My Cooking Adventures

These were recipes I found using the AllRecipes Dinner Spinner app on my new iPhone. I just made a couple adjustments, and they turned out delicious!

Southern Turkey* Burgers
adapted from: allrecipes.com

1 lb. ground turkey
1 slice bread, crumbled
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp prepared mustard
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
garlic salt to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the turkey, bread, egg, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and mix well. Form into 6 to 8 patties and season with garlic salt and salt and pepper to taste.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute patties for 10 to 15 minutes, or until fully cooked to desired doneness.

*original recipe calls for beef

Baked Sweet Potato Sticks
adapted from: allrecipes.com

1 tbsp olive oil
salt, black pepper, and garlic powder to taste (about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp each)
8 sweet potatoes, sliced lengthwise into quarters (and then sliced thinner, if desired, depending on size of potatoes)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or veg oil.
2. In a large bowl, mix oil and spices. Add potato sticks and stir by hand to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven (turning over halfway through).

Source: Williams & Sonoma Catalog

3 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (I use panko)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used dried, about a tablespoon)
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
8 oz. pancetta, julienned
1 1/2 lb. cauliflower, cut into 1/2" florets
3-6 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp white wine
3 1/2 cups milk
2 cups shredded fontina cheese
3 cups shredded Gouda cheese
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lb fresh macaroni, cooked until al dente

(all my ingredients came from Whole Foods - so delicious!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, combine crumbs, melted butter, parsley, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. In 4 qt pot over medium heat, cook pancetta 8 minutes. Transfer to small bowl, reserve fat. Cook cauliflower in batches 10-12 minutes, adding 1-3 tbsp butter if needed. Transfer to bowl. Deglaze pot with 2 tbsp water; add to cauliflower. Wash pot.

In same pot over medium heat, melt 3 tbsp butter. Cook flour 3 minutes. Whisk in wine and milk; cook 10 minutes. Stir in cheeses, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, cayenne, nutmeg and cream, then pasta, pancetta, and cauliflower. Top with bread crumbs. Bake 30 minutes; broil 4-5 minutes. Serves 10-12.

I had this craving for guacamole dip when I was home visiting my family in Alabama. I guess I've been living in California long enough to have found a love for avocados!



source: Alton Brown on FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Ok, I didn't actually make this, but a friend did, and it is so addictive!! I can't stop eating it! I did help a little...I added the avocados to the dip. :)


Source: FoodNetwork.com


Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into 4-inch long and 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick fries
2 tablespoons olive oil, or more as needed
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Coarse ground rock salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Avocado Dip, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil until the sweet potatoes are coated. Add the paprika, chili powder, coriander, salt, and pepper; toss to distribute evenly.
Arrange the coated fries in a single layer on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower rack until the sweet potatoes soften. Transfer the pan to the upper rack of the oven and bake 10 minutes longer, until fries are crispy. Serve with Avocado Dip.


Avocado Dip

Ingredients:
1 avocado, see Cook's Note*
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup cream cheese
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped.
2 scallions, white and light green part only, chopped
1 lime, juiced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions
Place the avocado, mayonnaise, cream cheese, jalapeno, scallions, and lime juice into a blender or small food processor. Blend for 1 minute or until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve as a dip for the Sweet Potato Oven Fries.

* Cook's Note: We find that Hass avocados make the smoothest and best tasting Avocado dip.

Newsflash: So I recently left my job. Which hopefully means, for readers of this blog, that I will have more time to cook & bake. Yay! Last night, I made dinner for two. It felt great to be back in the kitchen, really putting my all into the food. I love the smell of fresh herbs, like thyme and rosemary, especially when chopping them up, as the aromas are released. Shallots + garlic sauteing in the pan with olive oil create such a distinct smell as well, anyone around knows there's something delicious about to come. I hope to start back with cooking on a regular basis, and sharing in my adventures like I used to. Especially now that I've come such a long way from before!

Pork Tenderloin Diane
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 whole pork tenderloin, cut into 8 pieces crosswise
2 tsp lemon pepper
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp Worcerstershire sauce
3 tsp mustard (Dijon or regular)
1 tbsp minced parsley

Place each piece of tenderloin between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Flatten slightly with heel of hand. Sprinkle surfaces of pork with lemon pepper.

Heat butter in heavy nonstick skillet; brown pork evenly, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove to serving platter, keep warm.

Add lemon juice, Worcerstershire sauce, and mustard to skillet. Cook, stirring with pan juices, until heated through. Add pork back to pan, and let simmer for about 5-7 more minutes, turning pork over half-way through. You can either add parsley to the pan, or sprinkle on medallions after removing from pan. Remove medallions from pan, pour sauce over medallions, and serve.


Herbed New Potatoes
adapted from the Bon Appetit cookbook by Barbara Fairchild

1 pkg Organic red potatoes, scrubbed, quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 clove shallot, minced
Assorted chopped fresh herbs (I just used rosemary)
Salt + pepper to taste

Steam potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes.

Heat oil in large skillet over med high heat. Add garlic and shallots, and stir 30 seconds. Add potatoes and herbs; sprinkle lightly with salt & pepper. Saute until potatoes are heated through and golden, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with more salt & pepper, if desired. Transfer to bowl and serve.

Tonight's meal was enjoyed with a bottle of Yellowtail Shiraz.

My sister & I cooked this the other night for us, our brother, and her fiance. Ok, she actually did most the cooking. But I'll admit it turned out delicious!



Shrimp Stir Fry

I'm finally back! I've been traveling so much, that I haven't had any time to cook. But finally, I have returned, and tonight I was lucky enough to have company to cook for. I decided to stick with an ole' favorite, Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops. They turned out so amazing, I couldn't have asked for a better result. For a side, I had just picked up some fresh green beans from Fresh Market on Saturday, so I found this recipe on AllRecipes.com. I tweaked it a bit (as always), and here's my result:

Green Bean & Bacon Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in halves
  
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 pound sliced Turkey bacon, cut into strips
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large pot, combine the green beans, onion and water. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a 2 quart casserole dish. While the beans cook, fry the Canadian bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Stir in with the beans along with the cream of mushroom soup, garlic salt, pepper, and milk. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the top.
3. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and sauce is bubbly. This recipe also works well to make ahead and refrigerate or freeze until needed. If baking cold, bake for 1 hour.

I got this recipe from an old coworker about 2 years ago. I never had a chance to make it, and so for my friend's New Year's Eve party I thought this would be good. It was gone in less than an hour! I didn't get a picture because it went so fast, so sorry about that! But it was delicious and a definite crowd-pleaser!

Garlic & Artichoke Dip

1 Envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets “Savory herb with garlic” soup mix
1 can / jar (14 oz.) Artichoke hearts
1 cup mayo
8 oz. Sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2-4 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic

Preheat oven to 350°.
Drain artichoke hearts and dice into very fine pieces.
Combine all ingredients in one quart casserole dish and mix well.
Bake until top is brown (approx. 15 min.)

Serve with crusty bread, or Ritz crackers for dipping.

From: Cooking Light Nov 2008 issue

3 lbs baking potatoes, cut into pieces
1 1/4 tsp salt, divided
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Pamigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with cold water to 2 inches above. Add 1/4 tsp salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 mins or until tender; drain. Return the potatoes to pan over low heat; add remaining 1 tsp salt and butter to pan. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher to desired consistency.

Add cheese and pepper to potato mixture; stir until cheese melts. Stir in milk; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in parsley.

Adapted from: Kraft Foods.com


1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin and sliced
1 package frozen pepper stir-fry vegetables
1/2 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
2 Tbsp. honey
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

COOK chicken in large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 5 min., stirring occasionally.

ADD vegetables, dressing, honey, garlic and ginger.

COOK and stir an additional 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are heated through. Serve with rice.

Source: Kraft Foods.com

Super Skins
Source: Kraft Foods



6 medium baking potatoes, baked
2 Tbsp. oil
1 jar (15 oz.) CHEEZ WHIZ Cheese Dip, heated
1/4 cup Bacon Bits
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup green onion slices

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop out centers, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. (Reserve centers for another use.) Cut shells in half crosswise.
PLACE shells, skin sides down, on baking sheet; brush insides of shells lightly with oil.
BAKE 15 min. or until golden brown. Top evenly with CHEEZ WHIZ, bacon bits, sour cream and onions