More is Better

This is a Clinton Kelly recipe from The Chew - surprise not Mario's !! Anyhow Kevin had been away for a week in Italy and I had been eating Lean Cuisine all week and couldn't wait to cook.  He declared it was the best pasta meal he had all week!! I will take that response. I halved this recipe. See picture with extra parm at bottom. Yummo! 1 lb pasta  ( I used Wegman's PICI pasta but the package had been bumped around and was not the nest rather broken pieces which was actually perfect --the texture of that pasta was perfect) EVOO ( used 2 T but that was really too much and I poured some out after bacon rendered) 1/2 lb thick cut bacon ,diced (I cut it into 1/2 pieces) 2 garlic cloves , thinly sliced (yes I used 2 didn't halve) 4 eggs room temp 1 cup of the pasta water after pasta is cooked 1 c fresh grated parmesan cheese, plus more to garnish Salt Freshly cracked black pepper Bring large pot of water to boil for pasta. Start pasta cooking Saute baco...

Whipped up this recipe from Michael Symon on The Chew this weekend and the comment I received from Katie was "This is amazing". I used my food processor to shave my brussels but I also know that Trader Joes sell them by the bag shaved. Enjoy and for the non Brussel Sprout lovers you wont even notice them! This is one of his 5 in 5 recipes and comes together really quickly. 1 lb Angel Hair Pasta 2 cups shaved Brussels Sprouts 1 sprig Rosemary (I did not have fresh used 1 t dried) 1/2 lb thick sliced Bacon cut into 1" pieces 2 cups sliced Cremini Mushrooms ( I used baby bellas) 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese Olive Oil Salt & Pepper SAVE 1 c of pasta water for deglazing Boil a pot of salted water over high heat. Heat a saute pan on medium and drizzle bacon and rosemary with olive oil. Cook bacon until almost crisp, stirring occasionally. Once bacon is almost crispy, season with salt and pepper as you add the mushrooms cook about 2 min. Then add in brusse...

This recipe was simple and delicious a nice alternative to Mushroom Marsala and the lemon juice gives it just the right pop! I served with orzo but rice or a fine pasta like angel hair would be delicious as well. 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons flour, divided 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons butter EVOO 1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided 1/2 lb sliced fresh mushrooms 1 tablespoon lemon juice Combine 1/4 cup flour, salt, and pepper and dredge thighs on both sides In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat cook chicken in butter for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Add mushrooms around the chicken, cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until tender Add 1/3 cup broth, to the pan, stirring to loosen browned bits, and bring to a boil. Combine the remaining flour and broth until smooth, and stir into the chicken and mushroom mixture. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes, or until...

From Bon Appetit April 2005 -This recipe serves 2 and on the reviews the comments were to double amount of spinach which I agree and did. Also suggested serving over orzo which is what Kevin had with it-very nice as the orzo was awesome with the sauce. Another suggestion was to add scallops and cut back on shrimp so I did one scallop each --they were fabulous but I was unable to get the great brown sear that I like. Also the 2 shallots I used were HUGE and I should have used only one. The picture are not pretty but the flavor was excellent !! 10 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley ( I only had dried) 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided 5 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon, divided 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger, divided 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 2 large) 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter 2 tablespoons whipping cream 6-ounce package baby spinach leaves Toss shrimp,...

At the time I made this recipe we had not been "pheasant hunting" so I made it with boneless skinless chicken breasts. It was fun different and the flavors of the cabbage, chorizo and cranberry were great. Because I am having trouble the recipe page to add it to my blog here is the link. The ingredients are listed below. My apologies about this. http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/holiday-pheasant-cabbage-chorizo-cranberry-sauce-mario-batali For the Pheasant: 2 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 teaspoon Chili Flakes 5 sprigs of Thyme 1 Lemon (sliced into 1/8-inch thick rounds) 2 crushed Garlic cloves Salt and Pepper to taste 5 Pheasant Breasts (skin on) Olive Oil Flour (for dredging) For the Cabbage: 3 tablespoons Butter 1 large Nappa Cabbage 1/2 pound Bacon 5 crushed Juniper Berries 1 teaspoon Chili Flakes 1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar Salt and Pepper For the Chorizo Sauce:  1 Chorizo (cured; casing removed; chopped) 1/2 cup fresh Cranberries ...

This recipe was from The Chew's Mario Batali.  Fun spicy and you could substitute shrimp as well and make it as spicy as you like. Arrabbiata is Italian for angry , referring to the heat in the dish. I did not have flowering chives available so just used fresh chives. Also had a fun FAT pasta noodle that the sauce clings to well. ( Like a bucatini) salt 1 halved fennel bulb 1/2 yellow onion 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 lb. lobster with the claws separated from the body 1/4 cup olive oil 1 diced red onion maldon salt (didn't have this used regular sea salt) 1/4 cup tomato paste 1 thinly sliced jalapeno 1 tbsp red pepper flakes 1 lb. spaghetti 1 bunch flowering chives freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano Bring two pots filled with six quarts of water each to a boil and add three tablespoons of salt to each. Add the add the fennel, the onion and bay leaf to one of the pots and reduce the temperature to a simmer, then add in the lobster and claws. Cook the bod...

Made this over the holidays but would be a great festive weekend meal. The recipe is from The Barefoot Contessa at Home 2006. See my note below re: Lobster -- also would consider doing this with Chorizio 1/4 cup good olive oil 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions) 2 red bell peppers, cored and sliced into 1/2-inch strips 2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 to 6 cloves) 2 cups white basmati rice 5 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup licorice-flavored liqueur (recommended: Pernod) 1 1/2 pounds cooked lobster meat ( We bought one whole lobster cooked it and cut it in half) 8-10 shrimp as well we added (see note below) 1 pound kielbasa, sliced 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves 2 lemons, cut into wedges Directions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Heat the oil...

I have to admit we have had this recipe the last 3 weekends and Kevin has declared it his new weekend favorite. The texture is really nice because of the english muffins and a whole wheat english muffin (both slices is lower in calories than 2 slices of whole wheat bread. We were recently in the UK with family and found they do not call them english muffins over there --rather just muffins :) 2 eggs 1/3 c milk or half and half 1 teasp grated orange zest ( mine was dry and I 'bloomed' it in 1 T hot water for a few minutes) english muffins sliced cinnamon for sprinkling Whisk eggs, milk and zest in bowl Dip each slice of english muffin into the egg mixture, allowing english muffin to soak up some of the mixture.  Sprinkle both sides with cinnamon. Spray large skillet with  vegetable spray on medium heat. Add as many slices of muffin onto the skillet as will fit at a time. Fry until brown on both sides, flipping the muffin when necessary. (OK week 2 I decided to use a...

This is a recipe I have had for decades and recently remembered and was a perfect meal for a cold winter day. The original recipe has you make the stew and then serve over rice --I added the rice into it and became more of a casserole.       4  Chicken breasts halves without skin -- cubed   1 tablespoon  olive oil   1 cup  chicken broth   1 can  black beans -- drained   1 can  kidney beans -- undrained   1 can  green chiles   1 can  corn -- drained   1  teaspoon  garlic powder   1 1/2  teaspoons  cumin   1  teaspoon  oregano    1/2 teaspoon  seasoned salt    1/4  cup  green onions, or chopped onions (I used chopped white and sauted at end of chicken browning) BROWN OR WHITE RICE-prepared per instructions Brown chicken for 5-7 minutes in olive oil. Remove and put aside Add all other ingredients except green on...

After pondering many recipes I was going to do a cross between two but really like the less is more re breadcrumb filling so went with this one from Williams-Sonoma. It was delicious as a meal but would make a great crab cake sandwich or as an appetizer. The panko was perfect for making them crispy plus we baked ours rather than frying. For the lemon aioli: 1 cup mayonnaise (purchased, or see recipe at left) Finely grated zest of 1 lemon 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 1 clove garlic, minced Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste   For the crab cakes: 1 lb. fresh-cooked lump crabmeat 3/4 cup panko or other dried bread crumbs 1 egg, beaten 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce 1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1/2 cup canola oil Lemon wedges for serving To make the aioli, in a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside 1/4 cup of the aioli....

This recipe is a Rachael Ray magazine one from Jan 2014. I know in the picture it looks a bit dark but it was yummy and topped with the large crusty bread croutons and Parmigiano perfect! The lemon juice just before serving gives it a real nice pop of taste. I did not have fresh parsley so used dry. 1/2   ounce   dried porcini mushrooms  (about 1/2 cup) 4  cups   chicken stock  or  vegetable stock 1/4   cup   extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for frying bread 1  pound   crimini (baby portobello) mushrooms, thinly sliced 4  shallots, chopped 4  cloves garlic, chopped 1  large bay leaf 2  tablespoons   fresh thyme, chopped Salt and pepper 1  cup   Marsala wine Good-quality white, peasant  or  Italian bread, sliced 1/2   cup   flat leaf parsley, finely chopped Juice of 1/2 lemon Grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese In a medium size pot, simmer the porcini...

There was an elegant grocery store when we lived in Minnesota called Byerly's - they had carpeted aisles and chandeliers in every aisle! Wild rice is very popular there and they made an awesome Wild Rice Soup --the meat was ham in it. Wild rice is incredibly good for you --high in fiber, protein and lysine and low in fat. I had leftover from last nights pheasant meal so decided to revamp my old Byerly's soup recipe to a bit healthier version. Perfect dinner for todays below zero temps! 2 large carrots, sliced very thin 3 ribs celery, sliced very thin 1 medium onion, small dice 5 mushrooms, sliced thin 2 T butter 2 T EVOO S/P 1/4 to 1/3 c flour 2 T dry sherry 3 cups chicken broth 1/4 c finely chopped parsley 1 cup fat free half and half 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs , cooked and diced (about 1 c) 1/3 c toasted sliced almonds Melt butter and heat EVOO in sauté pan --add carrots, celery,onion and mushrooms and sauté until soft -about 5 minutes. Salt and ...

So let me start this recipe blog with a photo of my husband and my future son-in-law hunting for pheasant over Thanksgiving weekend in PA. This meal is with part of their bounty and I researched a lot of recipes to prepare this meal. One site recommended soaking the pheasant in milk for 24 hours before so it has been in a Ziploc since yesterday. Also ours are skinless breasts on the bone so will be altering a few steps.   Oh yeah fine hunters on their first outing!  Whole pheasant breast cooked in sauce -next time less butter and remember to reduce sauce Half pheasant breast over wild rice with sauce --sorry should have used a light plate not dark purple so you could see it better!       2  pheasants, whole skinned with bone 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup butter ( I would only use 1/4 c butter next time) 1 onion, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 cup chicken broth 1 cup whipping cream (used half and half) 3 whole allspice 2...

This was a combination of recipes -- I had saffron that Kevin brought me back from Qatar and love the taste of tarragon with scallops. The saffron does not have a taste to it (unless you have put too much in per one chef from India --it is meant to give a golden look and feel extravagant). Also while researching for this recipe found that EVOO is not recommended that it can overpower the flavor of the scallops so I used canola.  I actually did a combination of a couple of recipes and served it over angel hair pasta with broccolini on the side.  Kevin is already begging me to make this recipe again. I restrained myself from using fresh tarragon as I initially planned as I didn't want to over power the sauce. See the bottom of recipe for the picture with angel hair and broccolini. 3 tablespoons butter, divided  1 tablespoons canola oil 6 large sea scallops, pat them dry 1 shallot minced 1/2 c white wine 1 tablespoons half and half cr...

French Onion soup is delicious but requires a little patience and time to caramelize your onions.  I started at The Pioneer Woman's website but then ended up changing quite a bit of the recipe as it was for lunch and it was already after noontime and she had great suggestions but it would have a 2 hour prep and we were hungry!! This made enough for the 2 of us. Sorry the picture is a little dark and I think the soup would have been lighter in color with white wine and half chicken broth as well. 3 onions -sliced thin 4 T butter 1 clove minced garlic 1/2 c red wine (she suggested white which would probably have been better but red was open) 3 cups Beef Broth (again she suggested half beef and half chicken) Dashes of Worcestershire Sauce French Bread Gruyere Cheese, Shredded Melt butter in pan and sauté onions over low-medium heat until golden brown --this may take close to 30 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 1 min Add wine and allow to reduce by ha...

Tried this from my FREE Costco Cookbook and the recipe was delicious and a fun way to change up breakfast.  I used actual eggs and made several changes topping with salsa and sour cream as noted below - next time I will cook a shorter amount so my eggs are not so firm. Ingredients: PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray 1 can Vegetarian Refried Beans 3 eggs (you could have used 4) 1 jar of salsa Sour cream for garnish 1/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons sliced green onions Directions Spray large (11 to 12-inch) nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Spread beans in bottom of skillet. Make 4 deep depressions (about 3-1/2 inches across) in beans, pushing beans to center and sides of skillet. Fill depressions with Eggs. Cover skillet. Cook over medium heat 7 to 10 minutes or until Egg are set to your desired firmness. Sprinkle cheese and onions over beans and Eggs. Serve with salsa and sour cream.