This is Some FINE COOKING Going on!

When I find a recipe from Fine Cooking, I know I can't go wrong. Tonight, I made Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage and Goat Cheese and it did NOT disappoint. I didn't have any squash so I left them out and the sausage and goat cheese definitely did not miss them!

Shrimp and Goat Cheese...YUM!

We always have goat cheese in the fridge for snacking but tonight, I decided to use it in Penne with Shrimp and Goat Cheese. You really can't go wrong with a recipe from Bon Appetit. I mean, they're like the ones that invented cooking magazines! LOL. But seriously, the flavor combination was amazing! The juicy tomatoes, caramelized onions, succulent shrimp...perfection in a bowl!

Getting Fishy with My Shells!

Browsing through my new Everyday Food Magazine, I came across a recipe for Creamy Tuna-Stuffed Shells. Since I'm always trying to incorporate more fish into our diet, I thought I'd give it a try. It came out REALLY yummy and a good change from our usual meat-stuffed shells. The sauce was so rich and creamy that we didn't even miss the Ricotta Cheese. I used sourdough bread to make the breadcrumbs and we just loved the nice crust on top! A very yummy and healthy meal!

Ingredients:


1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c onions, diced
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
2 c whole milk
Salt and pepper
2 slices bread
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can (6 oz) tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked
10 jumbo pasta shells, cooked according to package


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a baking dish.


2. In a pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until softened, 3 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually add milk, whisking constantly, and cook until slightly thickened and bubbling, 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and let cool slightly.


3. In a food processor, combine bread, Parmesan, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes. Process until fine crumbs form. Transfer half the mixture to a bowl and combine with tuna and half the sauce. Fill each shell with 2 heaping Tablespoons of tuna mixture and place in baking dish.


4. Top with remaining sauce and breadcrumb mixture. Bake until sauce is bubbling and breadcrumbs are golden, 20 minutes.
 

Martha's Yummy Oatmeal Maple Cookies!

I found a recipe for Maple Oatmeal Cookies in my Everyday Food Magazine and couldn't wait to try them! I mean, what a classic combination right? They turned out amazing and I love how they're thin and crunchy! Even my coworkers who don't usually bake asked me for the recipe!

Ingredients: (5 dozen cookies)


3 c old-fashioned rolled oats
1 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 c (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/4 maple syrup
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c water


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.


2. In a medium bowl, stir together oats, flour, salt and baking soda. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars on high until pale and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in maple syrup, egg, vanilla and water, scraping down bowl as needed. With the mixer on low, beat in oat mixture until just combined.


3. Drop dough in rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, about 11 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets until set, about 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Pork Chops and Apples, A Match Made in Heaven!

I love pairing pork with apples so when I saw this recipe for Spiced Pork Chops with Apple Chutney, I knew I had to give it a try! Thanks to Cooking Light, it was not only yummy but also very healthy. The sweet and spicy chutney was just perfect on the tender pork chops! I served it with some couscous and it was a delicious and easy dinner.

Yummy and Healthy Chinese Takeout at Home!

We LOVE Chinese Takeout, especially Kung Pao Shrimp but most of the time it's way too greasy and I don't even wanna guess the sodium levels! So when I found this healthier version from Cooking Light, I couldn't wait to try it! Marinating the shrimp in the cornstarch mixture was really the key to make them tender and succulent. The flavor combination was just perfect and definitely just as good, if not better, than the greasy takeout version!

Popeye Would LOVE This Meatloaf!

Why? Cuz it's got a TON of spinach in it! When I saw this recipe for Layered Creamed-Spinach Meatloaf, I knew I had to make it ASAP! Meatloaf and Creamed Spinach together? How can that NOT be good? OMG it was AMAZING! As usual, my meatloaf didn't stay perfectly shaped like the picture but it tasted even better than I'd imagined. We're not big fans of fennel so I just used 2 onions instead and for the meat, I used a pound each of ground beef and Italian sausage. I served the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and it was total comfort on a Sunday night!

A Big "O" Plate of Cookies!

The "O" is for Oprah tonight cuz these are her Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies and they are incredible! I'm glad I only read the comments AFTER baking these and I can't believe some people didn't like them! Me and ALL of my coworkers are loving them and the only negative thing I can say is that they're super addicting. I think some people might have over-baked these cookies cuz they're supposed to be pale due to the cream cheese and only brown slightly on the bottom. They also don't contain baking powder or soda cuz they're NOT supposed to rise or spread much. They're fluffy and light and stay incredibly moist. Anyway, I'm not one to knock on others but I'd just like to do these cookies justice and say that they're one of the BEST chocolate chip cookies I've ever had and that's saying a LOT! Thanks Oprah!

Oatmeal Cookies Really Are Good Any Time of the Day!

I LOVE Oatmeal Cookies so when I saw a recipe for Anytime Oatmeal Cookies from my Martha Stewart Magazine, I immediately ripped it out to try ASAP. They came out so incredibly chewy and good! I love oatmeal cookies cuz you don't feel so guilty about eating them since oatmeal is so good for you. They're also not too sweet so they really are good any time of the day! Thanks Martha! You never let me down!

Inspired by America's Test Kitchen

Tonight's pork chop dinner was inspired by a recipe card I saved from an America's Test Kitchen Magazine. It was called Sautéed Pork Chops with Pears and Blue Cheese (which I couldn't find online) but I made quite a few changes. First of all, Greg's not a big fan of Blue Cheese (too stinky?) so I substituted Feta and instead of topping the dish with it, I stirred some of it into the sauce along with the pears. I also used a Dole Pear Cup cuz I didn't have any fresh pear on hand. I served the pork chops over mashed potatoes that I also added some Feta to so all the flavors would pair up nicely. All in all, this was a very comforting meal and quick to pull together on a week night.

Ingredients:


2 bone-in pork chops, 1-inch thick
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 (4 oz) Diced Pear Cup
1/4 c onion, diced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 c chicken broth
1/4 c heavy cream
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 c crumbled Feta Cheese


Prep:


1. Pat chops dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chops and brown 5 minutes per side. Transfer to platter and tent with foil to keep warm.


2. Add pear, onion and sugar. Cook, stirring, until softened, 2 minutes. Add sugar and broth and deglaze for 1 minute. Stir in cream, vinegar and butter. Cook until slightly thickened, 2 minutes. Take off heat and stir in Feta. Serve sauce over chops.

Nothing's More Comforting than Pork Chops and Sweet Potatoes

Well, unless you add Bacon to the mix! Tonight's Maple Pork Chops with Bacon Sweet Potato Hash came from Cook's Country and it was amazing! You won't find the recipe online so I've posted it below and it's a MUST TRY! The crunchy salty bacon went so well with the creamy sweet potatoes and a big chunk of pork on top never hurts either! My favorite part though was the thick Maple-Dijon Sauce! The perfect one-pot meal on a weeknight!

Ingredients:


2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
6 slices bacon, chopped fine
4 bone-in pork chops, about 1-inch thick
salt and pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 c maple syrup
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp cider vinegar


Prep:


1. Place potatoes in large bowl and microwavem covered, until tender, 4-7 minutes. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp, 5 minutes. Transfer bacon to plate.


2. Pat pork chops dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat bacon fat in the same Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown chops about 4 minutess per side. Transfer to plate and tend with foil to keep warm.


3. Add potatoes and brown 5-7 minutes all over. Stir in thyme and bacon. Transfer to serving bowl.


4. Add maple syrup, mustard and vinagar to Dutch oven. Return pork and simmer, turning often, until thickened.

Tis the Season for Gingerbread!

Nothing says Christmas like Gingerbread but instead of making regular cookies, I made Biscotti and they turned out amazing! I found the recipe came from my Mother-in-Law's Fine Cooking Magazine during Thanksgiving and couldn't wait to try it. The only change I made was substituting dried cranberries for the apricots cuz I just love the red color for the holidays. I really like Biscotti and they're actually fairly easy to make. They're just a bit more time-consuming than regular cookies but totally worth it! I like mine very crunchy so I bake them for another 20 minutes the 2nd time around. I remember the first time I succeeded at making Biscotti and was so proud of myself. I've come a LONG way from then! Sometimes I look back on my blog and I'm so glad I started it cuz it really is a great way to see how far I've come from someone who barely knew how to make spaghetti!

Crumble or Shortcake? Yummy Either Way!

I can't resist those lil Recipe Booklets every time I'm at the grocery store and picked up a copy of Holiday Cookies and Bars from Taste of Home. I flipped through it and decided to try the Cranberry Shortbread Bars since I had some left-over cranberries in the fridge. I halved the recipe and used a loaf pan but somehow they came out more like a crumble. Either way, I loved the thick syrupy texture of the cranberries and the filling came out perfectly sweet and tart at the same time! The buttery crust was definitely a yummy addition as well! A perfect treat to start off the weekend!

Ingredients:


1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 c powdered sugar
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c flaked coconut
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1-1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 c fresh cranberries
1/2 c apple juice


Prep:


1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9x5-inch baking pan with cooking spray.


2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour and coconut and mix well. Set aside 1/2 c for topping and spread remaining mixture into prepared baking pan.


3. In a small saucepan, combine the granulate sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cranberries and apple juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for 5 min, stirring, until thickened.


4. Spread cranberry mixture over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake for 20-25 min, until golden brown.

Sweet and Sour and VERY Gourmet!

I've been saving this recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken with Carrots from an old Gourmet magazine for a while now and finally made it tonight. I substituted some Baby Carrots and left out the Cinnamon (Greg's not a fan). I also added a dash of Balsamic Vinegar and used chicken broth instead of water to intensify the flavor and it came out really good! Gourmet meal on a Thursday night is ALL good in my book!

Yummy Dinner from Everyday Food Magazine

I've been getting Everyday Food Magazine for a while now and surprisingly this is the first recipe I've ever made from it. It's Martha Stewart's Chicken in Tomatoes with just a few minor adjustments. (You know me! Gotta put my own spin on everything!) I used fresh tomatoes instead of frozen and simmered the pot on the stovetop to cook through. It actually took less time, about 15 minutes. I also turned the heat up after the chicken was done to thicken the sauce. The tomato flavor was really intense and paired perfectly with the oregano and chicken! Served over some couscous and a simple yummy dinner was born!