Tasty, Tasty

I'm being featured at RomanceCooks.com today! It's a fun site where romance authors share recipes and books--two of my favoritest things in the world. If you like cooking, you should check it out. The recipe I shared, Asian Beef Lettuce Cups,  is cheap and easy.

Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares

• This is a FANTASTIC recipe. It's super easy and fast, too. I make these at holiday time for the neighbors, who rave about them. The recipe is from Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine, but I  reduced the amount of nuts because these cookies are a bit pricy to make. 

Go here to see a video of them being made.

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• Salted Toffee-Chocolate Squares 

INGREDIENTS

• 14 graham crackers
• 1 bag (8 ounces) toffee bits
• 1 cup coarsely chopped toasted natural almonds
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup (4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
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DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place graham crackers in a single layer on sheet, edges touching. Sprinkle toffee bits, almonds, and chocolate chips over graham crackers.
2. In a small saucepan, bring sugar and butter to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture is syrupy, 2 minutes. Immediately pour over graham crackers. Bake until sugar topping is bubbling, 12 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle salt over graham crackers. While still hot, cut into 2-inch squares with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. Let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. (Store in an airtight container, up to 1 week.)
   
   
   (Photo from the Martha Stewart website)

Love It Wednesday #6 - Potayto Potahto

Today I'm crowing about a recipe that I tried out today on my family. I never thought much about anchovies before except that they were sometimes put on pizza. Recently one of the magazines I subscribe to, Everyday Food, did a feature on anchovies. One of their recipes sounded interesting, and it was terrific.

Anchovy Potato Salad

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
coarse salt
1/2 celery stalk, diced small (I used a whole one.)
1 scallion (I used two)
1 large hard-cooked egg, chopped
1 cup Spicy Anchovy Mayonnaise (recipe to follow)

In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil in salted water over high. Reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a bowl, about 10 min. Drain, transfer to a bowl and let cool, about 30 min. Stir in all the other stuff and season with salt.

To store, cover and refrigerate, up to 3 days.

Spicy Anchovy Mayo

Combine 1 cup mayo, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. red pepper flakes, and a small tin of anchovies, finely chopped.

Roasted Pepper Pasta Stuffed Peppers

1/2 pound short whole wheat pasta
4 large red bell peppers, tops cut off and reserved, seeds
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for drizzling
4 jarred roasted red peppers
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 small portobello mushroom caps, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 sprigs rosemary, stems discarded and leaves chopped
One 28-ounce can fire-roasted, crushed, or diced tomatoes
2 cups arugula or baby spinach (a few generous handfuls)
1 cup loosely packed basil leaves
1 cup grated pecorino-romano cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

2. Trim the bottoms of the bell peppers, without cutting a hole, so that they stand. Season inside with salt and black pepper. Turn the peppers bottom side up in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, set the tops alongside and drizzle with EVOO. Roast for 20 minutes.

3. Using a food processor, puree the roasted red peppers. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add the red onion, garlic, mushrooms, crushed red pepper and rosemary and cook until softened, 7 minutes. Stir in the pureed peppers and the fire-roasted tomatoes; season with salt and black pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the pasta and toss. Add the arugula and basil and cook until wilted.

4. Preheat the broiler. Turn the peppers upright; fill with pasta. Top with the cheese and broil until melted, 2 minutes. Cover with the tops and serve with any extra pasta.

Shrimp Scampi Pizza

Shrimp Scampi Pizza

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 cloves garlic, 8 smashed and peeled and 4 finely chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, trimmed
One 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
2 pounds shrimp—peeled, deveined and chopped
Salt and pepper

1 baguette, split lengthwise and quartered crosswise

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Cook the smashed garlic until golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to a food processor; reserve the olive oil.

2. Add the parsley to the garlic in the food processor and pulse to finely chop; set aside 1/4 cup. Add the ricotta and parmesan to the food processor; pulse to combine.

3. Preheat the oven to 500°. In the same skillet, heat the reserved olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until opaque, about 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved 1/4 cup parsley-garlic mixture.

4. Spread the cheese mixture on the cut side of each piece of bread and arrange on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Spoon the shrimp mixture on top and sprinkle with more parmesan. Bake until the cheese is melted, 7 to 10 minutes.

Speedy Layered Chicken Enchilada Pie

Speedy Layered Chicken Enchilada Pie

1 (11.5 ounce) package Old El Paso(R) Flour Tortillas for Burritos (I used corn tortillas)
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1/2 cup uncooked instant white rice
8 ounces shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (I used more cheese the second time I made it! Probably 12 oz.)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 (19 ounce) can red enchilada Sauce
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup chunky salsa
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
Reduced fat sour cream (optional)
Chopped green onions (optional)
I added black olives, too.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9-inch round (2-quart) glass baking dish or casserole with nonstick cooking spray. Cut 5 of the tortillas in half. Cut remaining tortillas into 2 1/2-inch-wide strips. In large bowl, combine chicken, rice, 1 cup of the cheese, beans and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce; mix well.

Layer 4 tortilla halves in bottom of sprayed baking dish. Top with 1/4 cup enchilada sauce and half of the chicken mixture. Top with 2 tortilla halves; fill in empty spaces with 3 tortilla strips. Spoon corn over tortillas. Spread salsa over corn. Layer with 2 tortilla halves and 3 strips. Top with remaining half of chicken mixture. Continue layering with remaining 2 tortilla halves and strips, enchilada sauce, cheese and 2 tablespoons green onions.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes. Top with sour cream and green onions.

Yield: 6 servings

This is YUMMY!!!! It's also super easy and quick to make if you have the chicken already cooked, leftover, even!

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Breasts

I made this last night and it was delish. When I make it again it will be with adjustments. (See below.)

Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken Breasts

4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Black pepper
4 slices prosciutto (I might get this from the deli case, because the package I bought had more slices than I needed.)
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried)
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 cloves garlic, unpeeled (I'd use way more. We love garlic.)
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)

Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Lay the prosciutto on a cutting board or plate and sprinkle with the oregano. Lay each chicken breast on a slice of prosciutto and wrap the prosciutto around the chicken. (I never thought I'd say this, but my breasts were too big. I'd definitely make sure they were only about 3/4" thick. It took way too long to cook through.)

Heat the oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until the prosciutto is crisp and the chicken is cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes per side.

Transfer the chicken and garlic to plates. If using the wine, add it to the skillet and simmer until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Spoon over the chicken.

Yield: Makes 4 servings

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 254; FAT 9g (sat 2g); CHOLESTEROL 105mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3g; CALORIES FROM FAT 31%; SODIUM 458mg; PROTEIN 39g; FIBER 0g; SUGAR 0g

Recipe: Apple Pear Galette

From one of my favorite magazines, Real Simple, comes this recipe that I made last Friday for my group of scrapbooking friends. It really appealed to me because it uses store-bought pie crusts. I would reduce the amount of ginger by at least half, but then, I'm not a ginger girl. A little goes a long way with me.

Apple Pear Galette

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for the surface
2 9-inch refrigerated piecrusts
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
3 Empire, Gala, or Cortland apples, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 Bartlett pears, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 large egg, beaten

Heat oven to 350° F. On a lightly floured surface, place one piecrust on top of the other and roll the stack into one 16-inch circle. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spread 1/4 cup of the preserves on the crust, leaving a 2-inch border.

In a large bowl, toss the apples, pears, flour, lemon juice, ginger, cinnamon, and 3 tablespoons of the sugar. Transfer to the crust, leaving the border clear. Fold the edges of the crust over the fruit mixture.

Brush the egg on the crust and sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of sugar. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the fruit is tender, 50 to 60 minutes.In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of preserves and 1 tablespoon water over medium heat until liquid, 2 to 3 minutes. Brush on the fruit. Serve warm or at room temperature.

To Bring It: The galette can be made one day ahead; just cover it tightly with plastic wrap. To prevent it from sliding around on the serving plate, dab some preserves in the center of the plate before placing the galette on top.Yield: Makes 8 servings


NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 378; FAT 15g (sat 6g); CHOLESTEROL 36mg; CARBOHYDRATE 59g; CALORIES FROM FAT 35%; SODIUM 210mg; PROTEIN 3g; FIBER 3g; SUGAR 27g