Best Fettucine EVER! July 31, 2008

Here is my fav recipe for chicken fettuccine alfredo (with or without the broccoli!)  I stole it and tweaked it by adding broccoli and chicken.  It is originally from the cookbook, Cooking Light: Annual Recipes 2008.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low fat millk
• 1 1/4 cups (5 oz.) grated fresh Parmigiano cheese (I just shake/measure it out of the Kraft container)
• 2 tablespoons less fat cream cheese
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 cups cooked fettucine (8 oz. uncooked pasta)
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Cracked black pepper
• as much broccoli and grilled chicken as you like (my own addition)

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.  Stiir in flour.  Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk.  Cook 6 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.  Add 1 cup Parm., cream cheese, and salt, stirring with a whisk u ntil cheeses melt.  Toss sauce with pasta.  Sprinkle with 1/4 c. Parm. and parsley.  Garnish with black pepper if  desired.

**FYI:  Regarding the broccoli–I steam it in my Pampered Chef microwave steamer and throw it in the bowl with the pasta.  I also use pre-grilled chicken, or if someone is with me, have that person grill fresh chicken, then chop it up and throw it in the bowl with everything as well.  It is the best!

~Becky Schipper

Strawberry Lettuce Salad July 25, 2008

This is from one of my Aunt’s, LOVE it!!

 

1 or 1/2 head lettuce

1 pint strawberries

1/2 onion diced (optional)

Pecans or Almonds heated with 1/2 cup sugar over low heat (WATCH carefully, once the sugar starts to melt, you want to stir continuously otherwise it will burn)

 

Dressing:

1/2 Cup Mayo

2 TBL. Vinegar

1/4 Cup milk

1/3 Cup Sugar

1 TBL. Sour Cream

2 TBL.  Poppy Seeds

**Mix with a wisk & pour over salad just before serving

 

~Becki Dykstra

Classic Bruschetta July 25, 2008

So easy & inexpensive but people always think you spent sooo much time on it!!

FYI:  I don’t really measure anything out, it all depends on how many people I am making it for

 

1 box grape tomatoes

1 container feta cheese (I use the Athenos Sundried Tomato & Basil, but use whatever looks best to you!)

Basil

**Chop all these up & mix together in bowl

**Add Balsamic Vinagrette dressing (to taste, I add just enough to make it a little saucey, otherwise it is really drippy!!)

 

Serve with Cracker or even better, toasted baguette

 

~Becki Dykstra

Yummy Cheesy Potatoes July 25, 2008

An old classic I know but who doesn’t love Cheesy Potatoes!!

2lb. bag of frozen hash brown potatoes – country style

1 can cream of potato soup

1 can cream of celery soup (really ANY of the cream soups work if you don’t have these 2 around)

8 oz. sour cream

1 cup milk

chopped onion (optional)

**Mix all together & put in 9 x 13 pan

Bake 1 hour at 350

After 30 minutes, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top & continue baking

 

~Becki Dykstra

Pesto Please? July 24, 2008

Hey June!

Can you post your recipe for pesto?

Also, what day are we thinking about getting together to make meals?

~Elizabeth Fannon

I would love to share!  I just made a batch yesterday and it was delish!  Looking forward to getting more recipes posted (hint, hint).  Elizabeth–I added a few tags to this post, including your name so we can search for recipes by your name.

Pesto (from the cookbook Hollyhocks and Radishes–a great cookbook I received as a wedding shower gift ; the author is from the Upper Peninsula so it makes a great gift for out of state friends)

2 1/4 c lightly packed basil leaves, washed

1 c freshly grated parmesan cheese

2-3 cloves garlic

1/4 c pine nuts

1/2 c olive oil

2 T butter, softened (I think this is a key ingrdient–makes it creamier)

pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth.

Keep in refrigerator.  Let warm to room temp to use.  Once in a great while I need to add a little oil after it’s been cooled in the fridge to make it saucy again. 

Uses:  on pasta, bread, salad, chicken, pizza, soups, veggies, etc.

Yesterday I used baby lettuces, rotini pasta, cooked chicken, and the pesto for a salad.  It’s kind of like the pesto salad they serve at Rose’s.

Bruschetta with Gorgonzola Cheese and Honey July 24, 2008

This recipe is from my good friend Giada De Laurentiss. This recipe combines the perfect sweetness of the honey and the sharpness of the cheese. It is a great appetizer!

36 slices (1/2-inch thick) baguette bread, about 1 loaf
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces Gorgonzola, sliced
3 tablespoons honey

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.Arrange the sliced baguette on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Bake until the bread is pale golden and crisp, about 10 minutes.

Arrange the cheese on the toasts and bake until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes.

Drizzle the toasts with honey. Place on a serving platter and serve immediately.

~Enjoy!

Elizabeth Fannon

easy basic vinaigrette July 22, 2008

This is a simple vinaigrette that’s easy and contains ingredients you can always have on hand.  It’s from the South Beach Diet which actually has very good recipes.  It is made to go with a Greek salad, but would go well on any basic salad.

Vinaigrette

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T fresh lemon juice (I always use fresh squeezed, but I heard the bottle from Costco is really good–I bought it to try it)

1 t dried oregano leaves

1/2 t salt (I always use sea salt, and I think it makes a difference)

Whisk it all together in a small bowl and voila!

island pork tenderloin July 21, 2008

This is the most amazing pork tenderloin I’ve ever made or eaten (if I do say so myself).  I made just the pork tenderloin with the glaze (which was easy and fast), but it would also be incredible in the salad.  This is from http://www.epicurious.com.

Ingredients

For pork
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pork tenderloins (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 lb total)
2 tablespoons olive oil

For glaze
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Tabasco

For vinaigrette
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder, toasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

For salad
3 navel oranges
5 oz baby spinach, trimmed (6 cups leaves)
4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage (from 1 medium head)
1 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 firm-ripe California avocados

Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer

Preparation

Prepare pork:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with spice rub.

Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in skillet.

Make glaze and roast pork:
Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat onto top of each tenderloin. Roast in middle of oven until thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140°F, about 20 minutes. Let pork stand in skillet at room temperature 10 minutes. (Temperature will rise to about 155°F while standing.)

Make vinaigrette while pork roasts:
Whisk together juices, mustard, curry powder, salt, and pepper, then add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.

Prepare salad ingredients while pork stands:
Cut peel, including white pith, from oranges with a sharp knife, then cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Toss spinach, cabbage, bell pepper, and raisins in a large bowl with about 1/4 cup vinaigrette. Halve, pit, and peel avocados, then cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Assemble salad:
Cut pork at a 45-degree angle into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Line a large platter with dressed salad and arrange sliced pork, oranges, and avocados in rows on top. Drizzle some vinaigrette over avocados and oranges. Pour any juices from skillet over pork.