Jalapeno Poppers

One of my favorite appetizers or meal addition — jalapeno poppers. I love these little packets of heat and cheese, and decided the best way to get the taste I wanted was to get in the kitchen and make them myself. If you want that added “kick” leave a few seeds in the peppers.

Served with roasted zucchini slices and mushrooms that were stuffed with the left-over cheese mixture, and baked.

For this recipe: I used 7 jalapeno peppers, 1 pearl onion, 3 cloves of garlic-minced, 1 small shallot, 4 ounces softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup grated queso fresco 1 Tbsp smoked paprika, 1 Tbsp butter, dash of garlic powder, kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and peanut oil. 2 Tbsp flour, 1 cup panko bread crumbs

For the batter: 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup milk, one egg–mix in a medium size mixing bowl.

Clean, dry and seed the jalapeno by making a lengthwise slit from the stem to the bottom of the pepper and make a slit across the top (forming a T)–this helps to open the pepper more. Scoop out the seeds with a very small spoon. If you use your fingers, you may want to wear rubber kitchen gloves. Alternatively, cut the tip opposite the stem off and use a small spoon or utensil to get the seeds out. If you use this method, its best to pipe the filling into the pepper.

Heat the butter in a pan ans saute the pearl onion, garlic, and shallot until tender, then remove to a mixing bowl and allow to cool a bit. Next add the cream cheese, queso fresco (or Mountain Jack Cheese if you prefer), salt, pepper, and paprika.

In a separate bowl mix the flour and panko bread crumbs.

Stuff each pepper with the cheese mixture. Heat the oil in a fryer or medium heavy bottom pot to about 370ºF. Dip the peppers in the batter, then into the flour/bread crumbs, and if you like back into the batter once more–this is what I did.

My little peppers awaiting to become poppers

Make a slit to get those seeds out. I also made one across the top. However, you could snip the bottom end (opposite the stem) off and scoop the seeds out with a small spoon. In this case, you’ll have to pipe in the cheese mixture

Scooping out the seeds. Leave a few in if you like it spicy hot

Sauteing the onion and garlic

Mixing the cheeses, paprika, onion, garlic, salt, pepper to taste

Mixing it all together. That smokey paprika gave it a nice color, and a nice taste as well

Our peppers are all stuffed, now dip in the batter, breadcrumbs, batter again and fry till golden brown.

Jalapeno Poppers

Make sure you allow them to cool before biting into…the cheese will be hot

The mushrooms were very good as well

Seared Scallops, Seared Sirloin with Fava Bean & Mushroom Aioli

A quick, nice little Surf and Turf for a Mellow Monday. A few slivers of beef, a few scallops, and a few shrimp drizzled with a very tasty aioli is all that was needed to satisfy my surf and turf crave.

Fava beans, finely chopped mushrooms went into the aioli

Aioli Recipe;

4 large cloves minced or pressed garlic, 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 3 egg yokes, 1/2 cup each vegetable oil and olive, and a little water.

In a blender, combine garlic, lemon juice, salt, and egg yokes. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Combine the vegetable oil with the olive oil. Continue to blend on high speed as the oil is added–just a few drops at a time at first; then when the mixture thickens, increase the oil to a slow steady stream (about 1/16 inch wide. Do not add so quickly that it puddles). When the sauce becomes so thick that the oil is difficult to incorporate, which usually will happen after about 1/2 of the oil has been added, then blend in 1 or 2 Tbsp water, then slowly ad the remaining oil. Stop adding oil if the sauce ceases to take up any more oil. At this point, I added the steamed fava beans, and blended well, then the chopped steamed mushrooms and blended those it. This changed the consistency, but I just had this idea of added the fava beans and mushrooms.

The sirloin was marinaded in extra virgin olive oil, chopped garlic, black pepper corns, rosemary, dash of garlic sea salt, and onion powder

Did a quick sear on the beef in a very hot cast iron skillet. No oil added as the oil from the marinade was more than enough.

Seasoned the scallops and shrimp with a little salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. Seared those for a few minutes on each side

Drizzled the aioli over top, garnished with a few steamed sliced mushrooms and steamed fava beans

And that’s how it went Monday–Seared Scallops, Seared Sirloin with Fava Bean & Mushroom Aioli

Can’t forget the Vino, a nice glass of red to wash it all down

Roasted Salmon

Yesterday (Friday) I spent the day, and I mean most of the early part of the day (from about 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM) outside in my yard cutting the front lawn, edging, weed whacking, pullling up weeds, and so on.  Still I’m not finished—have to trim the shrubs, and do a little re-seeding…well that goes on and on. I’m a “yardner” girl, so I’m always outside piddling around with the lawn, flowers, vegetables and so on.  Of course I ALWAYS have my camera handy, and I snapped a photo of this allium as it’s just beginning to unfold it’s pretty little purple package of petite flowers…now say that five times very fast lol.

Allium, I love flowers

In any event, the whole time I was working outside, I could not get salmon off of my mind. I knew I would be cooking salmon, but just how I wanted it escaped me. I really couldn’t settle on a recipe in my mind, and believe me I thought of many ways to cook it, and what type of sauce to go with it. Later in the kitchen I was still not sure, but I did decide that I would roast it in the oven. So this is what I came up with. I just made a quick marinade using olive oil, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, fresh chopped garlic and ginger, fresh cracked black pepper, red pepper flakes, and a few spices.

Served with Quinoa and Brown Rice.

Marinading with all that I mentioned above, pluse a ginger-garlic spice blend. Baked in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes

Out of the oven, let it rest a few minutes before digging in.

Garnished with chopped scallions and capers. The capers really added a nice ‘tangy’ little burst of saltiness that balanced nicely with the subtle sweetness of the brown sugar. Perhaps I’ll add a sauce of some sort today

Vegetable for the day was Cabbage

Relaxing

Out of the kitchen.
Just watching the fish…but why are they looking at us I wonder?

Spinach, Crab, and Cheese Manicotti

Manicotti is the name given to the shape of the pasta, which means little tubes, that are just begging to be stuffed with deliciousness. Here I decided on the traditional spinach and ricotta cheese stuffing and of course being one that loves seafood, I through in some crab meat as well. 

The fresh basil chiffonade went well with the marinara sauce

Topped with crab-meat

Ingredients:

1 box Manicotti

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium shallot, chopped

12 ounces fresh mushrooms chopped. I used white and oyster…save a few for topping

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 cup Parmigiano Regianno–divided

4 ounces cream cheese

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

4 fresh basil and parsley leaves

12 ounces fresh spinach or 1 10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 11 ounce cans crab-meat. Preferably I would have used lump, but only had fancy crab-meat on hand

1 26 ounce jar of marinara sauce (or make fresh)

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Pam spray

Fresh cracked black pepper and salt to your liking

Proceed: 

Cook the manicotti per package instructions. Pre-heat the oven at 350.  Heat the olive oil in a pan over moderate heat and saute the onion and shallots until the onions are opaque. Add the garlic and saute for 3 minutes more, then add the mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes.  In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1/2 of the mozzarella, 1/2 of the Parmesan cheeses with the sautéed onion mixture, Italian seasoning, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Salt and pepper to taste.  Add in the chopped spinach and the crab meat and mix well. Fill each cooked manicotti with a generous amount of the mixture with either a small spoon, or a piping bag (one can be improvised by snipping the tip of a zip-top freezer bag).

Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with Pam. Spread some of the sauce in the pan and place the filled manicotti in the pan. Top with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle on the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, top with sliced mushrooms and the rest of the crab meat. Cover the pan with foil and bake at for 30 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil and parsley.

Some of our ingredients

Onions and shallots in the pan

Addition of the garlic

In go the chopped mushrooms, and 1/2 of the crab meat

Now we’ll mix the sautéed onion mixture with the ricotta cheese, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, half of the Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, and cinnamon, pepper, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper

The spinach has been steamed, then drained–dried as much as possible and chopped

Mix in the chopped spinach, 1/2 of the crab meat.  Pipe or spoon into the manicotti

Give a 9 x 13 inch baking dish a little spray of Pam, and spread some of the marinara sauce on the bottom

Arrange the filled manicotti in the dish, drizzle on the remaining marinara sauce, top with the rest of the mozzarella & Parmesan cheese and arrange the rest of the sliced mushrooms and crab-meat on top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Spinach, Crab, and Cheese Manicotti

And without the crab for my youngest son–with fresh parsley and finely grated Parmesan cheese

Smothered Pork Chops

Mr. B. has been asking about some down-home Smothered Chops for the past few days…who am I not to oblige him?? This a relatively quick way to cook chops as you most likely know. The chops were tender and savory.

A pretty simple meal—served over plain white rice with diced tomatoes

A nice accompaniment–Garbanzo Beans cooked in garlic and thyme. I absolutely love garbanzo beans.  Said to have been brought to Spain from Central Asia by the Phoenicians, they are healthy (having a high fiber content) and delicious. Quite versatile, garbanzo beans can be added to stews, soups, purees, and salads just to name a few. They can be boiled, fried, roasted, pureed, or simply eaten raw. And of course they are the “quintessential” ingredient in hummus, another of my favorite indulgences. In Spain, they make a fine dessert with quince (an aromatic acid-tasting pear-shaped fruit used in preserves), and in some regions, they are toasted, ground, and made into a  coffee-like drink that’s reportedly very delicious and eye-opening. Hmmm….now that’s interesting…perhaps I can try it some day.

Begin by seasoning the chops. I used garlic powder, onion powder (my two staples), fresh cracked black pepper, garlic & sea salt blend, Kirkland’s no-salt organic seasoning. Press it in on both sides. Brown the chops on both sides in a heavy bottom skillet–I used a cast iron skillet–them remove and set aside

After the chops were browned and removed from the skillet, in go, onions, bell peppers, and garlic, and about 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves. Saute until tender and aromatic…as usualy we want to scrape up any browned bits (or “crud” as Chef Ann Burrell would say), and mix it well with the veggies

Place the chops back into the skillet

Add a few more onions slices, chopped garlic, a few sprigs of fresh thyme

Add one can of low-sodium beef broth, cover and simmer for a few hours until the chops are very tender. Remove the thyme stems

Smothered Pork Chops

Shrimp and Cheddar Grits

A breakfast to get my lazy morning started. I had a few shrimp hanging around in the fridge—not enough to use for dinner, so they became part of breakfast. Just add a few veggies and we have a hearty meal to start those ‘engines.’ I just grabbed what was available in the kitchen and went from there.

With a  little garnish of fresh parsley and scallions, rolled zuchinni slivers, a grape tomato slice or two, or three

I began by sauteing a little chopped onion, bell pepper, zucchini for about 5 minutes or so, then added chopped garlic and a few slivers of shiitake mushrooms and continue to cook a few minutes more, added the shrimp–cooked till they were just done, added a little heavy cream and about 1 Tbsp of cream cheese, salt and pepper to taste and that was that.

With an Egg Over Easy

Broiled Catfish With Brandy-Orange Mushroom Cream Sauce

I decided to forego the traditional/usual  Friday Fish Fry and opt for baking the catfish instead this time around. Well I did have white bass and oysters and I did fry those up—I can NEVER leave out those oysters when any type of  fish hits the pan. The tangy orange juice in this sauce lends to a nice taste.

Garnished with fresh parsley leaves,  and a little julienne of orange zest

Ingredients:

4 pounds catfish filets

7 or 8 medium shrimp, cleaned, deveined, tails on (optional)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup orange juice,

1/4 cup brandy

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, minced (two for the marinade, two for the saute pan)

1 shallot, finely chopped

Orange zest–julienne

Fresh cracked black pepper, salt to taste

Shiitake and oyster mushrooms–a few of each, chopped

Proceed:

Heat broiler

In a bowl, combine the orange juice, vegetable oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and pepper, and marinate the catfish filets for about 20 minutes or so. Note—reserve some of the marinade for basting the fillets while broiling.

Place the fillets in an oiled pan (I used Pam) and broil (4 inches from the heat) for about 1o minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

A few of the fillets

Into the marinade

Mushrooms, garlic, shallots

Saute the shallots and garlic in about 2 Tbsp olive oil

Add the orange juice, then the brandy

Stir–Reduce a tad

In go those wonderful shrooms–saute

Add the heavy whipping cream

Those succulent seasoned shrimp make their entrance to the party–seasoned with Old Bay, pepper, a little garlic powder

They’ll let us know when they’re ready–nice n pinkish

Nice n pinkish—salt pepper to your liking

Place our catfish fillet on a plate and spoon the sauce over top

 Broiled Catfish with Brandy-Orange Mushroom Cream Sauce

The soy sauce really created a nice color

Spaghetti & Turkey Meatballs

I substituted ground turkey for the traditional meat mixture that I would otherwise use when making Spaghetti and Meatballs, which is part ground beef, veal, and pork.  Of course with ground beef there is a good measure of fat in the meat that lends to the flavor, but with ground turkey—it must be seasoned well in order to get the desired  flavors. However, that’s easy to accomplish.

Dusted with Parmesan cheese, garnished with fresh basil, oregano, and parsley

My family really enjoyed this meal…in fact, they were eating it first thing the next morning for breakfast. Well, there goes my plan for left-overs for dinner  :-)

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey

½ cup finely chopped onion

½ cup finely chopped bell pepper

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

½ cup roasted red bell pepper finely chopped

1 slice of bread, crust removed and soaked in ¼ cup milk—after

the bread is saturated, squeeze out the milk and tear into small pieces

when adding to the ground turkey

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 Tbsp Fresh basil and oregano

¼ tsp salt & fresh cracked black pepper, or to your liking

2 – 3 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)

12 ounces spaghetti

For the sauce this time around I used a store bought sauce—38 ounces Roasted Garlic sauce. If you can find the roasted red bell pepper sauce, get it…it has a very nice flavor…it’s those roasted red bell peppers!

I poured the sauce in to a sauce small pot and simmered it over very low heat with 2 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp each of finely chopped garlic, onion, and bell pepper, and pinch of fresh cracked black pepper.

NOTE—this was done before I began seasoning the ground turkey. And as always, adjust seasonings to your liking.

Begin:

Mix the ground turkey with all the other ingredients (except the olive oil), very well, and form into golf-ball size meatballs.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the turkey meatballs all around.

Remove them from the pan and add the chopped roasted red bell pepper and sauté for a few minutes, scraping up bits any turkey left in the pan.

Add the meatballs back into the pan on top of the roasted red peppers, pour the sauce on top, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, giving it a stir once in a while until the meatballs are cooked through.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water as directed by the package. Drain, return to the pot and add a little olive oil or butter.

When all is done, place the spaghetti in the center of a plate, spoon over some of the meatballs and sauce, top with fresh basil and oregano, add a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, and enjoy with a nice piece of toasted garlic bread, and perhaps a glass of your favorite red wine.

Seasoned the ground turkey with 1/2 tsp salt & fresh cracked black pepper, 1 tsp each dried basil and oregano, onion powder, and garlic powder, and mixed well

Added the onion, bell peppers, garlic and the bread…used my natural mixers (hands) to incorporate everything well, and began forming the golf-ball size meatballs

All ready for the pan

Brown the meatballs in the heated oil

Already, the aroma is so nice

Roll them around to brown evenly

After the meatballs are removed from the pan, I added the chopped roasted red bell peppers and sauteed them while scraping up the bits left from the meatballs. I really enjoy the flavor the the peppers add

Place the meatballs back into the pan on top of the roasted red bell peppers

Simmered the sauce with chopped garlic, onion, bell peppers, and two Tbsp sugar

Pour the sauce over the meatballs

Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the meatballs are fully cooked through

All ready to dig into

Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs

Quick Fix Garlic Bread

7 slices of nice Italian bread, Make a nice smash of garlic by crushing and smoothing two cloves of garlic with coarse salt. Do a nice fine chop on 4 Tbsp fresh parsley

Spoon melted butter onto the bread

Spread on the garlic & parsley mix, sprinkle a little paprika and bake at 350 until golden or litely toasted

One more thing and our meal is complete…

Garnacha de Fuego 2010 – a nice rich, dark red. Our  meal is complete