Sloppy "Newquists"

A little twist on Sloppy Joes!  Transformed from a recipe from Everyday Food

1/2 medium white onion, diced small 

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground dark-meat turkey

1 can (14.5 ounces) tomato sauce

1/3 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard

 3 Tbsp. brown sugar

4 large potato hamburger buns or slider buns

Directions

1. In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion and sweet potato and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds; season with salt and pepper. Add turkey and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 6 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook until sauce is reduced by half, 5 minutes. Serve on buns alongside kale chips.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

¾ c. parmesan cheese
¾ c. panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil
Butter
Tilapia fillets

Rinse the Tilapia and lightly salt and pepper them. Mix the parmesan and panko in a shallow
dish. Coat the fillets in the parmesan
panko mixture and place in a hot skillet with olive oil and butter. Cook 3 minutes a side and place on a paper
bag lined cookie sheet in a 250 degree oven to keep warm while you cook the
other batches of fillets. So quick, easy
and delicious!

Rosemary Potato Pizza

 

As you've probably gathered, Friday night is pizza night at our house and I love trying new pizza ideas. With some potatoes on hand, this beauty was born:
pizza dough
1/2 russet potato, peeled and sliced very thinly
1/4 red onion sliced
3 garlic cloves pressed
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1/4 c. grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated gruyere cheese
Sautee the red onions slowly in a pan with a little olive oil and a touch of butter. Once onions are soft, add about 1 tsp. sugar and caramelize.
Roll out the pizza dough and bake for 4 minutes in a 500 degree oven. Remove from oven and brush with olive oil and spread pressed garlic on top. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the pizza dough. Place the potato slices all over the top of the dough so it is covered completely. Sprinkle the gruyere and rosemary over the top, finish with the caramelized red onions. Bake at 500 for another 7-8 minutes. It's a winner!

Trader's Fish Tacos

The other night my husband offered to make dinner and I
quickly accepted! He pulled up a Trader
Joe’s recipe for fish tacos and they were fantastic! Paired with a margarita and we had a greatnight!
All from Trader Joe’s:
Breaded Cod Fillets
Broccoli slaw
TJ’s cilantro dressing
TJ’s pineapple salsaTortillas
Shredded cheese
Bake the fish, toss the broccoli slaw in the cilantro
dressing, put it all together in a grilled tortilla and enjoy!

Ginger & Cilantro Baked Tilapia

I got this recipe off Pintrist and holy smokes – it’s a
keeper!
2 large tilapia fillets
1 jalapeno pepper (optional – I opted out)
3 garlic cloves
1 inch grated ginger
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
¼ c. white wine
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/3 c. cilantro

Heat oven to 475. Pat
fish dry and season lightly with salt and pepper, place in glass baking
dish. Chop ppepper, garlic, grate ginger
and put in a small food processor with soy sauce, white wine, sesame oil and
cilantro. Blend completely. Pour over fish, rubbing in a little and bake
for 8-10 minutes (until fish is cooked through and flakey).
Serve immediately over brown rice. I also make stir fry vegetables. Delicious and very easy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza

I had this amazing pizza at a restaurant and I had to try to recreate it!
Ingredients:
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1/2 sweet onion cut into ringspizza dough
2-3 Tbsp. butter (more for roasting the squash)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. olive oil
ground sage
2-3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

Toss the butternut squash in some butter, brown sugar and sea salt. Roast at 425 for about 25 minutes or until tender and brown. In a small pan, slowly cook the onions with salt pepper, a dash of olive oil and some butter (just a smige!). Cook slowly to caramelize. Once the onions start to brown slightly, lightly sprinkle with some sugar. Continue to cook down the onions and at the end add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Set aside. In a small sauce pan heat the butter over medium heat and continue to cook util the butter starts to brown. Set aside.
Roll out pizza dough, brush with the brown butter, put on the balsamic vinegar and cheese. Top with roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions and sprinkle with the sage. Bake at 475 for about 9 minutes and enjoy!

Reuben Panini

Not Sure what to do with your left over corned beef?
Rye Bread, Thousand Island dressing on one piece, homemade
mustard on the other, corned beef and Swiss cheese in the middle, press in the Panini
until hot and toasty!

Rigatoni with Broccoli and Sausage

adapted from Emeril Lagasse

1 lb. Rigatoni
2 heads broccoli cut into florets (about 4 c.)
1/4 c. olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
Parmesan for serving

Cook sausage, breaking up into small pieces, until browned. Set sausage aside.
Boil pasta according to directions. In last 2 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli. Reserve 1 c. pasta water. While pasta and broccoli are in the colander, add oli, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the pot and warm until flavors come together. Add pasta, broccoli and sausage back into the pot and stir, add the 1 c. of pasta water. Salt and Pepper to taste and generously grate Parmesan cheese over top.
This was amazing and the children loved it too!!

Paula's Sexy Oxtails or Short Ribs

This is a MUST TRY!

I’m currently reading Paula Deen’s Memoir and she’s so sweet to include some recipes! I made this the other night with beef short ribs and honestly, I think I had 3 helpings!!

Sprinkle house seasoning over the short ribs and lay them in a big casserole dish. Sprinkle them with soy sauce – not drown them, just toss them. Cover them with sliced onions and a bay leave or 2, about a cup of water, and tightly cover with foil. Put in a 325 oven for 3 hours. When it’s ready, serve over buttered rice. (I had never tried buttered rice before I made this and - do it! It’s sooooo good!) You will love this simple and boldly flavorful dish!

House Seasoning: 1 c. salt, ¼ c. black pepper, ¼ c. garlic powder mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Kabobs & Flatbread

This is a summertime favorite for us!

For the kabobs:
Steak or chicken cut into even sized cubes
Any vegetables that you like. We used onions, zucchini, and mushrooms
Marinade:
(quantity depends on the amount of meat you are marinating. This is for 4 steaks, cubed)
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
Zest and juice from 1 small lemon
About 5 Tbsp. olive oil
Coarse salt
Fresh cracked black pepper

Cut up the meat and place in a re-sealable bag with the marinade, salt and pepper to taste. Allow to marinate all day or over night. Skewer the meat with pieces of onion in between each piece. Sometimes I skewer the vegetables separately because they don’t cook as long. For the vegetable kabobs, I drizzle olive oil on them and salt and pepper – simple. Grill everything. Grill the flatbread and place on a platter. Take all the meat and vegetables off the skewers and place right on top of the meat so all the juices run into the bread. So delicious!

California Shrimp Boil

When I lived in Seattle a friend did an amazing shrimp boil for us and poured our whole dinner out on the table where we sat and ate with our hands! It was delicious and so much fun!! I wanted to do this same meal, but with little kids and not having the right setting, I modified the meal into a California style shrimp boil!

Red potatoes
Corn on the cob
Large prawns
Fresh bread

I had all the components (minus Seattle’s amazing crab legs) but we hit the grill instead! I skewered the shrimp and seasoned with garlic, lemon, olive oil and salt and pepper and threw them on the grill. The red potatoes were my “Old Bay Potatoes.” It was all delicious and gave us a little taste of the shrimp boil!

Grammie’s Doctored Up Fried Chicken

Adapted from an everyday food recipe
1 ¼ c. flour
2/3 c. corn starch
Course salt and pepper
Tabasco hot sauce
Chicken Grill Seasoning
1 qt. buttermilk (Grammie used powdered buttermilk so you can make exactly how much you need
1 chicken cut into 10 pieces (Grammie used 2 breasts cut in half and 7 thighs, all boneless and skinless)
Vegetable oil for frying

1. mix together flour, corn starch, and some salt and pepper. Take out 1 ¼ c. and set aside. In a separate bowl mix buttermilk, more salt and pepper, about 10-12 shakes of Tabasco, ½ tsp. Chicken Grill Seasoning. Dredge the chicken in flour mixture, then submerge in buttermilk mixture. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

2. Prepare a baking sheet lined with paper towel or paper grocery bags, topped with a wire rack. Heat about 1 inch oil in a cast iron skillet to 350 degrees. Take chicken out of buttermilk mixture and dredge in the remaining flour mixture that was set aside.

3. Fry the chicken until golden brown and cooked through. About 16-20 minutes per batch, flipping once. Cook in batches so the chicken isn’t touching and can brown on all sides. Transfer to the baking sheet to drain and enj oy! (Perfect for Father's Day!)

Pizza with Spring Vegetables

Pizza dough (here is my favorite)
3-4 pressed garlic cloves
Olive oil
Asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces
Zucchini sliced
Thinly sliced white onion
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Cracked black pepper
Fresh basil

Roll out your favorite pizza dough, brush with olive oil. Spread on the pressed garlic cloves. Add the shredded mozzarella cheese and top with the fresh veggies and bake as your dough directs. Out of the oven grate fresh parmesan cheese on top, add freshly cracked black pepper and julienned basil. A delicious Friday night spring meal!

Rosemary Shrimp Skewers with Arugula & White Bean Salad

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 minutes
Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp, shelled and cleaned, tails on
Nonstick cooking spray
1 small garlic clove, minced
Pinch sugar
1 5-ounce package baby arugula
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions
1. Combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, the smashed garlic cloves, the rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper in a medium bowl. Add the shrimp; toss well. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes.
2. Heat a grill to medium-high. Thread shrimp on skewers (if they're wooden, soak in water 30 minutes prior to grilling) and discard marinade. Lightly mist grill with cooking spray. Grill shrimp until just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
3. Combine the minced garlic, sugar, and remaining olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Add the arugula, beans, and onion; toss to combine.
4. Mound the salad on one side of a large platter and arrange the shrimp skewers alongside.
*This recipe comes from Fitness Magazine

Orecchiette With Spring Vegetables

1/2 lb. Orecchiette pasta

1/2 c. Peas
Asparagus
Zucchini
1 cooked chicken breast
Zest from half a lemon
Juice from half a lemon
2 T. olive oil (plus more for sautéing)
Fresh parmesan

Boil ½ lb. orecchiette pasta
Sautee sliced zucchini and asparagus (cut into 2 inch spears) with some olive oil and salt and pepper
Put 1/2c. frozen peas in your strainer and when you drain the boiling pasta over the peas, they defrost! Add the sliced cooked chicken, pasta and peas into the sauté pan with the zucchini and asparagus. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and toss to coat. Top with lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh cracked pepper!

Steak Pitas

Cut up any steak into cubes and marinate in olive oil, fresh lemon juice, crushed garlic, s&p, dried oregano. Cook however you wish, I grilled mine in a grill pan. For the sauce, mix plain Greek yogurt with pressed garlic, salt, a dash of olive oil, some lemon juice and a dash of dried dill. Serve the steak with the sauce in pita bread.

Creamy Pappardelle with Chicken

As usual, I don’t follow recipes too well!  But I modified this one to my own liking and it was wonderful!

2 chicken breasts

16 oz pappardelle pasta

2 T. olive oil

¼ c. minced onion

1 clove of crushed garlic

1 ½ c. heavy cream

¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)

Directions: Salt & pepper the chicken. Brown up the chicken in a pan. When done, set aside. Add olive oil and onion into pan. Season with salt & pepper. Sautee until slightly brown and add garlic clove. Sautee another minute and add the cream. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to thicken. Chop up the chicken and add to the sauce. When pasta is done cooking add directly to the pan with the sauce, add the Parmesan cheese and toss to coat. Serve with more Parmesan on top.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Shred up some cabbage (Napa cabbage is super good!), shred up some carrots, add sliced almonds, bean sprouts, sliced scallions, mandarin oranges, top ramin crunchies and of course the yummy dressing!

Top Ramin Crunchies:
While in the unopened bag, crunch up the noodles (press firmly, hit, punch, get your aggressions out!)
In a hot skillet add a few Tbs. butter and the crunched up noodles and half of the seasoning packet (I like the chicken one).
Sautee until the noodles are browned and sooo delicious!

Dressing:
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. sesame seed oil
½ tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
Combine and mix well

Shepherd's Pie

I just made this and it was amazing! As usual, I changed a few things – but you can do as you wish!
Here is the recipe
Even though I love garlic, I left it out of the potatoes, and I only used one onion which was more than enough!

Corned Beef & Cabbage with Hot Mustard

I make this every year for St. Patrick’s Day and we celebrated a little early this year. I shared this recipe last year too, but it’s so good, I have to share it again! It’s for my friend’s hot mustard to go with the meal! Trust me, this mustard with make your corned beef sing!

Hot Mustard
Ingredients:1/2 Cup Dry Mustard (or one 2 oz. can of Coleman's)
1 Cup Sugar
2/3 Cup Vinegar
3 Eggs

Directions: In a sauce pan whisk together the dry ingredients until well blended. In a separate bowl mix the eggs and vinegar thoroughly. Add the liquid to the mustard mixture and whisk until completely blended (no lumps). Slowly cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat as soon as it starts to boil. Cook slowly so eggs do not overcook. Once thickened, transfer to a glass bowl to cool. Serve warm or cold.Keeps in refrigerator for about a month.