There's Somethin' Fishy Goin' on........

I don't like fish. I never have. Growing up in the panhandle, that's pretty much a mortal sin. Everybody needs to like fish...it's just the way it is.

One thing that I do like is burgers. I'll take a sloppy, greasy cheeseburger any day. But, in efforts to be more health conscious, I decided to compromise and find a healthier alternative to the regular American cheeseburger. I found recipes for black bean burgers, but all the comments I read about them said they tasted like crumbly cardboard. So, I chucked that idea. During my search, I came across a recipe for salmon burgers by Paula Deen (of course). At first, I wasn't thrilled with the idea, but I decided to give it a try anyway, and OMG, I'm so glad I did. They were AMAZING! And very simple to make, not to mention, very healthy!

Here's what you need to make them:

1/2c. red bell pepper, diced
1/2c. yellow bell pepper, diced
3/4c. panko
2 cloves garlic, minced
2lbs. salmon fillets, skinned and finely chopped
1 lg. egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt

In a medium bowl, combine peppers, panko, garlic, and salmon. Add egg, soy sauce, lemon juice, and salt. Use hands and combine all the ingredients. Form the mixture into 8 patties.

Lightly coat a grill pan or skillet with cooking spray.  Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Grill patties, 5 minutes per side, or until desired degree of doneness (I also threw the buns on the grill at the same time to get toasty.)

While the fishy patties were grilling, I made a seasoned mayonnaise, using 1c. mayo, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp. soy sauce, and 1/2tsp. sesame oil.

Spread the sesame mayonnaise over toasted buns. Top each with a lettuce leaf, tomato, slice of red onion, and a salmon patty (which I topped with melted provolone cheese.)

Yeah.....it was pretty awesome, if I do say so myself....

Happy Cooking!

-G

Mini Blueberry Cobblers

It's that time of year again......

In honor of the initiation of summer, I decided to welcome back the blueberry! Oh how I love this little fruit...

Last Christmas, I was given a set of ramekins, and I've been scratching my head on what I can use them for. Well, after scouring the internet for recipes, the idea came to me....DUH! Why don't I make personalized cobblers? They were so simple to make, delicious, and I love how everyone had their own little serving!

For starters, I used 6oz. ramekins, so I used about 2/3c. of fresh berries. I dusted them with some sugar, and set them in the fridge to let them soak and make their own syrup.

Meanwhile, I made the crumb topping. I half invented the recipe, but really, it's very basic. I used 1/4c. flour, 1/2c. dry oats, 1/4c. brown sugar, 1tsp. cinammon, and 1/2 stick of butter. I cut the cold butter in until I had a nice crumbly mixture.

Top off your dishes with the topping........

And bake in a 375F oven for about 20 minutes of until you see that the tops are golden brown, and somewhat crispy.

After removing them, you might want to let them cool a little bit, but personally, I think the best way to eat these is piping hot with a nice scoop of icey cream on top!

Oh, how I love summer and all that it brings!

Happy Cooking!

-G

Girl......That's a French name!

 Alright, I already know what you're thinking. That this croissant recipe is going to have a million steps and ingredients and that in the end, it might "pop" and you'll end up with a flat piece of bread. To be honest with you, that's what I thought about croissants the first time I saw a recipe for them. Plus, they used so much butter and a small batch of them would turn out to be pretty pricey, not to mention not artery-healthy.

Well, contraire monfreir.........

As I was flipping through an old issue of Food and Wine Magazine, I came accross this recipe that had only four ingredients, and none of them were butter! So, I figured I would give it a try, and they turned out delicious!

Start out by combining 3/4c of hot water with 1 envelope of active dry yeast. Wait for it to do it's magic, then sir that in with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 3-3 1/2c of any all-purpouse baking mix (I used Bisquick).

Turn that dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough is soft and elastic.

Roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle; cut the circle into 12 wedges.  Roll up wedges, starting at the wide end, to form a crecent shape. Place point side down into a lightly greased baking sheet.

I decided to add some pizzaz, so I lightly brushed them with butter and sprinkled them with an Italian seasoning mix. You didn't think I could make a croissant without using any butter, did you?

Cover and let rise in a draft-free place for about an hour or until they double in size. Bake in a 425F oven for 10-12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
          -G

Winner, Winner... Green Bean Dinner

OK, so my family and I really enjoy occasionally eating at this local Chinese buffet. I'm not sure how legit it is, seeing that they also serve beef enchiladas on the menu, but they make the most bomb shizzle green beans I have ever tasted. So, Dad decided to try to replicate their recipe, and even though they don't taste the same, they are still UH-MAZING!

When I make them, I take the liberty of tweaking with the ingredients, like I did for this post, and I've come to realize that when you cover a whole bunch of beans in butter and garlic, anything else added can only make it better! Almonds was a new addition for this recipe, but I bet bacon bits would also be really good.

I start this off by sauteeing lots of mashed garlic in some butter and olive oil, and I add a pinch of ground ginger just so I can call it "asian." When using almonds, I also throw those in there so they can get toasty!

In the meantime, I start cooking the beans. I always buy them fresh, and make sure to cut the dry ends off, and also in half so we don't have humongonous pieces.  Place them to boil in a medium sized pot. Once the water begins to boil, place a timer for 4 minutes. I like my beans more crunchy, but if you like them softer, obviously, boil them longer.

Once you get them to the desired tenderness,  blanch the beans in some cold water to keep them from cooking any more.

Drain the beans, and dump (don't you like that technical term?) them into the garlic and butter mixture. Give them a quick toss to incorporate everything, and, TADA, you have amazingeness in a pan!

I served these babies with some baked chicken, a creamy corn pudding, and a green salad and it truly was a winner, winner, grean bean dinner!

Happy Cooking!

-G

Simply Divine

So, I've been on this broccoli kick lately, and I've been searching for recipes to use this lovely vegetable. I was tired of using it in the same, common ways like steamed, cause', let's face it, steamed broccoli smells like old underwear, the texture is mushy, and it doesn't have much flavor, but, I digress.

While I was browsing through my Paula Deen magazine, I came across this recipe for Chicken Divan Casserole that looked yummy, so I decided to give it a try. I changed a few things, like seasoning the chicken with adobo first, and using fresh instead of frozen broccoli. It turned out so good. Ahh..I love how delish recipes give me that warm fuzzy feeling inside!

You'll need:

1/4c. butter

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2c. chopped onion

1/4c. all-purpouse flour

1 1/2c. chicken broth

1/2c. milk

2 T. dry sherry (I used regular wine)

1c. shredded Parmesan cheese

1 large head broccoli, cut into small pieces

2c. hot cooked rice

2c. cubed French bread

2 T. melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a large skillet, melt 1/4c. butter over med-high heat. Add chicken and onion, and cook for 4-6 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add flour, cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth, milk, and sherry, and cook for 4-5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese. Add broccoli and rice, stirring gently to combine. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish.

3. In a small bowl, combine french bread cubes with melted butter. Toss gently to coat. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.

Bake for 25-30 minutes on until it bread is crispy and it looks like this!

This is a great meal that can be your main and side dish, but, I served it with a green salad and light vinegarette, and it paired splendidily.

Happy Cooking!!



Who says you have to be Italian?

Hello! Yes, I'm back, finally. Not that anyone reads my blog anyway, but maybe these postings will be a monthly thing. I do cook more often than that, but my posting times seem to be few and far between. Anyhoo, this recipe is one that I read in my January/February 2011 issue of  "Cooking with Paula Deen", and it really intrigued me because it was a lasagna dish that had vegetables in it that I've never tried in a lasagna before! It ended up being really unique, and all the veggies make it a perfect, hearty meal for a cold winter night. Here's how to prepare Paula Deen's Cheesy Chicken and Vegetable Lasagna.

You'll need:
1Tbsp. olive oil

2 1/2c. thinly sliced zucchini

1 1/2c. finely chopped carrots

1 (8oz) pckg. sliced fresh mushrooms

4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (6oz.) bags baby fresh spinach
1/4c. thinly sliced fresh basil
1 1/2tsp. salt
1/2tsp. ground black pepper
1 (15oz) container whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 c. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
2 large eggs
2 (24oz.) jars tomato and basil pasta sauce, divided
1(9oz.) package oven ready lasagna noodles
2(12oz.) packages sliced provolone cheese
4c. chopped, cooked chicken
1(16oz.) package shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:
1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini, carrot, mushrooms, and garlic; cook for 5 to 6 minutes on until veggies are tender. Add spinach, stirring until spinach wilts. Cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in basil, salt, and pepper; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, 1 cup Parm-Reg mix, and eggs; set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 41/2-quart baking dish (I didn't have one, so I used a 9x13, and I barely had enough room) with non-stick cooking spray. Spread 1/2 c. pasta sauce in baking dish. Top with 4 lasagna noodles. Spread 1/4 ricotta mixture over noodles. Top with half of vegetable mixture and 1c. pasta sauce. Layer one-fourth of provolone over sauce. Top with 4 lasagna noodles. Spread one-fourth ricotta mixture.
4. Combine chicken and shredded mozzarella cheese. Spread half of chicken mixture over ricotta.
5. Top with 1c. pasta sauce, one-fourth of provolone, and 4 lasagna noodles. Spread one-fourth of ricotta mixture over noodles. Top with remaining chicken mixture, 1c. pasta sauce, one-fourth of provolone, and 4 lasagna noodles. Spread with remaining ricotta mixture, remaining vegetable mixture, remaining 1c. sauce, and remaining provolone cheese. Sprinkle with remaining cup of Parm-Reg cheese. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
6. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Here's the finished project:

Yes, I have to admit, it looks like some goo monster from the old Lost in Space series, but I haven't quite mastered how to make a lasagna that doesn't fall apart when I cut it. Anyway, it tasted good, so that's all that matters.

I paired this lasagna with a simple Ceasar salad....

...and I had some extra tomatoes, so I threw together some bruschetta, and it complemented the meal deliciously!!

Happy Cooking!

Did Someone Say 'Chocolate?'

So, I finally decided to open a food blog. But, this being my first post, I had to open it with an awesome recipe. Something that would be memorable. Then I thought, "Hey, what is better than chocolate?"

Not only is this recipe chocolate, it's the pure essence of deliciousness. The cake is light and moist, and the frosting is sooo smooth and fluffy and chocolatey! I couldn't resist. I have to admit, it is yet another Paula Deen recipe. I can't help myself. How can one person have so many delish recipes? So, here's a step-by-step guide on how to prepare Paula Deen's Luscious Chocolate Almond Cake.

You'll Need:
2c. sugar
2c. all-purpouse flour
1c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2tsp. baking soda
1tsp. baking powder
1tsp. salt
1c. milk
1c. sour cream
3/4c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1Tbs. vanilla extract
1/2c. toasted slivered almonds, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 (9-inch) cake pans with non-stick cooking spray with flour.

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients except almonds. Add milk, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until smooth.

Spoon batter into prepared pans, and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean.

Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

Frosting
4 (1oz) bittersweet chocolate baking bars, chopped
1/2c. heavy whipping cream
1c. butter, softened
2Tbs. almond-flavored liquor
4c. powdered sugar

In medium saucepan, combine cream and chocolate. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Let cool for 20 minutes. In a large bowl, beat butter and liquor until smooth. Gradually add chocolate mixture and powdered sugar, until combined and smooth.

Assembly
Spread frosting over bottom layer of cake. Sprinkle with 1/4c. almonds. Top with second cake layer. Spread frosting over cake layer; sprinkle with remaining almonds. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced almonds, if desired.

Voila! Here's the finished product. For being such a fancy looking cake, it's really very simple and a real crowd pleaser!

Happy Cooking!