Seafood Enchiladas

I had my first seafood enchiladas recently at a dinner party, and I fell in love. I love all kinds of seafood, but I'm usually too lazy to cook anything from the sea. I know, it's pathetic especially since shrimp takes all of five minutes to sautee. I woke up with a craving for shrimpies and crab, so I'm making seafood enchiladas tonight for myself and the bf!

This is the recipe of the original seafood enchiladas I ate, in case you want to see or taste what got me hooked on seafood enchiladas! Actually if you haven't seen Pioneer Woman or her other site Tasty Kitchen, well, you're missing out on some delicious recipes!

Be warned - they smell amazing, so if you're hungry please eat a snack before you start otherwise there won't be enough filling for the tortillas if you keep doing "quality tests" of the food...

Filling Ingredients

• 1 can salmon
• 2 cans crab meat
• 15 tiger prawns, uncooked, peeled with tail off
• Cheese for topping
• 1/4 c. chopped canned green chiles
• 4 medium-large tortillas
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• salt/pepper/cumin/chili powder to taste
• 1 cup cooked rice

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 can red enchilada sauce
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups milk
• salt/pepper/cumin to tast
• 2 tablespoons shredded cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 9x13" baking pan. Preheat a skillet to medium heat. 
2. Mix crab, salmon, green onion, green chiles, rice and seasonings in a large bowl. 
3. Add the prawns to the hot skillet with the garlic and some olive oil. Cook until opaque, give the prawns a rough chop, and add to the seafood mixture. Make sure to scrape all of the garlic from the pan into the mix as well! It's super delicious!
4. In a medium saucepan, add the butter on medium heat. Wait until the butter is bubbling, then ad the flour and stir constantly with a whisk. Once the roux is a deep golden color, add the milk and enchilada sauce. Turn the heat to low, and let simmer for about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Add the cheese, mix it well, and let simmer until it's the desired consistency. Add the seasonings at the end to taste. (You can do this while the shrimp is cooking away, or during prep time).
5. Add about 1/2 c. of the sauce to the filling and mix it in. Fill the tortillas burrito-style with generous portions of the seafood mixture. Lay them side-by-side in the  baking pan. Top with remaining sauce, and if desired, a light sprinkle of shredded cheese. Bake uncovered for 30+ minutes. Serve hot!

Stuffed Mushrooms -- 3 ways

I can remember that I went through something like a phase when I was in middle school, where I discovered the glory of sauteed mushrooms. And I was okay with the phase, my food obsessions usually come and go and I know it. But this pesky little food obsession just hasn't died off, and lately it's been full force mushroom time in my kitchen.

For those of you "I pick mushrooms off my pizza, pull them out of my pasta, push them to the side of the plate" people, well, just stop reading because this post is all about mush-to-the-rooms. So sorry, but I can't hide my love from anyone. I just won't do it.

Now, for the good stuff. I love stuffed mushrooms, and when I haven't made them in a while I seem to forget how dang easy they are to assemble. It's the eating part that's messy, which I'm okay with as long as I get to lick my fingers when I'm done.

Keep in mind that I like things a little on the spicy side and so does the bf, so if these are too spicy you can always opt for the plainer versions of things like jalepenos (try bell peppers!) or seasonings (I put cumin on everything mushroom, it takes it to a whole new level of sinful goodness and it's not spicy at all).


Ground Beef and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

This recipe is adapted from the bf's aunt, who made these for a dinner party over the summer and I swear that every time I smell ground beef sizzling away I go off into a faraway land in my head and day dream about those delicious stuffed mushrooms I had once upon a time. One day I will get the actual recipe, and we'll see how far off I am on my version.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 76 cloves chopped garlic
• Salt/Pepper, to taste
• Cumin, to taste
• Finely diced small onion
•  20-30 mushrooms

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Put a sautee pan on medium high heat and throw in everything but the cream cheese. Cook until beef has been deeply browned and onions are translucent, about 10-15 minutes.
3. While the beef is cooking, pop the stems out of the mushrooms and peel the caps. Slice a paper thin part at the bottoms to make them lie flat
4. Drain the beef and mix it in a medium bowl with the cream cheese. Add salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. 
5. Scoop small spoonfuls of the mixture into the mushroom caps, not too overflowing but a nice heap inside. Place the mushrooms into a 9x13 butter casserole dish, and bake for 40 minutes. 

Jalepeno and Green Onion Stuffed Mushrooms
I make these when I and craving stuffed mushrooms and don't have many ingredients on hand. I try to keep jarred jalepenos on hand at all times, because they are delicious on pretty much anything savory, and I also keep green onions stocked because those, too, are a delicious and easy flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped picked jalepenos
• 2 tablespoons sliced green onion
• 1 egg yolk
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• Salt/Pepper/Cumin
• 20+ mushrooms

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Pop out the stems of the mushrooms and peel the caps. Slice a paper-thin layer off the bottom so they lie flat. 
2. Mix jalepenos, onion, egg yolk, and cream cheese, then season to taste. 
3. Spoon the mixture into the mushroom caps -- these can be quite heaping (it isn't a juicy mixture so it will stay together well in the oven!). Place stuffed mushrooms in a buttered 9x13 casserole dish, bake for 40 minutes. 

Bacon and Olive Stuffed Mushrooms
This recipe is my favorite, but also the most time consuming. The best way to make these is in advance -- they can sit in your fridge for 8 hours, letting the flavors marinade while you do what you need to do the rest of the day... then when dinner rolls around you can just pop them into the oven!

Ingredients:

• 4 strips of bacon
• 8 oz. black olives
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 1/2 c. cream cheese
• 20+ mushrooms
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Place a skillet with the bacon in it on medium-high heat, and cook until bacon is crispy. Drain the bacon and let it cool.
2. Chop the olives into small pieces, and mix with the parmesan and cream cheese in a small bowl. Chop the bacon into small pieces and add to the cheese mix. 
3. Pop the stems out of the mushrooms and peel the caps. Slice a paper-thin layer off the bottom so the caps lie flat face-up. 
4. Spoon the mixture into the caps in heaps. Place the stuffed mushrooms in a buttered casserole dish. You can cover the dish with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 8 hours, or continue.
5. Bake the mushrooms uncovered for 40 minutes at 400 F.

Enjoy!!!

Sausage and Apple Stuffing

This weekend my roommate and I cooked and baked our bums off for a huge Sunday feast for just the two of us. Just joking, we cooked for 5 people, but we got all the leftovers and that's what counts. And our bums definitely didn't disappear, what with all the taste-testing we had to do.

We roasted a turkey, made broccoli and cheese casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing, gravy, brussel sprouts, pumpkin cheesecake, and spanikopita. Now, I know all of that sounds amazing, and if you're lucky someday I will let you take a peek at my spanikopita recipe, but today I'm going to talk to you about stuffing. This stuffing is delicious, it could be a meal of it's own.

This stuffing makes enough for inside the turkey and side servings, but I personally prefer it as side dish with the promise of leftovers and not soaked in turkey juices.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf french bread
• 1-2 cups white wine
• 1-2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup cranberries
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup celery
• 1/3 cup parsley 
• Pork sausage
• Rosemary, Thyme, Sage (1 tablespoon of each fresh, or 1/2 tablespoon dried)
• 2 apples, diced

Directions:

1. Chop the french bread into 1 inch cubes, then toast in the oven for a 1-2 minutes on broil. 
2. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat, and add the pork and chopped onion. Brown the sausage, then add the celery and herbs. Turn the heat to medium-low, and let simmer while you prepare the rest of the stuffing.
3. In a large bowl, mix the apples, bread chunks, and cranberries. drizzle the wine and broth over the mix, stop when most of the bread has a bit of liquid but isn't soaked. Toss the sausage mixture with the bread mixture, then put into a 9x13" pan and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve hot!

Enjoy!!!

Pea Soup with Ham

I went on a little trip at the beginning of the month to Vancouver Island, and while I was there I was given a big bowl of pea soup. Now, unless my memory fails me, before then I had never tried pea soup. What a mistake that was! I know, I know, I keep telling you I'm not a "soup" person, and here I am telling you, "Eat this soup." Trust me, there is a reason for my inconsistencies. It's called deliciousness.

Anywho, I gobbled the bowl of soup and I couldn't stop thinking about the pea soup all day. The recipe is courtesy of my bf's mom--her food is always delicious, and she was kind enough to share her recipe. I made half a batch which is going to be enough for at least a week's worth of lunches/dinners for meeeee. And no one else.

The only differences in our recipes is that I used plain old ham, whereas she was able to find a ham bone and strip the meat off of it for the soup and cook it with the bone for flavor. I also threw everything in the slow cooker for about 5 hours before hitting the stove since I wasn't around long enough to keep an eye on the pot. In the end it was a similar outcome, but hers was better (probably because it was made with motherly love and a ham bone.. that's just my opinion). So, because my recipe was a little on the weird side, I'm giving you her recipe, just how she emailed it to me:

Pea Soup with Ham (created by a mommy, tested by GG)

I put about 3 cups of peas in water - to just cover them - boil that quickly and then put aside for about an hour to soften the peas.

then add to the peas:  

- the ham bone (if you have one - if you have a ham with a bone then cut off as much of the ham as possible and reserve it to put in almost at the end

- a finely diced onion, 

- thyme, 

- garlic powder (or garlic), 

- a bit of salt and pepper 

-  8 cups of water 

and bring all of the above to a boil, then turn down to simmer for about 90 mins to 2 hours - stirring occasionally and may have to add more water.

then when peas really mushy almost dissolved add 1 cup shredded carrots and 1 cup diced celery and cook another 30 mins or so until all really mushed together 

add ham and cook a bit more (at any time you may need to add a bit more water)

taste add seasoning to taste more thyme, salt and pepper etc.  

and voila!

It doesn't get much better than this! Of course, if you want you can do all of this in a slow cooker for about 10 hours, but the stove-top method brings more flavor.

Thank the universe for shared recipes! Enjoy!

Baba Ganoush

I was watching the Food Network's show Everyday Exotic the other day with my bf, and while he was grossed out by the dish being prepared, I immediately started preparing for a trip to the grocery store. What induced these reactions? The sight of a chef scooping roasted eggplant into a food processor to make baba ganoush. I don't usually buy eggplant because I always forget about it's delicious possibilities (sorry baba!) but the show brought it back to my attention, and here I am eating a slice of olive bread with baba ganoush spread on top. Yum! Next time I will add roasted garlic instead of raw, but other than that it's a great spread or dip when I need something to snack on!

I kind of made this up as I went, so everything is by taste and preferences:

Makes 2 cups
Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant
• Olive oil
•  Tahini
• 1 clove of garlic
• salt, pepper, parsley flakes

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise, and put it face down on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Roast the eggplant in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes (should start to have a caramelized syrup oozing out). Remove from the oven and let it cool on the baking sheet.
2. While the eggplant starts to cool, drizzle 1 part olive oil to 2 parts tahini in a medium bowl*. I like a strong tahini taste, so if you want a more mild flavor adjust the ratio to your liking! Next, throw in the garlic and scoop the eggplant into the bowl. I used 1 clove and it is a verrrry mild garlic flavor. 
3. Use an immersion blender to puree everything, then add spices to taste. It's yummy just with a slice of bread or paired with a hummus dip and veggie platter, so go wild! I eat it chilled, but it can be served at room temperature, too. 

*Note: You can also throw everything in a food processor instead of using an immersion blender!


Enjoy!

Beef Stew with Red Wine

I'm not really a "stew" or "soup" person--unless it's beef stew. I'm usually an Irish stew gal, going straight for the Guinness and beef broth, but this time I thought I'd try something different. Vegetable broth and red wine = just as delicious as the Guinness!

I am in the middle of a love affair with my slow cooker. I bought it this last summer, and I've been using it religiously ever since. I've made pulled pork, briskets, whole chickens, chicken soup, potatoes, lentils, curry, you name it. But I hadn't made stew until this week. Which may or may not be a good thing, because if I'd made the stew sooner my slow cooker probably wouldn't have seen anything but stew. for. ev. er.

I slow cooked this baby for 15 hours, but if you like your carrots not so melt-in-your-mouth (weirdo), then you probably just want to keep it to 8-10 hours like a regular boring person might do. This will last me all week, with at least one big bowl each day for lunch. If I still have quite a bit by Sunday, I will probably throw the stew into a pre-made pie crust and make a beef pot pie!

Here is my recipe for The Best Beef Stew EVER. Or, just Beef Stew if you want an unbiased title.

Serves: 8 portions
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups baby carrots
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4-6 baby red potatoes
• 3 stalks of celery
• 4 cups of water
• 1 1/2 cups red wine 
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper
• 3+ tablespoons flour 
• 1 pound stewing beef

Directions

1. Turn your slow cooker onto low heat and throw in everything but the flour and beef. 
2. After 4 hours of cooking time, put a heavy skillet on medium-high heat and once the pan is hot throw in a drizzle of oil and the pieces of beef. Sear the meat--total cooking time is around 5 minutes.
3. Throw the beef into the stew, mix, and add the flour. Check the stew again after the stew has been cooking for 6 hours total, and if you want it to thicken more add tablespoons of flour. 
4. Here is where you can either stop and turn off the slow cooker to let it stand and cool for about 45 minutes, or if you want your stew to melt in your mouth, leave it on medium for another 3-5 hours. When you are satisfied with the stew's meltiness, you can turn off the slow cooker and at that time add more flour if you still want to thicken the stew, and let it sit for 45 minutes. I don't like to add too much salt or pepper when it's still hot, so I usually add spices straight to the bowl I'm eating out of rather than the whole pot.

Enjoy!

Chewy, Soft, Yummy Brownies.

If I didn't like vegetables and cheese so much, I think I could survive on brownies, cupcakes and coffee for the rest of my life. Such satisfying treats that I am always in the mood for, but unfortunately not always in the mood to create.

I have a go-to recipe for brownies (Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies), which call for more cocoa than flour so basically they are amazing. I love that they are more cake-like in their texture than a fudge-style brownie, and they don't get tough after a few days or anything. They are little squares of perfection.

Of course, I'm telling you all of this and my point is that I tried a new recipe, and I really like it. It won't replace my favorite brownies (didn't you hear me? I love Alton's brownies!) but they are the perfect substitute when I only have 2 eggs and need to bake something yummy for my generous hosts (I'm going away for the weekend!). Plus, not everyone prefers cakey brownies like I do.

I found this recipe on All Recipes, and since it had over 100 positive reviews I decided to give it a go. My roommate declared that our place smells like a chocolate factory now and that I need to take all of the brownies with me on my trip otherwise she'd eat all of them, and I can't blame her. Their smell matches the flavor: pure chocolate-y delight.

Chewy Cocoa Brownies (modified from this recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup melted butter (I used Olive Oil "butter")
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla (homemade with vanilla beans and rum, and that's what it tastes like)
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa (heaping)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a 13x9 baking pan, and flour it. I used cocoa powder to flour it - it prevents the finished product from having that weird looking layer of whiteness (flour) on it. 
2. I don't believe in separating dry/wet ingredients for cookies or brownies, so just throw all the ingredients except butterscotch chips in a bowl and mix as you add each thing in. Fold in the chips at the last minute so you don't pulverize them with your overeager mixing. 
3. Pour into the prepared pan, and bake for about 20 minutes. Check with a toothpick (Insert, check: Clean? good to go. Dirty? put 'em back in the oven) to make sure the brownies are done before letting them cool completely. And I mean completely. Like, an hour. Then tip the brownies onto a cutting board and slice into squares. Store them in an airtight container for who knows how long. They shouldn't last more than two days if anyone else smells your yummy kitchen.

Verdict: I like them enough to save the recipe on my computer and give them as a hostess gift, but I am still a die-hard cakey brownie fan.
EXTRA: I left for 4 days and when I returned, the brownies were still as fresh as ever in a sealed container in the fridge. They get a few bonus points for that. 

Enjoy!

Black Bean and Corn Quesadilla

Have you ever put black beans and corn together? With a little salt and pepper? And maybe come chili powder? And cheese? And sauteed onions? In a tortilla?
Well, in case your answer was a pitiful "No," fear not, I will lead you to the light.

I'm not a big breakfast eater, so when lunchtime shows up I'm borderline cranky because I'm so hungry. And when I say borderline cranky, I mean don't talk to me until I have lunch on the way.

This means any quick meal is my favorite thing to eat for lunch, and quesadillas are one of those quick meals I often go to.

Of course, you can put your own variations on this quesadilla, but this is exactly what I ate for lunch today.



Ingredients:

• 1 tortilla (sun-dried tomato)
• 1 tablespoon chopped white onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 cup black beans
• 2 tablespoons salsa
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• salt&peppa to taste
• olive oil for the pans

Directions:

1. Put a little skillet on the stove on medium-high heat. Wait until the pan is hot, then drizzle in a wee bit of olive oil and throw in your onions. Cover it with a lid and let them cook for about 2 minutes, until they are starting to get a little brown and crispy looking. The turn the heat to low, throw in the garlic, corn, beans, salsa, and seasonings. Let it simmer for about 3 more minutes, then crank the heat to medium-high. 
2. Next take out a large skillet, and turn it to medium heat. Throw in your tortilla, and as the pan heats shred a layer of cheese over the whole tortilla. Once the cheese is melted, throw on the bean and corn mixture on one half of the tortilla and fold the topping-less side over it, forming a beautiful and easy quesadilla. I like mine extra crispy, so I let each side cook for a few minutes. 
3. Slide it off the pan onto a cutting board --now here is the key. Don't cut right away or else it will be all gooey and sloppy. Just wait about 30 seconds to let the cheese set a little, then slice and devour. 

Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic and Brie on French Bread

If I had to choose a favorite appetizer, it would have to be this delicious treat... okay, and maybe about ten other delicious food items that I'm not going to talk about today.

I had probably eaten this, say 4 times before I was 21? And then last summer I happened to live close to a family that had me over all the time for appies and drinks... and let's just say I didn't lose any weight eating ungodly amounts of cheese and bread and garlic on a weekly basis. And it was worth. Oh boy, was it worth it.

So, long story not so short I make this when I need to feed more than one person (trust me, you don't want to make this alone because it's impossible to exercise any self-control). The great thing is that it's easy, filling, delicious, and everyone thinks it's way more gourmet than I could ever dream to be. Right now, the smell of roasted garlic is filling my condo and it's all I can do to wait for my guest before tearing into this appy!


Now, for the good part:

Ingredients:

• 1 round of brie (or camembert/cambozola)
• 3 heads of garlic
• French baguette

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Lop off the top 1/4 of each garlic head, so the tops of each clove are exposed (don't get too fussy about this, later the skin will crack open easily if you miss one!). Here's where you can go wild: you can put the heads into a cupcake tin, in a glass dish, in a foil sack... whatever! Just remember these two rules: Drizzle with olive oil and keep the garlic covered the WHOLE time it roasts in the oven. Other than that, it's your dream, baby. Leave the garlic in the middle of the oven for about half an hour. The garlic is done when it's tender and a deep golden color.
2. While the garlic roasts, bring out the cheese and let it sit at room temperature. This is important -- you want it to be super soft for spreading. 
3. When there is roughly 5 minutes left for the garlic, slice up the french bread into 1/2" thick rounds. You can either toast the pieces in the oven, or leave it soft. I prefer unbaked, but it's your call!
4. Plate the garlic heads, cheese, and bread on a platter. I like to put a slice of brie on the french bread then smear a clove of garlic on top, which kind of melts the cheese right before you pop it into your mouth! Give each person a knife for fishing out the garlic cloves otherwise you might have a fistfight on your hands. 

Enjoy!