While we think he is cute enough to eat, these chunky cheeks and turkey thighs won't actually sustain us, so I've been made it a goal to churn out a few home-cooked meals a week rather than constantly resorting to take out as we've been prone to doing lately!
So, in the spirit of trying to balance the content of this blog...here's what I've been cooking lately.
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Tortellini Soup: 3 cans chicken stock (I used two cardboard cartons, one regular and one reduced sodium), 2 8 oz packs fresh cheese tortellini, 4 green onions sliced, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 can diced tomatoes, fresh basil and parmesan cheese.
You basically bring the stock to a boil and then dump everything but the cheese in and cook until the pasta is done and then serve with grated parmesan on top. Last night I added sliced zucchini and mushrooms, and served it alongside some toasted baguette slathered with basil pesto. I think this would be the perfect recipe for cleaning out the fridge: make it heartier with sliced or crumbled cooked Italian sausage; if you've got it, some fresh spinach stirred in to wilt up. Bascially it is a reliable, quick and tasty soup that you can doctor up to suit your taste or your needs! Totally my kind of recipe these days. Thanks Andrea!
I recently made these spiced sweet potato wedges for John's office Thanksgiving lunch. I had intended to make them the night before, since he has access to various warming ovens at the stadium and I thought a few passes through their pizza oven would warm and crisp them back up before they ate. Well, the first batch got very thoroughly
They made a great lunch for me the next day, though, and the second batch that I made for him (stuck more to the recipe this time around, and went shy of the prescribed cooking time to avoid burning them) the next morning seemed to be a hit. These are a nice easy side dish for sandwiches or pork tenderloin and would be a good alternative to the traditional sweet potato preparations at your Thanksgiving meal. If you'd like something more adventurous, try these. I have done them before and they're great too!
Speaking of preparations of sweet potatoes, John's mother asked me to bring a potato dish to their family Thanksgiving and I asked John what he might want me to make. When he words "sweet potato hash" came out of his mouth as a suggestion, I was somewhat floored, but I'm game.
I tried version 1 yesterday, including thick cut bacon, diced onions, mushrooms, sage, parsley and an oj/apple cider vinegar/brown sugar mixture for a sauce and it came out OK, but we both thought it could be tweaked. I won't use the vinegar again, and I didn't roast the potatoes but John asked that I try that method next time because he wanted them crispier. Sweet potatoes will only get so crisp, but that's what I'm going to do for the final dish. I think my strategy will be to roast the potatoes and cook everything else in a skillet and then toss and top with the crisped reserved bacon before serving. I'll report back and give a more specific recipe (ha, me, cook with a recipe?) afterwards!
I like to make quick fish tacos by using tilapia or other mild fish filets, sprinkled with cumin, chile powder, cayenne and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve with your favorite jarred salsas, lettuce, tomato, avocado slices, cheese and preferred condiments (sour cream, etc.). I usually serve these with black beans that I've cooked with a can of chopped green chiles and sauteed peppers, if I have them!
My chicken enchiladas are probably John's favorites. It's just something I made up, but I've typed out my "method" before so e-mail me if you want me to send it to you.
I have this recipe for Spicy-Sweet Pork Tenderloin bookmarked and will probably try it out this week. I'll report back!
What are some of your favorite go-to recipes? Share in the comments, if you wish.
Great idea, B, I love it! One of our favorite go-to recipes is what we lovingly refer to as "the pea pasta". I cook 2 cups frozen sweet peas in enough chicken stock to thaw them and then add that, plus a handful of torn fresh basil leaves, parm cheese, a splash of half and half (or milk), and salt/pepper into the blender to make the sauce. This is good with cooked bow ties, penne, even spaghetti. I get the sauce ready while the pasta is cooking - it is best to put it all together while the pasta is still hot. Also, I usually toss in some unblended sweet peas for texture (you don't even have to cook them if you put them in as soon as the pasta is drained).
ReplyDeleteBecause I live with a carnivore, I used to add rotisserie chicken to this. However, I have arrived at using diced pancetta as an alternative and we all love it. I also usually saute some sliced musrooms up while I"m cooking the pancetta (which is salty, so watch the salt in your sauce if you use pancetta or bacon).