Shrimp Enchiladas

To say that my husband likes enchiladas is an understatement. The last time I made these, he ate most of the batch, I'm talking eighteen enchiladas, in just over 36 hours. He also loves seafood of all kinds, so when I saw this recipe for shrimp enchiladas I knew I had to make it for him. He's been going through a hard time lately and I thought it would be nice to do something special just for him.

They were a huge hit! They weren't any more difficult to put together than the chicken enchiladas I like to make and they were MUCH better. I'm going to use the steps in this recipe to make my chicken enchiladas from now on. No more cream of chicken soup for us, we are movin' on up to the homemade cheese sauce.

I made several changes to the original, so make sure to click back to The Piggly-Wiggly blog for her take on the recipe.


Shrimp Enchiladas
Inspired By: The Piggly-Wiggly

1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, minced
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp Paula Deen's House Seasoning
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
8 ounces shredded Monterey-Jack cheese, divided
8 ounces Pepper-Jack cheese, divided
1/2 cup sour cream (Used fat-free)
1 Tbsp butter
1-1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (next time I'll use fresh)
(9-inch) flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sauté peppers and onion in the butter until crisp-tender (approximately 3-4 minutes). Add oregano, house seasoning, cream and flour; blend well. Continue cooking for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add half of the cheese mixture; stir until melted. Add sour cream, stir to blend. Set aside.

In another skillet, melt the 2 Tbsp butter. Sauté shrimp until pink. Remove and chop; return to butter. Add tomatoes and 1/2 of the cheese sauce. Spoon 1/3 cup shrimp mixture into each tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top of shrimp mixture. Roll up tightly. Arrange seam side down in a 13x9 glass baking dish.

Spoon remaining cheese sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com this morning. We wanted soup for dinner since today was so fall-like. The recipe turned out great and the broth was so incredibly flavorful, it was wonderful to eat it with a crusty piece of bread. Then it happened...as I was cleaning the kitchen, I looked once more at the recipe I'd printed out. I'd forgotten to include the tortellini in the soup! It was still sitting in it's package in the refrigerator and dinner was over and done with. Even though I have no idea how I managed to forget the title ingredient, it was still great. I'm sure the pasta and cheese would only make it better!

I made several adjustments to the recipe which I will note below. For the original recipe, tortellini and all, go to Allrecipes.com.

Italian Sausage Soup with Tortellini
Adapted from: allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

3/4 pound hot Italian saugage
1/4 pound pork sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups beef broth
1/2 cup water
1 cup red wine
2 16 oz. cans petit diced tomatoes
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
8 ounces tortellini pasta

Directions:

In a large stock pot, brown sausage. Remove and drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings.

Saute the onion until nearly translucent. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Stir in broth, water, wine, tomatoes, carrots, tomato sauce and sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 50 minutes.

Skim fat from the soup, add the tortellini and simmer another ten minutes. Garnish with Parmesan before serving.

Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers

I'm trying to explore new sections of the grocery store...I think they call it 'shopping around the edges'. The idea is to find new foods that you've never cooked with before. Our Wal-Mart has a nice sized Mexican food section in the refrigerator case where I found a bright red tube of chorizo sausage.
If, like me, you've never cooked with chorizo, don't be surprised if it looks like the least appetizing thing you've ever seen in a skillet (seriously, I almost threw it out, but it smelled good so I perservered). Just press the sausage down into a disk and be sure to take a second during cooking to drain the excess liquid (grease I guess)that comes out of the sausage. Flip the disk over and continue browning, then crumble when it's completely cooked. *confession, I had to Google how to cook chorizo, I had no idea*
I created this recipe using items I had on hand. It turned out really well and it came together quickly.

Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers

Source: A Hilary Original Recipe

Ingredients:

4 bell peppers
1 pound chorizo sausage
1 onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1.5 cups minute rice
1.5 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
Cheddar cheese to taste
Sour cream, olives, other garnishes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Cut the bell peppers in half, removing stem and seeds. Place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil and put in oven, roasting until slightly soft and liquid is starting to seep from the peppers.

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, saute the onion and sausage. Once the sausage is thoroughly cooked, add the tomatoes, rice and water. Allow to simmer until rice is cooked and the mixture has thickened. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Spoon the sausage mixture into the bell pepper shells. Top with chedder cheese and bake about ten minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Garnish as desired.

Pesto Tuna Salad with Sundried Tomatoes

After making another batch of pesto last Sunday, I needed to find a recipe to use it in that wasn't pasta based. This tuna salad was nice, but if I make it again I will make a few adjustments. I'll note them here, if you want the original recipe click on the referencing link.

Pesto Tuna Salad with Sundried Tomatoes
Source: Allrecipes

1 (12 ounce) can canned tuna
1/2 cup prepared basil pesto sauce
12 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and diced
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Combine ingredients together in a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This actually tasted better the next day.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Brent and I have talked about trying Indian food but had never gotten around to it. I've cooked with curry a few times and we both enjoyed it, so I know we are definitely open to the new flavor combinations Indian food has to offer. Last week I was scrolling through my saved recipe posts and saw Pastor Ryan's version of this dish, Chicken Tikki Masala. Instead of waiting to find an Indian restaurant to try, I'd try to make something exotically Indian at home! One quick trip to the store later and we were set! When I opened the bottle of Garam Masala spice I was instantly smitten. Interestingly enough, the only non perishable ingredients I had to buy were the Garam Masala and the ground coriander which shocked the h3ll out of me, I thought I was making an exotic dish, by gosh! But I already had nearly everything!
This dish was so amazingly flavorful, I know I'll broil chicken like this again soon, even if I don't go to the effort to make the sauce. I loved the cumin and coriander. Of course, the sauce was amazing, but what sauce that includes a cup and a half of heavy whipping cream isn't wonderful? This is a huge recipe, so if you're feeding more than two you might consider cutting it in half. I wasn't really impressed with the way it reheated, so don't count on leftovers. Of course, it might have been the fact that at 7:30 in the morning this country girl does not need to be eating Indian food, but whatev.

Chicken Tikki Masala
Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

3-4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
2 inch chunk fresh ginger
Cumin
Garam Masala
Ground coriander
Kosher salt
Sugar
2 cups Basmati rice (I used regular long grain rice)

Season the chicken with salt, then sprinkle both sides with coriander and cumin. Coat entirely with yogurt. Place on a metal cooling rack on a baking sheet lined with tin foil and broil, 10-12 inches below the coils, for 5-7 minutes per side. Do not overcook or it will be tough and dry.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the diced onion. Saute until lightly browned. Meanwhile, mince the garlic and grate or mince the ginger. Add both to the onions along with a tablespoon salt.

Add about 3 tablespoons Garam Masala spice. For a spicier dish, you can add chili peppers at this time (Pastor Ryan suggests serranos). Add the tomatoes and deglaze the pan by scraping the pan bottom with your spatula. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and allow the sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes.

(Meanwhile, cook your rice as usual so that it is finished at the same time as the sauce. I added frozen peas to my rice (the heat from the finished rice cooks them perfectly) for a great color contrast.

Once the sauce has simmered, add the cream. Chop the chicken breasts into bite sized chunks and stir into the sauce. Serve over the rice along with naan. Enjoy!

Caprese Salad

To accompany our Sunday evening dinner, I prepared a simple Caprese salad. Beautiful sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and plenty of basil from my herb garden dressed with extra virgin olive oil and balsalmic vinegar, salt and pepper. Magnifique!

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

For our Sunday dinner with my in-laws, I made PW's sundried tomato pasta salad. It was a snap to prepare. I actually put together the dressing the day before and let it yummy-inate in the refrigerator as PW herself suggests. I realize as I'm writing this post that I committed the ultimate sacrilage...I forgot the parmesan cheese. No one complained and it still got rave reviews, but tomorrow you can be sure I'll be putting some grated parm on my lunch leftovers.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad
Source: The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

1 7 oz. jar sundried tomatoes in oil, drained
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

16 oz. corkscrew pasta
1 jar Kalamata olives
1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes, halved (I omitted)
Several fresh basil leaves to taste, julienned
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To prepare the dressing, put the garlic, tomatoes, vinegar, salt and pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the tomatoes are chopped. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until mixed.

Cook the pasta as directed, drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the pasta (I used it all), add the olive and toss to combine. Add the tomatoes, basil and cheese and toss. Add the more dressing to taste. Garnish with more parmesan cheese and basil.

Tomato Tart with Garlic Basil Crust

When I'm looking at recipes that are being prepared by the food bloggers I follow, sometimes I see trends. It seems like a lot of them have been making tarts lately, and I've never even considered doing one of my own. I'd always thought they sounded hard to do, I guess. But thanks to my favorite kitchen appliance, the food processor, the dough is a cinch to make! So I went to the awesome restaurant supply store here in town, Smalley Equipment Company, and bought a 9.5 inch tart pan 'cause I knew I had to make this tomato and basil tart right away! It turned out so delicious, Brent declared it the best thing I've ever made! I can't wait for my basil plants to recover from the harvesting I did for this recipe and the fresh pesto I made so I can make it again (this time I can guarantee Brent and I won't be sharing it with anyone!).

Fresh Tomato Tart with Basil Garlic Crust
Source: Ezra Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1 recipe Basil Garlic Tart Dough (see below)
8 ounces fresh sliced mozzarella
2 large, ripe tomatoes, sliced thinly
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for drizzling

Preheat oven to 375°

Prepare the dough, and press it into the bottom of a ten inch tart pan, trimming the edges to fit.

Line the bottom of the tart shell with the mozzarella slices. Arrange the tomato slices over the cheese. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until crust is golden brown and the cheese is beginning to brown. Allow to cool on a rack for at least five minutes before slicing. (I baked mine a little too long, I had a baby that needing caring for about the time the timer went off)

Basil Garlic Tart Dough

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 medium garlic clove
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
8 T unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ten pieces
4-5 T ice water

Put the basil and garlic into the bowl of a food processor. Process, scraping down the sides if necessary, until finely chopped. Add the salt and flour, pulse to combine.

Add the butter pieces. Pulse about ten times, or until the mixture resembles pea-sized crumbs. (thank goodness I'd seen Ina Garten doing this on the Food Channel so I knew what they are talking about)

One tablespoon at a time, add the water, pulsing several times after each addition. After 4 tablespoons have been added, process the dough for several seconds to see if a ball forms. If not, add the last tablespoon of water. Process until a ball forms and remove the dough from the food processor.

Form the ball into a five inch disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least an hour.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12 inch circle. Lay the dough over the tart pan and press it into the bottom. Trim to fit edges.

As you can see below, the humans weren't the only ones intrigued by the delicious smelling tart. My sous chef Sadi thought it smelled pretty good too!

Caprese Puff Pastry

I loved the balsalmic vinegar with the tomatoes, and the presentation was so pretty in the little puff pastry tart. I think puff pastry tart shells are a little expensive for what you get though, so when I make this again, I will probably serve it with toasted French bread. The flavors were so wonderful, I could even eat it alone as a salad.

Caprese Puff Pastry
Source: adapted from Joelen's Culinary Adventures

6 puff pastry tart shells
2 lovely medium-sized tomatoes, diced
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, cut into dice (don't go cheap on this ingredient like I did, the good stuff makes such a difference)
Basil leaves to taste, chiffonaded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Basil leaves, for garnish

Prepare the puff pastry tarts as directed; remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Mix the tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Season with salt and pepper; toss with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Stuff this mixture inside the puff pastry tarts. Right before serving, garnish top with fresh basil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Bruschetta Pasta

My basil plants are starting to really produce, so the other night I went out and harvested up a batch of beautiful leaves and created this pasta out of things from my pantry. I wish I would have had some dethawed chicken breasts, this would have been perfect with grilled chicken.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. penne pasta
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
Red pepper flakes to taste
Basil leaves, chiffonaded (is this a word?) Let's just say, cut into ribbons.

Cook the pasta to al dente.

Meanwhile, heat enough oil to saute the garlic and once fragrant, add the diced tomatoes and red pepper flakes to taste. Allow to simmer until the pasta is finished. Mix in the drained pasta and basil. Finish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Penne Pizza Pasta Bake

I saw this recipe pop up in my Google Reader and starred it immediately. In fact, I think I made it the next day for dinner. I love making casseroles that leave us lots of leftovers for the next day or two. The food to dirty dish ratio is important to me during the week :) You can also make this ahead and freeze for baking at another time, if that's your M.O. I personally don't have the freezer space for doing this, but it sure would be handy! I ended up cutting the recipe in half and making it in a 9x13 pan.

Penne Pizza Pasta Bake
Source: Crista's Kitchen Creations

2 lbs of ground sausage (I used 1 hot, & 1 pound of hamburger)
2 jars tomato spaghetti sauce
16 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
8 oz chopped fresh mushrooms
1 lg bell pepper, chopped (I left this out, I don't care for green bell peppers)
1 onion, chopped
1 pkg pepperoni slices, quartered
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 boxes penne pasta

Preheat oven to 350°

In a large skillet, brown the sausage and onions. Next add veggies, seasonings, and sauce, and allow to simmer while cooking pasta. Cook pasta as directed on box, drain, and add to the sauce mixture. In a large bowl, blend shredded cheeses.

Fill 3 8x8 pans half full with pasta mixture. Next top each pan with a cup of the shredded cheese mixture. Top of each pan evenly with the remaining pasta, and then the remaining cheese. cover and freeze 2 pans for later. Bake in oven until cheese melts.

When preparing frozen pans, allow to thaw overnight and then bake at 350 for about 45 min, or until warmed through.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I made these the other night for my husband and father in law. Unfortunately the only picture I have is this sloppy picture of the stuffed peppers on a baking sheet. I'm kicking myself for not getting another picture once I had plated these babies, the plate was beautiful I tell ya, just beautiful. I served them with Mexican Sour Cream Rice, but I changed up the rice recipe by including cilantro and changing the cheese from Monterrey Jack to medium cheddar. Brent and I liked this version MUCH better, probably because it was more colorful!

I was initially inspired by this Black Bean and Rice Stuffed Poblano recipe on Food alla Puttanesca. I love black beans, but Brent isn't really a fan, plus, he prefers meals with meat. I created my recipe to fit his criteria :)

Ingredients:

8 poblanos, 6 sliced lengthwise, with seeds removed, 2 diced
1 pound hamburger
1 red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 12 oz. can diced tomatoes
1.5 cups chicken stock
1.5 cups quick cooking brown rice
3 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
Dashes of hot sauce
Salt and pepper
2 cups cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400°

Place the 12 halved poblanos on a baking sheet (I like to line with aluminum foil).
In a skillet over medium heat, brown the hamburger and season with salt and pepper. Remove the hamburger and drain.
Next, in a little olive oil, saute the red onion, garlic, and diced poblano until soft. Add the tomatoes, stock and spices and bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir to combine and allow to simmer until the rice is cooked.
Now, take the poblanos out of the oven (they should be getting soft by now), spoon the hamburger mixture into the pepper halves, top with cheese and place back in the oven for another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and yummy.

Roasted Ricotta Roma Tomatoes

I saw this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website and I KNEW I had to make it for my husband and our friend from West 95. West 95 and I prepared it together which was half the fun! May I suggest using smaller-sized tomatoes. The big ones didn't really get melty until the tomato shell had already started to break down. The smaller ones definitely had the best overall texture between tomato and filling.

Roma tomatoes

Ricotta Cheese (a spoonful for each tomato half)

Fresh Basil

Fresh Parsley

Bread Crumbs

Kosher salt, pepper, olive oil

Oven set to 400°.

Cut Roma tomatoes in half lengthwise and remove the soft stuff to make a shell.
Sprinkle the inside of each tomato with some salt and then transfer them, face down, to a clean towel. This helps dry the tomatoes out a little.
Mince parsley, basil and garlic, add to the ricotta, seasoning with salt and pepper and mix well. (remember that ricotta is unsalted, so be sure to taste while adding salt and pepper so you don't underseason)
Stuff the maters .
Dip the Ricotta-filled tomatoes face down into the cracker crumbs for a nice coating and place on a cookie sheet
Drizzle some olive oil on each tomato so the crumbs brown nicely. Add a little more salt and pepper since the bread crumbs aren't seasoned.
Bake 25-30 minutes for melty yumminess.