Confessions of a Foodie

I don’t often have a lot of leftovers to use up in a different way. This is mostly because David loves eating leftovers for breakfast! But the one thing he doesn’t tend to eat again is leftover vegetables. Many times these end up growing and interesting layer of fur in the refrigerator. But earlier this week I made some delicious green beans with crimini mushrooms, and I didn’t want them to go to waste. So the next morning I decided to make a green been and crimini mushroom frittata, the result was DELICIOUS! Any leftover veggie can be substituted, so I hope you’ll give this a try the next time you’re trying to figure out what to do with your leftover green beans or brocolli or spinach…well you get the idea.

Ingredients *This recipe is for 1-2 servings. You can always make it for more by adding additional eggs.
3 eggs
1 T milk or half & half
2-3 squirts Tabasco
2 T olive oil
1 c leftover veggies
1/4 c shredded mozzerella cheese
1 T parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in a small, oven-safe skillet or egg pan over Read the rest of this entry »

My mother-in-law was a dear friend of mine while she was alive. She had so many wonderful attributes, but cooking really was not one of them! Read the rest of this entry »

So tonight after dinner, I had a serious craving for something sweet and chocolatey. But with no ready-made goodies on hand, I had to get my creative juices flowing. Read the rest of this entry »

As the new year approaches, I know that many people are making resolutions to lose weight. Dieting, gym memberships, and diet supplements will be part of many people’s future. My own resolutions is to just eat more healthy foods. So I hit the foodnetwork website in search of a few healthy recipes. The first I tried was written by Ellie Krieger–Greek-style Stuffed Peppers. I tweaked the recipe to my own tastes using ingredients I had at home. I must say, they were the most delicious stuffed peppers I’ve ever eaten. So I hope you will try it out, and join me in the new year eating more nutritiously. Read the rest of this entry »

This is the perfect remedy to any cold, rainy day. I’ve been working on perfecting this recipe for about 5 years, and I think this is it! So enjoy this wonderfully creamy concoction on the next wet, winter night. Read the rest of this entry »

I love Christmas, and I’m so glad that it’s just around the corner. One tradition that I look forward to each year, especially since my son was born, is baking cookies. I don’t think there’s anything more fun than being covered in flour and candies! Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, as I’ve already stated this week, I love asparagus! And I have a number of different ways that I like to prepare it. But this one I was actually a little skeptical about. This recipe is from one of the finalists from “The Next Food Network Star” series. Rory that sweet gal from Texas came up with this recipe which calls for coating asparagus spears in sugar and then grilling them. I imagined an overpowering sweetness that would mask the asparagus’ taste. I was wrong! The fire from the grill caramalized the sugar to form a perfectly sweet coating on the asparagus. It was absolutely amazing! So I hope you will give it a try.

Ingredients:
1 bundle asparagus, about 20 spears
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 orange, zested

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Cut the tough ends off asparagus, roll in oil and coat with sugar and salt. Place asparagus on the grill and cook for approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Turn asparagus to ensure even cooking. You know the asparagus are done when sugar is caramelized and asparagus are starting to look burnt. Sprinkle orange zest over asparagus before serving.

I love eating aparagus, but only if it is fresh. No, slimy, camo-green-colored spears for me! I have several ways that I like to prepare those tasty green stalks. Roasting is probably the most simple.

Ingredients
1 bundle fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/4 olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine the olive oil and garlic in a large bowl. Toss the asparagus in the olive oil mixture. Spread the asparagus on the baking sheet in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until you can smell the asparagus.

This is great paired with broiled fish for a healthy, light dinner. Enjoy!

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

This is my husbands favorite, and only, way he likes brocolli. It’s amazing how oven roasting changes the flavor of brocolli. Try this, especially if you don’t like brocolli, I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

Ingredients

1 bunch brocolli, cut into long florets
1/4 c olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 c parmesan cheese
1-2 Tbs salt
1-2 tsp fresh-ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Mix olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss the brocolli in the olive oil mixture. Place the brocolli on the foil-lined cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the florets’ edges are just turning golden.

This is the now famous fried chicken recipe, from the now infamous going away party I threw last week. It is from the Barefoot Contessa’s (Ms. Ina Garten’s) kitchen. I tweaked it a little to my tastes. Hope you don’t mind, Ina! It’s so easy and delicious. And even though I had TONS left over (that happens when you make 40 pounds!), it was delicious cold. We ate on it for about a week! Try it, and let me know what you think.

2 chickens (3 pounds each), cut in 8 serving pieces
1 quart buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil or vegetable shortening

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and coat each piece thoroughly with the flour mixture. Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed stockpot to a depth of 1-inch and heat to 360 degrees F on a thermometer.

Working in batches, carefully place several pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until the coating is a light golden brown (it will continue to brown in the oven). Don’t crowd the pieces. Remove the chicken from the oil and place each piece on a metal baking rack set on a sheet pan. Allow the oil to return to 360 degrees F before frying the next batch. When all the chicken is fried, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve hot.