11 posts tagged “quick and easy”
Sometimes, I have cook’s block. It’s like writer’s block only worse because now I’m hungry. And I’m hungry because I’m stumped and I’m stumped because I’m hungry. It’s a vicious cycle. Who can concentrate under such working conditions? That’s when I enlist the help of my trusty friends and family. In this instance, my favorite cooking duo, local couple Kerry Pierce and Ryan Conklin were right there for me in my time of need yet again. A few months ago Kerry and Ryan submitted to me a fantastic recipe for Crazy Burger Fondue. Kerry and Ryan always know how to have together especially in the kitchen. They are never afraid to try something new, which was exactly what I needed this week. They submitted to me a great recipe for homemade pizzas that they had concocted for one of their traditional date nights at home. I always knew that pizza be the food of love!
Ryan and Kerry came up with two absolutely delicious gourmet pizzas to make together that took just a few minutes to make. Inspired from a recent vacation they took together, Ryan made a savory caramelized onion and potato pizza with mozzarella and rosemary while Kerry made a scrumptious three cheese pizza with grilled chicken and green peppers.
Do you love this couple or what? I am officially referring them now as my “culinary correspondents”! Mangia! would also love the chance to congratulate the lovely pair on their recent engagement—it’s no doubt that the two will have quite a lovely life together!
Kerry and Ryan’s Caramelized Onion and Potato Flatbread Pizza
Ingredients
Ready Made Flatbread (regular or whole wheat)
About 1c. mozzarella, shredded
About 1 c. of grated parmesan
2 large or 4 small potatoes, sliced into thin rounds
2 tblsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, sliced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Heat oil in large sauté pan. Add garlic. Cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add sliced onions. Sauté until softened and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Prepare flatbread by brushing lightly with olive oil. Top neatly with potato slices by layering. Top with caramelized onions. Top with cheeses and spices. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is bubbling.
Kerry and Ryan’s Three Cheese Pizza with Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
Ready Made Flatbread
2 grilled chicken breasts, cut into chunks
½ c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
¼ c. feta, crumbled
½ c. fontina cheese, grated
1 large or 2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
Pizza sauce
1 tblsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees. Brush the flatbread lightly with olive oil. Top with a few dollops of ready-made pizza sauce. Top neatly with sliced tomatoes. Top with the remainder of the vegetables. Top with chicken chunks. Mix all the cheeses together and top the pizza generously. Finish with a sprinkling and spices and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Enjoy!
Another summer has come and gone and now we welcome the cooler, calmer breezes of September. This is not a time to mourn the end of summer; it’s a time to celebrate the beginning of a new year! A new school year that is. So, in an effort to get everyone revved up for the new school year, I’ll be dedicating the month of September to welcoming back students of all ages with recipes that will have you looking forward to each new school day. I’ll begin with the students that are near and dear to my cook’s heart: the college students!
Whether it’s your first, fourth or sixth year…it’s always great to come back to campus with your pencils sharpened, your Red Bull chilling in your mini fridge and your futon freshly fluffed. When I was in college, my main diet consisted of two main meals: pizza and that ever-present, dorm staple food: Ramen Noodles. Or Oodles of Noodles if you’re old school like me.
There is no more perfect combination in the world than food that is cheap, fast and convenient for late night cravings or all-nighter exam crams. And really, who doesn’t love slurping up huge mouthfuls of hot, mysteriously-flavored noodles. I still wonder what could possibly be contained in those little spice packets dubbed “Oriental Flavor”.
I found this hilarious cookbook 101 Things To Do With Ramen Noodles. This little spiral-bound book is chock-full of recipes that revolve around the ever ominous, ever wondrous Ramen noodle. The recipes range from totally tacky to down-right horrifying, but then again who am I to judge? When funds are low and the kitchen is only the bare essentials to non-existent and you’re up all night cramming for exams…I’m sure that Ramen Nachos or Ramen Chocolate Haystacks sounds irresistible!
I got the cookbook as a joke, but soon realized how much fun it would be to make up recipes based on the ones provided and really that’s what this book is all about. It’s about being creative and having fun with America’s favorite kitschy chow. I highly recommend getting this little cookbook for your college kid because the results are instant and believe me, there will come a time when their pockets are empty and the quad is closed and the tummy is rumbling for something other than yesterday’s energy bar.
Here are some helpful tips for a foodie’s on-campus survival:
· A lot of dorm rooms come stocked with mini refrigerators and microwaves. If yours doesn’t, see what your college’s policies are on obtaining one.
· Invest in a one-cup coffeemaker because you can make boiled water (to me, microwaving water is just not the same) for making the noodles and use the little coffee pot as a little pot to cook in and eat out of.
· Another great thing is the community kitchen. Most dorms have a communal space for cooking so you can use a stove top or the oven.
· A good thing to keep handy in your little makeshift dorm kitchen is dehydrated minced onion. Two tablespoons are equal to ¼ c. of fresh diced onion.
· Macaroni cheese packets are also a good (certainly not great) substitute for real cheese. Keep a mini spice rack in your room if you’re a foodie or are completely repulsed by your cafeteria’s food fare. A little bit of curry or Italian seasoning can make a world of difference!
· When you visit mom and dad, be nice and tell them you miss and love them…you might get more homemade leftovers that way!
· If your mini fridge has a freezer, try to freeze leftovers in individual-sized zip-lock bags and keep frozen veggies on hand at all times.
· Bring a can opener. It’s like the Swiss army knife for dorm life. Yes, it has a bottle opener included.
So put down the scary syllabus, step away from the Red Bull and put up an away message...you’ve got some meals to make!
My favorite Ramen noodle meal to make is simple and easy and your mom will be thrilled because it contains vegetables. Trust me, in college dorm-life, fiber is your friend. Keep veggies and Activia yogurt by your side! This meal is a quick and easy stir fry and you can use up your saved soy sauce packets from your last Chinese takeout. Also, add in any extras you like, maybe you have some leftover rotisserie chicken or roast pork from the cafeteria—throw it in! The more you can beef up the noodles, the more nutritious and satiating it will be.
Ramen Veggie Lo Mein
Ingredients
1 packet Ramen noodles, any flavor
½ bag frozen stir-fry veggie mix
About 2 tablespoons or 2 packets of soy sauce
1 tblsp of oil (any kind) or about 3 spritzes of cooking spray.
Directions:
Cook the noodles according to package directions. Let the noodles sit in the hot water for a bit to plump up.
Sautee your veggies in the oil in a frying pan. Once thawed, drain the noodles and add noodles to the veggie mix. Add soy sauce and stir.
Enjoy!
For a quick treat, a great and simple idea is one that I got from an old episode of Nigella Bites that I saw years ago...I don't know the actual name of it but it's bassically just like an Italian version of grilled cheese.
These fried sandwiches are so easy to make, a child could do it...in fact this is a great dish to serve to finicky kids if you're babysitting or if it's your turn to host your kid's sleepover. If they like pizza...trust me, they'll LOVE this!
Italian Fried Cheese Sandwiches
Ingredients
6 slices of white bread, crusts removed
1 ball of fresh mozzarella, cut into strips
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt, pepper
marinara sauce for dipping
Directions
Sandwich the cheese between two slices of bread and pinch the sides of the soft bread until sealed. Put plently of olive oil in the frying pan and while heating, dip the sandwiches in the beaten egg,salt and pepper mixture. Fry sandwiches until golden brown and cheese is gooey. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Transfer to a plate covered with paper towels. Dip into your favorite marinara sauce and enjoy!
When dipping...beware of spillage!
The other night I had my nieces, Sandi and Toni, over for a girls’ night in. We watched movies, made each other laugh until our drinks came out of our noses and, of course, made some delicious treats.
Nothing is more fun than cooking with my niece/Goddaughter, Sandi. She really has a knack for cooking and I find that lately she’s been teaching me a trick or two. Sandi’s had the culinary palette of a bona fide food critic from day one. When she was little, when most kids were fussing about with chicken fingers and french fries, Sandi was eyeing up the edamame, broccoli rabe or hearts of palm. In fact, I never even had hearts of palm until our most recent girls’ night when she showed me how to make her “Heart Salad” (hearts of palm and artichoke hearts in olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette). Not bad for a 13-year-old! She showed me how to cut, season and present the salad just like a pro.
But the real star of the meal was this delicious chocolate mousse that Sandi makes. She made it a few weeks ago for my mother’s birthday dinner and I had been craving it ever since. I just had to get my hands on the recipe and the mousse into my mouth! Sandi flavored the chocolate mousse with orange extract but you could easily substitute this flavoring with almost anything you desire. We had fun thinking up all the different flavors that we could try such as mint, almond, hazelnut liqueur or orange liqueur…the possibilities are endless! The first time I tried this dessert I thought that she had made this from scratch, but my niece is much more crafty than that! This dessert was done in no time by mixing together instant pudding mix with pudding cups and some cream…I was shocked! Not only was this the best mousse I ever had, but it was done in literally fifteen minutes. So it’ll be an easy standby dessert that I’ll make for dinner guests who will think I slaved over this elegant chocolate mousse when really, it was easy as one-two-three.
Behind every good chef is an even better sous-chef and every time we get together in the kitchen, Sandi and I make an incredible team. But it’s not only about what we create together that makes the food so special; it’s the time spent. While cooking we’ll talk about boys, gossip, make fun of celebrities and always compete over who can make the other laugh more. It’s the best time, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
Orange Chocolate Mousse
By Sandi Cappaccio
Ingredients
1 ½ c. whipping cream
1 box instant chocolate pudding
2 Tblsp orange extract
2 containers chocolate pudding cups
Directions
In a medium bowl, beat together cream and pudding mix until soft peaks form. Add the extract and pudding cups and beat until stiff.
This dessert can be served alone in a chilled martini glass for an elegant ending to a formal dinner party or in a simple dessert cup. A some fabulous garnish ideas can range from a fresh orange slice to candied orange peel to fresh berries or sliced strawberries. This would be an amazing cake filling as well...sandwiched between layers of devil's food cake! Mmmm....
All I've been eating lately is chicken. And vegetables. And more chicken. And pasta. And chicken and vegetables and pasta.
Yawn.
So I was complaining to my co-worker, Meghan, about my dietary distress and how I've been suffering from cooking blogger's block. I wanted to make something with beef because I just felt I had to shake things up on my blog. But beef to me is either summer or winter...no in-between. Then suddenly the clouds parted, the sun shone down upon Meghan's cubicle as she said "how 'bout burgers?"
YES! THAT'S IT!! BURGERS! CHICKEN BURGERS!!!!
What? I'm just not that into beef right now, ok? And hey, these aren't your regular ole' chicken burgers (not that chicken burgers are really old-fashioned per say). These are stuffed with fresh mozzarella chese and topped with a delicious homemade pesto sauce to die for! No need for condiments for this burger! And you can make enough pesto to freeze and later use for sauces, soups and stews!
Mozzarella-Stuffed Chicken Burgers with Homemade Pesto
For the pesto:
a bunch of fresh basil
about 1/4 c. of either pine nuts or walnuts
1/4 fresh grated parm cheese
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
Directions for pesto:
In a food processor, pulverize basil, nuts and parm until combined. Then, while the blade is spinning, slowly drizzle in olive oil until the sauce reaches optimal cosistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.
For the chicken burgers:
1 lb of ground chicken
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
a dash of Worchestire sauce
1/4 c. bread crumbs (I like Japanese panko)
4 cubes of fresh mozzarella
salt and pepper
homemade pesto sauce
roasted red peppers
Potato or whole wheat or any old burger bun you want!
Directions for chicken burgers:
Gently combine chicken, seasonings, Worchestire sauce and bread crumbs in a bowl. Divide into 4 equal patties. With a teaspoon, form a small insertion into the patty and slide a cube of cheese in and seal with the meat. Pre-heat your counter-top grilling machine or grill pan. Spray with cooking spray and cook the patties for approximately seven minutes, flipping over once (cook for only 3 1/2 minutes if using counter-top grilling machine).
Top each patty with a roasted red pepper and a dollop of pesto. You'll be in heaven! Enjoy!
Rachel Ray ain't got nothing on me! Well, maybe a few million dollars, 3 shows, a Tuscan wedding and a few cook books but other than that...NOTHING!
These recipes really came out as more of a surprise than anything else. I feel a little guilty even imposing that they are actual "recipes". They're really THAT simple and quick!
All of these meals took me by surprise by how little time it took for them to be ready ( I mean, I hadn't even prepared my sides yet and they were done!) and also by how little money I spent to prepare them! So my only warning for these meals is this: prepare your sides first and make sure the table is set because these dinners will go from the pan to the plate in fifteen minutes or less!
Ready....Set....COOK!
Apricot Glazed Boneless Porkchops
Ingredients
4 boneless porkchops
1/2 of apricot preserves (such as the "all-fruit" variety)
s&p
evoo
Directions
S&P each side of the chops. Drizzle in a little evoo in the pan. Sear the meat. Add the preserves. Add a little bit of water to create the glaze. Dinner should be done in no time! Suggested sides: buttered egg noodles with a pinch of nutmeg and applesauce of course!
Just-Like-Joe's Crab & Linguini
This is my favorite meal to get from Joe Italiano's Maplewood Restaurant. While Joe's may boast the "world's better spaghetti" I had to cheat and pick up a box of frozen pasta from the store. So Joe wins this round, but at least my craving was satiated very quickly in the comfort of my own living room!
Ingredients
1 can of jumbo lump crabmeat
1 stick of butter (sounds like a lot, but it's a lot of pasta and this is the sauce, so you're forgiven)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
evoo
s&p
juice of 1/2 a lemon
Directions
While the pasta is cooking in the water, melt butter and evoo in the pan. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add the crabmeat. heat through and add your s&p. After about 2 minutes, add your wine. Let the wine bubble for a bit and then add your lemon juice. Drain your pasta and add the cooked pasta to the pan and serve with a bit of fresh parsley on top. Enjoy!
Grilled Salmon with Horseradish Sauce
Are you on eof those people who keep the sugar packets from restuarants and the sauce packets from your chinese take out? Well, I'm waiting until I'm 60 to take the sugar packets (and until I'm 80 to take the salt and pepper shakers from restaurants!) but I am definitely one of those people who have a compartment in my fridge dedicated to the little packets of soy sauce, duck sauce and mustard for "just in case" dinner moments. Luckily for me, I had such a dinner moment this past week and boy am I glad I did!
Ingredients
6 oz. fillets of salmon, skin off
For the quick marinade:
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tblsp of prepared horseradish
1 packet of soy sauce (or one tblsp for you fancy folks)
3 tblsp evoo
s&p
For the horseradish sauce:
1 "yogurt cup" of sour cream (you may opt for light sour cream if you prefer)
1 packet of soy sauce (or 1 tblsp)
2 tblsp (or more if you prefer) of prepared horseradish
a few spring of fresh dill, finely chopped
a tiny squeeze of lemon juice (I use the end of the lemon because that's seriously all you need.
Directions:
Plug in your handy George Foreman (or knock off) grill to heate up.
Whisk together all the ingredients for the glaze and generously brush onto the fillets.
Spray your grill with non-stick cooking spray and throw on your salmon.
While the fish cooks, quickly mix together all your ingredients for the sauce. By the time you are done mixing your sauce, your fish should be done. It's really that quick! Remove your fish from the grill and dollop a generous bit of the sauce on top and enjoy!
Another concoction thanks to Trader Joe's. This is actually more of a product rave entry rather than a recipe, because all I did was pour and serve.
Ok, well, I DID add some of my own "isms". Gotta give myself SOME credit here. ;)
I made this Red Shrimp Curry dish with Lemon Scented Basmati Rice because my husband and I rarely get to go to our favorite Indian restuarant anymore, now that we live so far from it and the economy is in quite a sad state right now. So we went out for a day of free to cheap fun!
We visited a local colonial village and perused through our favorite British goods store, shopped at antique stores, did some wine tasting and ate some yummy fruit, cheese, and crackers for lunch (very yummy and fulfilling indeed!).
After a full day of snoogling, hot cocoas drinking and duck watching, we came home with an antique pie bird (for me! YAY!) and an appetite.
I served up this dish in about 20 minutes flat and it was AMAZING! It tasted JUST like what we normally get at our favorite restaurant!
Red Shrimp Curry with Lemon Scented Basmati Rice
Ingredients
16 oz. frozen shrimp (thawed)
1 bottle Trader Joe's Red Curry Sauce
1 cup of basmati rice (prepared according to manufacturer's directions)
zest of 1 lemon, grated
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
Directions
Sautee thawed shrimp in olive oil (about 2 Tbl sp., just so it doesn't stick to the pan) until curled and opaque.
Add sauce until bubbling. Turn off heat and cover until rice is ready.
Prepare rice according to manufacturer's directions. Add the zest. When ready to serve, add roughly chopped cilantro to rice and pour the shrimp curry over it.
Enjoy!
hi.
So I splurged a bit on my now-that-I moved-to-the-edge-of-the-world-once-a-month trader joe's field trip!
I got a lot of goodies and since TJ's is so inexpensive, I feel free to try different things. One of these things is quinoa. Quinoa is like the bastard child of cous-cous and, well...we don't relaly know who the father is.
It was super easy to prepare and the recipe I got form TJ's was tasty and easy! I made this on my day off from work and ate it for lunch for the rest of the week.
Bastard Baby Salad
One cup each of:
Quinoa (prepared according to directions)
Ready-made lentils
Sundried Tomatoes (julienne, packed in oil)
Reduced-Fat cilantro salad dressing
Combine all ingredients and serve warm or cold (I prefer warm!)
Looks gross, tastes grrrreat!
Enjoy!
I absolutely LOVED this dish! Truthfully, I never would have thought to make a red pepper sauce for pasta, but this creation (originally posted by nestie friend Katie) really caught my eye with it's bold color and my appetite!
The sweet tang of the red peppers along with the warm, mellow earthy eggplantwas a winning combination. The crushed red pepper flakes provided some nice heat that melted away winter's chill and the fresh parsley was a welcoming reflief. Try this dish on a weeknight when the cold rain's pouring down and you need something comforting and you crave something a little exotic.
Spicy Eggplant and Red Pepper Pasta
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium eggplant (about 8-10 inches in length), chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 large red peppers, sliced into 1 1/2 - 2 inch pieces
1 lb. penne (get the kind with ridges so that it holds the sauce better!)
3 c. spicy red pepper sauce, prepared ahead (recipe below)
2 Tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
Directions:
-In large stock pot with salted water, cook pasta according to manufacturers directions to just al dente
-In large non-stick pan(important with the eggplant) heat oil over medium high heat.
-Add eggplant and cook, stirring constantly, until beginning to become tender, about 10 minutes.
-Add red pepper and continue sauteing until peppers become crisp tender, about 3-5 minutes.
-Add pasta sauce and stir to combine, bringing to a slight simmer.
-Add pasta, stir to combine, add parsley as garnish and serve immediately.
Spicy Red Pepper Sauce
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, miched or pressed
2 large red peppers, roasted (or large can of roasted red peppers)
1 large (28 oz) can whole tomatoes, lightyl drained and coarsely chopped
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp crushed chili peppers
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
Directions:
-In bowl of food processor, pulse roasted red peppers until relatively smooth and set aside
-In large stock pot over medium heat, heat oil
-Add diced onion and cook until translucent and just beginning to brown.
-Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds
-Add pureed red peppers and chopped tomatoes and heat until starting to bubble.
-Turn heat to a simmer and add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.
-If storing, remove from heat and place in airtight containers in fridge once cooled.
-If serving immediatley, simmer until begins to bubble and serve.
A generous sprinkling of grated parm on top of this dish is the perfect salty compliment (thank you for the suggestion, Katie). Also, might I suggest a refreshing glass of sparkling water with fresh squeezed lemon to really make your mouth sing! Enjoy!
I don't know how to cook sausage.
I attempted to make a scrumptious dinner with some broccoli rabe stuffed sausages that my in-laws gave us. I was going to serve the sausages with some yummy fresh broccoli rabe and cavetellis in a light cream sauce and it was going to look just like this:
Yum, huh?
Well, just as we sat down to dig in, I realized that I nearly poinsoned us both with e.coli loveliness as the meat was completely raw inside. UGH!
Live and learn, I suppose.
However, out of tragedy, comes bliss as the remaining cavetellis and rabes were FANTASTIC! Here is a rough estimate of a recipe as I was just making things up as I went along!
Just some interesting tidbits about my beloved leafy green, before I go...
You know, broccoli rabe can get a bad rep because people think that they're getting it's sweeter, more popular cousin, "broccoli". Well, think of "rabe" as "broccoli's" distant Italian cousin. They may have the same first name, but they're not really related. Rabes have a very distinct flavor (not code for gross!) that can be a little bitter. Some people (*ahem*) happen to like that about rabes, while others (hmmm) don't. You be the judge. Give it a try. I'm sure you didn't LOVE coffee the first time you tried it either. Oh, and rabes are VERY high in calcium, vitamin A and vitamin C and blah blah blah.
Enjoy!
Sausage & Rabes Pasta Bliss (hold the sausage)
Ingredients:
1 bunch of broccoli rabe
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 package of frozen cavetelli or gnocchi
about 1/2 heavy cream
a lot of feshly grated provolone cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper
Directions:
Put up a pot of water for boiling. When the water boils, add pasta.
While pasta is cooking, begin with the rabes.
In a large sautee pan,sautee garlic in olive oil for about a minute. Do not let garlic brown.
Wash & cut the stems off the rabe, as they can be too tough to eat.
Toss the rabe into the pan, add more olive oil, salt and pepper to your desire.
Put lid on top and allow the rabe to cook.
It's quite a pretty sight when they're ready...I couldn't resist taking a picture!
When rabes are nice and green and ready to go, gently pour the heavy cream into the pan. Continue to sautee and stir up the rabes in the cream. Add a ladel of the cooking water to the mixture and add a bit more salt to your desired level of taste. Rabes can be bitter, so the salt should help with that. Grate provolone cheese on top and gently stir.
When cavetellis are done, drain and add to the mixture and stir gently. Be sure that all the pasta is covered with the sauce, seasoned to your liking, top with a bit more grated provolone and dinner is done!
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