Simply Scrumptious

 I love Giada de Laurentiis. I was shopping in Target the other day and saw her newest cookbook, "Giada At Home" and I just had to have it. It is full of amazing recipes and I've been DYING to try some! So since I love eggs and my boyfriend loves steak I decided to go with the Grilled Tuscan Steak with Fried Egg and Goat Cheese. It's a really simple recipe and it turned out sooo good.  I omitted the goat cheese because Anthony (my bf) doesn't think it's cheese unless it comes from a cow. I substituted shredded parmesan and it worked great. You can find the recipe in Giada's cookbook or online

Grilled Tuscan Steak w/ Fried Egg

Need a little more? I made fried tortellini to go with my steak! 

Get your favorite store bought ravioli or tortellini

Beat 2 eggs with 1/2 cup of milk

Mix together 1/2 cup of flour with 1/2 cup of italian seasoned bread crumbs

Sprinkle in a pinch of salt and pepper

Coat the pasta with egg then dredge in the flour

Heat about 3 cups of vegetable oil to about 300 degrees

Deep fry until golden and serve with your favorite marinara sauce. YUM!

Mang-o-licious Tacos

So, I wanted tacos for dinner. But I didn't want my plain old tacos with ground beef and taco sauce. My Love for mexican inspired dishes and my spontaneous creativity got me thinking about trying something a bit different and on a hot summer day nothing is more refreshing than my Grilled Chicken Tacos with Cucumber Mango Salsa. This is so easy to make and will definitely quench your appetite. I almost couldn't eat it because I was drooling over it so much. Which garnered me enough "you're so weird" stares from my boyfriend I just had to give in and taste it. IT WAS SOO GOOD! Sweet, savory and juicy with a bit of crunch and a lot of YUM-O. Just enough flavor and texture to make your taste buds tango to taco heaven!

My muses for this recipe are the Mango Chicken Salad from Qdoba and some mango salsa covered crab cakes I had once at a local eatery. They were sooo good! But I like being in control of what goes into my food and onto my plate. It's much healthier for you when you're in charge of what goes in and what stays out. So please do try! I guarantee it will be a crowd pleaser.

Mango Salsa

1 small cucumber - seeded

1 mango

1/2 red onion

1 jalapeno - If you like it spicy leave the seeds. If you don't scrape them out. Or just scrape out some of them for a medium heat.

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon of honey

about a teaspoon

or so of dry or fresh cilantro

pinch of salt and pepper

Dice the first 4 ingredients into small, evenly sized pieces. Toss with remaining ingredients then cover and let it hang out in the fridge while you prepare the chicken.

Pollo

1 pound - boneless, skinless chicken breast. (I like chicken tenders for this)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Clean the chicken and pat dry. Lay aside in one even layer. Mix the dry ingredients together and sprinkle evenly over chicken. Flip the chicken over and repeat.

If cooking the chicken on the stove top: Pre-heat skillet to med-high and add a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Add the chicken and cook through. About 10-12 minutes flipping once.

If cooking the chicken on the grill: Pre-heat the grill on the lowest setting. Brush the grill with some of the olive oil so the chicken doesn't stick. Add the chicken. Brush the chicken with the olive oil. After half the cook time flip the chicken and brush with more olive oil. Chicken will be done in about 10-12 minutes.

Once the chicken has cooled slice it into strips for your tacos. Fill steamed flour taco shells with chicken and salsa. Top with your favorite toppings or nothing at all and ENJOY!!

Let's think outside the box on this one. This manga salsa isn't just for tacos. Use your imagination to put it on some of your favorite foods. It might be mango but it's still salsa!

I am not a girl scout...

But they make great cookies. If you like girl scout cookies you will LOVE my brownies. They're my better version of the samoa cookies.

Rich, sinful chocolate...

Gooey, melt in your mouth caramel...

Exotic, sweet, heavenly coconut...

Aaahhh....

Yes these brownies will make you feel like your flying on a puffy, succulent, chocolate cloud of happiness! They are sooooo good! I could eat the whole batch!

All you need:

1 box of your fave brownie mix. You can go triple chocolate fudge or original just try to stay away from nuts and other odds mixings.

10-15 melted caramel candies

1/4 cup of sweetened flaked coconut.

1 big sweet tooth!

Pre-heat your oven and bake brownies according to the directions on the box.

In a skillet evenly disperse the coconut and place over a medium heat. 

Lightly toast. 

WATCH the coconut. All you need is a few minutes. You do not want to burn it. It will become aromatic and turn slightly golden.

When the brownies come out of the oven place on a cooling rack. 

Drizzle with melted caramel. Be generous. 

Then sprinkle with toasted coconut. Let cool completely.

Mexican at your casa es muy fácil

I love mexican food! Or at least the americanized version. I've never been to Mexico so I can't say I know what authentic mexican taste like. But all the restaurants I've been to claim they are authentic so unless I'm told otherwise I'm going to go with it. I'm always trying to come up with something new to try at home and lets face it, when we think of mexican at home we think tacos. I mean after all, it's not called taco Tuesday because of fajitas! Well I do love my tacos but I needed something new to try out. Some different ingredients to mix together that help me make something delicious and save time. So after much consideration I thought I'd try my hand at an enchilada.

Now, according to Wikipedia an enchilada is "a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili pepper sauce." I'm not a big fan of corn tortillas so I use tortillas made from flour. So I guess you could call mine a burrito covered in enchilada sauce. Regardless, it was quite tasty. Comparable to what I'd find out at a restaurant and I don't have to tip! And it's sooo easy to make! So try it out and see for yourself! I bet you'll be replacing taco Tuesdays with... umm...enchilada Tuesdays?

You will need!

1 10oz can of Rotell Mexican lime and cilantro - do not drain

1 package of taco seasoning

1lb boneless/skinless chicken breast tenders

1 10oz can of red enchilada sauce

4 grande burrito tortillas ( I like flour but if you like corn go for it!)

8oz shredded mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour the rotell in a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken in halfway done. About 3-4 minutes. Turn the chicken to finish cooking through. About another 3-4 minutes. When you turn the chicken put a lid on the skillet. When the chicken is cooked through take it off the heat. Take only the chicken out and let it cool down for a few minutes. Then shred the chicken. Add the shredded chicken back into the pan. Add the taco seasoning, mix well and set aside. Meanwhile, put the tortillas between 2 moistened paper towels and pop them in the microwave for one minute. This is make them easier to work with during assembly. When the tortillas are done take one and sprinkle with a little cheese. About a tablespoon and a half should do. Spoon about a quarter of the chicken onto the tortilla and roll into a burrito. Fold in the sides and roll from the bottom up. Repeat for the other 3 tortillas. Place the burritos in an 8x11 glass casserole dish that's been sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover with the enchilada sauce and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. The cheese should be melty and the sauce bubbly.

Serve with spanish rice and refried beans! Top it off with a little sour cream and you're good to go for restaurant cuisine right in your very own kitchen!

Stay tuned for more restaurant quality meals right from your kitchen! And I'm not talking Bertolli...

Feliz comiendo!

Chau!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchilada

Summer is here!! Lets grill!

Hey all!

So it's official! SUMMER IS HERE!!!

I know, I know. The first day of summer isn't until the end of June!...Technically! But I consider Memorial Day weekend to be the beginning of summer. The grills come out full swing, kids are out of school, the pools open up, the weather is sunny and warm! It's a great reason to kick off the season.

I just love summer! And what's summer without great food? NOT SUMMER!!

My faves are probably just about everyone else's. I love grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, brats, summer veggies, the whole shebang! and then wash it down with an ice cold brewski. But I like to spice things up a bit and throw in a little change. I mean, I don't want to eat just a plain ol' hamburger everyday!! Don't get me wrong, plain is good, but sometimes you just need a little extra something. Especially when you're entertaining! You want to impress your guest don't you? Trust me, they will appreciate it. After all, who wants to go to a party where there is no flavor variety? So put on your favorite tunes and get out your grill cause we're gonna be cooking this summer!

Now I'm not a master griller. I usually leave the grilling to the men in my life. I have not mastered that art so I worry about what's going to be on the grill and they worry about making sure it ends up on my plate just right. I can think of a lot of things that can be cooked on the grill but for now lets stick with the basics and lets change it up just a little; add that little wow factor into it and see if we can't keep people from guessing what it is that's making their food extra delicious. We'll start with the main courses for right now, my 2 favorite cookout entreés. And stay tuned in cause later this week we'll talk about some scrumptious sides that will make your taste buds tingle!

For starters...

I love brats, preferably grilled. I will hardly eat one cooked on anything else. I like them steaming hot, slightly charred with that great smokey flavor seared right in there. I also like to pile on the toppings. One of my all time favorite toppings for a good brat is of course, sauerkraut. I love the texture and the tanginess and I think the two go really well together. But what's so special about sauerkraut and brats? Well I like to cook my kraut with a little bit of paprika. Not a big deal but it certainly adds a little magic there.

Just pour the kraut into a sauce pan to heat it up and add the paprika. Put it over a medium/medium low heat and let it come to a simmer. About 15 minutes or so, until most of the excess liquid from the kraut as evaporated and the paprika has melted into it. Put a big heaping pile on your grilled bratwurst and enjoy. I add a little mustard too! What else is good? Well if you don't like sauerkraut, I also like adding different types of relish. Sweet pickle relish and sweet and spicy red pepper relish are top picks. Chase it down with a slightly sweet, super refreshing hefeweizen.

Second is the almighty, can't have a cookout without it, HAMBURGER!!!

One of my all time favorite variations of the hamburger is one I modeled after my meatloaf, minus the oats.

Mini Meatloaf Burger:

1/2 pound ground sirloin

1 tbsp onion flakes

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

2 tsp dried parsley flakes

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

1 egg

salt and pepper to taste.

Mix it all together and form into patties. These burgers are sooo juicy and sooo yummy. The next burger I was just trying to get rid of some items I had left over from a previous dinner and didn't want to spoil. I call it Burger D'italia

1 pound ground sirloin

1 small vidalia onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic finely minced

1/2 red bell pepper finely chopped

1 egg

italian seasoned bread crumbs

Chop the onion and pepper and mince the garlic. Add to the ground sirloin along with a medium sized handful (about 1/4 cup) of bread crumbs. Mix together and form patties. When it only has about one minute left to cook add on a big slice of provolone and let it melt over the patty. I love this one! The red pepper really gives it some zing.

My South of the Border burger is muy delicioso!

1/2 pound ground sirloin

1/2 pound ground pork

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Mix together and make your patties! For a little extra extra, add a slice of pepper jack cheese! When working with the jalapeño, make sure you use a separate knife than what you would use to say, slice the tomatoes with. The spiciness will cling to it and also, make sure you wear gloves or wash your hands throughly before touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

And to top off my burgers I like an wide array of condiments. You must have ketchup and mustard of course, pickles, tomatoes and lettuce, the whole nine yards. But I like some other toppings too. I like slicing up green peppers and cucumbers for my burgers, pickle relish, avocado, and mayo. You can spruce up your mayo a little too.

1 cup of your fave mayo

1 clove of garlic

1 cup fresh basil

Pulse in a food processor until smooth. It's especially delish on the Burger D'italia.

I like avocados and corn relish on my south of the border burger, with mayo con cilantro!

1 cup of your fave mayo

1 tbsp lime juice

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

Pulse in a food processor until smooth!

As for the cerveza, well I think anything light and crisp will do! I really like peroni, modelo, and almost any wheat beer for my burgers. Leinenkugal is one of my choice breweries and they make a great seasonal, Summer Shandy. It's made with real lemonade! Great refreshment!

These recipes are super delish and have so much flavor! You're tongue won't know what to think! But you're guest will! They'll think you've got it going on with the grill and you know how to serve up some fancy fare! Try them out and let me know what you think! Try them with your favorite side or check back later for some of my suggested serve alongs!