Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oatmeal

I don't know about you, but I'm kind of tired of eating plain old oatmeal or plain cereal for breakfast. I try to eat a healthy breakfast but I'm just so tired of the bland taste. I think that's the reason why people tend to eat yummy, unhealthy food because healthy always equals no taste. Not so with this new oatmeal recipe I found. I came across this recipe from Creme de la Crumb on Pinterest. I've been seeing a lot of posts about overnight oatmeal lately. Its quite an interesting spin on regular, goopy oatmeal. Its eaten cold. Which isn't so bad, since its now summer and no one wants to eat hot oatmeal in the heat of summer. And its a great grab-and-go meal to take with you when you're in a rush in the morning. No need to cook it and wait to cool before you can pack it up and eat at your desk at the office. It sits in the fridge overnight in a container, then just grab it and go out the door. Its so convenient. And tastes quite yummy. I think I've found another way to eat my oatmeal.

1/2 cup old fashioned oats (not quick oats)
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
6 oz blueberry Greek yogurt
1-2 drops vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. dry vanilla pudding mix
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (to taste)
1/3 cup flake cereal
fresh blueberries (for garnish)

1) In a mason jar or other sealable container, combine oats, almond milk, yogurt, vanilla extract, pudding mix, and cinnamon. Stir until well combined. Top with cereal and blueberries. Cover and refrigerate overnight or 2 nights. Eat cold.

Pioneer Woman's Spaghetti Sauce

Everyone who knows me in real life knows I love anything that's related to spaghetti. In fact, I've made a whole bunch of spaghetti recipes on this blog, some of them sauces, that I like to make large batches of that I freeze as a make-ahead meal. Just freeze the portioned sauce and thaw it in the microwave for a quick, homemade meal. I even like to bottle some of the sauces and give them to my brother and co workers. From Pasta Bolognese, to Tomato Basil Marinara  Sauce, to Spaghetti al Amatriciana. I love all my spaghetti recipes. Despite all the spaghetti recipes I have on here, though, I actually don't have a spaghetti sauce recipe. What a shame. My mother-in-law actually makes a kick a$$ spaghetti sauce, but she hasn't quite given me the recipe for it yet. So I decided to do a search on Pinterest for my own spaghetti sauce recipe and this one from The Pioneer Woman (one of my faves) has come up quite frequently on Pinterest. This sauce is quite comparable to mother-in-law's. It makes a huge batch of meaty goodness. Perfect to freeze as a make-ahead-meal.

5 lbs. ground beef

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 large onions, diced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes

1 (14 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1 jar of store-bought marinara sauce (I used my marinara sauce)

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

4 bay leaves

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

8 basil leaves, chopped (or more if you like basil)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan, more for garnish

1) In a large pot over medium heat, add ground beef and cook until browned. Remove meat from the pot and set aside. Discard grease and add olive oil. 

2) Once oil is heated, add onions and cook for about a minute. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute or so.

3) Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and marinara sauce. Stir to combine. Then add sugar, salt, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper (if using), and bay leaves. Stir in cooked ground beef. Cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add water or beef broth if it needs more liquid.

4) After 1 hour, stir in parsley, basil and Parmesan cheese. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Serve over your favorite pasta or spaghetti. Freeze unused sauce for up to 6 months.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

Hubby and I love, love, love my old Chicken Cordon Bleu recipe. I haven't made it in a while. So I was so excited to find this make-ahead casserole version on Pinterest from Tasty Kitchen to try out. I love making this in 2 smaller casserole dish - one to eat right away, and the other to freeze for later. Make-ahead-meals are my life savers nowadays, being so busy with my 2 kids. So this recipe has made several rounds in our household. And hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed this version. Probably more so than my original recipe.

Casserole
1 rotisserie chicken (or 4 boiled chicken breasts), shredded
1/2 lb. deli sliced ham, rough chopped
1/4 lb. sliced Swiss cheese

Sauce
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 Tbsp. flour
3 1/4 cups milk
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. white pepper (you can also use black pepper)

Topping
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley (or 2-3 tsp. fresh chopped parsley)

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Butter a 9x13 baking dish (or 2-8x8 baking dishes if you want to freeze half of the recipe). Set aside.

2) Even spread shredded chicken on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with the chopped ham. Layer the sliced cheese on top of ham. Set aside.

3) In the meantime, make the sauce. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour to make a roux. Cook for about a minute. Do not allow it to brown. Slowly whisk in milk. Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens.

4) Stir in lemon juice, mustard, salt, paprika, and pepper. Bring the sauce back up to a low boil and remove from heat. Pour sauce over the casserole, covering all the way to the edges.

5) In a medium bowl, melt butter in a microwave. Stir in breadcrumbs, salt and parsley. Sprinkle on top of the casserole.

6) Bake for 45 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Note: To serve after freezing, allow the frozen casserole to thaw completely in the refrigerator overnight prior to baking.

Ree Drummond's Meaty Lasagna

So I lied. I promised to post some of the make-ahead meals I've made last month to stock up for the upcoming arrival of my 2nd baby. Well, let's just say that it got quite busy around the house and I got quite lazy. I returned to work after being put on bed rest for 2 weeks and I've lost all my energy to do anything else. However, I still  managed to make a few dishes that I've stocked up in the freezer, including this new recipe from The Pioneer Woman, which she featured on the Food Network one day.

I've been on a search for a great lasagna recipe for quite some time. I really wanted a hearty and meaty lasagna. With this recipe, I think I found what I'm looking for. The recipe was quite easy to make. I doubled the recipe so that I can make multiple small trays to freeze. I baked one of the frozen trays today and it was just as yummy and comforting as when I originally made it last month. My search for a great lasagna has ended.

1 Tbsp. oil
2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. breakfast sausage
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt
10 oz lasagna noodles
1 lb. shredded mozzarella
10-12 fresh basil leaves, cut chiffonade
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten

1) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute ground beef, sausage, and garlic until brown. Drain off the excess fat. Add tomatoes with their juice, tomato paste, salt, and black pepper to taste. Stir together well. Simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add half of the fresh basil and half of the chopped parsley. Stir well.

2) Meanwhile, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain noodles and lay them flat on aluminum foil to keep its shape.

3) Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

4) In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, eggs, and the remaining basil and parsley.

5) To assemble the lasagna, spread about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture on the bottom of a deep, rectangular baking dish. Lay 4 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping each other. Evenly spread about half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over the ricotta cheese. Spoon about 1/3 of the meat mixture over the mozzarella cheese. Repeat process ending with the meat sauce, then topped with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

6) Bake until hot and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

** To freeze, tightly seal the assembled, unbaked lasagna with plastic wrap. Cover with foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake in a preheated 375 deg oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Copy Cat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli

I cannot believe that it has taken me 2 months to post another entry on this blog. For those who follow me, I am deeply sorry that I have been missing for so long. I know a few of my co-workers have been wondering what happened to my posts. If you remember a couple of months ago, I was complaining about a serious bout of morning sickness that has prevented me from stepping foot in the kitchen. Nowadays, I just haven't had the energy to spend too much time in the kitchen. So most of our meals are take-outs or leftovers from the parentals. Being almost 7 months pregnant can do that to you. When I do cook, I cook some of my go-to Quick and Easy meals. Baking is still something I enjoy doing. So you'll often see me in the kitchen because I'm baking cookies or something. Not experimenting a new recipe.

However, because I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy, I thought about doing some make-ahead meals that I can freeze, which will feed us later once the baby arrives. Learning from my first pregnancy 5 years ago, I didn't have much time to cook our meals with a newborn around. So I thought  how much help it would be for me to have frozen meals that we can just pop in the microwave or oven.

I found a lot of make-ahead meal ideas online and from blogs I frequent. But it was a copy cat recipe from Food.com for Olive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli that caught my eye. A crock pot recipe at that. Before I discovered my love for Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana, I used to love starting my meal off with their Pasta e Fagioli. This recipe looked so easy and makes a huge batch. So I thought it was perfect to set some aside and freeze. You can also cut this recipe in half if you don't intend to freeze the leftovers. Unless you have an army of people to feed. My daughter and I came home to the house smelling so good. My daughter said "mmmm...it smells like spaghetti!" This is a delicious and hearty soup that is a meal in itself. I served this with some good french bread to sop up some of the soup. So good.....

2 lbs. ground beef or turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
5 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (16 oz) can red kidney beans, drained
1 (16 oz) can white kidney beans, drained
3 (10 oz) cans beef broth
3 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. hot sauce (optional)
1 (20 oz) jar of your favorite spaghetti or marinara sauce
salt to taste
8 ounces small pasta (like small macaroni or small shells), cooked
shredded or grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

1) Brown meat in a skillet. Drain.

2) Place cooked meat and all the ingredients, except the pasta, in the crock pot. Season with salt to taste. Cook on low for 7-8 minutes, or on high for 4-6 hours.

3) Place cooked pasta in serving bowls. Top with desired amount of soup and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

*If you plan to freeze the soup, place the soup in a freezable container and freeze. Add the cooked pasta after you have re-heated the soup.

Baked Pasta with Spinach and Sausage

Lately, I've been enjoying quiet Monday mornings alone because my 4 year old daughter has been going to school everyday for a few hours for summer school. Although I miss her deeply, because I have never been away from her on my days off, I am totally loving the few quiet hours I have to myself. I have every intention of running errands or doing chores during these days. However, its only been a few Mondays that she's been in school. And during those times, I have just laid in bed and enjoyed the quiet calmness of our house.

It was on this recent quiet Monday that I was actually able to watch my shows and not watch anything that had to do with Mickey Mouse or Kai-Lan. It was this recent Monday that I watched an episode of Rachael Ray's Week in a Day on the Cooking Channel and featured a recipe for Baked Ziti with Spinach and Veal. I was drooling. So before I had to pick up my daughter from school, I headed to the supermarket to buy a few ingredients.

After reading a few of the comments, I decided to modify the recipe based on the comments and the result was this yummy and flavorful make-ahead casserole dish. This dish is great because you can make it ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator or freezer until you're ready to bake it. However, I find that the dish tends to dry out if you make it ahead rather than bake it off right away. If I decided to make this ahead again, I think I'll be making extra sauce to help make it more creamy.

2 bunches of fresh spinach, washed, dried and finely chopped
salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian Turkey sausage, casings removed (or use regular ground turkey)
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped sage leaves
black pepper
1 cup white wine or chicken broth (or 1/2 cup of each)
1 lb. pasta (like penne, farfalle, corkscrew, etc.)
4 Tbsp. butter
3 rounded Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
ground nutmeg to taste
6 ounces grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt the water and cook pasta 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain pasta if done before sauce.

2) In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add ground meat. Lightly brown meat and crumble. Add chopped carrot, onion, and sage leaves. Season with a little salt and black pepper. Continue to cook until carrots and onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine and turn down the heat and allow the mixture to simmer gently.

3) In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour for about a minute. Then whisk in milk. Bring mixture to a bubble and season with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Once the sauce has thickened, adjust the nutmeg and black pepper to your liking.

4) To the meat mixture, add chopped spinach and cook until wilted and thoroughly incorporated. Stir in pasta and sauce. Pour mixture in a casserole dish and top with the cheeses.

5) When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 deg F. Bake for 35-45 minutes if reheating the dish. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes if baking immediately. Serve hot.

Maniladas with Cheese Sauce and Salsa Verde

Maniladas, a cross between a Manicotta and an Enchilada. A fusion of Mexican and Italian. This is an ingenious creation of Sunny Anderson on the Food Network. I just remembered my mouth watering when I watched her make this dish. It sort of reminds me of the Salsa Verde Sour Cream Enchiladas I make so often. But what a great idea to make it into a pasta dish.

The original recipe, I felt, was pretty fattening. It required the use of 2 cups of heavy cream. But I substituted it with low fat milk to make the cheese sauce. I also used a short cut by purchasing a store-bought salsa verde instead of making it from scratch. With all the substitutions, this dish came out so good that hubby absolutely enjoyed it. This is another great pot luck dish that I'm sure would be another hit like the Salsa Verde Enchiladas.

1 (8 oz) package Manicotti shells
2 Tbsp. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 rotisserie chicken (or 3 cooked chicken breasts), shredded
4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup prepared salsa verde (or green enchilada sauce)

1) Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Boil manicotti shells for 8 minutes. Drain shells and place on a platter in a single layer.

2) In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Remove from heat and stir in shredded chicken, tomatoes, chopped cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in sour cream until incorporated.

3) Stuff manicotti shells with chicken filling and arrange in a 9 x 12 baking dish. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa verde over the manicotti shells. Set aside.

Cheese sauce
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream or milk, at room temperature
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups shredded cheese (any cheese you prefer)

1) In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream or milk and continue cooking until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add shredded cheese and stir until well incorporated.

2) Reduce temperature of oven to 350 deg F. Pour cheese sauce over prepared manicotti shells and bake for 30 minutes or until cheese sauce becomes bubbly. Serve hot, garnished with more salsa verde and chopped cilantro.

Chicken Florentine Lasagna

I'm always on the lookout for a good make-ahead meal. One of the best make-ahead meal idea is pasta. However, most pasta dishes I've seen have red sauces. I wanted to make something with a white sauce. I remember eating a Chicken Florentine pasta at the Olive Garden a while ago and decided to re-create that dish with lasagna. This is what I came up.

10 lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions

1 container ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 egg

salt & pepper to taste

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken

3 cups prepared Alfredo sauce

1 (12 oz) bag frozen spinach, thawed and water squeezed out

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

3 Tbsp. butter, melted

1) Preheat oven to 400 deg F.

2) In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and egg. Mix until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in drained spinach.

3) To assemble the lasagna, spread 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce on the bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan. Place one layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Evenly spread spinach mixture over lasagna noodles and top with 1 cup of chopped chicken. Spread 1 cup of Alfredo sauce and repeat layering until you've reached 3 layers (The top layer should be the Alfredo sauce). Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

4) In a small bowl, stir together breadcrumbs and melted butter. Evenly top breadcrumbs mixture over lasagna. Bake for 40-45 minutes until it becomes bubbly.

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I admit that even though I prefer making dishes from scratch, I'm still one of those who likes to buy quick meals, such as certain frozen foods. That includes frozen taquitos. I happen to still like eating frozen taquitos, so when I saw this recipe for Creamy Chicken Taquitos from Annie's Eats, I was quite intrigued. And since today is Cinco de Mayo, I thought it would be fitting to make this today.

These came out really well and it won hubby over, who only likes taquitos if its made with flour tortilla. He hates corn tortillas. So I had hubby in mind when I made these. You can also freeze the taquitos after assembling them so you can have a make-ahead-meal. I'll definitely be making these when I want to get my taquito fix.

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup salsa

1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. onion powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

1-2 green onions, chopped

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

10-12 6 inch flour tortillas

cooking spray

salt

1) Preheat oven to 425 deg F. Line baking sheet with a silicone pat or parchment/wax paper.

2) In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, spices, cilantro, green onions, chicken and shredded cheese. Season with salt to taste. Mix thoroughly until well combined.

3) Briefly heat tortillas in microwave to make them soft enough to roll easily, about 20-30 seconds. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling mixture down the middle of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly around the filling. Place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

* To freeze taquitos before baking, place baking sheet to the freezer and chill for 30-60 minutes. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. To bake from the freezer, add a few minutes to the original baking time, until filling is warmed through. *

Baked Chicken Kiev

I've been running out of ideas of what to make lately. I figured out that every time I go on a hiatus, it takes me a while to get back in the groove of cooking again. So I searched through a few of my favorite blogs and came across this recipe from What's Cookin' Chicago? The first and last time I had Chicken Kiev was a few years ago at my company Christmas party. The party was held at a Mediterranean banquet hall and they served a lot of food. But what stood out for me was the Chicken Kiev. And when I found this recipe, I was stoked. It brought back memories of that yummy chicken meal.

This recipe was originally adapted from Alton Brown's of The Food Network. This version, in my opinion, was better and healthier because it's baked as opposed to fried the way Alton Brown did. You have to pay close attention to the internal temperature of the chicken though. Mine came out slightly undercooked, so I cooked it longer than the original recipe. It also depends on how thick you pound the chicken to. I served this with some rice pilaf and a side of strawberry preserves the way it was served to me at the Christmas party. You can also use cranberry sauce. This came out so delicious and had burst of so much flavor from the melted herb butter in the middle. A friend surprised me with a visit this evening and I served her this meal and she was quite impressed with it. This recipe will definitely make it to my rotation.

8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled for the coating

1 tsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp. fresh tarragon, finely chopped

1 tsp. garlic powder, plus more for seasoning

1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1/4 tsp. black pepper, plus more for seasoning

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 eggs, beaten with 1 tsp. water

2 cups Panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) Combine the 1 stick of butter, parsley, tarragon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl of a stand mixer and whip together. Place mixture on a plastic wrap or wax paper and roll into a small log. Place in the freezer.

2) Place chicken breast, one at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Squirt chicken lightly with water and squirt the top of the plastic wrap as well. Pound chicken to no less than 1/8 inch thickness. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper.

3) Lay flattened chicken breast on a new piece of plastic wrap. Place 1/5 of the compound butter and 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs on the center of the chicken breast. Using the plastic wrap to assist, fold in the ends of the breast and tightly roll the breast into a log, completely enclosing the butter. Repeat with each chicken breast. Refrigerate prepared chicken for 2 2 hours or overnight. Wrap up the remaining 1/5 of the compound butter to use for the breading.

4) When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 deg F.

5) Place egg and water mixture into a dish. Melt the remaining 1/5 compound butter and add it to the 2 cups breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese into another dish. Stir the melted butter to the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese mixture to fully combine.

6) Dip chicken into egg mixture and then roll into buttered breadcrumb mixture. Gently place each chicken on a baking sheet, sealed side down. Bake until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 deg F. Serve hot with strawberry preserves of cranberry sauce.

*Note: You can freeze chicken for later use by placing them in a freezer bag or baking dish after coating. When ready to prepare, bake from frozen in a preheated oven at 350 deg F for 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 deg F.

Seafood Gratin

Happy 2011!!!

I haven't made anything new since Christmas mainly because we've been busy entertaining out-of-town guests. New Year's celebrations were pretty hectic as well. We spent the usual New Year's eve at my parents' place. I made my Lomi Lomi Salmon, Malasadas II, and Broccoli Cheddar soup. I made my Beef Caldereta for New Year's Day at my in-laws. We have quite a few leftover dishes, so I haven't been cooking. I've also been sick and exhausted since New Year's day, so I haven't been up to cooking.

I had saved this recipe from Annie's Eats in the hopes of making it for our New Year's eve celebration. I've had the seafood ingredients stored in the fridge for a few days now, so I figured I'd better make it now before they go bad. I guess this is my first new recipe for the New Year.

Making this dish required a lot of steps and the use of multiple pans. It also requires the use of leeks, which I've never worked with before. But I've learned that leeks come from the onion family. Because while cutting it, my eyes became teary as if I was cutting an onion. I hate cutting onions. However, with that said, this dish was well worth the agony of preparing because it came out delicious. But please excuse the above photo. I'm still learning all the tricks that my new camera can make. So I haven't mastered it yet. Anyway, I omitted the cooked lobster it called for because I didn't have any. But I added extra shrimp to substitute it. You can probably also add crab meat in this dish. I served this with a side of garlic bread.

1 cup clam juice

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup, plus 3 Tbsp. more, white wine

3 Tbsp. tomato puree

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

8-10 oz raw cod, cut into large chunks

10-16 oz cooked lobster meat, cut into large chunks (I omitted this and added more shrimp instead)

5 Tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature, divided

1 Tbsp. all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cup thinly sliced leeks, white and green parts

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

1) In a large saucepan, combine clam juice, cream and 1/2 cup wine. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and add shrimp. Cook shrimp for 1-2 minutes and flip over the other side until they become pink and opaque. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place in a large bowl to cool. Cut shrimp in half if desired.

2) Add raw cod to the cream mixture and cook through, about 3-4 minutes. Remove cooked cod with a slotted spoon and place in the same bowl with shrimp.

3) Continue to cook sauce until it reduces to half, about 12 minutes. In the meantime, combine 1 Tbsp. of butter with flour in a small bowl and mash together with a fork. When sauce has reduced, whisk in flour mixture with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

4) Preheat oven to 375 deg F. In a medium saute pan, melt 3 Tbsp. butter over medium heat. Add leeks and carrots and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add remaining 3 Tbsp. wine and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes.

5) Add cream sauce and cooked vegetables to the bowl of seafood and mix well to combine. Place mixture in individual ramekins or in a casserole dish pan.

6) In a small bowl, melt the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter. Add panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic and parsley and mix well. Sprinkle on top of prepared gratin. Place gratin on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until it becomes bubbly and the topping turns golden brown. Serve hot with garlic bread.

Baked French Toast

Today will be my last day of food indulgence, because starting tomorrow, Hubby and will I be on a 2-week long diet. It'll be a strict diet of liquid, veggies, fruits, supplements and no carbs, salt, sugar, or flavor! So today, hubby and I are on "Fat-Saturday" mode (as opposed to Fat Tuesday. lol!). After today, some of the recipes I'll be posting for the next 2 weeks will be diet food. Which is why I chose today to make this recipe I found on allrecipes.com.

I've made Baked French Toast before, but for some reason, I couldn't find that recipe. This came out crunchy, custardy (an oxymoron, I know) and syrupy. But it was quite delicious with the crunch from the top side of the bread, custardy on the inside, and sweet from the syrup. A great way to make ahead for a brunch.

2 Tbsp. corn syrup

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 (1 lb.) loaf french bread, sliced (or any hard/dense bread you have)

5 eggs

1 1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1) In a small saucepan, heat butter, brown sugar and corn syrup and simmer until sugar has melted. Pour over a greased 9x13 baking dish or smaller.

2) Layer slices of bread over brown sugar mixture. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, milk, vanilla extract and salt. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover dish and refrigerate overnight.

3) The next morning, preheat oven to 350 deg F. Uncover pan and bake for 45 minutes. Dish will be done when you test with a toothpick and the toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or the French toast will harden. It can be reheated.

Salsa Verde Sour Cream Enchiladas

My daughter and I are house/dog sitting for my parents for the next 4 days because they're in Hawaii with my siblings. Hubby drops us off at their house in the morning before he goes to work, and then comes back for us after work. We have dinner, then we head home. Although I used to live in this house, its just feels weird cooking outside of my own kitchen. I don't know where everything is kept anymore.

Today's dinner was planned last night. Meaning I packed my own ingredients to make at my parents house. I found this recipe from another blog I visit, Sing for your supper. This dish was really yummy. Hubby says its restaurant quality. It was pretty easy to make. I used store-bought rotisserie chicken to eliminate the cooking process of the chicken. I also omitted the Jalapeno that it calls for because I didn't want it to be too spicy for my daughter. This is another great make-ahead-meal.

4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (or use store-bought rotisserie chicken)

2 Tbsp. butter

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 Jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups sour cream

16 oz jar Medium Salsa Verde

1 1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper (I used black pepper, its all I have)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

10-12 flour tortillas, small fajita size

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onions (and Jalapenos if using) until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour and let cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth until smooth and let cook until bubbly.

2) Stir in sour cream, salsa, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cilantro until sauce is smooth. Remove from heat.

3) Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan. Place chicken and cheese on center of each tortilla and roll, placing seam-side down in the dish. Pour sauce over the enchiladas. Top with leftover cheese and bake for 25 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling.

Chicken Enchiladas

My friend Kiran wanted to make Enchiladas for her family the other day and asked me if I had a recipe in my blog. Unfortunately, I didn't yet. So I decided to make it today. Its not really a recipe, because I pretty much just toss everything together. I figured out how to make it and there was really nothing to it, so I didn't feel the need to write up a recipe. So the measurements in this recipe is more of an approximation.

I used flour tortillas, because its what the hubby likes. I think its traditionally made with corn tortillas. Nevertheless, its still yummy and hubby really likes it. I served this with my Mexican rice. This is another great make-ahead meal for the busy working mom that I am.

28 oz can of your favorite enchilada sauce

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

1 cup shredded cheese (I used a mexican blend of cheese), more for garnish

6-8 flour tortillas (soft taco size)

sour cream for topping

1) Preheat oven to 375 deg. F. Combine 1/3 of the enchilada sauce with the chicken and cheese. Set aside.

2) Pour another 1/3 of the enchilada sauce in a deep dish. Soak each tortilla in the sauce. Take a prepared tortilla and scoop 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower side of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla and place in a baking dish, seam side down. Continue with the remaining tortilla and chicken mixture.

3) Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and more shredded cheese on top.

Baked Ziti

So its another one of those nights where I had limited time in cooking. Therefore, I had a casserole dish I had assembled last night and popped in the oven for dinner tonight. I still had some bolognese sauce in the freezer left over from the last batch I made a couple of weeks ago, so I tried to figure out how else I can use it in a dish. Hmmm, I haven't made my baked ziti in a while. I used up all my saved bolognese sauce, so I'll be making more this weekend to stock up.

2-3 cups prepared spaghetti sauce (I used my bolognese sauce)
1 lb cooked penne pasta
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups warm milk
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
shredded mozzarella cheese

1) Combine spaghetti sauce and cooked pasta in a large bowl. Pour mixture in a casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese. Set aside. Pre heat oven to 375 deg F.

2) In a medium pot, melt butter. Add flour and stir for a minute. Slowly pour milk and vigourously whisk mixture to eliminate lumps. Cook until mixture begins to bubble, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat. Add black pepper, salt and nutmed and stir to thoroughly incorporate.

3) Pour sauce over prepared pasta and bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.

Turkey Meatloaf

My husband is a meat and potato kind of guy. And he loves any type of meatloaf. I've tried quite a few meatloaf recipes and this one has been the best I've tried. Its adapted from Giada Di Laurentis' Stuffed meatloaf recipe. It comes out really moist and flavorful. Its great with mashed potatoes. This is another great make-ahead recipe that I like to do.

1 small onion, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2 eggs

1/4 cup ketchup

1 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. black pepper

2/3 cup bread crumbs

1 cup grated parmesan

1 1/2 lb. ground turkey

1/2 cup marinara sauce

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1) Pre eat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Whisk together the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in parmesan and bread crumbs. Mix in ground turkey. Place mixture into a loaf pan leaving about a 1-inch border around the edges.

3) Spoon marinara sauce over the meatloaf and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake uncovered until meatloaf is firm to the touch and has pulled away from the sides of the pan, approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Moussaka

Moussaka is basically a Greek lasagna-type dish made with either eggplant or zucchini instead of pasta. I'm not a huge fan of eggplant, so I use zucchini, which I absolutely LOVE. I learned about this dish while watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network. I saw how it was made, and looked pretty easy like lasagna, so I decided to do my own version. I made this with my bolognese sauce with ground turkey. But this can totally be a vegetarian dish if your sauce doesn't have any meat. I especially like the topping, which is basically a white gravy/beschamel sauce that I make. This is another one of my signature potluck dishes. Its a great way to sneak in a little vegetable into someone's diet. I did with my daughter!

4-6 zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 3 pieces
5 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I used my bolognese sauce)
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Topping:
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grill zucchini slices until half-way done. Spread bread crumbs on the bottom of a casserole dish.

2) Place a layer of grilled zucchini slices on top of the bread crumbs. Pour 1/3 of spaghetti sauce on top of zucchini. Place another layer of grilled zucchini and then spaghetti sauce. Repeat procedure until you have used up your zucchini slices or until you have made 3 layers.

3) TOPPING: In a saucepan, melt butter on medium heat. When butter begins to bubble, add flour and whisk for about a minute to make a roux. Gently pour in milk while vigorously whisking, to avoid lumps. Cook mixture until it begins to boil, stirring occassionally to avoid burning. When mixture begins to boil, remove from heat. Add nutmeg, salt & pepper to taste.

4) Pour topping over prepared zucchini layers. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Macaroni & Cheese

A lot of people ask me how I find time to cook our meals everyday, have time to do this blog, and take care of my toddler while going to work for 10 hours everyday. Well, it takes LOTS OF PLANNING. I'm known to be quite organized (although you may not be able to tell that by the looks of the family room right now). I plan for my meals during the weekends and prepare everything I can in advance to minimize the preparation time when I get home from work. Then, all I have left to do is put everything together, heat it up and serve it to my hungry family. This Mac & Cheese recipe is one of those dishes I prepare the night before and then throw it in the oven the next day to finish cooking. It's one of my daughter's favorites. I tell her all the time (even though she may not understand yet) that she'll never eat mac & cheese from a box as long as I have this recipe. And my brother, the picky eater, suprisingly asks for this around Thanksgiving time too. Of course this a great comfort food any time of the year.

1/2 lb. small elbow macaroni (cooked according to the package)

3 Tbsp. butter, plus more for topping

2 3/4 cup warm milk

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1) In a saucepan, melt butter. Add flour when butter begins to bubble. Whisk for 1 minute.

2) While whisking, slowly pour warm milk. Whisk constantly to eliminate lumps. Continue cooking until mixture starts to bubble. Remove from heat.

3) Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Add cheese and mix thoroughly.

4) Add cooked macaroni into cheese sauce and stir until cheese is evenly distributed. Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs. Spread small pats of butter on top of bread crumbs. Bake at 375 deg. F for 30 minutes.