Monthly Archives: March 2014

Rachel Pastrami Sandwich

Beef, Main, Recipes, Sandwiches, ,

Rachel pastrami sandwich

I like to have theme nights for food and I recently decided that Friday nights were going to be “Sandwich” night for a while.  It pushes me to try new things and it’s fun.  Ok, I get my idea of fun may not be yours LOL.

So last Friday I made the “Rachel” which is a play on the Reuben but with pastrami.  I hate sauerkraut so Cole slaw stood in.  This is a great fancy grilled cheese.  The salty pastrami with the slightly sweet Russian dressing, crunchy slaw and melted cheese work in harmony! Continue reading Rachel Pastrami Sandwich →

Fusilli with Sun-dried Tomatoes & Chicken

Chicken, Healthy, Main, Pasta, Recipes, , , ,

fusilli with sundried tomatoes and chicken

I have a secret……..I have a new love in my life….De Cecco pasta.  Any kind.  OMG.  Yes, it’s that good.  I tried it last week for the first time, spaghetti.  It was life changing.  Serious.  If you had told me before a brand of dried pasta could totally make the difference I would believe you..to a point.  However, this De Cecco cooks absolutely perfect, the texture is amazing.  It is imported from Italy and just amazing.  I used to be a Barilla fan, but no more, De Cecco all the way for me now!!

This is a great recipe, if you like sun dried tomatoes, I highly encourage you to make this! Continue reading Fusilli with Sun-dried Tomatoes & Chicken →

Cajun Chicken Sandwich with Chipotle Mayo

Chicken, Healthy, Main, Recipes, Sandwiches, , ,

cajun chicken sandwich

There is nothing like a great sandwich.  The secret to a great sandwich is the right bread (and not too much of it) a great sauce and a mix of textures, fresh and warm, soft and crunchy etc.  I made cajun chicken for a salad Monday and Brian fell in love with the cajun chicken and then I thought that will make a great sandwich but what would be a good sauce and then I thought chipotle mayo (a FANTASTIC condiment :)).  This is a super quick weeknight dinner.  Enjoy!!! Continue reading Cajun Chicken Sandwich with Chipotle Mayo →

Pommes Anna

Recipes, Sides, , , ,

pommes anna

This is a very simple but complex dish.  Potatoes, butter salt & pepper.  It doesn’t get much simpler than this.  The key is extremely thin layers of potato, butter, salt & pepper.  I can’t quite explain how good these are, except to give you some evidence:  I made them Saturday night in the mini tins as you can see below.  I made them as a side with a fantastic filet mignon I got from the butcher.  Bill took one bite of the potatoes and declared they were the most amazing he has ever had in his whole life……..better than the best french fry, or the best au gratin or the best hash browns, or the best mashed potaotes…..I think you get the drill.

I then proceeded to make them again Sunday night to go with family dinner.  This was justified as I wanted a photo of when you make it whole and slice as well as the individual.  I got no arguments from Bill, as far as he was concerned, as long as he got to eat it again, he didn’t care why!  Oh and Will and Bill fought for the leftovers for breakfast 🙂

This is a tad tedious to make.  You MUST use a mandolin or don’t even bother, the thin layers are what makes this.  Pour yourself a glass of wine (after you have finished with the mandolin) and lovingly add the layers.  Trust me, it’s worth it!

pommes anna mini

Continue reading Pommes Anna →

Fresh Tomato Pasta with Chicken

Chicken, Healthy, Main, Pasta, Recipes, , ,

fresh tomato pastaThis is one of my top 3 favorite pasta dishes.  Very simple and sooooooo good!!!  I call it fresh tomato pasta because you are cooking the tomatoes very briefly, 10 minutes so they still have that fresh taste.  They cook long enough to break down some of the juices and the fresh tomato juices make the sauce.  Adding a little pasta water at the end holds the sauce together.

You can skip the chicken, or substitute shrimp instead.   This is also really good with grape or cherry tomatoes.  Enjoy! Continue reading Fresh Tomato Pasta with Chicken →

Jalapeno Poppers

Appetizers, Healthy, Recipes, , , ,

jalapeno poppersThese are the simplest, easiest, tastiest and pretty healthy snack!  I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.  I skinnied it up by subbing low-fat cream cheese for full fat and center cut bacon for regular (as well as just putting the bacon on top instead of wrapping all the way around).   Now you can take the calories you saved and drink a Margarita with it! Continue reading Jalapeno Poppers →

Orecchiette with Sausage & Zucchini

Chicken, Healthy, Main, Pasta, Recipes, , , ,

pasta with sausage and zucchini First, I have to say, this tastes better than the picture shows. The colors look a little bland here once the zucchini and squash cook, don’t be fooled.  This is a delicious healthy pasta dish!  It is inspired by a dish I had in Rome.  Mama mia it was good!  In Rome I am sure it wasn’t chicken sausage, but I like to use the chicken sausage as I think it has great flavor.  Feel free to use whatever sausage you like.

The key to this dish is to undercook the pasta, so that  you finish it in the pan with the sauce (or “condimento” as Mario Batali always says!).  This allows the orrechiette to soak up all the flavors, oh yeah! Continue reading Orecchiette with Sausage & Zucchini →

Japanese Ginger Dressing Salad

Healthy, Recipes, Salads, , , ,

salad with ginger dressing

You know the delicious salad dressing you get on the salad at your local Japanese steak house?  This tastes just like it but you can make it at home.  There are quite a few ingredients and you can work with it.  For example, the lemon is a nice touch but not necessary.  This makes a big batch that will keep up to a week in the refridgerator.  It’s a nice twist on your normal salad.  I like to have this with Potstickers for a fun weeknight dinner. Continue reading Japanese Ginger Dressing Salad →

Filet Mignon with Brandy Mushroom Sauce

Beef, Date Night, Main, Recipes, , , ,

filet mignon with brandy mushroom sauce First, I know I haven’t posted for 2 weeks.  In my defense, I have been busy and last week I was on vacation, so I wasn’t cooking that much and I was certainly trying to stay away from my laptop.

I’m back!  Still busy (sitting at my desk waiting for an important work document to arrive) but figured I could squeeze in a few minutes to post the absolutely freaking amazing delicious mushroom Brandy Sauce I made Sunday with Filet.  Whenever we go on vacation, I am dying to get right back into my kitchen when we get back.  Usually I am inspired by something amazing I had on vacation, but no I woke up Sunday and knew I just had to have Filet for Sunday dinner.  Probably because I had a lot of fish on vacation.  Anyway, it’s 4:16 and as I look at this picture of the Filet, I am getting really hungry.  The sauce was so good, but I know I already said that!  I will say the sauce is supposed to be for four people but Bill and I pretty much finished it ourselves, so if you are making this for 4 sauce lovers…………double it! Continue reading Filet Mignon with Brandy Mushroom Sauce →