken or beef broth

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO:

In a small bowl mash together the garlic, horseradish, rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, and olive oil to make a paste. Massage the paste generously over the entire roast.

Refrigerate over night and then take meat out of refrigerator let set at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Lay the beef in a large roasting pan with the bone side down. (The ribs act as a natural roasting rack.)

Put the pan in the oven and roast the beef until the internal temperature of the meat registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer (medium-rare),2 2.5 hours.

I prefer my Prime Rib a little more well cooked (medium) so allowed my Rib roast to reach 140 degrees F and that took about 3-3.5 hours.

Once desired meat temperature is reached, remove the beef to a carving board and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Pour off some of the pan drippings and place pan on stovetop over medium-high heat.

Add the white wine and bring to a simmer, scraping the bits on the bottom of the pan.

Reduce the wine by half. Whisk in the flour, then add the broth and continue to cook, whisking until sauce thickens into a gravy, about 10 minutes.

I will admit I did not make that sauce, because the meat was so juicy, therefore it did not require and additional sauces.

Peanut Butter Bon-Bons

I have never made truffles before and when I came upon this recipe I decided that I would make them for Easter. if YOU LOVE reese's peanut butter cups, then this is the recipe for you.

This recipe was so easy and took almost no time to put together. I made so many that I have about 50 extra that I plan on taking into work.

This recipe yields about 100 truffles so it's perfect for a large gathering. I hope you all enjoy them.

Recipe source http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peanut-Butter-Bon-Bons/Detail.aspx

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

2 cups peanut butter
3/4 cup butter
4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 cups crispy rice cereal
6 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO:

In a medium saucepan, melt together the peanut butter and butter, stirring occasionally until warm and smooth.

In a large bowl, stir together the confectioners' sugar and rice cereal; pour the peanut butter mixture over the cereal mixture and use your hands to blend well.

Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls and chill.

In the microwave melt chocolate chips, stirring frequently until smooth.

Dip the peanut butter balls into the chocolate using a toothpick. Place onto waxed paper to set.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information Calories: 76 Total Fat: 4.6g Cholesterol: 4mg

Caramelized Red Onion, and Broccoli Risotto

I have to admit, I'm now on a new risotto kick. Tonight for dinner I made grilled flank steak and I wanted to make a nice risotto to go with it. So I decided that I would try to make a new risotto dish with some of the ingredients I had on hand. The end product was yummy and I will for sure make this again.



WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 large onion sliced thin (I like red onions but can be made with any kind)
3 cloves raw garlic minced
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter (2 tbsp for the risotto and 2 for the onions)
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups low sodium chicken broth, warmed (I use homemade broth, but you can use canned)
1 cup of milk (I use 2%)
half a lemon zest
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup of fresh chopped broccoli
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Caramelize the onions with butter in a pan over medium heat.

Stir until golden brown, and then add your minced garlic, be careful not to burn the onions nor the garlic.

Add the rice; stir for 1-2 minutes.

Add the white wine and stir until it is absorbed.

Add the chicken broth 1 ladle-full at a time, letting it fully absorb before adding more.

When the rice is 75% the way cooked add your broccoli crowns and the lemon zest.

Add milk and once milk is halfway absorbed, add the cheese and the two tablespoons of butter one tablespoon at a time.

Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

I know, I have said it before...but this is one of the best recipes I have ever made. This is now my husband and my new favorite steak recipe. My husband isn't a picky eater, in fact he always tells me that dinner is good, but tonight he went beyond that and told me that my flank steak was the best he has ever had, and that includes the steaks from any steak house. He enjoyed it so much that he kept telling me to blog about it so I wouldn't forget the recipe, and he never nags me to go write a recipe down before I forget it. Needles to say, the way he reacted to the recipe totally made my night.

This recipe was inspired by the miscellaneous things I had on hand, and also me wanting to experiment with different things. Lucky for me, it turned out to be a huge success and this new marinade will surely be used over and over again in our home.

FYI... This marinade will be REALLY spicy if you try it...but once you cook the steak you wouldn't taste the heat, what you will taste is the sweetness from the honey with a very mild tang. I hope you all enjoy this recipe, and if you do try it please let me know how it turned out for you.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1.25-1.5 lb Flank Steak
1 Lemon (juiced)
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
3 Cloves of garlic
1/2 Teaspoon of ground cumin
2 Tablespoons of honey
2 Dried whole Pasilla Chili with seeds (this is a mild pepper used in Latin cooking)
1 Tablespoon of soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
1 Teaspoon of roasted red chili paste (any Asian brand)
1 few drops of green habanero chili sauce
Salt and pepper to taste


WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO:

Add all the above ingredients (besides the steak, salt and pepper) into blender, and blend until you have created a nice smooth sauce.

Next take your flank steak and trim off excess fat.

Place in a sallow dish and season with salt and pepper.

Add the sauce that you prepared in the the blender and refrigerate over night.

Remove steak from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling, allow it to come to almost room temp.

Heat your grill on high for about 5 minutes.

Once hot place your flank steak on the grill and cook 3 minutes per side for medium.

Remove from heat and let sit for about 3-5 minutes before serving.

Next step...Enjoy your juicy steak!