An Italian Wannabe

Since I married an Italian, I figured I better master a homemade marinara sauce.  I know most Italian's just throw a bunch of ingredients together and miraculously it is the most delicious sauce you ever tasted, but, for someone who is the farthest from Italian, I needed some help.  I thought what better resource than the famous Giada!  Every single darn recipe I have ever tried from her, turns out unbelievable.  I knew this would be no different.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/marinara-sauce-recipe/index.html

The one big thing I changed was by adding all the ingredients into a food processor prior to cooking.  I first put the garlic and onions into the food processor and then sauteed that with the olive oil and then added all the other ingredients into the food processor and added it to the pot.  Everything was combined very nicely and I am not a big fan of big chunks in my sauce.  I also added a sprinkle of red hot pepper flakes for a little heat ;-)

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Until next time. XO, the Cooking Foodie

Key Lime Pie... made easy!

It was my father-in-law's birthday two weeks ago and I promised I would make his ever-so-favorite dessert.. key lime pie.  I made it for the first time last year and he swore it was his favorite!  And this is coming from a man who continuously talks about the key lime pie ice cream he had at Key West, FL.  He's obsessed.

I found this recipe and just had to share.

Ingredients:

1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

3 cups sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup lime juice

1 tablespoon grated lime zest

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine condensed milk, sour cream, lime juice, and lime rind. Mix well and pour into graham cracker crust.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. DO NOT BROWN! Chill pie thoroughly before serving. Garnish with lime slices and whipped cream if desired.

This recipe is slightly modified from a recipe that I found on allrecipes.com.  I substituted key lime juice with fresh lime juice.  They just don't have the key limes here!  I truthfully believe you couldn't tell the difference.  The pie is fantastic!
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Key-Lime-Pie-VII/Detail.aspx

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Until next time. XO, the Cooking Foodie

Homemade Chinese at Home

Yes... I did it!  I made homemade Chinese, or should I say Hibachi at home!  It was fantastic.  I was craving the fried rice from this Hibachi restaurant that I love to go to but I wasn't in the mood to go out.  I just wanted to in the comfort of my own home.  Eating my favorite food.  In PJs. 

I found this recipe that sounded delicious and it was my first time trying Hibachi fried rice so I thought what the hec!?  I'll try it!

http://www.food.com/recipe/hibachi-style-fried-rice-247155

Here is what I did differently:  I used jasmine rice and added 2 cloves of minced garlic.   Everything else stayed the same and it was super delicious.

I knew that my husband would have complained if I didn't have some sort of protein so I cut up chicken into cubes and sauteed with some EVOO, 1 clove of minced garlic and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.  It was an excellent compliment to the fried rice. 

This is a keeper!!

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Until next time. XO, the Cooking Foodie

Super Delicious and Easy Truffle Recipe

I just had to share this!  I was tasked to bring a dessert to my parents for last Saturday evening and wanted to do something different.  My father-in-law absolutely loves chocolate so I knew it had to be chocolate.  So that narrowed down my criteria - chocolate and something easy to make.  I searched and searched until I found this.....  Oreo Truffles!  They are the most delicious thing to eat and you cannot stop eating them.  It's dangerous. 

I followed the recipe exactly except it only made 28 truffles.  I guess I made them a little larger than normal.  And I used chocolate sprinkles and oreo crumbs for the topping.  I did a mixture between the semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate.  Unbelievable!

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/easy-oreo-truffles/Detail.aspx

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Until next time. XO, the Cooking Foodie

An Alternative to the super easy Taco Dinner

Here is an alternative to the seasoning mix taco dinner.  And let me start of by saying... that I love the taco seasoning mix.  It makes delicious tacos and we usually have it once a week.  It's definitely one of our go to meals (and I even blogged about it!).   However, I felt like I needed something more.  I haven't cooked dinner in a couple of days because we have had a lot of night outs so I was craving a good meal at home... but nothing extravagant.  I was just in the mood to put on my apron and whip up a meal.

I googled ground beef taco recipes and I landed on one that I knew I had to try.  The reviews were fantastic and everyone who commented mentioned they wouldn't go back to the seasoning mix after they tried this.

It is Emeril's taco bar.  Although I didn't make the salsa or gaucomole (those reviews weren't AS POSITIVE...), I knew the taco seasoning was something that I had to try.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/taco-bar-recipe/index.html

It is tastes fresh and not full of sodium.  You know what you are putting into a dinner, not just throwing a seasoning mix into a pan!  

I made some yellow rice as a side dish and we had a delicious meal.  After we finished, we agreed that we wouldn't toss the idea of using a seasoning mix because it is helpful for a quick dinner, as this is a healthier alternative.

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Until next time. XO, the Cooking Foodie

A Penne alla Vodka Connoisseur

If there is penne alla vodka on a menu, you can be sure that is what I am ordering.  I have this obsession with this pasta dish and worked on finding/creating a recipe so I can make it anytime I have the craving.  I'd like to share these two wonderful recipes that I have.

Recipe #1

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

crushed red pepper flakes to taste

1/4 cup vodka

1 pound penne pasta

1 cup heavy cream

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook garlic in olive oil until tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, breaking up a bit with fork. Stir in basil, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in vodka and cook 15 minutes more.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Stir cream into sauce and cook 10 minutes more. Toss with hot pasta.

Recipe #2

1 pound penne pasta

1 stick butter

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp red pepper (cayenne)

3/4 cup vodka

2 (14-oz) cans crushed tomatoes

9 oz heavy cream

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup parmeasan cheese

1. Melt butter and saute garlic, add vodka and red pepper. Simmer 2 minutes on high.
2. Add crushed tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.
3. Add heavy cream and salt, cook 5 minutes.
4. Mix sauce with cooked pasta.
5. Add parmeasan cheese and let sit for 8-10 minutes.

Try them both!  The first recipe is a little healthier and includes some fresh ingredients.  The second recipe is a little more authentic and what I truly love the best, but I did have to throw in a "healthier" version.  Is that even possible with a vodka sauce?

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Until next time.  XO, the Cooking Foodie

Don't Ever Give Up. . .

So... it all started when I read a few recipe titles to my husband to choose something that sounded delicious for dinner tonight.  My mom gave me this recipe that was in the newspaper from a local restaurant in town.  It was for "Chicken Caprese." 

I should have known it was going to be a tough time in the kitchen when I tried not once, but THREE times to make a roux.  That's never happened to me before!  Then for some crazy reason I didn't use a non-stick pan and the chicken stuck to the pan when I was pan frying.   I sat on the kitchen floor, almost in tears when my husband came over to ask what happened.  He offered to order Chinese and forget the dinner.  It was then when I thought how could I give up?  I have never given up on a recipe.  I atleast have to try it before throwing it out.  So, I plugged along and completed the recipe to find nothing short than one of the most delicious dinners we have had! I was so happy that I finished until the end.  After we finished up dinner, I went through the garbage to find the crumbled up recipe that I had thrown out.  I was so aggrevated with the whole thing that before even trying it, I threw the recipe out!  But now this will be kept with all the other treasured recipes. 

Here is the recipe- http://www.projo.com/food/chefssecret/fd-chefs_secret_luigis_01-12-11_A6LR25M_v11.3881e0b.html

Try it... you won't be disappointed!!!

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Until next time.  XO, the Cooking Foodie