Strata with Tomatoes -Make Ahead Brunch

For Christmas we normally do a family brunch. I always like to find a make ahead dish so I can just enjoy hanging out with everyone instead of being stuck in the kitchen the whole time. This dish turned out really awesome! It had so many veggies that I felt like I was eating healthy and it would be a great way to sneak some veggies to your kiddos. 

Ingredients:

6 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups whole milk
8 large eggs
10 ounces Italian fontina cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1 -pound loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
4 cups chopped greens, such as spinach or arugula
1/2 lb bacon, cooked until crispy

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Toss the tomatoes with the thyme, olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper in a bowl. Spread on a baking sheet lined with foil and roast, stirring once or twice, until the tomatoes are slightly dried and browned in spots, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

2. Whisk the milk, eggs, fontina, 3/4 cup parmesan, the cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a large bowl. 

3. Add the bread cubes,bacon and greens and toss to coat. Pour into a buttered 3-quart baking dish, then top with the roasted tomatoes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4. The next day, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Sprinkle the strata with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and bake, uncovered, until golden brown and almost set, about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, but keep the strata inside 10 minutes before serving. You can serve this dish at room temp but it's best warm. 

Cheese Fondue

I got this recipe from an old college friend of mine who made it, shout out to John Bessolo. It came out really well and I plan to make it again! Make sure to preheat the fondue pot as you're melting the cheese so the fondue doesn't cool down once you've finished it, you want it to stay warm and bubbly.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fontina
1/4 cup gruyere
2 - 4 tbsp. flour
1/4-1/2 cup white wine
4 tbsp. chicken stock
1 tbsp. butter
1 garlic clove
Pretzels, green apple slices, toast sticks with garlic, salami (prep before making fondue)


Directions:
1. Shred the two cheese and put into a bowl. Coat them with a light layer of flour (this will help them from sticking together).

2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. You want a pan with a rounded bottom so no cheese gets stuck in the edges and burns.

3. Add clove of garlic to pan and allow to cook slightly until it is just browned, don't let butter get too brown. Discard garlic.

4. Add in 3tbs white wine and stir. Add a small pinch of cheese (about a tbsp) and whisk until cheese is melted. Add more cheese and whisk until melted. Repeat adding cheese in small bits until all of the grayed cheese is gone. If the mixture gets too thick, add a splash of wine or chicken stock to thin out.

5. Pour fondue into a preheated fondue pot so cheese stays warm. Place on the table with dipping choices and serve! 

Grilled Ribeye with Agrodolce Sauce

I wasn't able to take a pic of this dish but the sauce was really good! It was a nice balance of tart and sweet and since Brian loves vinegar, I will definitely make this again!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
4 sprigs thyme
3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. butter, at room temp

Directions:
1. Combine the vinegar, garlic, and thyme in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until reduced by half, about 5-10 minutes. Add the honey and simmer until mixture has thickened slightly, about 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure to stir every once in a while so the sauce doesn't burn. Stir in the butter and set sauce aside.

2. Cook meat of your choice, beef and pork are the best choice. Once the meat is rested and sliced, drizzle the sauce over top and serve!

Salt Crusted Beef Tenderloin

 

I've heard about using a salt crust to cook a whole fish, but never for beef so I was intrigued. The meat ended up being so tender I could almost cut it with a fork! I made this as a special treat and I would definitely serve it to company at my next party! You could use top sirloin roast or top round roast instead of the expensive beef tenderloin. 

Ingredients:
2 lbs. beef tenderloin (for a larger piece of tenderloin, you'll need more salt crust to cover it)
pepper

Salt Crust:
3 cups kosher salt
1 cup water
1 tbs. chopped rosemary

Directions:
1. Cover beef tenderloin in black pepper. Heat a large pan oven high heat and sear the outside of the beef. Place in pan and allow to brown on one side for 4 minutes until beef is browned nicely, rotate tenderloin and repeat until all sides are browned.

2. While beef is searing, combine all ingredients for salt crust in a bowl and stir until combined. Mix should look like damp sand. (If you have any small cuts on your hand, make sure to wear gloves!)

3. Put 1/3 of the salt crust in the middle of a sheet pan covered in foil. Spread out the salt to make a level platform about 1/2 inch thick and about 2-3 inches loner than the tenderloin. Place tenderloin in middle of salt layer. Put rest of salt crust on top of the beef tenderloin, using your hands, make a dome of salt around the beef so it is completely encapsulated. Stick in a prob thermometer into the beef by sticking it through the end and into the middle of the tenderloin so you can make sure you get an accurate temp reading.

4. Preheat a 250 degree oven. Bake uncovered for 45-60 minutes or until beef has reach 135 degrees Meat will continue to cook slightly in salt crust. My final temp was around 145 which is normally high for me but the meat was perfectly medium rare!)

5. Allow meat to rest for 20 minutes in the salt dome. This is a great time to reheat any sauce or sides you plan to serve with it. (I did my Irish Whisky Gravy with baked potatoes and sauteed broccolini with lemon.)

6. Using the back of a spoon tap the salt crust to crack it. Use the spoon and remove the salt crust. Move beef to a cutting board wiping off all excess salt (if you skip this step final dish could be too salty). Slice and serve!

Ina's Lemon and Onion Chicken

I saw this recipe on Barefoot Contessa and it looked so simple and tasty I had to try it. Butterflying the chicken was a great way to cook the chicken evenly and get a really crispy skin. The best part was that while I cooked the chicken, I was also cooking the sauce since you serve it with the pan drippings. I served this dish with potoatoes and green beans but the next time I make it, I will switch it up to an arugula salad. I plan to make a lemon vinaigrette using some of the pan drippings. A really tasty dish I will definitely make again! 

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 lemon, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings
1 yellow onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 (4-pound) chicken, backbone removed and butterflied
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Place the thyme, fennel seeds, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor or mortar and pestle and process until ground. Pour the olive oil into a small glass measuring cup, stir in the herb mixture, and set aside.

3. Distribute the lemon slices in a 12-inch cast iron skillet and distribute the onion and garlic on top. Place the chicken, skin side down, on top of the onion and brush with about half the oil and herb mixture. Turn the chicken skin side up, pat it dry with paper towels (very important!), and brush it all over with the rest of the oil and herb mixture. Make sure to get underneath the skin on the breast as well to season the meat directly. 

4. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Pour the wine into the pan (not on the chicken!) and roast for another 10 to15 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155 to 160 degrees.
Remove the chicken from the oven, sprinkle it with the lemon juice, cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. 

5. At this point make any side veggies or salad. Cut the chicken in quarters or eighths, sprinkle with salt, and serve hot with the pan juices, cooked lemon, and onion.

Skirt Steak Fried Rice

This dish is really quick to put together. Make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped before you start, you won't have time to be chopping while you're cooking. Everyone really loved this dish! It's great the next day too as leftovers!

Ingredients:
1 lb skirt steak
4 cups cooked rice
1 bunch broccolini, trimed so only the florets remain
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced on a bias
1/2 onion, medium size dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs
1 tbs. canola oil
Soy sauce


Directions:
1. Marinate skirt steak in a few tbs. of soy sauce in a plastic bag. Allow to marinate in the fridge for an hour or two.

2. Remove steak from fridge and allow it to come to room temp as you prep the rest of the ingredients.

3. Turn a grill to high and grill the skirt steak. You'll want to cook it about 3 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove to a plate and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice against the grain into 1/4 inch strips.

4. Preheat a wok or large pan over medium high heat. Whisk together eggs. Put 1/2 tsp. oil in the pan. Add the whisked eggs and scramble. Remove eggs and set aside.

5. Wipe out the pan and return to the heat. Add the rest of the oil and the onions. Cook for one minute until slightly softened. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the carrots and broccolini and stir. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and allow to cook together, stirring every once and a while until the veggies are almost cooked through.

6. Add the rice to the pan and allow it to toast for 2 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add a few tbs. of soy sauce and a tbs. butter. Stir everything together.

7. Add the sliced steak to the pan and toss everything together. At this point your meal is done but you could add some garnish like chopped scallions or toasted sesame seeds.

Hasselback Potatoes

I wanted a really rich side dish for my steak and found this. It was a little bit of work but ended up being really tasty. I suggest serving it with some sour cream on the side! 

Ingredients:

6 medium baking potatoes (8 to10 ounces each)
1 ounce lemon juice
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. sea or kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup finely grated mixed Parmesan, gruyere and double Gloucester cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Peel all the potatoes and, as you peel them, put them in a large container with 1 gallon water and the lemon juice to keep them from browning. Once they are all peeled, remove them from the water and pat dry.

3. Then slice the potatoes about 1/4-inch apart and about three-quarters of the way through to create a series of uniform slices so that they are still joined together at the bottom. This should create a fan type finish to the potatoes.

4. Next, using a whisk, blend the butter, parsley, salt and pepper. Make sure to mix well. Dunk the potatoes into the butter mixture, making sure that the slits in the potato soak up the mixture as well. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

5. After 30 minutes, remove the potatoes, re-heat any remaining butter and drizzle on top. Divide the cheese mixture over the potatoes. Bake the potatoes until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Once melted, remove the potatoes and serve.

Steak Wet Marinade

I pulled out my vacuum machine since some steaks were on sale. I always see on cooking competions that they will vacuum seal meat with a marinade. Since I had the tools, I figured why not give it a shot! I normally do a dry rub on steaks and try to let it sit overnight. When I see it on tv, they always use a wet marinade so I threw this together with what I had. It was really tasty and I could tell vacuum sealing it helped the marinade really penetrate the steak!

Ingredients:
4 ribeye steaks
3 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. brown sugar

Directions:
1. Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Place a steak in your vacuum seal bag and then add 2 tbs. of the marinade to the bag and roll the steak in it.

3. Follow your vacuum sealer instructions and seal the bag. Allow to marinate as long as you want but at least 30 minutes. Grill to your liking and serve!!

Skirt Steak Tacos with Roja Sauce

I saw this dish on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and it looked so tasty I had to try it at home. Skirt steak tacos are already one of my favorite dishes but the addition of this sauce made it so flavorful! It's really great because you could grill the skirt steak in advance and make the sauce in advance. Then when you're ready to serve just slice the steak and heat it with the sauce! I unfortunately never managed to get a picture of this dish. Each time I have made it I've been too hungry to wait for the picture LOL

Ingredients:
Sauce:
4 roma tomatoes, quartered
1/2 red onion, rough chop
2 chipotles in adobo
1 tbs. adobo sauce from chipotles
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 cups chicken stock
2 tbs. butter

Skirt Steak
Salt
Pepper
Tortillas
Toppings you like in your tacos but I suggest Queso Fresco, Cabbage Slaw, and Avocado.

Directions:
1. Combine tomatoes, onion, chipotles, adobo sauce, salt, pepper, and chicken stock into a medium size pan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook 30 minutes over low heat.

2. Once cooked, remove 1 cup of the chicken stock and set to the side. In batches use a blender and puree the sauce until smooth. You want the final consistency of the sauce to be pretty thick so you will not use all of the chicken stock. Once pureed, return to sauce pan. Put butter into the pan and melt into the sauce slowly over low heat. Reserve until ready to eat. The sauce can be made 2 days in advance.

3. Season skirt steak with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until it is done to your liking, about 3 minutes per side for medium rare. Put on a platter and allow steak to rest before you slice it.

4. To finish the skirt steak add the sliced pieces to a small saute pan with a few tablespoons of the roja sauce. Allow to cook together over medium high heat until the steak is warmed through and the sauce has slightly thickened and is coating the steak.

5. Heat up a few tortillas, add the steak filling and toppings, and enjoy!

One Pot Lemon Chicken with Rice

I was lazy and thought of this one pot recipe. The rice came out almost risotto like which was really tasty and the chicken breast was very moist since it cooked in a moist environment. I would definitely make this dish again. You could change up the seasonings and give it either an asian or mexican flair.

Ingredients:
2 bonless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 1/4 cups chicken stock
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Directions:
1. Pour olive oil into a medium sized skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken in the oil over medium high heat until both sides have a nice sear, about 2-3 minutes per side.

2. Remove chicken and set aside. Add rice to the same pan with the chicken stock, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Scrap the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all of the good browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

3. Bring to a boil, add chicken back to the pan on top of the rice and cover pan with a lid. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 25 minutes or until rice has absorbed all of the liquid. Turn the heat off and allow the pan to sit on the stove for another 5 minutes.

4. Take chicken breast out and slice. Serve on a plate with a side of the rice. I like to add a lot of fresh herbs to my rice but this is optional. Garnish with some lemon wedges and serve!

Quinoa Tabbouleh with Roast Chicken

2. 
   
3. This dish came from another bout of trying to be healthy. My boyfriend, Brian, loved this dish and requested I make it again. It had a good balance of different flavors and textures. Best part was it tasted great the next day for lunch, you can even eat it cold! 
4. 
   
5. Ingredients: 
6. 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
7. 1/2 tsp salt plus more
8. 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
9. 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
10. 1 garlic clove, minced
11. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
12. Freshly ground black pepper
13. 1 large English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced thin
14. 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
15. 1/2 container ciliegine mozzarella, cut you into quarters
16. 2 chicken breasts, cook and shredded into large chunks
17. 2 tbs. chopped basil
18. 2 scallions, thinly sliced
19. 
    
20. Directions: 
21. 1.Cook quinoa to package directions. Fluff and set aside while you prep the rest of the dish.
22. 2. Whisk lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
23. 3. Spread out quinoa on a large rimmed baking sheet; let cool. Transfer to a large bowl; mix in 1/4 cup dressing. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover remaining dressing and quinoa separately; chill.
24. 4. Add cucumber, tomatoes, cheese, roast chicken herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over if desired.

Czech Dumplings (Knedliky)

Whenever I make my Grandma's czech bread dumplings recipe I'm always bummed they aren't fluffly like the ones I've had in the Czech Republic. I pulled out my Czech cookbook, literally written in the Czech language, and found this recipe for knedliky. I tested it out on my cousin, Alexa and got the stamp of approval. These dumplings were really bready but dense. I didn't realize it would be basically a bread dough and would need so long to rise! Next time I make this I'm going to experiment with the rise time so they're nice and fluffy when finished!

Ingredients:

4 cups (500 g) all purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cup (3dl) lukewarm milk
2 rolls (about 4 slices of white loaf bread) cut into cubes
3.5 tsp. (10 g) yeast
1 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. In a small sauce pan, heat milk to 105-110 degrees F. Once it hits temperature, pour into a small bowl and add yeast. Mix together and allow to bloom for at least 5 minutes. (If you don't see bubbles in this mix after a few minutes, your yeast is old and not very good).

2. In a large bowl, sift flour. Add in salt and stir.

3. Add yeast mixture and egg to the flour mixture.

4. Mix dough together with a spoon or using your hands. Knead this mix like bread or pasta dough for a few minutes until it forms a nice dough.

5. Add diced bread cubes. Knead again until bread is fully incorporated into the dough.

6. Allow bread to rise for 4 hours in a clean bowl covered with a kitchen towel. When ready to make dumplings, fill a large pot with water and set over high heat to bring to a boil.

7. Put dough on a cutting board and divide into 3 parts. Make into nice round logs so final dumplings will come out with a nice shape.

8. Boil dumplings 10 minutes per side, flipping the logs 180 degress one time during the cooking process. (20 minutes total)

9. Remove from water unto a cutting board and slice immediately. Use czech dumpling cutter or a knife and make them about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick.

10. Place into a towel lined bowl to keep warm. Serve with any meat or dish with a lot of gravy, dumplings are great for soaking up sauce!

Eggs Benedict

I love Eggs Benedict. It's so rich, creamy, and decadant and something I secretly was a little nervous to make at home. I'm terrible at poaching eggs and hollaindaise sauce seemed so difficult to make. After watching an old episode of Worst Cooks in America where they made this dish, I thought if they can do it, I can do it too! They featured this really cool egg poaching pan which allows anyone to poach an egg. I'm really glad I've purchased this. I'ts a little bit of a unitasker which I hate but you can remove the egg poaching apperatus and just use the pan as a sauce pan. I suggest giving this dish a shot but make sure to have extra ingredients in case you poach your egg wrong or the sauce breaks.

Ingredients:

Hollandaise Sauce:3 large egg yolks, room temperature1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, softened2 small pinches white pepperFine sea salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Poached Eggs:Unsalted butter or nonstick spray, for greasing cups8 eggs4 English muffins, split and toasted8 slices of crispy bacon
2 chives, finely chopped (optional)
Directions:

1. Crisp the bacon in a saute pan over medium low heat. Move to a paper towel when done to drain excess fat. Prep poaching cups by greasing them with a little butter. Toast english muffin halves.

2. For the hollandaise sauce: Fill a medium saucepan (or the bottom half of a double boiler) with 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer. In a medium bowl that fits snugly into the saucepan without touching the bottom (or in the top half of a double boiler), whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon water.Set the bowl over the simmering water and cook over very low heat, whisking constantly, until the egg yolk mixture is very pale and thick, about 3 minutes; if it begins to heat too quickly and threatens to get lumpy, remove the bowl from the saucepan and whisk for a while before setting it back over the simmering water. When ready, you should be able to see the bottom of the bowl with every whisk stroke. 

3. Continue whisking while adding the softened butter a little at a time. When all of the butter has been incorporated, add the white pepper, salt, and cayenne to taste. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set it into a warm bowl of hot water to keep the sauce warm; stir occasionally while you are poaching the eggs.

4. For the poached eggs: Fill an egg poaching pan with 1 inch of water. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Lightly grease the poaching cups with butter. Crack the eggs into the cups and set the cups into the poaching pan. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook to your desired doneness - 4 minutes for perfect runny poached eggs.

5. To serve: Set two toasted muffins halves on each plate. Top each with bacon and a poached egg. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of hollandaise sauce over each egg. Garnish with chives. Serve immediately!!

Chicken Milanesa with Arugula and Lemon Vinaigrette

Ingredients: 

For the Chicken:

1 cup flour

2 eggs

1 cup bread crumbs

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (pounded out to 1/2 inch thick pieces)

1 cup canola oil, may need more depending on the pan size

3 cups arugula, washed and dried

1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, thinly sliced or peeled into long stripes

For the Vinaigrette:

1 clove of garlic, peeled, and minced
1 small shallot, minced
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. champagne vinegar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup olive oil

Directions: 

1. Make the vinaigrette. Place all of the ingredients except for the olive oil into a large mixing bowl and whisk together until well incorporated. While whisking, add the olive oil in a slow steady stream. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Set up a breading station for the chicken - one plate with flour, one plate with the eggs whisked together, and one plate with the bread crumbs. 

3. Preheat a skillet with 1/4 inch high layer of canola oil. 

4. Season the pounded out chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Then one at a time, take a chicken breast and coat with flour. Tap off the excess and dip the chicken in the egg mix. Remove any excess egg and dip into the breadcrumbs. Tap off the excess. Repeat with the rest of the chicken breasts until they all have a nice even breading layer. 

5. Gently place a chicken breast into the oil and fry over medium high heat until the coating has browned, about 3 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook the other side. Place on paper towels to drain any excess oil. Season with a small pinch of salt while still warm. Repeat for each chicken breast. 

6. To serve: toss some argula into the vinagrette making sure not to over dress it. Put a chicken breast on the plate and top with a handful of the arugula salad. To garnish, place the parmesan on top of the salad and serve! 

Strawberry Lemonade Sangria

This sangria was really delicious but dangerous! There are a lot of different types of alcohol in this drink so please use caution when drinking. Great for parties since you can make it ahead the night before and it makes it taste even better.

Ingredients:
1 lb. strawberries, sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 bottle white wine, sauvingnon blanc
1 cup white rum
5 cups lemonade
1 bottle of champagne


Directions:
1. Combine sliced fruit, wine, rum and lemonade in a pitcher and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

2. When you are ready to serve, add 1 cup of champagne to pitcher and stir.

3. To Serve: pour a nice glass 1/2 full of sangria mix. Add a few of the strawberries if you like. Fill the second half of the glass with champagne. You can serve this with or without ice depending on how hot of a day it is. Enjoy!

Grilled Veggie Pizza

I felt like making pizza and wanted to try something different. I usually do pepperoni or proscuitto with arugula and goat cheese as my topping but with summer I was trying to find a lighter topping. I grilled the veggies in advance and then put them on the pizza. Grilling the veggies added a dimension of flavor, but if you're in a hurry you can skip that step.

Ingredients:
1 batch of pizza dough (recipe found here)
1/2 small red onion, sliced 1/3 inch thick
1 zucchini, sliced thinly
1 yello squash, sliced thinly
1 bell pepper
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup marinara or pizza sauce
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cornmeal, for dough on pizza paddle
1/2 cup flour, for rolling dough

Directions:

1. Make your pizza dough and allow to rest throughout the day.

2. Slice up zucchini, yellow squash, and red onion. Preheat a grill to high heat and grill all veggies. (Leave bell pepper whole for grilling and cut into strips later. Use a foil basket to grill tomatoes).

3. Put your grilled and cut up veggies to the side.

4. Preheat an oven to as high as it will go. If you have a pizza stone put it in the oven to preheat with the oven.

5. Roll out pizza dough using a little flour so it doesn't stick to the door. Sprinkle corn meal on your pizza paddle and place the dough on the pizza paddle. Shake the pizza paddle back and forth to make sure the dough isn't sticking before putting on the toppings.

6. Make the pizza - put 3 tbs. of sauce on the pizza and spread out with a spoon. Top with a small sprinkle of cheese as a base layer. Top with your veggies, just sprinkle them around the pizza. Now top it with more cheese to seal in the veggies.

7. Once your oven is preheated, slide in the pizza carefully. Cook until the dough is crisp and the cheese is bubbling, about 5-7 minutes.

8. Take your pizza out carefully and slide it onto a cutting board. Allow to cool for a minute or two and then slice into pizza and serve!!

Stuffed Tomatoes Provencal

I was looking for a healthy side dish and stumbled upon this recipe for stuffed tomatoes. I love tomatoes, especially in summer when they're at their best. The herbs give it a very bright taste so it's good to pair this with a heavier meat. The only thing I didn't love about this dish is that I couldn't make it ahead. The bread crumbs got soggy after being in the tomato for too long so make the bread crumb filling earlier in the day if needed and then fill the tomatoes right before baking.

Ingredients:
6 ripe tomatoes (2 to 3 inches in diameter)
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced scallions (about 2 scallions)
1/4 cup minced basil
2 tbs. minced parsley
2 tsp. minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup gruyere cheese
Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Cut the tops off of the tomatoes. Remove the core, taking out as little as possible. Remove some of the seeds and juice so the final dish isn't too soggy.

3. In a bowl combine bread crumbs, scallions, basil, parsley, thyme, garlic, and 1 tsp. salt.

4. Season the tomato cups with salt and pepper. With your hands, fill the cavities of the tomatoes and slightly mound the top with the bread crumb filling.

5. Place the tomatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until the tomatoes or tender.

6. Drizzle some olive oil on the tomatoes and then sprinkle with cheese. Bake for another 2 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melted.

7. Remove from oven and serve hot or at room temperature.

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

This was a great make ahead dish! You can make the cooking liquid in advance and then throw everything in the slow cooker the day of. This would be a great dish to make either on a busy day or as a satisfying weekend dinner. 
Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup cold water
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
(optional toppings: sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds)

Directions:

1. Add the chicken breasts to the bottom of your slow cooker in a single layer.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the garlic, onion, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and black pepper until combined. Pour the mixture on top of the chicken breasts.

3. Cover slow cooker, and cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork.

4. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl and shred it using two forks. Transfer the remaining teriyaki sauce from the slow cooker to a medium saucepan.

5. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved and no longer lumpy. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the teriyaki sauce mixture, and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and let it boil for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and pour the sauce on top of the shredded chicken. Toss to combine.

6. Serve topped with scallions (green onions) and toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Orange County Fair Concessioner's Cup

Last week I was lucky enough to be a judge in the 2016 Orange County Fair Concessioner's Cup. I got to be on stage with a bunch of other foodies including mixologists, other food bloggers, and newspaper writers tasting some really delicious food.

The winner of the day was Tasti Burger's Chili Relleno Pretzel Burger. This was literally a burger patty with a chili relleno stuck inside of it! It had a ton of flavor and was really unique!

I got to try all kinds of food like Chicken Charlie's Bacon Wrapped Fried Chicken which was surprisingly better than I thought. I figured the bacon would make the dish too heavy but it actually gave it a really crunchy crust and the meat was still moist and succulent.

I also tasted what I thought was one of the best dishes of the day - the selfie snowcone. It was a mountain of cotton candy on top of a snow cone topped with lollipops, pixie sticks, and cereal pieces. The judges renamed it the kids bloody mary! Now of course, being the selfie snowcone, you got to take a selfie!!








There was a lot of competition for the best dish. I must have eaten over 100 entries! The key was to pace. Even when something was extra tasty I would only allow myself one bite. The event was a blast and I feel honored to be included as a judge!!

Caprese Zucchini Noodles

Now that it's summer, I've been trying to eat slightly healthier. I've had a spiralizer for a while now and only used it once or twice so I thought I would bring it out of retirement. It was actually a really fun tool to use and I can't wait to come up with more ideas of food I can spiralize.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. cooked chicken or 1/2 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 zucchinis, spiralized with largest noodle blade
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 lb. grape or cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 leaves of basil, chopped
1/2 cup of fresh mozzarella balls, sliced in half

Directions:

1. Spiralize zucchini into noodles following your spiralizer's directions.

2. Heat a pan over medium low heat and add 1 tbs. olive oil and the garlic. Saute for 30 seconds.

3. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and crushed red pepper flakes to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cover pan. Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes soften and start to burst.

4. Add in the shredded chicken and cook for about 1 minute.

5. Add in the zucchini noodles, cheese, and basil and cook for 2 minutes. If you over cook the zucchini it will get soggy.

6. Pull off of the heat and serve right away. I topped mine with a little extra mozzarella cheese :)

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Fried Mashed Potato Balls

I had some left over mashed potatoes and stumbled on this recipe. What really got me was the fact that these are stuffed with cheese! You could definitely put your own flavor spin on these if you were serving a different type of cuisine. These were best eaten right when fried so you can form and bread them a little in advance and then fry them when people show up.

Ingredients:

2 cups Mashed Potatoes
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
1 sprig fresh basil, chopped

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 head of garlic, roasted and peeled (rub garlic head with olive oil and salt, cover with foil, bake at 350 until garlic is tender and slightly browned, about 30 minutes)
salt and pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tbs. fresh chives

Directions:

1.Make the dipping sauce by combining all of the ingredients except the chives and mashing it together so the garlic cloves break up in the sour cream. Put in container you plan to serve dip in and top with chives. Place in fridge while you finish making dish.

2. Set up a breading station: one plate with all-purpose flour, a second plate with the eggs - whisked up, and a third plate with bread crumbs and 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Put a pinch of salt on all three plates and stir with a fork to disperse.

3. Pull out your leftover mashed potatoes. Using an ice cream scoop or spoon make a small ball of mashed potatoes. You can make it as small or large as you like, I do a little smaller than a golf ball. Flatten the potatoes out in your hand. Add a tsp. of shredded mozzarella into the middle and close up the mashed potatoes around it. Repeat this step until you are out of mashed potatoes.

4. Heat up a saucepan of canola oil over medium heat until it reaches 350.

5. Take a mashed potato ball and place in the plate of flour. Move to coat and make sure to tap off any excess. Dip the ball into the plate of eggs. Move to coat and  make sure to remove any extra egg that drips off. Dip the ball in the plate of bread crumbs. Move to coat and make sure to tap off any excess.

6. Repeat the above step for all of the mashed potato balls. As you work on breading the balls you can start frying them.

7. Once the oil is hot, drop in 3-5 balls at a time into the pan. Make sure not to over crowd it. Fry for about 3 minutes until the balls are a nice golden brown. Remove to a plate with paper towels to drain excess fat. Season with salt while still hot.

8. Once all of the balls are fried and seasoned, place on a platter and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese and basil. Serve warm with your garlic cream dipping sauce.

Skirt Steak with Charred Onion Salad

I wanted to try out this dish I found online because it had a lot of ingredients and flavor combos I don't normally use. I'm glad I tried it even though it wasn't my favorite dish I've made. If you're feeling adventurous, give it a try!


Ingredients:

2 medium Vidalia onions or other sweet onions (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4 medium radishes, very thinly sliced (use a mandoline if you have one)
1 large bunch watercress, rinsed and dried
1 pound skirt steak


Directions:

1. Preheat a very large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it just begins to smoke.

2. While the pan is heating, slice the onions into 1/4-inch-thick rings and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Add the onions to the skillet and cook, undisturbed, until they char slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon until they are further charred and slightly softened but still crunchy, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.

3. Stir together the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the fish sauce in the medium bowl that the onions were in. Add the radishes, watercress, cilantro and cooked onions and toss until well coated. Allow the mixture to sit at least 5 minutes, so the juices from the onion combine with the dressing.

4. Wipe out the skillet the onions cooked in and return it to medium-high heat. Sprinkle the steak with 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and put it into the hot skillet. Cook until well browned on one side, 3 to 4 minutes; flip and cook until medium rare, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board and allow the steak to rest for a few minutes, then slice thinly against the grain.

5. Divide the salad mixture among 4 bowls. Top each bowl with slices of steak.

Goat Cheese, Apple, and Pecan Salad

This salad started when I found some glazed pecans in the nut section of my grocery store. There's a salad at a restaurant I like that uses the pecans and also has goat cheese. For a little brightness and crunch I added the green apple. I would definitely make this salad again, it was easy and tasty!!

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken
1 green apple (granny smith), sliced
1/4 cup glazed pecans (purchased or home made)
Goat cheese crumbles
Lettuce of your choice (romaine or mixed baby greens)
Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe here)
Croutons (purchased or home made)

Directions:

1. Place lettuce on a plate.

2. Scatter pieces of chicken, slices of apple, goat cheese, pecans, and croutons over the lettuce.

3. Drizzle a few teaspoons of dressing over everything and season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

Balsamic Vinaigrette

This is a simple balsamic dressing that you can use on all kinds of salads, vegetables, pastas, pretty much anything you can imagine. It is a very versatile. The key to this dressing is the Dijon mustard – it helps emulsify the dressing and bring it all together. You can use a mix of any herbs you like. I personally like basil, chives, rosemary, basil, mint, and sage but that’s because I grow most of those herbs in my backyard. Add in what you have on hand or no herbs at all either way the dressing will be good.

The oil to vinegar ration should be 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil. My boyfriend loves vinegar so we do closer to a 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil ratio. 

Ingredients:

1 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp herbs de provence (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper - Fresh Ground is very important here!!!
3 tbs. olive oil (roasted garlic olive oil if you have it)
1-2 tbs. chopped fresh herbs (optional)

Directions:

1. Whisk together all ingredients but oil together in a small bowl. 

2. Once incorporated, slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking to make a nice emulsion.

3. Taste dressing for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if desired. You can add fresh chopped herbs at this point if you have them. Stir and serve over your favorite salad!!

Churros

I had some leftover frying oil from the Fried Avocados I made (find the recipe here) so I decided to make some churros. They were surprising simple to make, just took a little time to fry them all. I had to make mine skinny since that's the only piping tip I had, but I would recommend to make them about 1 inch thick. You can also make dipping sauces for the churros if you want to make them fancy.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup all purpose flour
3 eggs
Canola oil, for frying
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon, optional

Directions:

1. Combine the water, butter and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Using a wooden spoon, dump in all of the flour at once and stir until the mixture becomes a smooth dough. You will want to cook the dough for a minute or two to make sure you cook out the raw flour taste.

2. Remove the dough from the heat and while stirring constantly, add 1 egg at a time to the dough. You can do this by hand or in a stand mixer. Once the first egg is incorporated, add the second egg and repeat until all eggs are incorporated.

3. Get a piping bag with a 1 inch star tip. Fill the piping back with the dough mixture.

4. Heat up a pan with about 2 inches of oil at the bottom over medium high heat. You will want the oil to be at 350.

5. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and set aside.

6. Using the pastry bag squeeze a 4-5 inch strip into the oil. You may need to use a knife to cut the dough from the tip. Fry the churro, turning during the frying until all sides are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.

7. Place fried churro on a paper towel to remove a little excess oil. Put into the sugar mixture and roll around until churro is coated (be careful, churros are hot!). Put on a plate and store in warm oven until all churros are fried. Serve immediately as they are best right after frying!