Short Rib Lasagna Rolls

I found this recipe on Food Network. It is from Giada de Laurentis http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/short-rib-lasagna-rolls-recipe/index.html
I probably say this way to often, but this is a recipe that I will make again.  Jud and I both loved it. I guess what I should say is that I just love to eat and there isn't much that I don't like, but this I loved.



Printable Version

Ingredients:

Ribs:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 pounds beef short ribs ( I used some that didn't have bones)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1 onion, roughly chopped4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 (4") sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 cups red wine, such as pinot noir
2 cups beef broth

Filling:
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups grated Pecorino Romano (6oz)
1 cup shredded mozzarella (4oz)
1 (10oz) package frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed of excess liquid
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
12 lasagna noodles (I only used about 9 and it was perfect for the amount of filling)
Butter for greasing baking dish (I used cooking spray)
1 (25oz) jar marinara sauce
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Olive oil, for drizzling

Directions:
For the ribs: In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season the ribs with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.  Add the ribs to the pan and cook until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the onions, garlic, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high. Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. with a wooden spoon. Add the beef broth and ribs to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan, and cook until the meat is very tender, 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Remove the ribs and set aside until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. Discard the bones and cooking liquid. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into 2-inch long pieces (should yield about 2 1/4 cups shredded meat).

For the filling in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low. Add the cheeses and whisk until melted and the sauce is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the spinach, basil, and garlic. Place the shredded meat in a medium size bowl and pour the spinach mixture on top. Add the salt and pepper. Using a fork, mix until combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper, if needed.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the lasagna noodles and cook until just tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside. I place mine on paper towels to drain.

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish.

Spread 1 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay the noodles flat on a dry work surface. Spread 1/4-1/3 cup of the filling mixture evenly along each noodle. Roll up and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and filling to make 9 lasagna rolls. Spoon the remaining marinara sauce on top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with olive oil, and bake until the lasagna rolls are heated through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.

Sausage Casserole

Sorry about the picture.  We had already eaten when I remembered to take a picture. I took the individual casserole portions out of the refrigerator and snapped a picture. We had blueberry muffins and fruit salad with it.  Since I was having blueberry muffins, I didn't want to use my normal sausage casserole. It has bread in the recipe. I found this one on allrecipes.com and it is submitted by William Rossbach.



Ingredients:
1 pound sage flavored breakfast sausage
3 cups shredded potatoes, drained and pressed
1/4 cup butter, melted
12 oz. mild cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup onion, shredded
1 (16oz) container small curd cottage cheese
6 jumbo eggs
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Lightly grease a 9X13 inch baking dish
2. Place sausage in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
3. In the prepared baking dish, stir together the shredded potatoes and butter. Line the bottom of the baking dish with this mixture. In a bowl, mix the sausage, cheddar cheese, onion, cottage cheese and eggs. Pour over the potato mixture.
4. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the casserole comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Sweet-and-Spicy Shrimp with Mint Sauce

 



Jud made this last night for dinner. It was a do-over. It was light, easy, (especially for me), fast, and healthy.  (Hard combination to argue)
Brown sugar give it the sweet and the cayenne delivers the heat. Jud only used about 1/2 t. of cayenne because we didn't want to ruin it with too much heat.  He said next time, he would use a whole teaspoon.  He halved the recipe.







1/4 cup (packed) light or dark brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided , plus more for brushing
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
2 cups (packed) fresh mint leaves

Mix brown sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons oil, cayenne, lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to one hour.

Meanwhile, place mint, remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 cup oil in a blender or food processor. Pulse, scraping down sides occasionally, until mint is finely chopped and mixture is smooth. Season sauce to taste with salt.

Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high. Brush grill grate with oil. Thread shrimp onto skewers. Grill shrimp until just opaque in the center, 2-3 minutes per side. Serve with mint sauce.

Toasted Almond Chicken

This came from Easy Weeknight Favorites by Southern Living. I checked it out of the library.  I will be making this again and will probably make the full recipe next time and just heat up the chicken and put almonds on top when ready to have it again.  Jud was ready to have it again tomorrow. Obviously, I just cooked 2 chicken breasts.






Ingredients:
6 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
1/8  teaspoon salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (2.25-ounce) package sliced almonds, toasted

• Place each chicken breast half between two sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/4 inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
• Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of chicken, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove chicken from skillet. Repeat procedure with remaining butter and chicken
• Reduce heat to medium; add whipping cream and next 3 ingredients to skillet, stirring well. Add chicken; sprinkle with almonds, and cook 8 minutes or until sauce thickens. Yield: 6 servings.

Grilled Lemon Fish with Sweet Corn and Tomatoes

 

 

This comes from Iowa Girl Eats blog.
Grilled Lemon Chicken with Sweet corn and tomatoes

Ingredients (serves 2)
6 tablespoons Homemade Lemon Dressing, divided
Juice of 2 lemons
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste

2 tilapia
1/2 cup rice
1 cup water
3/4 cup fresh sweet corn, cut from the cob (I used 3 )
1/4 cup red onion, minced
salt and pepper
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
Instructions:

• Marinate fish in 3 tablespoons lemon dressing for 15-20 minutes. Grill on high heat then set aside when done
• Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in rice, place a tight fitting lid on top, turn the heat to low and cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and all the water has been absorbed
• Heat 1 tablespoon lemon dressing in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute' corn and red onion for 3-4 minutes, or until onion is soft. Add in cooked rice and 1 more tablespoon lemon dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Stir in cherry tomatoes.  Place a nice serving on the plate and top with the grilled fish. Drizzle with remaining tablespoon of lemon dressing.

No Dough Pizza

Sally Jones posted this on facebook, but I don't know where she got it. Jud and I really liked it and I'm sure I will make it again and again.












Ingredients for Crust:
1 (8oz pkg. full fat cream
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Bake crust at 350 degrees until golden brown (about 15- 20 min.)
------------------------
Topping:
Spread cooked crust with pizza sauce
Add cooked meat of your choice-- I used Canadian bacon and pepperoni
I used 3/4 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
Parmesan Cheese, grated
Cheddar Cheese, grated

Healthy Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/05/healthy-black-bean-spinach-enchiladas.html    This recipe came from Six Sisters Stuff. It will be something that I make over and over.  Loved it.!!

 

Printable Version 

 

Ingredients:

15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

15 oz. can of corn, drained

6 oz. fresh baby spinach

6 green onions, thinly sliced

1 cup fat free cottage cheese

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

2 teaspoons cumin

2 cups shredded of your favorite cheese

1 can of enchilada sauce

8 whole wheat or flour tortillas ( I used corn)

Method:

In a large bowl, combine beans, 1 cup cottage cheese, spinach, corn, green onions, 2 teaspoons cumin, and cilantro.

 

Preheat oven to 367 degrees. Lightly spray a 9" X 13" baking dish, and pour a small amount of the Enchilada sauce to coat the bottom.

 

Generously fill tortillas with the bean mixture. Add a little of the cheese and roll up tightly with ends tucked in, and place seam side down in dish.

 

Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas, coating evenly. Sprinkle with the other 1 cup of cheese on top. Bake about 20 minutes, and garnish with cilantro and/or green onions (optional)

 

I found that this filling recipe made enough for about three times as many tortillas than I made.  I made 7.  I will probably use the filling for a salad or just make up some more to put in the freezer for later.

Fried Chicken Tacos

This recipe is in "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" cookbook
 by Ree Drummond. It is amazing, but I have never made
anything by the Pioneer Woman that I didn't like. This
could easily be adapted to ground beef, turkey, or pork
tenderloin.  She has you fry the tortillas, but we just used
corn tortillas that we heated in the microwave for 20 seconds.
This is much healthier than frying the tortillas. But if you're skinny,
go for it.

Printable Version

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil (If you are frying the tortillas, you will need 1 cup canola for frying
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes (I used 2 chicken breasts)
Two 4-oz cans diced green chiles (I just diced about 30 pickled jalapena slices) 1 can would be plenty
16 small corn tortillas (I used 4)
1 1/2 cups finely grated cheese - cheddar
sour cream
salsa
2 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce (1/2 cup)
4 roma tomatoes, diced (10 grape tomatoes cut in 1/2)

Method:
1. Mix the chili powder, cumin, and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and chiles and saute' for 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken has lost its color.
3. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the chicken and saute' until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
4. In a separate skillet, heat 1 cup of the canola oil over medium high heat. Drop in a small piece of the tortilla to see if it's hot enough, it should sizzle as soon as it hits the oil.
5. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the chicken into a tortilla.
6. Grasp the tortilla closed between tongs
7. Lay it in the hot oil, holding dwn the top half of the tortilla so that it remains closed.
8. Cook until golden brown, 30-45 seconds, then flip the tacos over to fry the other side.
9. Cook the other side until browned and crispy.
10. Remove each taco from the pan, allowing the excess oil to drip out of one end.
11. Immediately wrap each taco in a paper towel and gently shake it to remove any excess oil.
12. If you use my method, you can skip #4-#11. Just put the tortilla on a plate and warm in the microwave for 20 seconds.
13. While the tacos are still hot, gently stick some cheese inside.
14. Next, using a knife, smear some sour cream on top of the cheese
15. Add drizzle of salsa on top of the sour cream
16. Add shredded lettuce and tomatoes.

Chicken with Crushed Frenches Onion Rings

I made this chicken dish tonight that I thought was realty good.  The side dish of Mozzarella and Olive Orzo was not a repeat.  It made enough for another meal so I put it in the freezer to take out at a  later date.

To make the chicken, take a pie or cake plate and put 1 beaten egg in it.  Put a can of Frenches' onion rings with 2 tablespoons of flour in a baggie and crush them.  Pour this in a dish to coat the chicken. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1. Salt and pepper the chicken
2. Dip both sides of the chicken in the egg
3. Dip both sides of the chicken in the Onion Ring mixture.  You will have to pat it on both sides evenly.
4. Place in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
5. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes. At about 25 minutes, I turned the chicken so it would brown evenly on both sides.