Creamy Pasta Salad

So my best friend and I pretty much lived on pasta until we figured out in college that we actually liked a lot of other things.  In junior high, we had a tiny salad bar situated at the end of a long lunch line; it had the BEST pasta salad.  I'm pretty sure we had pasta salad for lunch every day.  We've never forgotten how good it was, and we've been on a quest to find that perfect recipe ever since.  Below is our take at 7th grade pasta salad.

What You'll Need:
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 cup Sour cream
Italian seasoning, to taste
Cooked Rotini
1 cup thawed baby peas
2- 2oz cans sliced black olives
1/4 cup capers
1 cup artichokes, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
Cherry tomatoes, chopped
Genoa salami

Mix all ingredients and let chill.

Enjoy!

Lobster & Crawfish Pasta

Does anyone remember "lob top" from Outback Steakhouse?  Well my boyfriend loved the stuff and still gets disappointed when we visit an Outback and it's no longer on the menu.  So I decided I would try to make my own version.  We served it over steaks and it was great.  Since I cook for just us two, I had left over crawfish and lobster.  So I figured I would make a pasta, of course.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Pasta of your choice, cooked al dente (I used fettuccine)
Butter or EVOO
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbsp chives
White wine *optional
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 can rotel, well drained
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp ketchup
1/2 cup lobster claw meat, chopped (imitation is fine)
1/2 cup crawfish tails, cooked
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Sauté onions, garlic, chives and mushrooms in oil over medium high heat until onions are translucent.  Add wine once around the pan. Let reduce by half, stirring frequently.  Add chicken broth and rotel.  Bring to low boil and whisk in heavy cream.  Add ketchup and meat. Stir in cheese and let reduce until sauce is thickened. Serve over pasta.

enjoy!

Fried Chicken Tenders

Why buy frozen chicken strips from the super market when you can make then yourself, and they're even better. 

What You'll Need:

1 package boneless skinless chicken tenders or breasts, sliced into thirds

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp Paprika

1 Tbsp ground mustard

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt 

1. Place rinsed and dried chicken into a bowl, cover with buttermilk.  Let soak at least 15-20 minutes, longer is fine too. 

2. In seperate bowl, add flour and spices.  Wisk in 1/4 to 1/3 cup buttermilk. It will be slightly clumpy but that's what will stick to the strips and add crunchy bits.

3.  Heat 1" of oil (I use peanut oil but canola or vegetable would work) over medium low to medium heat. 

4.  Dredge buttermilk covered tenders in flour mixture until covered nicely. 

5.  Drop into heated oil. Turning after a few minutes.  Cook until nicely browned and internal temperature of 175°.

7.  Place on paper towel covered plate to absorb excess oil. Then eat.

ENJOY!

Skillet Corn Off-the-Cob

Skillet corn just happened one day when Landon brought home the partially shucked corn.  We would usually place whole corn on the cob right on the grill, but having only half the husk, we had to improvise.  So I decided to cut the corn off the cob, put it in the cast iron skillet with butter, Cajun spices, and a splash of lime juice. It was so good we make it almost every time we grill.  

To "de-cob" the corn I suggest the nifty method I found on Pinterest (below).  Use the bundt pan and you won't have corn flying all over the kitchen. Genius.

What You'll Need:

 

Corn on the cob (4-6 cobs)

3/4 - 1 stick of butter cubed

2 tsp. Cajun spice

1 tsp. line juice 

1. Shuck the corn and take off the cob. Add cubed butter, corn, spices and lime juice to large cast iron skillet.  Place on hot grill over indirect heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can also do this on the stove over medium high heat. 

ENJOY!

Spicy Sausage and Cabbage

My dad HATES cabbage.  I'm not sure why but he doesn't allow my mom to cook it in his house.  So, I didn't discover I actually like cabbage, a lot, until recently.  I think out of boredom I decided I would try to cook some fried cabbage.  And just as most of my cooking experiements start, I googled fried cabbage.  I looked at several recipes and then had in mind what I was going to do. Turns out, it was tasty.  Mom loved it as much as I did and we eat it regularly at my house when dad doesn't come with her.  

What You'll Need:  

1 head cabbage, remove outer layer and center and thinly slice or shred 

Large pot of water

Generous amount Cajun seasoning (I prefer Tony Chachere's). 

2 Tbsp. Butter

1 package smoked sausage, sliced

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

Pinch of sugar

1/4 tsp. Worchestershire sauce

Louisiana hot sauce, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1.  Bring large pot of water to rolling boil and add generous amount of Cajun spices (sort of like a crab boil). Toss in shredded cabbage and boil for 2-3 minutes or until cabbage is barely soft.  Drain and sit aside. 

2.  Meanwhile, heat butter over medium high heat, adding sausage and onion.  Cook until sausage is nicely browned and onion is translucent.  

3.  Add drained cabbage to pan.  Add a dash of sugar and any more Cajun spice you think it needs.  Add Worchestershire, hot sauce and black pepper. Toss ingredients together. 

4. Remove from heat.  ENJOY!

Bruschetta Chicken

So I wanted to cook something that wasn't pasta for my best friend.  We were celebrating Wine Wednesday and addressing wedding invitations.  So I thought about it and bruschetta chicken was something I had seen on Pinterest a while back and I thought it sounded good.  I certainly enjoyed it and I think my friends did too, as I hope you will. 

What You'll Need:

1 package of chicken breasts ( I prefer the "organic" brand) 

1 cup Balsamic vinegar, divided

2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil

1 tsp. molasses 

Fresh basil (generous amount) 

1.5 cups Fresh tomatoes, chopped

Minced garlic

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

Feta cheese, optional 

1. The night before I trimmed the chicken breasts of any tendons or anything that looks gross. I put it in a large plastic bag and added 1/2 cup balsamic and 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and I threw in about a teaspoon of molasses.  I admit I didn't measure any of it so add enough to generously coat the chicken. And let marinate in the refrigerator overnight or at least a few hours.

2.  Chop the tomatoes and onion and add to mixing bowl.  Add garlic and freshly cut basil. Add enough balsamic vinegar to nicely saturate everything but not make it a soup.  Add remaining olive oil and salt and pepper to taste and let sit.  I also made this the night before.  It should look like the picture below.

4.  I used my porcelain enameled cast iron Dutch oven to prepare the chicken on the stove top but you could bake it or grill it, you choose.  Just be sure to cook it until the internal temperature is 175° Fahrenheit.  Mine had a nice Carmelized color to it.  

5.  Top cooked chicken with bruschetta and feta cheese and you can drizzle a little more balsamic if you choose.  I served mine over quinoa but brown rice, orzo pasta, or whole wheat spaghetti would be good too.  Also, serve with a crusty bread and have the bruschetta on it as well. 

ENJOY! 

Pork Tenderloin

Sorry for the old (and poor quality) picture, but it will have to do.  And note the red juice isn't blood it's from the roasted red pepper and black olive sauce (recipe not included).  I don't remember how I stumbled upon this recipe but I am certainly glad I did.  I remember telling my mom I was making her pork tenderloin and her reply was "uh I don't like pork." This is typical.  She's constantly saying she doesn't like something and then I'll prover her wrong.  This was no exception. She now has this recipe and makes it a lot.  So I hope you will enjoy the recipe as much as my family does.

What You'll Need:

Pork tenderloin

Extra virgin olive oil 

McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning 

1.  Coat the tenderloin with olive oil and add a liberal amount of the Montreal steak seasoning.

2.  Refrigerate overnight if possible.

3.  Preheat oven to highest temp (500°F).  Place tenderloins on rack in baking sheet and add about a 1/4 inch of water.  Cook tenderloin on highest heat for 15 minutes.  It's critical not to open the oven during this time.

4. After the 15 minutes, drop oven temperature to 350°F.  Continue cooking for 30-45 minutes or until the internal meat temperature is 165°.  

5.  Remove from oven and let rest about 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute.  Slice and serve. 

ENJOY!

Original recipe - adapted 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/roasted-beef-tenderloin-with-roasted-pepper-and-black-olive-sauce-recipe.html#!