Monday, July 30, 2012

Sausage Patties with Spinach and a Green Bean Salad

Tonight's dinner came about after I saw a recipe for Sausage Patties with Spinach on the Food and Wine site. For those of you how read this blog regularly you know I am not a fan of garlic. So when I prepared the spinach I seasoned it with just salt, pepper and crushed red pepper, The Holy Trinity in my kitchen!

We also put some roasted peppers on the patties along with provolone cheese. Loved the spinach addition. Well I did anyway. It added another level of flavor to the dish.

The Green Bean Salad is from a 2008 Better Homes and Garden magazine. We both love the taste of lime in this. An it is perfect when you do not want to heat up the kitchen, the beans are microwaved! I added some olives and hot cherry peppers from the salad bar to the mix!

Green Bean Salad

Ingredients
12 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
4 green onions, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
Lime wedges (optional)

In a 2-quart microwave-safe dish add green beans and 2 tablespoons water. Cover and microwave on 100% power (high) for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring halfway. Drain; rinse with cold water and drain again. Transfer to serving dish. Toss with parsley, green onions, celery, oil, and juice. Cover and let stand at room temperature for up to 30 minutes.
To serve, sprinkle with salt and pepper; squeeze lime wedges over top. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Sirlion Steak and Panzanella

Today was just a lovely summer day. Okay it was overcast and we had a brief shower this afternoon but heck it was a Sunday!
For dinner we, or I should say Chris, grilled two steaks. They were grilled perfectly. I was on salad.
I made a Panzanella Salad. The Bread Salad.  Is there a more perfect summer salad? Bread soaked in Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar with tomatoes.... Still thinking.... Okay the answer is no!
And seeing it is a Sunday night here is a video that a grammar school friend posted on Facebook. Hope you enjoy it!
 

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Dinner with Dad

 
Oh I have not posted all week! Today I was at my Dad's. I was in the garden and boy is it going to be an insane year for figs. This is a photo of one tree... there are 4 others and they are packed with figs!
 
I stayed for dinner after mass and made a tortellini soup. Just something super quick. He had tortellini in the freezer so I boiled them up and added them to some chicken broth and popped in a can of mixed veggies, something my mom always did. Salt and pepper and it was perfect for a rainy(!!!) night.
 
And eating at my Dad's means I got to have his homemade wine. Cabernet Sauvignon. Quite good!



What did we have for dinner a year ago?
 No post  : (


What did we have for dinner 2 years ago?
No post  : (


What did we have for dinner 3 years ago?
Vacation Wrap up



Sunday, July 22, 2012

Excuse me while I eat this pie...

Let's start with dinner...

Remember that Ravioli I made of Friday night? Well there was quite a bit left over. And I've made frittattas with leftover spaghetti so why not ravioli? TA DA-
This was so good. I was not sure about it when I was making it. I love questioning myself at the stove. But I was so surprised at the outcome. I was not sure if Chris would like it but he did!

Now about that pie. Last week I had planned to make this tart but there was that heat wave going on. Today I woke up to lovely temperatures so the oven went on. I had taken the crust out of the freezer yesterday, it was an extra crust from the recipe I made for the Ricotta Pie at Easter.
It came out so pretty. I just used plums, nectarines and peaches. I had a little piece tonight. It tasted like eating the fruit, very ripe fruit. Not too sweet and the crust was really good.

I had a little crust left over so I made a tart using Pear with Honey and Ginger Jam from Winding Drive Jams and Jellies and fresh raspberries from my Dad's yard. I have not tasted that one yet but will let you know how it came out!

And tonight's blog title is of course a reference to Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix. Enjoy  -



What did we have for dinner a year ago?
 No post  : (


What did we have for dinner 2 years ago?
Dinner with Dad


What did we have for dinner 3 years ago?
No post  : (



Saturday, July 21, 2012

Let's Grill Everything!

That's right. The pork tenderloin was marinated in olive oil and rosemary. Then I put it on skewers with the red peppers. The corn and zucchini also went on the grill... Love cleaning after this type of dinner.

And why did we keep it easy... To Have and To Have Not was on tonight.



So what did we have for dinner a year ago?
No post  : (

So what did we have for dinner 2 years ago?

So what did we have for dinner 3 years ago?

Friday, July 20, 2012

Sauteed Vegetables, Pancetta & Panko with Ravioli

Finally a Friday night that was cool enough to boil a pot of water! Tonight's dinner consisted of Pancetta, Zucchini, Golden Zucchini, Yellow Pepper, Cherry Tomatoes and Panko Bread Crumbs.

I fried up the pancetta and removed it from the pan to drain on paper towels. I added a little olive oil the to pan and sauteed the Zucchini, Golden Zucchini, Yellow Pepper and Cherry Tomatoes. I seasoned the vegetables with some salt, pepper, thyme and crushed red pepper. Next Panko breadcrumbs were tossed in to the pan. It was starting to look really good. I even added a little white wine. Once the Ravioli was ready it was added to the saute pan along with some of the pasta water and a knob of butter. I sprinkled the dish with the diced pancetta and parsley. It tasted as good as it looked.
 

What did we have for dinner 2 years ago (one year ago I was away in Ft. Lauderdale)?
Chicken Salad Sandwiches

What did we have for dinner 3 years ago?
Another nice meal you've gotten me into...

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Easter in July!

That's right not Christmas in July. This time it's Easter in July. When I was baking Meat Pies for Easter I thought ahead to the summer and especially hot days when it would be nice to be able to pull out a meat pie for dinner when the temperature is rising. Was this meat pie as delicious as it was when it was first baked? Why yes it was. And the crust was just as flaky. Love that freezer.
 
And someone else in our house also enjoyed the meat pie... ARCHIE NO!



What did we have for dinner a year ago?
Caesar Salad and Meat Pie

What did we have for dinner 2 years ago?
Grilled Pizza

What did we have for dinner 3 years ago?
No post  : (

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Family Picnic!


Today there was family picnic at my sister's house. Seven of my Dad's eight great grandchildren were there.  

The food... burgers and hot dogs. My sister made her amazing potato salad and an orzo salad which I had not had before... need the recipe. We had a fruit salad and I brought the Farro Salad.

The desserts my sister made were all about raspberries...

Raspberry Pie, the crust is so good!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Christmas Eve in July!

Today I was going to make Roasted Cod and Potatoes but it was a little warm out and I did not want to heat up the house. I needed another idea for dinner... Then it dawned on me. My mom's Fish Sauce that she made on Christmas Eve. She put Cod in it. She put a lot of other things in it too but I was not about to run to the fish market.
I sauteed some chopped onions and added a can of crushed tomatoes and a small can of diced tomatoes. I let that cook for about 30 minutes then I added the Cod, cut into small pieces. That simmered on low for about 20 minutes. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and oregano. It was amazing. It tasted just like my mom's sauce! I used fettuccine noodles, my favorite, and they were perfect with this sauce. Did I mention how amazing the sauce was. It brought back a lot of nice memories.

And Happy Friday the 13th from Archie!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Grilled Chicken and Quinoa Salad

 
Tonight's dinner was a joint effort. I was on the salad and Chris was on the chicken. The results were delicious. Chris marinated the chicken breast in Lemon Juice, Olive Oil, Spicy Brown Mustard, Salt, Pepper and Oregano. It was then perfectly grilled.
The salad consisted of quinoa, zucchini, scallions, olives, cherry tomatoes, sugar snap peas, feta cheese, and Marzetti Balsamic Dressing. I was planning on making a lemon and olive oil dressing but I constructed the salad before leaving for work this morning and time was running short.  For seasonings I added salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and oregano.

A glass of Pinot Noir and we called it dinner!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Prosciutto, Tomato and Mozzarella Paninis

Prosciutto, Tomato and Mozzarella Paninis or as we refer to them at home, Let's Clean Out the Fridge Paninis.
Prosciutto, tomato, fresh mozzarella, bacon, hot roasted pepper, fried peppers... I think that was it. And really that was enough. The combination resulted in an amazing dinner!



And this is what I found on our dining room table this morning... best friends!

Monday, July 9, 2012

The Big Salad

 Red Leaf Lettuce, Carrots, Homemade Croutons, Tomato, Hot Roasted Peppers, Olives, Ricotta Salata, Fresh Mozzarella, Bacon, Beets, and a Lemon Juice and Olive Oil Dressing.
All served in our new salad spinner!

And speaking of big... who has the biggest eyes!
 

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Juicy Lucy


Burgers again? Well yes. Tonight we tried the Juicy Lucy Burger. Not to be confused with Lucy! 
 
This burger is made up of two beef patties with American Cheese stuffed inside. Yes it is as decadent as it sounds. There was nothing green or healthy in this meal. But we did have Jake's corn!
Not a bad burger. How can you argue with a hamburger oozing yellow American cheese. We need to adjust our cooking times, yes we will try this again. It was fun to eat but our next meal has to be a salad!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Bourbon-Sauced Pork Chops

I knew the name of tonight's post would get your attention. When I saw the recipe in Better Homes and Garden it certainly got my attention. This was a Prize Tested Recipe from Chris Gegorek. Only one word is needed to describe the taste - Wow. The meat was so moist and the flavor of the sauce was perfect. Nice and tangy and a little spicy. The thought of this dinner puts a smile on my face! Does that sound silly? If you tasted these pork chops you would not think it was silly at all.

For sides we had grilled zucchini and grilled fingerling potatoes.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Juicy Steakhouse Burgers, Sugar Snap Salad and Raspberry Vodka

 
Happy 4th of July!
Tonight's dinner was suggested by Chris. Juicy Steakhouse Burgers. A couple of weeks ago I said I had a new favorite meal, the Grilled Mini Meatloaf. Well I am changing my mind. Heck it's my blog so I can do that. This was truly the most delicious burger we have grilled. It had to have been the panade — a mixture of bread and milk. They were so juicy. It was the perfect burger.

For sides we had Corn and a Sugar Snap Salad. The recipe was from Bon Appetit. I did not have radishes or feta cheese (shocker!) but I did have Gorgonzola... not a bad substitute.

Earlier today I went raspberry picking over my Dad's.
 
What did I do with all the raspberries... What else Raspberry Vodka!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Spiral Cut Hot Dogs

This morning I was reading Chow and came upon this article, Why You Should Spiral-Cut Your Hot Dog For Grilling. I was planning on Hot Dogs for dinner so why not give it a try. They were interesting. And I would try them again.

Side dish was a Lentil and Feta Salad. I have been making this recipe since we got married and not sure where I found it. Oops. Forgot to take a photo of it!