More is Better

For Kevin's birthday breakfast this past weekend I made him homemade corn beef hash recipe from The Chew's Michael Symon --it was delicious and felt so much healthier than the canned ones we love! You can buy a thick slice of corn beef as deli and just cube it. I used red bell pepper which was great. Also because I had bought a single huge potato I peeled diced then boiled until tender. 4 T butter 1 medium yellow onion, diced 1 bell pepper, diced 2 c yukon gold potatoes, diced and boiled until fork tender 2 cups of corn beef, diced S/P 4 eggs poached Melt butter in saute pan (cast iron is perfect) Saute onion and pepper until softened then add in potatoes and corn beef and allow the edges to brown and crisp. S/P to taste. Meanwhile poach eggs and plate with corn beef hash --top with egg!!

This recipe is from Ina Garten and as my sister in law Andrea said --she doesn't have a bad recipe they're always great.  Comes together easily and is going to be served at a certain upcoming shower ;) 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 lemon cut into quarters 4 pounds large shrimp in the shell (16 to 20 shrimp per pound) 2 cups good mayonnaise 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons white wine or white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 6 tablespoons minced fresh dill 1 cup minced red onion (1 onion) 3 cups minced celery (6 stalks) Bring 5 quarts of water, 3 tablespoons salt, and the lemon to a boil in a large saucepan. Add half the shrimp and reduce the heat to medium. Cook uncovered for only 3 minutes or until the shrimp are barely cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of cold water. Bring the water back to a boil and repeat with the remaining shrimp. Let cool; then peel, and devein the shrimp. In a separate bowl, whisk together...

Let me start out with a quote from Kevin "This side made the entire meal!" Corn is in season and this is another great side dish or topping for fish chicken or pork or steak -yummo! This recipe was on The Chew made by Daphne Oz. 4 ears of corn, shucked EVOO 1 apple finely diced (I used granny smith) 1/4 c fresh chopped chives 2 T fresh tarragon chopped 1 shallot finely diced 3 T apple cider vinegar 1 T dijon mustard s/p Preheat grill med high -drizzle corn with evoo and grill until charred. Remove and cut kernels off corn Whisk remaining ingredients with 1/3 c evoo and toss with corn.

You are probably wondering why blog about the simple scrambled egg. How annoyed do you get with wet watery scrambled eggs. Well last weekend we were at our daughter's bridal shower given by the groom's family (which was lovely BTW) anyhow a guest Janet was raving about these scrambled eggs she saw a TV chef demo. The biggest premise is that you start with a cold pan and you go low and slow-- if you know me then you can only imagine how difficult it was ... but well worth the effort. 4 whole eggs 1/4 cup half and half 1 T cold butter cut into 8-10 pieces s/p Whisk together eggs and half and half. S/P to taste . Add butter pieces into egg mixture NOW in a cold (room temp) nonstick frypan - I sprayed PAM in anyhow -then pour in egg mixture. NOW turn on burner low ( I set my electric stovetop on 3) Using a rubber spatula start stirring the egg mixture continuously on sides and bottom --it will take about 10 minutes to scramble mixture all the way.  Enjoy...

This was yummy just with the crusty bread and no pasta --another perfect summer meal. The recipe came from Rachael Ray Magazine. This is truly a quick recipe to whip together so have all your prep done and everything measured before you start cooking! 1/4   cup   EVOO 2  large shallots, finely chopped 4  large cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1  teaspoon   crushed red pepper 1/2   teaspoon   fennel seed 1/4   cup   brandy or sherry (used dry sherry) 3/4   cup   dry white wine 1/2   cup   chicken or seafood stock 1 1/2   pints   cherry or grape tomatoes, halved 2  pounds   jumbo shrimp -- peeled, deveined, with tails left on Salt and pepper A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped (about 2 tbsp.) 1  tablespoon   lemon juice Ciabatta bread slices, grilled or broiled, for mopping In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat the EVOO, four turns...

This was such a great light summer meal. I used fresh corn 3 ears of it. The recipe comes from Cooking Light May 2014. Love that we are back to harvesting fresh herbs from my garden! 2 center-cut bacon slices, chopped 1 medium shallot, finely chopped 3 green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated 2 tablespoons dry white wine 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or cider vinegar (only had apple cider vinegar) 1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn kernels (used 3 ears of fresh) 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided 1 tablespoon canola oil 4 (6-ounce) center-cut salmon fillets, skinned 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme 1. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat 4 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Add shallot and white parts of onions; sauté 2 minutes. Add wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in vinegar, corn, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in ...

Katie was entertaining her Auntie Andrea and wanted to wow her with a great app --since Auntie always has so many great ones for us to try! It was such a hit she made it for Kevin and I for Father's Day ! It came from a blogger named Gaby --the only thing we would do different is serve on sliced baguette so the topping would adhere better to soft bread and not be as crumbly as crostini. Also we talked about small torn up proscuitto so you could bite without eating the whole slice of proscuitto. 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed ½ cup fresh basil or mint (Katie did a combo of both) 1 garlic clove 1/3 cup grated California Dry Jack cheese (Katie used parmesan) ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste California Burrata cheese Thinly sliced prosciutto Toasted Crostini 1. In a large food processor, combine the peas, basil or mint, garlic, California Dry Jack cheese, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and salt and...

Another Clinton Kelly recipe from The Chew -- it was yummy easy and satisfying --we actually did open face to cut down on eating the whole roll. The ricotta spread onto the bun was deelish! Don't be put off by making your own sauce it was completed in minutes. For the Sauce 3 large garlic cloves minced 1/2 large onion diced 28 oz can organic chunky tomato sauce ie Muir Glen 1/4 t dried oregano 1/4 t dried rosemary 1/2 c romano cheese 8 fresh basil leaves dash of sweet vermouth EVOO S/P For the Patties 1 c coarsely fresh made bread crumbs ( I used panko) 1/2# ground lamb 1/2# ground pork 1/2# ground beef 2 T chopped flat leaf parsley 1/2 c grated parm-regg 2 t kosher salt 1/2 t black pepper 1/4 t nutmeg 1 egg 4 kaiser rolls 4 slices fresh mozarella 1 c ricotta Make the sauce if large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in EVOO for 5 min add the tomatoes and rest of the sauce ingredients - lower heat and allow...

Ever have one of those days at work when you get home and just don't feel like cooking a complicated meal but want the comfort of pasta! Well recently I had one of those days and used a fancy pasta 'wafer' called Crocetti that I got at Eataly but any pasta would do! It was 3 simple ingredients - pasta, pesto and pasta water -SIMPLE. I also added a few halved cherry tomatoes on top. 1 package of pasta ( we only used half which made 3 meals) 4 oz container of pesto ( I make my own and freeze so used 4 frozen cubes) 1 cup reserved pasta water extra parmesan for topping Prepare pasta per package instruction going 1 min less than minimum cook time Reserve 1 c pasta water before draining and return to pot. Toss with pesto and add pasta water to thin and allow it to cling--I used about 1/2c or so Top with grated parm (and I also decided to use halved cherry tomatoes)

From Cooking Light August 2012 -- yes I have had this one put aside for awhile it was very good next time I will use less arugula as I threw in the entire package!! We grilled our shrimp outside --the basting honey /water added a lot of flavor! 4 teaspoons sherry vinegar 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 cups loosely packed arugula 1 cup trimmed watercress 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 (15.5-ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained 1 tablespoon honey 1 teaspoon water 24 peeled and deveined medium shrimp (about 1 pound) Cooking spray 1/4 teaspoon salt 1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add arugula and next 4 ingredients (through beans) to bowl, and toss gently to coat. 2. Combine honey and 1 teaspoon water in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add sh...

Another Chew recipe --loved it I did not make my dough by hand rather bought a pizza dough from Trader Joes --be sure to let it warm up to room temp to stretch it - also next time I would stretch it into 4 pizzas not just 2 for us --it was a lot of pizza for breakfast! I cooked mine a little too long as the yolk was firmer than i would have liked as well -next time less on the second bake for a runnier yolk. 1 pizza dough -divide and stretch into 4 small pizza's 1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes pureed ( I used handblender or blender) add salt to taste 2 T EVOO 1/4 # chopped pancetta 1/2 # mozarella shredded ( I used fresh) 4 large eggs handful fresh basil, torn Preheat oven to 500 Divide dough and form into 4 pizza's Saute pancetta in EVOO until crisp Spread 1/4 c sauce onto each dough and sprinkle with mozarella Bake 5 minutes until edges golden Now top with egg and pancetta -back into oven for 4 minutes until whites of egg cooked ...

First I have to say trust me on this as the picture does not do it justice. I was travelling and bringing this to someone else's home and trying to make an easy cleanup. What I would do differently is the bread --the recipe called for thin slice so I bought Pepperidge Farm thin slice--next time I would buy a regular white slice bread that would absorb egg mixture better. We will be making this delicious recipe again. Thanks again to Michael Symon of The Chew for sharing. 16 slices white bread 6 T room temp butter 8 ounces of bacon --cooked and crumbled -SAVE the bacon grease/drippings 6 large eggs 4 c milk 6 oz shredded cheddar 5 scallions white and green parts sliced Spread one side of each slice of bread with butter. Arrange 8 slices butter side down in 9x13 in 2 rows overlapping each slice by half  Sprinkle all the bacon, green onions, and cheese over bread Arrange last 8 slices of butter over casserole BUTTER SIDE UP. Whisk together your bacon ...