Sausage & Watercress Penne

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dinner, easy dinner, easy meal, easy recipe, food, foodie, lunch, meal, pasta, penne, postaday2011, quick & easy, quick and easy, quick recipe, recipe, sausage, watercress, yellow pepper

A tasty heap of comfort food is the perfect way to end the day…

Sausage & Watercress Penne

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey sausage, 1 lb. penne, 3 c. chopped watercress, 1/2 shallot (minced), 2 diced yellow bell peppers, 1/2 c. dry white wine, fresh ground sea salt

Directions:
Cook penne according to package. Drop sausage by the spoonful into pan of shallow water and simmer until meat is done (water should be gone, if not drain water). Remove sausage from pan then add wine and deglaze pan.  Toss peppers, shallots and watercress in pan and simmer. Sprinkle with fresh ground sea salt. Return sausage to pan. Pour over pasta and garnish with freshly grated pecorino romano.

*I actually use turkey breakfast sausage for this recipe. I prefer the flavor of breakfast sausage over the other varieties…
*Some people use only the watercress leaves, I roughly chop the leaves and stems alike, it adds to the texture.

What are your weekend plans?

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Braised Pork Loin

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braised pork loin, braising, dinner, easy cooking, easy dinner, easy meal, easy recipe, meat, pork, pork loin, postaday2011, recipe

Hubster’s Sixth Course was Braised Pork Loin…

Braised Pork Loin

Ingredients:
Tied pork loin, 1 bottle wine, 1 minced shallot, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 4 bay leaves

Directions:
Warm olive oil in large pot and brown shallot. Add pork loin to pan and brown for about two minutes on each sides. Add bay leaves and wine to pot, bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat, allow to simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Slice meat and serve hot.

*You can use beer, juice, apple cider, wine, really any liquid to braise your pork loin. Experiment with a few different fluids and see what tastes you prefer.

How do you like your pork loin?

Grilled Salmon Cakes

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appetizer, easy, easy dinner, easy recipe, fatty acids, fish, food, foodie, omega 3, omega-3 fatty acids, postaday2011, recipe, salad, salmon, spinach

I love salmon… it’s the only fish I actually like. Unfortunately I don’t get eat it very often, since Hubster doesn’t like seafood. I felt in need of a little omega-3, but I didn’t want to torture him with this one… so I made these salmon cakes for lunch on Sunday while we was out. I also forgot to take a picture before cutting into them…

Grilled Salmon Cakes

 

Ingredients:
can of salmon, 2 eggs, 1 piece bread crumbled (or 1/3 c. plain bread crumbs), 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1/2 orange pepper (finely chopped), 1/2 tsp. dill weed, 1/2 tsp. lemon peel, pinch of celery seed, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
Flake salmon apart. Beat eggs and set aside. Add peppers, mustard, dill, lemon, celery seed, salt & pepper to the salmon and mix throughly. Mix in bread crumbs and eggs. Chill for 20 minutes. Form mixture into salmon cakes (roll into small balls, then press down to flatten) and chill again. Place on a hot grill. Grill on both sides, until crispy on the outside and completely done in center.

Serve salmon cakes on bed of baby spinach with a mustard vinaigrette or on a bun with crumbled bleu cheese & baby spinach.

*When using canned salmon, I retain some of the liquid for Rory to drink.

*Make these salmon cakes petite and serve them as an appetizer

You could also pan-fry, bake or broil the salmon cakes.

What is your favorite side dish to eat with a salmon cake or crab cake?

Grilled Breakfast Wraps

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bacon, breakfast, breakfast for dinner, brunch, dinner, easy dish, easy recipe, eggs, food, foodie, grilling, lunch, postaday2011, quick and easy, recipe, salsa, wrap

Today is Ground Hog’s Day…. will we have 6 more weeks of Winter?  Or will Spring come early?

I whipped up breakfast, while I was waiting for Punxsutawney Phil to make his prognostication. These Grilled Breakfast Wraps can be made with what ever ingredients you like.

Grilled Breakfast Wraps

Ingredients:
4 whole-wheat flour tortillas, 5 eggs, splash of milk, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, 5 slices of turkey bacon, fresh salsa, Mexican blend shredded cheese, taco sauce

Directions:
Beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper together. Chop bacon and toss into egg mixture. Pour into pan and scramble eggs over medium heat. Warm flour tortillas briefly in oven. Layer eggs, cheese and fresh salsa in wrap. Fold side in, bottom up and top down. Place seam side down on hot griddle. Grill for a few minutes and flip. Serve hot with taco sauce for dipping.

Whether making this easy dish for an on-the-go breakfast, a hearty brunch or a breakfast for dinner night, it’s sure to please those around you.

What ingredients would you include in a grilled breakfast wrap?

 

Updated at 8:30am… the benefit to having a massive winter storm on Ground Hog’s Day?

Photo Courtesy of groundhog.org

 

Basmati Pistachio Rice

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basmati, easy meal, easy recipe, Indian cooking, Indian cuisine, Indian food, pistachio, postaday2011, quick & easy, recipe, rice, side dishes, vegan, vegetarian

As a side dish I was going to make plain basmati rice and daal. However, when I looked in my pantry there were no lentils. I had to quickly change my plans to create a lightly flavored rice.

Basmati Pistachio Rice

Ingredients:
2 c. water, 1 c. basmati rice, 1 c. pistachios, 2 bay leaves, 1 small piece of cinnamon stick, 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Bring water, olive oil and bay leaves to boil. Add rice and cinnamon stick, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Fluff rice and stir in pistachios. Serve hot.

Serve as a side dish with curried vegetables.

What quick substitutions have you had to make recently?

Chicken Crêpes with Tarragon Champagne Sauce

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brunch, chicken, crêpes, cuisine, dinner, easy recipe, food, foodie, French, gourmet, lunch, postaday2011, quick & easy, quick recipe, recipe, sauce, tarragon

Crêpes are a versatile food. They can be hearty enough for dinner, light enough for lunch, sweet enough for dessert and delicious enough for brunch. Crêpes are also a great way to use up leftover chicken or veggies in your fridge. I make a large stack of crêpes one day and freeze them for the month…  Last night I made these tasty Chicken & Tarragon Crêpes.

Chicken Crêpes with Tarragon Champagne Sauce

Ingredients:
4 crêpes, 2 cooked chicken breasts (Mine are leftover from another meal where I marinated and grilled them), 1 c. heavy cream, 1 c. champagne, 2 Tbsp. butter, 1 shallot (minced), 1 Tbsp. tarragon, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard (optional), fresh cracked black pepper, fresh ground sea salt

Directions:
Cut chicken into pieces and set aside. Brown shallots in butter, add chicken to pan and warm. Remove chicken. Pour champagne, Dijon and tarragon to pan, allow to simmer. Add cream, salt and pepper and simmer. Slowly add flour, whisking constantly. Allow sauce to thicken. Add chicken back to sauce. Warm crêpes in oven for a few minutes. Divide chicken mixture between crêpes and top with remaining sauce. Serve hot!

I loved how this sauce turned out, I was picturing it drizzled over pasta or salmon, Hubster was envisioning it over a burger…

What is your favorite herb to use when cooking?

Grilled Brie, Pear & Spinach on Rosemary Bread

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brie, brunch, easy recipe, food, foodie, gourmet, grilled cheese, grilling, lunch, luncheon, pear, postaday2011, quick & easy, quick recipe, recipe, rosemary bread, sandwich, spinach, vegetarian

Grilled Cheese for the Adults

Grilled Brie, Pear & Spinach on Rosemary Bread

 

 

I used last night’s rosemary bread recipe and made smaller sandwich sized loaves for this recipe, but you can slice a loaf to make these tasty sandwiches.

Ingredients:
fresh-baked rosemary bread, butter, brie cheese, red pear, Anjou pear, baby spinach leaves

Directions:
Thinly slice brie and pears. Layer bread with brie, pears and spinach. Butter outside of bread and grill. Serve warm!

What is your favorite grilled cheese variation?