Baconfest in San Diego!

I was invited to attend a Baconeers Baconfest event and even though it was last minute, I couldn't resist! 'Baconeers' collaborated with Hormel Black Label Bacon and they have sponsored a lot of fun bacony events around town this month to promote the San Diego Bacon Festival happening this Saturday, August 30th from 1PM to 5PM, get your tickets here!

The event I went to was part of the East Village Takeover called First Annual Pigcasso Art Competition. Several talented local artists were recruited to commission a painting within 60 minutes that captures the spirit of International Bacon Day in San Diego, interesting challenge.

The winner of the art competition not only won this trophy, but also a years supply of Hormel Black Label Bacon! We were treated by Bub's at the Ballpark Mustard-Bourbon Glazed Pork Belly Skewers, they were delicious!

It was a great opportunity for us to check out the restaurant Southpaw Social Club. They are in a fantastic location, basically right behind Petco Park. They have three outdoor patios including a cozy fireplace with casual, eclectic, rustic decor. The layout is really well thought out and it has a very comfortable vibe. Although we didn't get to sample anything off the menu this time, it was riddled with temptation.

It was a great evening thank you to all the sponsors; Baconeers, Black Label Bacon, Jenny, Joe, Gus, Southpaw Social Club, all of the artists, and to Lyft for getting us there and back!

Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I was always a little skeptical of lettuce taking the place of a tortilla. Something as perfect as a taco just shouldn't be messed with. 

What convinced me to try these lettuce wraps? I am always looking for quick and easy, healthy, low carb, low calorie, low fat, gluten free dinner ideas. What I discovered is that these wraps are super delicious and a nice twist to the taco concept with an Asian flair!

To make these pescatarian friendly, substitute the ground turkey for shrimp, they taste awesome!

Spicy Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili pepper flakes

Ground pepper, to taste

2 cups carrots (about 4 medium), shredded

1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, sliced thin

½ cup peanuts

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup teriyaki sauce

¼ cup low sodium soy sauce

½ cup (about a handful) cilantro, chopped

1 head leafy lettuce (you could use kale or baby romaine), leaves separated, rinsed and dried

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over high heat. Season ground turkey with ground ginger, garlic powder, chili flakes and pepper then add to skillet. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon as it browns. Cook about 5 minutes or until meat is almost cooked through–but still slightly pink. Remove from skillet and place into a bowl; cover loosely with foil to keep meat warm. Set aside.

Using the same large skillet, add shredded carrots, peppers and onions and cook over medium heat until vegetables soften (about 3 minutes). Mix with wooden spoon or spatula to combine ingredients.

Add mushrooms, peanuts and garlic to the skillet and mix to combine ingredients. Cook all vegetables until softened, about 4 minutes.

Add reserved browned turkey to the vegetables. Add teriyaki sauce, soy sauce and cilantro to the meat and vegetable mixture. Combine all ingredients together and cook over medium heat.

Adjust amount of herbs and sauces to taste. Lower heat and simmer, allowing all flavors to meld. Top with cilantro.

While turkey mix is simmering, prepare lettuce leaves. Use a clean dishcloth or paper towels to dry leaves well.

Divide about 1/3 cup of turkey mix among each of the lettuce leaves.

I find it helpful to start eating from the stem side and roll the leafy side up to hold in the juices and filling.

Enjoy!

Shakshuka - [Eggs with Meat and Tomato Sauce]

Shakshuka is a popular dish in North Africa and the Middle East. It is basically eggs cooked in a thick, spicy sauce of tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and spices. I just like to say it, Shakshuka! [shahk-SHOO-kah]

There are many variations of Shakshuka, and I imagine there is a similar version of this dish in every culture. Here is a very basic recipe which I have adjusted to our tastes and preferences, I hope you enjoy!

Shakshuka [Eggs with Meat and Tomato Sauce]

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion, sliced

1 cup fresh organic spinach

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 can organic diced tomatoes

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

16 oz ground sausage meat (optional)

1 tbsp fresh oregano

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

4 fresh organic, pasture-raised eggs

Goat cheese crumbles for garnish

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add sliced onions and red bell pepper, sauté for 5 minutes until onions are translucent.

Add sausage to skillet and break and spinach, let sausage cook and spinach wilt

Add in diced tomatoes, herbs and spices; mix to combine.

Gently spread an area and crack an egg in, continue with remaining eggs. To cook quicker, cover the skillet.

Cook until eggs are at desired doneness, about 4 to 6 minutes.

  

Garnish with cilantro, crumbled goat cheese, paprika and freshly cracked black pepper.

Print this recipe!

Prosciutto, Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Three Cheese Flatbread

There are many great things about living in San Diego California.

Besides the incredible weather, we have an abundance of the best seafood, Mexican food, craft beer, local and sustainable farming, and some of the best restaurants, bars and hospitality across the world. Yes, I might sound like an advertisement for tourism in San Diego, but I am just proud of my home town!

One of my favorite parts of San Diego is the historic Little Italy neighborhood. If you have the opportunity, you must check out the fantastic Little Italy farmers market every Saturday. I encourage you to talk a walk and explore the neighborhood that contains so much of San Diego's historical Italian culture.

If you happen upon a quaint little deli such as Assentis Pasta, or across the street at Mona Lisa's, do yourself a favor and pick up some freshly shaved prosciutto, some pasta and some cheese, you can thank me by inviting me over to help you eat it!

The following recipe is just one example of what you could make with that prosciutto and that cheese, trust me, the results are delicious!

Prosciutto, Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Three Cheese Flatbread  (printable recipe here)

Ingredients:

2 8-inch thin flatbreads  - (we love Flatout Flatbread)
4 tbsp olive oil (garlic infused if available)
1 small onion, sliced thin
10-15 small mushrooms, sliced thin
6 oz. thin shaved premium prosciutto
3 oz. sliced mozzarella cheese
2 oz. crumbled goat cheese
2 oz. Parmegiano Reggiano, finely shredded
1 cup fresh arugula or spinach

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Slice the onions and mushrooms. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet over medium/high heat, add onions. Cook until lightly browned and caramelized. Add the mushrooms to the same skillet for last 4-5 minutes, turn off heat and set aside.

Important! Before you put any ingredients on it, bake the flatbread by itself on a cookie sheet for 2-4 minutes. Remove from oven.

Drizzle flatbread with garlic flavored olive oil and evenly spread with a brush all over the top. Assemble the prosciutto, caramelized onions, mushrooms, sliced mozzarella, goat cheese, and some of the arugula. Drizzle with more oil.

Bake for about 6-7 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve with shredded parmegiano reggiano, more arugula and a splash of olive oil.

Wisconsin Chili

Wisconsin Chili

This is one of my favorite comfort food recipes passed down to me from my Grandma Johnson. I remember her making it often throughout the year, even on Christmas Eve, and especially on cold and rainy days. Since my Grandma raised 5 kids on a pretty tight budget, Mom says they ate this a lot growing up.

It really isn't a traditional chili at all, but it is an easy and inexpensive meal to prepare (especially for a lot of people) and it is even better warmed up the next day!

Ingredients (makes 6-8 servings)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 c. dry large elbow macaroni
1lb. ground beef
3-5 celery stalks, chopped
2 cans red kidney beans
46 oz. tomato juice (I like V-8 Spicy blend)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. red pepper chili flakes
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Chop onions and celery into small bite size pieces.
Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions, but cook the pasta 1-2 minutes less than done.
Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot, add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add the ground beef, salt pepper, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook until beef browns.
Toss in the chopped celery, kidney beans and stir for a couple of minutes.
Gradually add in the tomato juice. Let simmer over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes and serve.

Note: There have been many attempts to improve, alter, add to, enhance or change this recipe, the options are endless, but this is the way I like it best, simple!

Figs Stuffed with Goat Cheese & Wrapped in Prosciutto

Guess what we are making for this weekends Annual Big Sicilian Family Reunion and Bocce Tournament?

Just slightly decadent...... baked figs stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto.

Originally hailing from southern Europe, Asia and Africa, figs were thought to be sacred by the ancients, they were also known as a symbol of peace and prosperity. Figs were brought to North America by the Spanish Franciscan missionaries who came to set up Catholic missions in Southern California…. hence the now popular Mission fig.

Figs are available from May to November (depending on the variety). They are very perishable and should be eaten soon after picked, but may be stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. Also to note, figs are a good source of iron, calcium, fiber and antioxidants, so eat up! 

Figs Stuffed with Goat Cheese, wrapped in Prosciutto

(Printable Recipe here)

Use fresh rosemary sprigs in place of toothpicks in assembling the figs, not only to help keep them together, but rosemary also  infuses the flavor during the baking. Makes 12 hors-d’ouevres.

Ingredients:

12 figs, ripe but not too soft

6 ounces soft (room temp) goat cheese

6 slices prosciutto, sliced in half length-wise (We buy ours from Assenti's)

4 large rosemary sprigs, cut in thirds, plus extra for garnish

Extra-virgin olive oil

Honey

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. (180 C.)

Wash, dry and cut the figs crosswise from the top, halfway down the fruit.  Gently separate the quarters to create an opening. Scoop 2 teaspoons of goat cheese into the opening, without over stuffing. Wrap each fig a with prosciutto slice. Pierce the prosciutto and fig with a rosemary skewer to hold in place. 

Arrange figs in a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (the prosciutto is also salty). Bake in oven until prosciutto begins to get crisp and cheese is tinged brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully discard baked rosemary sprigs. Arrange figs on serving platter and drizzle each fig with honey. Garnish with fresh rosemary leaves. Serve immediately.

Taste of Little Italy-Our Experience!

It has taken me a few days to get this post up, we moved AGAIN (second time in 3 months) and things have been a little chaotic. But, I am very happy to report that we are ecstatic about our new home! More to come on that soon.....

Thanks to the generosity of some kind people at Citrus PR, Mark and I were able to attend The Taste of Little Italy last week.Wow, what FANTASTIC way to discover new restaurants in one of our favorite parts of town!

The starting point where we picked up our passports

A very nice presentation at Prep Kitchen

Prep Kitchen's Stuffed Dates wrapped in Bacon, with Sangria!

Napizza, maybe the best pizza I have ever had???

Of course live music....

Amazing slices at Isola Pizza Bar!

Anthology's local Halibut Crudo on Brioche Toast with Fava Bean Pesto

Fabrison's assortment of dessert crepes, deliciouso!

Enoteca Style Prosecco

Enoteca Style Corn Salad, very nice!

Puerto La Boca's sampling of steak & sausage, outstanding!

Mark couldn't decide which to eat first....eh, one is MINE!

We ended up back at Isola for a glass of vino to relax and recap an amazing event!

Out of twenty nine participating restaurants, we only made it to sixteen, but that was more than enough to satisfy our hunger as well as our curiosity. We discovered MANY new restaurants that we will be coming back to visit again and again! 

Ham, Kale and Bean Soup

I don't know how official it is, but I heard that January is National Soup Month. Why not? It's hard to pick just one to start with..... but we managed.

We co-hosted a fabulous New Year’s Day party this year where we enjoyed the company of some fantastic friends and family and we got to feast on some amazing food. Extra bonus, we received some yummy hostess gifts and somehow we even ended up with a substantial portion of leftover honey baked ham……

If you live in Santa Barbara and you are a foodie, you probably know my cousin Krista. She is the editor of Edible Santa Barbara, one of the most impressive food magazines on the stands today. Krista and her husband Steve have worked hard to create an amazing publication including recipes, articles on gardening, organic farming, wineries and so much more, click here to explore.

Krista and Steve gifted us with a fantastic hostess gift from Shepherd Farms in Carpenteria. I have not been there yet, but I can say that Sheperd Farms makes a fantastic organic dried “Herbs de Provence”. This particular blend includes sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, oregano and bay. I can only imagine the possibilities, soups, sauces, marinades, eggs, salads.........

Inspired by our gifts and the desire to eat something that is NOT stuffed, fried or drenched in butter or alcohol, we threw together the following ingredients to create this delicious and healthy Ham, Kale and Bean Soup. Remarkably quick, mostly healthy and incredibly delicious!

Ham, Kale and Bean Soup

Makes 4-6 servings
printable version

1 ½ cup cooked ham, chopped 

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, diced

½ onion, chopped

1 leek, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 can pinto beans

1 can cannelloni beans

2 cups chopped kale

5 cups vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Herbs de Provence (or blend of dried herbs)

In a large pot or Dutch Oven heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onions and garlic and saute until tender about 10 minutes.

Add the ham, beans, vegetable broth and season with salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence. Bring to a light boil and add kale. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until kale is cooked to desired tenderness.

You can't get much easier than that! Enjoy with a nice piece of crusty bread, or better yet, a grilled cheese sandwich!

Favorite Soups and Stews to Warm You Up!

As you can see from my lack of posts lately, I have been in a blogging funk.

It's certainly not because we have not been cooking some great stuff, we have made some fabulous meals lately,  I just haven't felt like writing.

Since we write this blog as a team, my partner in crime is stepping up and giving me that extra "shove" that I need. By that, I mean Mark has come up with a 'blog menu' of dishes that he will prepare with the specific intention of posting. The list includes some exciting and exotic dishes featuring some unusual spices and ingredients, I am sure you will be intrigued too!


In the meantime, here are a few of our most popular soups and stews to help inspire and keep you warm during these cool and rainy days.

Butternut Squash & Red Pepper Soup

White Bean Chicken Chili

 Mushroom Barley Soup

Egyptian Split Pea Soup

Albondigas

Check back soon, new and exciting dishes are on the way! I'm getting inspired just thinking about it!

What to Cook During a Blackout.......

Things got interesting in Southern California last night. About 3:30 in the afternoon the entire region lost all electricity. I was on the road trying to meet up with my boss, but even the cell phone towers were down so we could not make phone calls. Traffic became a nightmare with all the traffic signals down, it amazes me how many people don’t know what to do at an intersection when the lights are flashing!

Did I mention today is my husband’s birthday?

By the time I got home, it was clear that the power was not coming back on soon, and it was going to be a long night. Fortunately, I had time to gather an assortment of candles, flashlights, BATTERIES, water, and matches, before the sun went down.

The one thing I was not prepared for was what to eat. Mark was scheduled to work late, I had a simple grilled cheese sandwich in mind before all the chaos, when he got sent home early, we had to reevaluate the dinner situation.

Thank goodness we still had propane in the BBQ.

Since you shouldn't open the refrigerator unless totally necessary, we quickly grabbed the half frozen Italian sausage and the yellow mustard, oh, and the bottle of white wine that was luckily still a little cool!

We found just enough sliced wheat bread for each of us. Then Mark mixed up some of his famous mustard sauce, simply yellow mustard, honey and a little cayenne pepper. Yes, by candlelight.

The sausages were perfectly grilled, and of course nice and spicy! 

It was not a fancy meal, and it was certainly NOT a photo op evening, but it was kind of fun. Our "first Crisis" as a married couple! I think we both agree, we need to get better prepared for this type of thing, our fathers would both be disappointed....

The rest of the evening was super fun. With no phones, TV’s or computers to distract us, we sat outside, looked at the stars, visited with the neighbors, and of course we sort of felt compelled to eat as much perishable cheese as humanly possible, it was going to go bad, right?

We are all back to normal today, our power came back around 10PM last night. Now, I need to go through the fridge and figure out what can be salvaged and what has to be tossed out. According to this, I should throw out most everything in the fridge, but the freezer stuff should be OK. 

I better get to work....batteries, I NEED to put batteries on my shopping list.....

Stay tuned to find out what we make for Marks REAL birthday celebration meal!

PS. Please notice I highlighted a bunch of words in my post today.....these are all IMPORTANT things to think about in case of an emergency!

Albondigas Soup

Comfort food for any culture!

One of most favorite soups in the world is Albondigas Soup. In case you don’t know what that is, it is a traditional Mexican soup with a broth base, seasonal vegetables and spicy meatballs. In any culture, it is the perfect comfort food after a long, cold day.

I wish I had a wise Mexican grandmother to teach me how to make the traditional authentic Albondigas, (or sopa de albondigas) but I don’t. So, with the help of 6 cookbooks and the internet, I think I came up with a sufficient version. Of course I will undoubtedly tweak this recipe, add a little of this or maybe some of that, until it is perfect. In the meantime, here is how I made my first Albondigas soup.

For the Meatballs:

1 ½ pounds ground beef

½ cup finely diced onion

¼  cup finely diced celery

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 eggs

½ cup uncooked rice

2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs

1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

salt, ground black pepper

For the Soup:

8 cups chicken stock (I use low sodium)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 potatoes cut into bite sized pieces

½ cup thinly sliced carrots

½ cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped fresh Roma tomatoes

5-6 whole cloves of garlic

1 tsp red chili flakes

1 bunch cilantro

1 lime
Fresh corn tortillas

How to prepare

---

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine beef, onion, ¼ cup celery, garlic, cumin, eggs, rice, parsley, oregano, and bread crumbs, and salt and pepper. Mix well. Form into 30 small meatballs. Place on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Set aside.

Place the cut potatoes in a pot of boiling water and cook until just tender, but not too soft. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot. Add carrots, remaining ½ cup celery, and garlic.

Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chili flakes, and the potatoes.

Add the chicken stock and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add meatballs and continue to simmer on low heat until ready to serve.

Serve hot and garnish with cilantro and lime and corn tortillas.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

When it comes to finding inspiration for dinner, I just open up Foodbuzz. It doesn't take long to find countless tempting recipes with amazing pictures all begging to be made and tasted. The hard part is deciding which ONE to make today!

When I ran across this recipe for Stuffed Poblano Peppers from A Couple Cooks, I knew it was meant to be. I love their blog, it's well written, easy to read, and great pictures! I have made several recipes inspired by them, we seem to like a lot of the same ingredients.

This recipe is easy to adjust to your preference. The way they made it is a wonderful vegetarian dish, but I had some ground pork that I didn't know what to do with, so I threw it in, a good idea! I also took note of Sonja's comment and decided to use goat cheese instead of the Mexican blend, another good idea!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 poblano peppers
1 cup uncooked brown rice (or any cooked grain)
1 cup of cooked ground pork (optional)
1 cup salsa
1 15 oz. can of black beans
1 cup frozen or canned corn kernels
8 oz cheese (shredded blend, goat cheese, or ??)
3 green onions (optional)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
Chopped cilantro for serving (optional)
Cayenne to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper


Combine 1 cup uncooked rice with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then simmer according to package instructions. (Or, prepare the rice or grain ahead of time.)
While the rice cooks, prepare the peppers: slice them in half and remove the seeds and ribs. Make sure to wear gloves!  
Place the peppers in a baking dish skin side up. Broil about 5-6 minutes, then flip the peppers and broil 5-7 minutes more.
Chop the 3 green onions (if using), and drain and rinse the black beans.
In a large microwave safe bowl, combine: beans, onions, salsa, corn, a bit of the cheese, cumin, chili powder, a couple dashes of cayenne, if you like it spicy!
Season with salt and pepper to taste. When the rice is finished, combine with the filling.

Note: Remember that quantities and ingredients are all to taste, so feel free to adjust as needed!

Heat the filling a few minutes in the microwave (or on the stove) until warm, depending on the heat of the rice.
Place the pepper halves skin side down in a baking dish, and spoon the filing into each half. Top with shredded cheese and broil until the cheese is melted, for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
If desired, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with sour cream.

Alternative oven method: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Follow steps above to prepare the peppers and filling. Then bake until the peppers are tender and browned, around 25 to 30 minutes.

A Guest Post! - Mostaccioli

Mostaccioli- From Arizona!

This here is a guest post recipe from some special people to me. My Aunt Donna and Uncle Joe, or Papa Joe, as he is widely known as, sent me this recipe to share with you. 

 

They have a bunch of kids, (I have a lot of cousins) and a bunch of grand kids, so they make this Italian casserole a lot! 

 

I haven't made it yet, but I am sure you will agree that their photo above looks amazing! I love casseroles that can feed an army, warm your soul, fill you up, AND tastes incredible!

 

Some call it Fall, I call it Casserole Season!

Straight from Aunt Donna; "Here's the recipe Tiffany, but I don't know how much of each ingredient. It's just to your taste and depends on how many people you cook it for! LOL" (you gotta love her!).
 
Mostaccioli 

 

Hamburger, browned

Cooked Mostocciolii pasta, drained

Onion, chopped

Fresh garlic, chopped

Canned diced tomatoes, juice and all

Mozerrella cheese, shredded

Cheddar cheese, shredded

Italian seasoning

Salt, if you want

Bell pepper, chopped

 

• Season hamburger while cooking with garlic and other seasonings.
• Layer hamburger, pasta and canned tomatoes. Then a layer of cheeses.
• Continue layers till all is used.
• Cover with foil, and bake at 350 for about 30 - 45 minutes, use a casserole dish.
• Make several slits in foil for venting. I serve this with salad and garlic bread.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

OK, so I have a great extended family. Not only do I love them and they love me, but these people know how to cook! Since we get together at least a couple times a month to celebrate someones birthday or a special holiday, we have a lot of opportunities to share recipes. Here is one from someone who didn't want a big write up, but thanks for sharing Bill!

We made these for Labor day weekend and, as expected, they were a huge hit. We did make them without the Gruyere cheese, and just added some goat cheese on top as an after thought, but I think it would have been better with the Gruyere as the recipe calls for.

Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (printable recipe)

Ingredients:

• 24 large (about 2-inch-diameter) mushrooms
• 3-4 Italian sweet sausages, casings removed (or hot sausages if preferred)
• 6 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 3 tbsp.onion, finely diced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano works best)
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce (not Tabasco)
• 3/4 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk
• Olive oil
• (optional) 1/3 cup dry white wine
• (optional) 2 tablespoons shredded gruyere cheese

Preparation:

Remove stems from mushrooms.  Finely dice about 2 tablespoons of stems.

Sauté garlic, onions, and stems in a tablespoon of butter until golden.  Set aside.

Precook mushroom caps about 10 minutes or so to make end results better than if raw.  These can be steamed in a frying pan, covered.

Sauté sausage and oregano in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until sausage is cooked through and brown, breaking into small pieces with back of fork, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage mixture to large bowl and cool. Mix in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, Louisiana hot sauce, and garlic/onion/stem mixture.  Then add the cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper; mix in egg yolk.

Brush 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish with olive oil to coat. As an option, brush cavity of each mushroom cap with white wine (and/or spritz the wine over the filled mushroom caps later).  Sprinkle with some of remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. As another option, sprinkle gruyere cheese on top. Arrange mushrooms, filling side up, in prepared dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake uncovered until mushrooms are tender and filling is brown on top, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Turkey Meatloaf

Despite the fact that it was sweltering hot in our house last night, I decided to crank up the oven and try this turkey meatloaf recipe. WOW. It was worth it. It turned out super moist and very tasty. And it was incredibly easy to make, I made this one all by myself, Mark was impressed. We highly recommend this one!

This recipe was found on MyRecipes.com

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp pepper, divided

1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

3 tbsp ketchup, divided

1 3/4 lb. ground turkey, 97% lean

3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, broth, and 1 tablespoon ketchup; transfer mixture to a large bowl, and cool.

2. Add turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, egg white, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mixture in bowl, and mix well. (Mixture will be very moist.)

3. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat lightly with cooking spray. Form the turkey mixture into a loaf, and place on the pan. Brush meatloaf evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons ketchup. Bake 1 hour or until thermometer inserted into center registers 170°. Let meatloaf stand 5 minutes before serving.

Easy Soft Tacos

Grilled Carne Asada and Shrimp Tacos

OK, I'm not working these days, and I'm loving it! Naturally, since I have some extra time, I feel compelled to help out more in the meal preparation and planning department. 

I bought some pre-marinaded carne asada at Henry's, and the jumbo shrimp just couldn't be passed up!

Simply throw the carne asada on the grill for about 3 minutes each side. Let set for 5 minutes before slicing into bite size pieces.

We like to wrap the shrimp in aluminum foil, sprinkle with chopped garlic and olive oil, wrap foil to seal, then grill for about 6-7 minutes or until pink.

To prepare the tacos, heat your corn tortillas, we do ours on the stove top.
Garnish with guacamole
Chopped tomatoes
Queso Fresco (Mexican cheese)
Cilantro
Salsa

Pork Chops with Chard

I've never been a huge fan of pork chops, but I don't try them very often, so maybe they aren't getting a fair shake? I found some in the freezer this morning and took them out to defrost. Then I suggested to Mark that "we" make them for dinner tonight.....that's kind of the way it works.

I did do all the grueling on-line research and found a variety of recipes with the ingredients that we have on hand, and in the end, we comprised and came up with our own recipe, and here it is!

• 2 pork chops 1 " thick (about 1 lb. total)
  
• 4 cups chard, washed & cut into 1" strips **
  
• 1/4 c. herbed bread crumbs (optional)
  
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. grated fresh Parmesan
  
• 1/4 cup shredded Fontina or Goat cheese, or any cheese you like
• sea or kosher salt 
• fresh ground pepper
  

Preheat oven to 450 

Coat a large casserole dish (11 1/2" x 14 1/2") with olive oil

In a separate bowl, toss red char strips with olive oil, salt and pepper

Layer the chard in the bottom of the casserole dish

In same bowl, coat the pork chops with olive oil and rub with salt, pepper and seasoned bread crumbs

Grade the fresh Parmesan and other cheeses and spread over the chard

Lay the breaded pork chops on top of the chard.

Bake for about 18 minutes or until done, remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

If you are wondering what wine might be good with this dish, we suggest a wine based on the sangiovese grape, noted to work well with pork chops. Or, you might try a good hearty blend, we like the Harmonius Syrah and Cabernet blend from the San Antonio Valley in CA.

**Swiss Chard: You can use either green or red Swiss chard for this dish. You'll want to rinse the leaves thoroughly before cooking, but don't dry them. The moisture will help keep the chard from drying out during cooking.

Charger Chili

With ingredients like this laying around, I was inspired to make chili.

But Mark went to the Charger game. I was on my own.

This is what I threw in the pot:

1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tomatoes
1 jalapeno pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 ancho chili pepper
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can tomato sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 bottle dark beer (I chose Stone IPA Ale)
1 Tbsp. Oregano
1 Tbsp. Basil
2 tsp. Cumin1 tbsp. *(more or less) chili flakes
2 tsp. *(more or less) chili pepper
salt and pepper to taste

* This is where Marks experience comes in handy. In his absence, I WAY over spiced this dish. I like it hot, but not this HOT! It turned out inedible, way too spicy. What to do?

The next day, Mark simply added a can of diced tomatoes and some diced parsley. Presto! It is almost perfect!

Fillet Mignon

 

Fillet Mignon ~ wrapped in bacon!

This was part of my new years eve dinner. We also had lobster tails and swiss chard, everything was perfectly delicious. I was too excited and failed to photograph anything share worthy after this, but I do remember opening that third bottle of wine.....

The fillet Mignon is by far my favorite cut of steak. A great fillet has nothing to do with a good recipe, it's all about choosing a good piece of meat AND cooking it just right.

First of all, don't buy the steaks pre-packaged, talk to the person behind the meat counter! They are there to help you, and I've learned that they often keep the best cuts in the back!

Since it was New Years Eve we splurged a little and wrapped a slice of thick bacon around each fillet and secured them with a toothpick. Drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and course black pepper.

Make sure your grill is already hot before you put the steaks on. For steaks 1 1/2 " to 2" thick, about 7-8 minutes on each side should result in a nice medium rare steak. It's simple and delicious!