mushrooms

Sauteed Red Wine Garlic Mushrooms

January 17, 2020

Making your own Red Wine Garlic Mushrooms will transport you to your favorite bistro or steakhouse. Savor every umami filled bite.

Make your dinner special with these Red Wine Garlic Mushrooms. Load them on your favorite steak or burger. They are simple to make, but pack so much

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Healthy & Hearty Mushroom Stew

January 12, 2015

Bring on 2015 and a fresh start!

I love the new year. It’s a chance to start over. To resolve to better yourself. And if you don’t like to make resolutions then just enjoy that you are just getting closer and closer to warmer weather, which is what I live for.

This year I’ve resolved to eat ‘smarter’. I am on a mission to be more conscious about what I eat and how much. I’ve lost a lot of weight over the last year and I would like to loose another 15 or pounds before our wedding in June. But even aside from that I want to be more careful about what I put into my body and be more considerate regarding how it could potentially negatively effect how my body feels.

We’re about 2 weeks into the new year and so far so good. I have my moments when I eat a cookie but then I try to balance the sweet out with more paleo meals or salads. I’m just hoping to keep this up and settle in on something that feels good and is good for me.

Lately, I’ve noticed that I keep seeing an old New York Times article getting shared and shared over and over again on Facebook. I think it has to do with the New Year as people are looking for some insight to a better life in the new year.

The article talks of how the people on these Greek island live significantly longer than most people, it’s known as “The Island Where People Forget to Die”. People are reaching their 80’s, 90’s and even to 100 at a greater rate than the rest of the world. They are not immune to cancer and other illnesses exactly, but if the are living longer than other cultures before getting ill.

They live their lives at a different pace than the rest of the world. They enjoy slower days that are filled with friends and families while they tend to their gardens and livestock. The food that they harvest is the focal point of the meals. Fruits, vegetables, and beans are diet staples, as well as goat and fish. Rich olive oils and red wine are, of course, enjoyed as well.

But if you don’t live on Ikaria and want you experience some of their cooking yourself then get the Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity from the Greek Island Where People Forget to Die cookbook by Diane Kochilas. Kochila divides her time between New York and Irakia, her family’s ancestral island. She has first hand experience cooking the foods native to the famous Greek island. She has foraged for mushrooms, dried vegetables, and made cheese, which she has made into incredible meals.

This cookbook shares the foods of the people living on Ikaria in a creative way by mixing in story telling with the recipes. And photos too!! The recipes are focused on Mezedes, which are small plates that are perfect for snacking while catching up with a friend, salads, soups, beans and legumes, meats, and fish. There are some sweet treats in there too. (I swear that one day I’ll make Loukoumades!)

There were so many recipes that I tagged to make but the one that first jumped out to me was the Mushroom Stew as I wanted something comforting for the cold weather. It was a perfect pick!

The stew is easy to prep, I think it took me just a few minutes to cut up the onions and while they were cooking I sliced kale into very thin ribbons. And as that was cooking I sliced the mushrooms. Super simple.

The recipe calls for red wine but if you don’t want to use it or have it on hand then feel free to substitute in beef broth. Skip the wine and it will be a great Whole 30 meal. Yum!

The Mushroom Stew is healthy and hearty. It’s rich tasting but not rich for you. The flavors are earthy and it has great texture. It’s great served with mashed potatoes, rice, freekeh, or crusty bread. Just be sure to have something to absorb the flavorful broth.

Embrace the ingredients, recipes, and lifestyle of the people Ikaria and you’ll live a long and happy life. Oh, so you can’t take midday naps? Well, at least make this amazing Mushroom Stew! Enjoy!

Healthy & Hearty Mushroom Stew

Makes 4 generous servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds (750 grams) mixed mushrooms, such as white button, oyster, boletus, porcini, chanterelles, portobellos,
1/4 Cup Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 large red onions, coarsely shopped (yields approximately 2 Cups)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-2 pounds sweet greens, such as chard, spinach sweet dandelions, sweet sorrel, kale, and/or wile fennel (optional)
1/2 Cup dry red wine, or beef broth
1 Cup chopped canned tomatoes
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
pinch of ground allspice
3 or 4 sprigs fresh or dried oregano
3 sprigs fresh or dried thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Process

Slice the mushrooms, into 1/4″ thick slices, as needed, depending on the size of the mushroom.
In a very large, wide pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onion once the oil is shimmery. Cook until translucent and soft, about 6 minutes. Stir a bit so they don’t brown.
Add the greens, and cook for about 8-10 minutes until they are wilted.
Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes to soften. Add the red wine and bring to a boil.
Add the canned tomatoes, red wine vinegar, bay leaves, all spice, oregano, and the salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, until everything is tender.
Enjoy with rice, mashed potatoes, freekeh, quinoa, or slices of toasted bread that has been drizzled with olive oil. A glass of red wine doesn’t hurt either!

Sourced from Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity from the Greek Island Where People Forget to Die

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While I received this complimentary cookbook for review, all opinions are my own.

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Apple and Mushroom Wild Rice Stuffing- SRC

November 24, 2014

I have a funny story.

It happened on Saturday, but it all starts with something that happened on Thursday. Kinda. Sorta.

See, on Thursday our wonderful dog walker emailed me asking for me to call her. She wanted to let me know that Kemper’s left eye was all puffy. Not the eye actually, but all around it. Top and bottom lid. My poor bug eyed dog was even more bug eyed. It looked like he was punched. Well, a trip to the vet later, he was having an allergic reaction to something. Nothing in his diet or in the environment changed. Nothing that we could think of. So, he had to get a benadryl shot and keep taking it 3x a day for 3 days, plus pepcid for his stomach as allergic reactions will often upset their stomach. (The things you learn.)

Fast forward 24 hours to Friday night and my stomach starts itching. No big. It’s the winter. My skin is dry.

Then it’s Saturday morning and my feet and hands start itching. My hands get splotchy and a bit puffy, enough to take my ring off. So while Kemper is getting Benadryl dose I take a pill too. What the hell is going on!?!? Anyway, Autumn and I then go grocery shopping. Enough of a distraction for me to stop scratching my palms. By the time we got home it was time for Autumn’s nap so I put her down and then got the perishables away. I was crashing so I figured I’d take a 5 minute catnap, or maybe a 15 minute nap. I’m usually great at getting myself up at a certain time, but I didn’t do so well as I woke up at 10.40. And panicked. Why? Because I had to make mac and cheese to bring over to our friend’s house for 1pm. I sprung up and stumbled into the kitchen while freaking out ‘How did you let me sleep so late? I gotta make mac and cheese. We are never gonna get to Mark and Allie’s on time!!!” “Umm, we’re going there tomorrow…” And so there we were. So I took a deep breath, stumbled back to the sofa and fell back asleep.

And that is why you should buy NON-DROWSY Benedryl. Noted.

Now it’s time to discuss this amazing side dish.

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club post I was given Sarah’s blog Curious Cuisiniere. Sarah shares her adventures; whether it’s in the kitchen, traveling or her recent bakery position. It all makes for well balanced blog with wonderful recipes including the one I chose for this months SRC.

Sarah shares hundreds of recipes, thankfully all very well organized. I enjoyed browsing through them as she shares a unique range of dishes from all different cultures. As I had been focusing on Thanksgiving recipes I picked her Apple and Mushroom Wild Rice Stuffing as it sounded easy to make – just about 30 minutes- and really flavorful with the layers of flavors from the apples, mushrooms, raisins, and, of course, the wild rice.

This Apple and Mushroom Wild Rice Stuffing is the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving. It’s off the beaten path which will make for a tasty alternative to stuffing but goes great with roasted turkey or other fowl. The earthy texture and filling taste of the dish makes for a hearty side for tummy and palette. The wild mushrooms mixed with the apples and long grain rice are a wonderful combination.

I changed things up a bit by using fresh mushrooms, as opposed to canned. But the recipe was so great that there was little personalizing needed. I did garnish the stuffing with chopped pecans and dried cranberries but you can leave it plain. Or you might even want to add some pecans into the rice. I love pecans but Autumn doesn’t do too well when nuts are mixed into things. She just spits them out. ha!

Apple and Mushroom Wild Rice Stuffing

Makes roughly 2 quarts

Ingredients

3 Cups water
1/2 Cup wild rice
1 Cup white rice
2 Tablespoos butter, divided
1 Tablespoon chicken or vegetable broth
8 ounces of baby bella mushrooms, white button mushrooms are okay too
1 medium onion, chopped (approximately 1 Cup)
2 stalks celery, chopped (approximately 1 Cup)
1 medium green apple, cored and chopped (approximately 1 Cup)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 Cup raisins
3 Tablespoons parsley, dry
1 teaspoon thyme, ground dry
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Process

In a large sauce pan, mix water and wild rice and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered for 5 min. Add white rice, turn the heat down to low, and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender, but not overcooked. Note: You may have some water left over in the pot when the rice is tender, simply transfer the rice to a strainer to eliminate the excess liquid.
Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms in 1 Tablespoon butter and 1 Tablespoon chicken broth over medium heat. Cook until browned and reduced in size, approximately 4-5 minutes. Remove from the skillet.
Add 1 Tablespoon butter to the skillet. Once melted, add the onion and celery. Sautee for 3-4 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon chicken broth and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the apples, and garlic and sauté an additional 3-4 min. Remove from heat.
Add the onion mixture to rice along with remaining stuffing ingredients.
Stuffing is ready to serve, or be stuffed inside a turkey.

Inspired by Curious Cuisiniere

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Check out all the other great Secret Recipe Club posts this month!

And be sure to check out my 3 years of Secret Recipe Club posts!!!!

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Supreme Pizza Pot Pie

April 18, 2014

This is like deep dish pizza.

But cheesier. But meatier. But veggier. It’s a crazy kind of pizza. Get crazy with me!

Before we get into the pizza pot pie can we talk about the Scandal Season Finale for a quick second?

I mean, I can’t even. This whole show has had me on the edge of my seat since the very start. And this season oh.my. But this episode!! Poor Jerry. Poor Finn. And Olivia and Jake! The election! HARRISON!! UGH!!!!

Okay, back to the pizza because I can’t keep thinking about Scandal. Although I really will.

This Supreme Pizza Pot Pie made my day. (Well, until I gave Autumn some tomato and she went nutso for it. First real food (besides a 1/2+6 dime sized piece of banana I mashed onto a teether for her to try)!!!!!!! I was so excited she loved the tomato pieces I gave her. And was less excited about the dogs frantic high-pitched whine begging for the tomato I left on her high chair while I gave her a bath in the sink.)

I swear this will make your day too. It’s so quick to assemble and it is gloriously delicious. Change up your typical Friday night pizza take out by grabbing the ingredients for this and you’ll impress your family. Yep.

This is sooo cheesy. It’s kinda like a deep dish pizza but instead of a chunky sauce it has a crazy cheesy sauce that is studded with warm juicy tomatoes. But, brace yourself (!), it’s really rich so just 1 slice will do. But if you manage to enjoy 2 slice I won’t judge. I’ll cheer you on!

So supreme pizzas have olives on them. But, here’s the thing, I hate them and don’t use them in cooking, unless I kinda have to and can actually pick them out. So this doesn’t have olives in there, but feel free to use olives if you like them.

Next time I am going to do an all veggie version with some garlicy spinach and lots of mushrooms. And then I’ll make a Hawaiian version. OMG this is trouble.

Supreme Pizza Pot Pie

Makes 1 9″ pie, 8 servings

Ingredients

1 box of 9″ pie crusts
2 cups shredded mozzarella
8 ounces low-fat cream cheese
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder*
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano*
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley*
1/4 teaspoon dried basil*
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 green pepper
1 yellow onion
1 pound Sweet Italian Sausage, removed from casing
2 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes
4 ounce can of slice mushrooms
2.25 ounce can of sliced black olives
pepperoni, approximately 15 slices

*If you prefer, use 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning instead of these individual ingredients

Process

Preheat the oven to 350.
Place 1 of the pie crusts into the bottle of the 9″ spring-form pan. Do not stretch it up the sides but gently press it on the side to keep it in place.
Dice the pepper and onion, and halve the tomatoes. Set aside.
Combine the cream cheese, mozzarella, 1 egg, and the spices into a bowl of a stand mixer. Beat together to combine.
In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage. Once the sausage is browned add in the pepper and onion.
Add the tomatoes and mushrooms to the cheese mixture. Then add the sausage mixture and fold into the cheese mixture until completely combined
Pour the filling into the bottom crust of the pizza. Place the other crust on top of the filling. Fold over the extra crust and crimp the edges.
Beat 1 egg and brush over the top crust. Place the pepperoni on top of the crust and top off with more egg wash on top of the pepperoni.
Bake for 45-50 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before removing the sides of the spring-form pan and slicing.

Inspired by Oh Bite It!

Guinness Irish Beef Stew

March 13, 2013

Guinness Irish Beef Stew is a hearty fulling stew that is filled with tender beef, onions, & mushrooms. Rich flavors made better with a strong Guinness.

A stew simmering away on your stove all afternoon is a great way to start to get you excited about your dinner. The smells will perfume your kitchen and you’ll be dying to dig in to this Guinness Irish Beef Stew.

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Steak Quesadillas

March 1, 2013

Well, we have made it through Race Week and the Daytona 500. While the Daytona 500 was exciting the previous day’s Nationwide Race had a very scary ending with one of the cars becoming airborne and slamming into catch fence. Driver Michael Annett is out indefinitely because of a fractured and dislocated sternum and 28 fans were injured when debris went into the stands. I can only hope that people recover quickly and that this provides valuable information to help NASCAR continue to work on driver and fan safety.

This upcoming weekend’s Sprint Cup race is at Phoenix International Raceway. Since the race is in Arizona I felt that something with a Mexican influence would be fun for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks. I decided on some Steak Quesadillas because I love how they are perfect for snacking but filling for a meal. Plus when you walk by some fantastic looking beef at your grocery store you can’t resist.

I swear I could eat quesadillas every day. They are just so amazing! It’s a twist on a sandwich that I can enjoy. Typically my least favorite part of a sandwich is the bread, either because it is too soft and plain or too hearty and heavy. If I were goldylocks the tortilla would be just right. Plus how can you resist

Besides enjoying these Steak Quesadillas while you watch the race be sure to make them for a party as they make for a great dish to serve as you can prep them right before the party and you can keep warm in a oven at 200 degrees. Or just make and enjoy for dinner with some rice and beans. yum!

Be sure to check back every week to see what Sprint Cup Snacks recipe I have whipped up for the upcoming race. The next race is in Vegas… oh the possibilities. 🙂

Steak Quesadillas

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 pound of beef loin sirloin tip
2 teaspoons adobo seasoning, divided
1 large white onion
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
12 ounces white mushrooms
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 ounces of pepper jack cheese, shredded
8 flour taco tortillas

Process

Coat the sirloin with adobe seasoning. Let rest for at least 30 minutes.
While the sirloin is resting, slice the onion and the mushrooms, slice the peppers into strips. Mix in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and then add the vegetables to cook until browned and soft.
Grill the steak until it is medium-rare with an internal temperature of 130 to 135 degrees. Let the cooked steak rest for 5 minutes prior to thinly slicing across the grain.
Assemble the quesadillas by laying out one tortilla, put 1/4 of each the shredded cheese, cooked vegetables, and sliced steak on the tortilla, then top with another tortilla. Repeat the process for the other 3 quesadillas.
Place the quesadillas on baking sheets and broil until tortilla has browned the cheese has started to melt. Flip to brown the other side.
Serve warm with condiments like salsas, guacamole, and sour cream.

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{Sprint Cup Snacks Track Facts}

NASCAR races at the Phoenix International Raceway for the second and the second to last race of the year. There is a triv oval racing track as well as a 1.51 road course configuration. The stands seat 67,000 fans… consider that is A LOT more fans than these new Baseball Stadiums- Marlins Park (36,742) and Yankee Stadium (50,287).

Track: 1 mile

Shape: “D”-shaped Tri-Oval

Banking: 10-12 degree banking in Turns 1 and 2; 8-9 degree banking in Turns 3-4; 10-12 banking in the Backstretch; 3 degree banking in the Frontstretch

Surface: Asphalt

Race: 312 laps for 500 kilometers

2012 winners: Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick

‘Shroomy Philly Cheesesteak Burgers

February 27, 2013

I love cheese steak sandwiches. I think it’s because they are loaded up with so many delicious things- meat, sautéed onions and peppers, and cheese. And I might buck tradition and piss some traditionalists off but I add a ton of steak sauce. I can’t pass steak sauce off since it packs to much flavor. I could put steak sauce on bread and be happy…

You know umami? Umami is one of the 5 basic tastes that we identify in foods. Basically, umani equates to savory flavors which is often related to foods that contain high levels of L-glutamate, IMP and GMP. Foods associated with umami are fish, shellfish, cured meats, vegetables, like mushrooms and ripe tomatoes, green tea, and fermented and aged products, such as cheeses, shrimp pastes, soy sauce, and – what for it – steak sauce.

To put a twist on the traditional steak sandwich I transformed a burger into a ‘Shroomy Philly Cheese Steak Burger by piling it high with sautéed onions and mushrooms and tons of melty cheese. And what about my favorite steak sauce? Well that is there too! As well, I seasoned the burger itself so it would be so juicy and flavorful.

This is a massive, juicy burger!! The steak sauce and Worcestershire sauce in the burger mixture makes the burger really flavorful and juicy. Of course if I am going to make a cheeseburger, I am going to cheesy!! The onions and mushrooms piled high make is a great Philly cheesesteak burger. It all comes together in a huge bite and then the theme song of The Fresh Prince pops into your head, right?

Enjoy your burger with some fries and a cold beer!

‘Shroomy Philly Cheesesteak Burgers

Makes 6 big burgers

Ingredients

2 large yellow onions
12 oz white button mushrooms
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 pounds of ground sirloin
1/2 cup of steak sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
18 slices of Provolone Cheese
6 bulkie rolls

Process

Slice the onions and put into a skillet with 1 tablespoon oil and cook over medium- low heat until translucent and caramelized. Add salt and pepper when done.
Slice the mushrooms and put into a skillet with 1 tablespoon oil and cook over medium-low heat until browned and reduced in size. Add salt and pepper when done.
While cooking the onions and mushrooms, in a large bowl, mix together the ground sirloin, steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, and pepper. Divide the mixture into 6 equal sized burgers
Grill the burgers until just under desired doneness. Place 3 slices of cheese on each burger and cook until melted and burger is done.
Place a cooked burger on the bottom portion of the bulkie roll, smother the burger with the onions and mushrooms. Top with steak sauce and top of roll. Enjoy!

Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Bread

October 29, 2012

It’s been a year since I’ve started to participate in Secret Recipe Club and I have really enjoyed this past year.It’s been so much fun getting to interact with other bloggers and to make some really fun recipes. I can’t wait for the next year with this great group!

This month I had Anne’s blog called Anne Jisca’s Healthy Pursuits. Wouldn’t you know I think the pick the 1 indulgent thing on the blog. She has great soups, breads, so many other great fresh homemade recipes on her blog. Of course I pick one with bacon and cheese. It’s just that once I saw her Bacon Cheese Stuffed Bread I knew I needed to have it. It would just work out perfectly to enjoy on a leisurely Sunday with some NASCAR and Football on. Plus, some Frankenstorm updates watching didn’t hurt! Oh, Hurricane Sandy, please be nice!

I made some changes to the original recipe in that I don’t have bacon bits at home so I used regular bacon and then I added mushroom and onion to the mix. I just figured adding some mushroom and onion would add to the overall flavor. Plus knowing it would basically be lunch it should have a veggie in there. ha! This was really simple to prepare and was so good. I highly suggest making this or a few different kinds, maybe with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, or some sauteed chopped broccoli. It’s the perfect game day treat!

Bacon, Mushroom, Onion, and Cheese Stuffed Bread

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 boule loaf of bread (8oz)
4 slices of bacon
8 oz o mushrooms, chopped
1 small white onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 pinch red pepper flake
2 oz of freshly grated cheese, such as cheddar or Gruyere

Process

Prepare the bread but cutting a cross hatch in the loaf almost all the way through. Place the bread onto a baking sheet lined with a large piece of tin foil.
Cut the bacon into small pieces. In a medium sized skillet, cook on medium low until completely cooked. Drain on a paper towel. Discard all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings.
Over medium heat, cook the mushrooms and onion in the same skillet with the bacon drippings as well as the butter. season with red pepper flake, salt and pepper. Once the mushroom and onion are cooked down add the bacon back into the skillet.
Add the bacon, mushroom, and onion mixture into the crevices of the bread. Freshly grate the cheese over the entire bread. Gently, wrap the foil over the bread to tent it over the cheese.
In a preheated 350 degree oven, bake the bread for 15 minutes. Open the foil to expose the top and broil for 1-2 minutes to get a golden brown top.

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Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts:

September: Spiced Black Bean, Grilled Avocado, and Goat Cheese Tacos

August: Birthday Cake Oreo Truffles

July: Tropical Pork Pineapple Kebabs

June: Cheesy Garlic Knots

May: Berry Brownie Torte

April: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

March: Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

February: Fried Pickles

Jan: No SRC postings

December: Shrimp Sriracha Stir Fry

November: Vegetable Enchiladas

October: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Tropical Pork Pineapple Kebabs- SRC

July 30, 2012

Another month is wrapping up so it means it is Secret Recipe Club time! How is this summer flying by?!?! It is crazy! At least it has been jam packed with great food, lots of fun with family and friends, and some awesome adventures. It just makes me wish summer was so much longer.

This time I had the blog called Without Adornment by Bean. The blog is packed full of gluten free recipes, as well as other allergen free recipes. This is perfect for someone with allergies, as well as anyone who just likes great food. I immediately saw her Tropical Pork Pineapple Kebabs and knew they would be perfect for a satisfying summertime dinner.

The original recipe was just a guide with the ingredients, and not the amounts used. I generally cook that way so I liked that there was freedom to have my own stamp on this recipe. I added some soy sauce to the marinade just so it would not be too sweet for my liking. I also had zucchini in the fridge so I added that to the kebabs too. I served this with some rice that I prepared while Price grilled up the kebabs. Totally loving our new grill, this summer, and this recipe!

Beans recipe was gluten free which I respect because for a while last year I ate gluten free and enjoyed the process and felt better from it. Anyway, I did add the soy sauce for flavor but it does wheat so if you want this to be gluten free just be sure to use a gluten free soy sauce. Or you can use Worcestershire Sauce which is naturally gluten free instead of the soy sauce and has 80% less sodium than soy sauce.

Tropical Pork Pineapple Kebabs

Serves 4

Ingredients

For Kebabs

1 pound of pork tenderloin cut into 1″ cubes
pineapple cut into 1″ cube pieces, approximately half a pineapple
1 red pepper, cut into 1″ x 1″ pieces
1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4″ thick pieces
8 oz whole white button mushrooms

For Marinade

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 gloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce, known as sambal
1 cup of diced pineapple
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

Process

Soak 10 wooden skewers for at least an hour before using them.
Prepare the marinade first by combine all of the marinade in a bowl or large plastic bag. Mix thoroughly and then add the pork pieces to the marinade. Store in the refrigerator while the meat marinates for at least 1 hour minutes.
Once skewers are soaked and the meat is marinated, thread the pork, pineapple, pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms. Repeat the series twice and end with a piece of pork.
Grill the kebabs over medium-high heat. Using a basting brush, brush the kebabs with the marinade each time you turn the kebabs grilling each side.
Cook the kebabs until done with an internal temperature of the pork is 145 degrees. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

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Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts:

June: Cheesy Garlic Knots

May: Berry Brownie Torte

April: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

March: Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

February: Fried Pickles

Jan: No SRC postings

December: Shrimp Sriracha Stir Fry

November: Vegetable Enchiladas

October: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Dinner in 20: Pasta with Veggies and Cream Sauce

June 28, 2012

I have not been the mood to do anything lately. Well, that is not true. I want to scrapbook all day, every day. I just don’t feel right not being able to be creative. Thinking about how far behind I am working on Project Life makes me want to break out in hives. I left off at week 12… it is now week 26. kill me. And no, I don’t have to continue, but I want to. When I work at it I feel good, I really enjoy it. So I just need to get set up for it, and find some time, and I’ll feel like myself again.

Being so disinterested in cooking I have been gravitating towards quick fix dinners. Salads have been gracing our table a lot lately but this Pasta with Veggies and Cream Sauce dish was a big winner. I had just restocked the fridge and pantry from moving so I didn’t have to run out last minute to grab something. I love when that happens. I also love Philadelphia Cooking Cream. We use a lot of this to add to pasta dishes, casseroles, or on eggs. It adds a lot of flavor to dishes easily. I’m not singing their praises because they are sponsoring me, I just really like the cooking creams. Man I would love to be sponsored by them, that would be so cool since we go through so much of this stuff. Ha!

Pasta with Veggies and Cream Sauce

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 lb farfalle pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced into 1″ pieces
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 (10oz) Philadelphia Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Cream
1 bunch scallions

Process

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to directions for al dente pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, saute the red pepper and mushrooms together in the olive oil. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
Add the cooking cream to the vegetables and mix together until fully incorporated.
Add the cooking cream onto the pasta when you serve it.

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Beef and Mushroom Hot Pot

April 24, 2012

I love my slow cooker. It has been there to pull me out of some tough weeks when I don’t have the time to cook but don’t want to get take out. I realized that I was neglecting it this year so I pulled out the Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes 2 and went right to a recipe I had bookmarked for a while now. I was always drawn to it because it was affordable, quick, and flavorful… sign me up!

I really enjoyed this slow cooker meal. I know I’ll make it again because it was so flavorful and was so simple. I made some changes to the recipe to suit out palate and what we had on hand. For example, since we always have carrots around I used fresh instead of the frozen as specified. My advice for the recipe to come out well is use low-sodium beef broth and to not cook it for too long. The broth concentrates so it would be way too salty if you use regular broth. Because of my schedule I actually had to cook it for 10 hours. I wish I could simply tell work I need to leave early to manage me slow cooker… imagine! ha! The rice was a bit gummy/mushy at the bottom. It didn’t ruin the meal at all but just something I noticed comparing the rice at the top verse the rice at the bottom.

Beef and Mushroom Hot Pot

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds stew meat, cut into small pieces
1 pound of mushrooms, sliced (2 80z packages)
4 carrots, cleaned and sliced into 1/4″ thick rounds
1 box (6 oz) of wild rice blend
2 14 oz cans of low sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Process

In a small bowl combine the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Mix together well and set aside.
In a 5-6 quart slow cooker, combine all of the ingredients together.
Set slow cooker for 6-8 hours.
Mix halfway through, if the mixtures looks like it is drying out or too soft in areas.
Enjoy!

Calzones

September 19, 2010

Calzones are pizza’s well packed cousin. Everything fits nicely into the crusty pocket. Once you break into time you watch the lovely, melted cheese coming flowing out. You can just have a cheese calzone but it’s like cheese pizza- very lonely. So along with the cheese you can add in pepperoni, mushrooms, ham, jalapeños, olives, sausage…. the possibility are endless.

Personally, I love them because you dip pieces into tomato sauce. And since I LOVE ketchup I think this act of dipping into another tomato medium is pretty damn awesome. Because you are dipping into the sauce you want to make sure it stands up again the rest of the calzone. You can use a home made sauce or a jarred sauce. The real key is to get something thin so it evenly coats the calzones, instead of a chunky sauce.

I go as far as to add a tiny bit of sauce in my calzone. I know, so crazy! I

The same goes for the dough… both store bought or home made works perfectly. If you are pressed for time just get store bought. I think that the key thingwhen you are using store bought it so let it sit out and get warm. Messing with chilly dough just results in holes since the dough has not loosened up yet. That goes for homemade as well, but I think it’s even worse with store bought.