Scallop-Crab Cakes

You need:
-1/2 onion, diced
-1/2 red bell pepper, diced
-1 stalk celery
-1-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 lb lump crab meat
-1/4 lb bay scallops (the smaller ones, which are also cheaper, because they are pureed for the mix)
-1-2 cups breadcrumbs (i had to keep adding until it felt right)
-1 egg
-3 tablespoons lemon juice
-2 tablespoons dried dill
-2-3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
-1 tablespoon dijon mustard
-1 tablespoon old bay seasoning
-panko breadcrumbs for outside

Directions:

1. Sautee the onion, pepper, and celery until soft, adding garlic last
2. Remove from heat and cool
3. In a bowl, whisk together egg, lemon, dill, Worcestershire, dijon, and old bay seasonings.
4. Add veggies to sauce mix once they have cooled, stir to combine
5. Puree the scallops in a food processor (I have found that the scallops were hard to get cooked through when they were chopped, and the smooth texture after pureeing eliminates the need for mayonaise!). Add pureed scallops to the mix, combine, and then gently fold in the crab.
6. Let mixture sit over night
7. Form mixture into patties, coat with panko crumbs, and pan fry in grapeseed oil until golden brown, about 5 min per side.

On the side I whisked some of the extra mayonaise, lemon juice, and dill together to drizzle over the top or serve on the side for dipping.

Serve with Asparagus and Couscous

Chicken Parmesan Over Pasta and Marinara

For the Marinara Sauce
(My go-to spaghetti sauce recipe):

-1 onion, diced
-1 carrot, diced
-1 green bell pepper, diced
-1 small package baby portobellos
-3-4 cloves garlic
-1/2 package of Italian Seasonings (the kind you use to make the dressing)
-1 large can canned whole tomatoes
-1 small can tomato paste
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sautee the vegetables and seasonings with butter or olive oil until softened. Next, add the tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue at a low boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to a simmer and let it cook...the longer the better.

When I make this dish, I actually don't use very much of the sauce (usually just for 2!).  I freeze the leftover sauce and use it later for something else...usually lasagna

For the Chicken, etc"

-2 large chicken breasts, POUNDED THIN!
-eggs
-flour
-bread crumbs
-grapeseed oil (higher burning point than olive oil)
-parmesan and mozzerella cheese
-noodles

Directions:

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook noodles about 9 min while you do the following...

Pound your chicken out to about 1/2 inch thick, dredge in flour, then a beaten egg, and coat in breadcrumbs.
Next, pan fry the breaded chicken in grapeseed oil over medium/medium sort of high heat, about 3-4 min per side, until gold and crispy.
When the chicken is cooked through, top with parmesan cheese and broil until cheese is melted over the top.  Serve over a small bed of pasta, sauce, cheese, and then top with a spoonful of more sauce, and more cheese.

Sun dried Tomato, Spinach, Artichoke, and Feta Stuffed Chicken

You need:
-1 onion, diced
-1/4-1/2 cup diced sun dried tomatoes
-1 large handful spinach, chopped
-1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-2 lemons
-3-4 thick cut chicken breasts
-greek seasonings (i buy the pre mixed package that you make the dressing out of)
-feta cheese

**Asparagus & Couscous for the side dishes

Directions:

*I put a link to a video below that I watched before making this dish - it shows how to cut and stuff the chicken

For the Chicken:

1. Rinse chicken, pat dry, and then cut a long slit though the middle to create the pocket for the stuffing later.
2. Cover in lemon juice and dust with greek seasonings, set aside, and begin making the stuffing

For the Stuffing:

1. Sautee onion in olive oil or butter until softened
2. Add sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, and spinach.  Toss until spinach begins to wilt and then add the garlic and a few squeezes of lemon juice.
3. Remove from heat and let cool -- once the mixture has cooled off add the feta cheese (i put almost a half cup i think)

Next, put as much stuffing as you can fit inside each chicken breast, and pre-heat the oven to 350 and heat a pan on medium high heat to sear the outside of the meat.

Place chicken breast smooth side down and brown at high heat for about 3 minutes, until it looks golden, return to baking dish, and bake for about 20 minutes at 350.

Serve over couscous and asparagus!

Here is the video I watched to learn how to stuff the chicken properly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfbBMIwWJUw&list=WL&index=2

Chicken Noodle Soup

My boyfriend is obsessed with my chicken noodle soup.  Anytime he is sick (at all, cold, flu, digestive issues, etc) he demands this soup.  I usually have to make a double batch because he goes through so much of it!  Using fresh vegetables (onion and garlic especially) helps combat sickness, and the turmeric & black pepper together have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties.  The marrow from the bones are also helpful in the healing process.  This soup is wonderful for getting through a nasty cold or flu.

You need:
-butter
-garlic (i usually do about 4 cloves)
-1 onion, diced
-2 carrots diced
-2 stalks celery, diced
-1-2 cups diced rotisserie chicken meat (save the bones for the soup!)
-1-2 cups ditalini or rotini pasta (don't add too much - it will absorb all of your broth)
-seasonings: seasoned salt, pepper, turmeric, paprika
-3 larger sized cartons of chicken STOCK (stock has more flavor than broth)

In a large pan with 2 tablespoons of butter, Sautée 1 diced onion, 2 diced carrots, 2 diced stalks of celery. Add 3 cloves minced garlic.

Add 3 large cartons chicken broth and all remaining chicken bones, bring to a boil, and then simmer over reduced heat for at least 30 minutes.  Sometimes I let mine cook for 2-3 hours.

Last, add 1 cup ditalini pasta & diced rotisserie chicken meat, bring back to a boil, and cook for 10 minutes.

Breakfast Pie

I have not made this yet, but want to soon!

Sautee 1 onion in butter, add several stalks of asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces.  After vegetables have softened, add 2 coves garlic.

Add 1 bag shredded hashbrown potatoes, sautee until potatoes start turning golden, remove from heat and let cool.
Break 4 eggs in a bowl, add 1 cup cheddar (or gouda) cheese, and 2 cups milk, and beat until smooth.
Add eggs to hashbrown mix and combine.
Transfer mix to pie pan/pie crust

bake at 350 for 30-45 min

remove from oven and increase heat to 450. make a bacon lattice across the top and return to oven for 10-15 additional minutes. cover sides in foil to prevent burning

Butternut Squash Soup

Very good! Martha Stewart's recipe, except I made the following changes:

-4 pieces of bacon
-omitted the thyme
-added 3 cloves minced garlic & some red pepper flakes to the onions
-added a few splashes of cream at the end

Makes a huge batch, plenty left over to freeze

INGREDIENTS

6 slices bacon, cut in half crosswise
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)
2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
3 sprigs thyme
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 3/4 cups water

DIRECTIONS

Cook bacon in a large pot over medium heat, flipping once, until brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels; discard fat from pot but do not wipe clean.
Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Add squash, thyme, 1 tablespoon salt, broth, and water; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until squash is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Discard thyme.
Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until very smooth. Return soup to pot and season with salt and pepper; cover to keep warm or reheat if necessary. Divide among heatproof glasses and garnish each glass with bacon. Bacon and soup can be made up to 3 days ahead, cooled completely, and stored in refrigerator in separate containers. Recrisp bacon on a baking sheet in a preheated 300 degrees oven, about 10 minutes, while reheating soup over low heat.

One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

This is what I am trying next.  It is a combination of a Martha Stewart recipe, and my additions.

Ingredients:
-One onion sliced thin + 1-2 tbspn butter
-1 packet Italian Seasonings (the kind you make the dressing with)
-4 cloved minced garlic
-12 oz linguine noodles
-1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes & liquid or 12 oz grape tomatoes, sliced in half (not sure which route I will go with the tomatoes)
-2 sprigs fresh basil
-2 tbspn olive oil
-4 cups veg stock
-1/4 cup heavy cream**optional
-parmesan cheese

Sautee the onion with butter in a large deep skillet. Add the italian seasonings and garlic, stir.

Add the noodles, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and stock.

Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook 10-15 minutes (stirring frequently) until noodles are cooked and liquid has evaporated.

Add cream and top with parmesan cheese**

Last time I made this recipe with cream, but I probably will leave it out next time.

Chicken Pot Pie from scratch

This is a recipe for chicken pot pie, made from scratch.  I combined my recipe with The Pioneer Woman's recipe, and this is it.  

The filling makes enough for 1 large pot pie or 2  small/medium ones.  Depends on the size of your dish. After everything has cooled, divide the mixture in half and freeze one portion for next time if you want to make a smaller portion.

I have used the classic pie crust recipe using Crisco (shortening), but sometimes I buy premade crusts and use puff pastry sheets for the top.

For the filling:

-4 tbspn butter

-1 onion

-2 carrots

-2 stalks celery

-seasonings (season all, pepper, and ranch powder)

-1/2 cup frozen peas

-1/2 cup frozen corn

-1/2 cup frozen green beans

-4 cloves minced garlic

-The meat from one store bought rotisserie chicken, cubed

-1/4 cup flour

-3 cups veg stock

-1/4 cup cream

Sautee onion, celery, and carrot with butter over medium heat for at least 10 minutes, until everything is soft.  Add all of your seasonings, I eyeball everything so I don't know the measurements.

Stir in the garlic, and then stir in all of the frozen vegetables, mixing until combined.  

Next add the chicken, stir, and combine.

When everything is combined and frozen vegetables are thawed, sprinkle the flour over the top, stir, combine, and let cook for a couple minutes

Next add the broth, and bring to a boil

Reduce heat to medium/medium high and cook uncovered until mixture thickens up (I actually had to remove some liquid eventually)

Stir in heavy cream, remove from heat, and cool (I put mine in the freezer for a few minutes, I didn't want to put the hot mixture in on the cold pie crust).

Make 2 crusts, press one into the bottom of a buttered glass baking dish

Add the filling, and top with the other crust or puffed pastry sheets.

Bake at 400 for 30-45 min