4/27/2010

Grilled Asparagus

This recipe comes from our always reliable Better Homes & Gardens Grilling Book. It is a super easy (and delicious) way to cook asparagus if you are already grilling. If you have never tasted the wonders of crispy asparagus tips, definitely give it a try.

• 1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Dried dill
• Salt & pepper
• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese

Place asparagus on a sheet of aluminum foil or disposable foil pan. Drizzle with butter and sprinkle with garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Grill for 5-7 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. The tips should be slightly crispy and the stalks tender. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes 4-6 servings.

4/25/2010

Tomatillo Salsa

We got a Mexican Food Pack along with the standard Bountiful Baskets delivery this week. It came with tomatillos, cilantro, serrano peppers, onions, avocado, limes, and a ton of tortillas.

I found this Tomatillo Salsa recipe which matched up pretty closely with the ingredients we had received, so that's what ended up on the menu last night.

I marinated some chicken for a few minutes in a little bit of milk, vinegar, chili powder, garlic, cumin, and probably a few other random spices from the cupboard and sauteed it with onion and bell pepper.

For the rice, I was going to post the recipe I used, but it was very similar to the Lime Rice Pilaf just barely posted here, so no need to duplicate. I pretty much just throw some bouillon cubes, cilantro, and lime juice into the rice cooker along with the rice and water.

So we served up the rice, chicken, and tortillas along with guacamole, sour cream, and some fruit salad for a pretty good Mexican dinner.

On to the Tomatillo Salsa:

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Salt to taste

Method

1 Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.

2 Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

3 Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar in a blender and pulse until all ingredients are chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.

Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes.

Makes 3 cups.

I broiled the peppers, tomatillos, and onions. I also threw in a couple green onions. I used two serrano peppers, and it was very mild. I was expecting it to be hotter and would have put in more peppers now if I knew how mild it was going to be. Supposedly with both jalapenos and serranos, sometimes they're really mild and other times really hot, so maybe we just got a mild batch of serranos.

4/19/2010

S’more Cookies

We got our first taste of s'more cookies while sampling refreshments at a church event a few weeks ago. They were so good, I was performing an intensive internet search on the subject as soon as we got home. I eventually figured out the cookies we had came from Over the Top Cookies in South Jordan, but this recipe from The Domestic Scientist looked promising so we tested it out in Logan over the weekend.

• 1 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tbsp vanilla

• 2 eggs

• 4 cups flour

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 cups broken up Hershey’s bars
 (1/2 inch chunks)
• 1 1/2 cup broken up graham crackers
 (1/2 inch chunks)
• 1 1/2 cup marshmallows

In an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, except the last three add ins. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until combined. Add in the chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows last.

Preheat oven to 375. Scoop with a tablespoon or medium ice cream scoop and roll dough into balls. Place on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 9 – 11 minutes or until the sides and tops just start to turn golden brown.

NOTES: These really do taste like s'mores. Try to avoid marshmallows on the bottom or close to the edge of the dough balls, or when they melt, the cookies will get impossibly stuck to the pan. The recipe makes a ton. We ended up with over 3 dozen, and they are larger than your average teaspoon-sized cookies.

4/11/2010

It's Time to Make the Doughnuts

So I decided for some reason to make homemade doughnuts the other day. They were delicious. I took the recipe from here.






















Pay no attention to my unprofessional photo taking skills, just look at the delicious doughnuts.

4/09/2010

Pasta with Basil Cream Sauce

We have been thinking we needed to find a good pasta recipe for some time and this one sort of happened spontaneously. Our neighbors went to California for two weeks, so before they left, they gave us all their perishables, including produce, milk, and some whipping cream. We had bought some fresh basil for Dave's latest pizza creation and found this recipe on the package. It turned out delicious! Eddie loved it so much he asked for more "noons" about six times.

We used red onion in place of the shallots, as well as white wine vinegar instead of white wine (which we watered down a bit so it wasn't as strong).

Ingredients

• 2 Shallots, minced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp Flour
• 1/4 c Butter
• 1/4 c White Wine
• 1 1/4 c Cream
• 1 c Parmesan
• Fresh Basil, chopped
• 2 c cooked pasta (we used penne)

In medium saucepan, sauté shallots and garlic in butter until softened. Add flour; cook and stir one minute. Stir in wine; cook one minute more. Slowly add cream, mixing until smooth. Add parmesan, cook over medium heat until smooth and thick. Add basil and mix well. Pour sauce over cooked pasta.

4/07/2010

Lime Rice Pilaf

While eating Rice-A-Roni with dinner recently, Kristen observed that no matter what flavor is listed on the front of the box, it always just tastes like Rice-A-Roni. Very true. Plus it is no doubt chock-full of sodium. Surely making seasoned rice from scratch couldn't be that difficult. This simple recipe from Food Network confirmed to us that it isn't.

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 3 3/4 cups chicken stock
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh parsley or cilantro, finely chopped

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add chicken stock, lime juice and lime zest. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro.

The recipe says is makes 4 servings, but one batch has lasted two dinners so far and we still have some leftovers. But most importantly, it doesn't taste like Rice-A-Roni.