Mahimahi with Tahitian Vanilla and Mango Sauce

For Christmas I received Giada's new cookbook, Feel Good Food. I HIGHLY recommend it. Her recipes are simple to make and make your tastebuds dance the cha-cha. This one you can thank me for later.

Mahimahi with Tahitian Vanilla and Mango Sauce

serves 4

Sauce:

1 medium mango, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice

1 (2-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Tahitian Vanilla Bean (available at Williams Sonoma, Wegmans)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Fish:

1 tablespoon EVOO

4 (4 ounce) filets of skinless mahimahi 1 inch thick, can be substituted for halibut

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a blender, combine the mango, orange juice, 1/4 cup water, ginger, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth (REALLY smooth, no lumps) and pour into a small saucepan. Using a pairing knife, cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the saucepan. Add the empty vanilla pod halves, too. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 6 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod halves and discard. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until smooth.

In a 12-inch, nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the fish on both sides with the salt and pepper. Add the fish to the pan and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 6 to 8 minutes on each side.

Arrange the fish on plates and spoon the sauce on top. Serve with quinoa and steamed veggies.

Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I'm not a big tomato soup person, so the thought of making a grilled cheese to dunk into tomato soup just doesn't appeal to me. I love spicy food, my husband does not. You can modify this recipe to be as spicy as you'd like, or not. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

serves 4

1 can of cooked chicken breast (although I prefer to use fresh, but if you're in a time crunch, you gotta do what you gotta do)

3 tbsp blue cheese dressing

1/4 cup hot sauce

shredded mozzarella cheese

8 thin slices of sourdough bread

2 tbsp butter

In a skillet, preferably cast iron, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Let the pan get reallllly hot and the butter will start to bubble. Put one slice of bread into pan. It will soak up the buttery goodness and begin to brown. 

In the meantime, shred the chicken in a small saucepan with a fork. Add the blue cheese and hot sauce. Heat until bubbling.

On top of that slice of bread in the pan, smear the buffalo chicken mix and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Top with another slice of bread, flip to brown the other side. 

For every 2 sandwiches you make, use 1 tbsp of butter. Be sure to melt the butter in the pan, first, before adding the bread. It will make for a nice, golden brown, crunchy sandwich. 

Enjoy!

Lemon Orzo and Chicken Meatball Soup

This time of year it starts to get chilly out and well, you can't avoid the headcolds. Tonight, I'm curling up with this delicious bowl of soup and watching some football. I hope you cook the same for your family and enjoy it together. It's simple, fresh and incredibly quick to make (oh and did I mention low fat??). 

Lemon Orzo and Chicken Meatball Soup

(serves 4 people)

recipe from Southern Living Magazine

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs

1 tsp. kosher salt

4 tsp. loosely packed lemon zest, divided

1 tsp rosemary, divided

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium sized sweet onion, chopped

3 carrots, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (32 oz) containers of chicken broth

6 tbsp lemon juice

3/4 cup orzo pasta

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Combine first 4 ingredients, 2 tsp lemon zest, and 1/2 tsp rosemary in a medium bowl. Shape into 1 inch meatballs. 

2. Saute the meatballs, in 2 batches, in 1 tbsp hot oil per batch in a dutch oven over medium heat 3-4 minutes or until browned. 

3. Saute onion and next 2 ingredients in 1 tbsp hot oil in dutch oven over medium high heat 3-5 minutes or until tender. 

Stir in broth, lemon juice, and remaining lemon zest with 1/2 tsp rosemary. 

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add orzo. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, 7-9 minutes. 

4. Stir in meatballs, simmer, 5-7 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with cheese.

Enjoy!

Southern Pecan Pie

In the words of Zac Brown Band, "and that's home you know, sweet tea, pecan pie and homemade wine, where the peaches grow, and my house it's not much to talk about, but it's filled with love that's grown in southern ground". 

I can close my eyes and imagine myself 10 years from now. I want my kids to always want to come home for dinner, because their momma's cooking is just that good. The kitchen counter and dining room table will always be a place to revisit the day, or memories of a special time. But also to keep it real. And how real can you get when you can't cook a pecan pie and you live in the south? So...I took it upon myself to make my dear friend Tami's favorite pecan pie recipe. Oh, and Tami? I did good, girl! Come on over and share a piece with me, we can sit on my deck. 

Tami's Favorite Pecan Pie

(courtesy of Southern Living magazine)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

4 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

1-1 1/4 cup pecan halves

Combine butter, sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Let cool slightly.

Beat eggs in a mixer, add to mixture.

Put pie shell into pie pan, be sure to press a fork into the shell, all around, so it cooks through and doesn't become mushy!

Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell, top with pecan halves.

Bake at 325 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes. My trick is to wrap the pie crust with aluminum foil so it doesn't burn.

Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy!

Cedar-Plank Salmon with Brown Sugar and Cracked Pepper

My family and friends know how much I love to cook, so it was quite fitting when they gave me their favorite recipes at each one of my bridal showers. I absolutely loved this idea, and I immediately dived into them once I got home from our honeymoon.

Cedar-Plank Salmon with Brown Sugar and Cracked Pepper

(dinner for two)

Ingredients:

2 salmon portions (about 6 oz each, after all, it is heart healthy!)

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tbsp cracked black pepper

You'll need one large cedar plank which you must soak in water for at least two hours before grilling.

Preheat grill on high for 10 minutes and clean with a grill brush.

Arrange salmon on plank. Rub brown sugar and cracked pepper mixture evenly over fish.

Place plank directly on the grill, close the cover. Reduce heat to medium and cook fish for 12-15 minutes or until internal temp reaches 130 degrees. 

Remove from grill, let fish rest at least 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

Braised Short Ribs with Herb Gremolata and Melted Gouda Polenta

Wow! It's been forever since the last time I've blogged, this feels great! The best part is, I just got married on June 15, 2013 and my husband LOVES my cooking:o) You know what they say, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach". So true! Since we've just returned from our honeymoon and I no longer have any tedious wedding planning to do, I can now return to what I love to do most, and that is to cook. Tonight I made Nick a special recipe out of a cookbook given to me by my grandparents at our wedding shower. It's appropriately called "The Newlywed Cookbook" by Sarah Copeland.

Braised Short Ribs with Herb Gremolata and Melted Gouda Polenta

(dinner for two)

Short Ribs

1 bay leaf

1 sprig of thyme

1 garlic clove

5 whole black peppercorns

1 lb beef short ribs (about 4 pieces)

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup dry white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped into 2 in chunks

2 stalks celery, chopped into 2 in chunks

cheesecloth

kitchen twine

Herb Gremolata

1 lemon

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley

1 tbsp evoo

kosher salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper

Polenta

3 cups water

1 cup polenta

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup whole milk

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup smoked gouda cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Wrap the bay leaf, thyme, garlic and peppercorns in cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine to make an herb sachet. 

Place short ribs on a piece of parchment and season generously on all sides with salt and pepper, rub into the meat.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven with lid over medium-high heat. Add the short ribs and cook about 2 minutes on each side until they have a deep brown crust. Transfer the short ribs to a plate. 

Add the white wine to the Dutch oven and scrape the brown bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the broth and return the short ribs to the pan with the carrots, celery, onion and herb sachet. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. When it reaches a constant simmer, put the Dutch oven in the oven and cook about 2.5 hours or until meat is tender and falling off the bone. During the cooking process, be sure to flip the short ribs so they are constantly immersed in liquid. This keeps them moist and tender.

Remove the ribs and large veggies to a plate, cover with foil to keep warm. Place the Dutch oven on the stove over medium-high heat. Skim off any excess fat on the surface. Simmer the liquid over medium heat until it has thickened slightly and reduced to about 1 3/4 cups.

Meanwhile, make the herb gremolata. Use a veggie peeler to strip two or three long pieces of lemon zest. Slice the zest as thinly as possible with a very sharp knife and stir together with parsley and olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

To make the polenta, boil water in a medium saucepan. Chop polenta into large sized cubes and add to boiling water. 

Season with salt. Over medium heat, cook while stirring occasionally about 20 minutes or until polenta is soft and melted. Add milk, butter and cheese, stir together.

Serve short ribs, two per person, on top of melted polenta in a shallow bowl. Top with cooked veggies and herb gremolata. Serve with cooking liquid to spoon over.

Enjoy!

Mom-Mom's Famous Sticky Buns

I had a very big meeting Monday morning that served as my interview for a store manager position. I wanted this promotion so badly, I knew I had to step it up and make something reallyyyyyy good for my coffee tasting. At 9 am, what's better to choose than my Mom-Mom's famous sticky buns, which by the way, are VERY easy to make.

Mom-Mom's Famous Sticky Buns

(makes 24)

Ingredients:

one bag of frozen ready to rise dinner rolls (I prefer Rich's brand)

whole pecans, raisins (you can use golden raisins if you want but I prefer regular)

1 stick of butter

1 cup brown sugar 

1 large box of cooked vanilla pudding (if you buy the small box you won't have enough)

2 tbsp whole milk

1 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

Generously spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray. 

In the BOTTOM of the pan, put down the pecans and raisins. Make sure the rounded side of the pecan is facing DOWN. On top of the nuts and raisins, line up your rolls: 6 across and 4 down, 24 total. 

In a saucepan, melt the stick of butter, add brown sugar, milk, cinnamon and vanilla pudding, stir well.

Pour the mixture over the rolls, and let it sit in your oven overnight so the rolls can rise. 

In the morning, take the pan out of the oven, then preheat the oven to 350. 

When the oven is at its temperature, put the pan in and set your timer to 25 minutes.

In the meantime, line a baking sheet with NON-STICK aluminum foil. If you don't have non-stick foil, lightly spray it with cooking spray to coat.

When your sticky buns are done, take them out and put the baking sheet on top of the pan (obviously foil side down). Flip the pan over, your sticky buns will now be on the baking sheet and right side up! You will see the yummy mixture kind of ooze all over the buns and glaze them with all of their goodness.

Enjoy!!