Grilled Pesto Cheese Bun

Pesto is so awesome; it must be food for the Gods. I did not try it until I was in my mid-twenties, and let me tell you – I was bummed to find out what a delicious treat I had been missing out on. I am also bummed to report that I still have not made fresh pesto, totally lame since I have a kick-butt food processor. But anyway, Christopher Ranch is probably happy about my lameness, since they are the only brand of Pesto I buy. :) If you have not checked out Christopher Ranch before, I would suggest you drop by their website and see the excellent variety of goods. (Nope, I did not get anything for saying all that – I just really like their products.)

The Grilled Cheese Bun was not an original idea, adding the pesto was. ;) My son ordered a grilled cheese sandwich at a burger joint and this is how it came. I thought it was a genius idea as soon as I saw it. So the first time I ran out of bread and had a “cheesy” craving, I busted out the hamburgers buns… and noticed the pesto while I was in the fridge – might as well grab that too. Haha

These are real easy. Just butter both buns on the inside and cook as you would a grilled cheese sandwich. I added pesto but next time I think I want to include some sliced meat, onions and tomato. I am hungry now. Enjoy!

 I also want to mention that I received my first Foodzie box... I am totally in love! What a great idea and what great products! I HAVE to share what I got in my Foodzie Box:

• Dried Pineapple from Peeled Snacks
• 2, Traditional Alfajores from Dulce Caramel Co.
• Lemon Poppyseed and Almond Biscotti from Biscotti Bari
• 2, Fresh Herb Sea Salts from Woody’s Gourmet
• Pure Southern Iced Tea from Pluff Iced Tea
• Classic Seaweed Snack from SeaSnax

I am completely satisfied and I can’t wait for next month’s box, it seriously feels a little like Christmas. Yay! :)
(Oh, and I did not get anything for saying all that about Foodzie either - I just really feel like sharing tonight.)

Clam Chowder

In my email today was something very exciting, a Save the Date for the 2011 Foodbuzz Festival. I don’t know what to say other than, “I am thrilled!!!!!” :) I read up on the 2010 Foodbuzz Festival and I wish I could have been there! However, I was 8 months pregnant at the time, so I doubt I would have shared the same enthusiasm I do now… haha. So anyway, I will keep everyone posted on my journey of getting to the festival. Wish me luck!!

In honor of the Foodbuzz Festival being held in San Francisco, I find it only fair to share my favorite New England Clam Chowder recipe. I have so many fond memories of being in San Francisco and getting a sourdough bowl of clam chowder at the Crab Station by pier 39.There is so much fresh cooked seafood there just waiting to be bought and devoured, super-duper yum.

This recipe was found at keyingredient.com while I was browsing through copy-cat recipes, it is suppose to duplicate Red Lobster's New England Clam Chowder. I have tried Red Lobster's Clam Chowder a few times and I have to admit this recipe is way better than what is served in the restaurant. I hope everyone enjoys this recipe as much as I do - it is 2 of the most wonderful things; easy & delicious. :)

Ingredients
• 2½ cups water
• 3 cans minced clams - (6½ oz ea) with their liquid
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• dash ground thyme
• 2 white or red potatoes peeled and diced (not russet or yellow potatoes)
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1. Combine water and liquid drained from all 3 cans of clams in a large saucepan. Stir in flour, parsley, salt, bay leaf and thyme. Turn to medium heat.
2. When water begins to bubble, add the potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir often to keep the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the clams to the saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the cream and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Watch the pan carefully to be sure the chowder doesn’t bubble over. Turn down the heat if the soup begins to erupt.
5. Enjoy!

Versatile Blogger Award

I am very happy to announce that Tiffany, at I Don’t Cook, But My Boyfriend Does!, has given me The Versatile Blogger Award. Please make sure you check out her blog, I have been a fan since the first day I saw it – I believe it was Mark’s Ceviche that caught my eye and I am still dying to make it!

It is so awesome to have people not only notice my blog but also enjoy it. :) I originally started blogging for myself, in order to easily catalog the dishes I cook – but it has turned into something much greater. I have stumbled across so many wonderful blogs written by such wonderful people, I am very lucky to be a part of the blogging community.

Ok, the rules are that I share 7 things about me that you most likely don’t know, and then I send the award to 15 other bloggers who have awesome, versatile blogs....... here we go!

Seven new things to know about me:

1. Since I was a little girl I have thought 5 dogs would be the perfect number; I currently have 4.

2. After all the years of trying to teach me to "clean as you go" in the kitchen, I never have been able to be as disciplined as my dad when cooking.

3. I spent a couple summers volunteering at the Dolphin Research Center in the Florida Keys. Very awesome experience!

4. The Snooze button and I have a Love/Hate relationship.

5. There are Kangaroo patties in my freezer.

6. I would love to live somewhere that is between 60 and 70 degrees, year round.

7. My horrible habit: Putting salt on food before I even taste it.

It was hard to pick only 15 blogs when I have a whole bookmark folder named “Blogs I ♥”. :) But here they are, each as unique and wonderful as the next.

1. Megan – Ur Bakin’ Me Crazyy
2. Kim – The Farmers Wife
3. Pam – Sidewalk Shoes
4. Eric & Charisse – foodies @ home
5. Joanne – Fifteen Spatulas
6. Andrea – Caucasian Curry
7. Kathi – The Colors of Indian Cooking
8. Stephanie – 52 Kitchen Adventures
9. Kim – Feed Me, Seymour
10. Lauren – L-Mo Cooks and Reads
11. Chris & Amy – A Couple in the Kitchen
12. Kristi – Mother Rimmy’s Cooking Light Done Right
13. Christine – Christine’s Pantry
14. Denise – Creative Kitchen
15. Kath – In the Kitchen with Kath

These are all fantastic reads and I recommend everyone to check them all out. (Yes, all of them – I promise, you will not be disappointed.)

If you have the time, pass the love around – if not I completely understand. After all, it took me two days to put this post together between taking care of a sick infant and keeping up with a full-throttle toddler. :)

Grilled Pesto-Tomato Pork Steaks

A Hungry Harp Original

Directions:

Season pork steaks with grill seasoning. I used
Weber Kick’n Chicken Seasoning

Brown pork steaks in olive oil over medium-high heat for a couple minutes on each side

Top with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes

Grill Pesto side up until pork steaks are done, about 25 minutes. Enjoy!

We had these with garlic mashies (aka mashed potatoes), it was a hit – even with the toddler. Score!

Spicy Beef-Bean Taco Filling

Ingredients
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 Jalapeno Pepper, sliced
• ¾ cup diced Onion
• 2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
• 1 can Pinto Beans, drained

Directions
1. Sauté onions and jalapeno until tender, reserve for later
2. Brown ground beef, drain and return to pan
3. Add ½ cup water and taco seasoning with beef, mix well while bringing to boil. Lower heat, simmer and stir occasionally until liquid is nearly evaporated, add beans and onion-jalapeno mixture, stir well
4. Cook until thoroughly heated. Serve with tortillas and your favorite taco toppings
5. Enjoy

Tangy Tomato Dressing

Spice packets are awesome; you can make chili, spaghetti, stew, stroganoff, meat loaf, salad dressings, gravy, soup and more. I like cooking from packets… however, I love cooking from “scratch”. I love using fresh ingredients and taking several steps to create a taste, I feel much more accomplished at the end of preparing a meal. I also love saying that I made something. When I cook from a packet, I feel weird taking ownership of the meal. I don’t feel right saying, “Yes, I cooked that”. When really I didn’t, the only cooking I did was browning the beef, adding 1 can of beans, 1 can of tomatoes, a spice packet and my good ol' trusty Crock Pot did the rest. In my opinion the Crock Pot should get more credit than me in the making of that meal.

With that being said… I made some “packet-less” salad dressing; however it was not entirely from “scratch” either.

Which leads me to ponder something, is everyone on the same page as far as cooking from “scratch” is concerned? If I make a batch of chocolate chip cookies from raw ingredients, do I get the “from scratch” badge even though I bought the chocolate chips and did not make them myself? Just wondering what other people’s thoughts are. My definition of “from scratch” has changed over the years, and now it means: to start with nothing. Unfortunately with this definition, I do not make many things “from scratch”. I am bound to use a can or jarred item when preparing a meal – the most common being my jar of minced garlic in the fridge. Garlic=Yummy Love

Ok, back to the dressing. This is a copy-cat recipe I found here at Meemo's Kitchen. It is the Tangy Tomato Dressing from Outback Steakhouse. Although I am not a regular at Outback I have been there enough to know it is my favorite dressing there. This recipe is super easy to make and you will be thrilled with the results. :) I also used the dressing on some cheese quesadillas and it turned out amazing. Yum

Ingredients
• 1/2 Cup plus 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1/3 Cup water
• 1/4 Cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 Cup white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 Teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 Teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 Teaspoon onion powder
• Pinch thyme

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Whisk often. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Cover the dressing until cool, then refrigerate it until well chilled.
2. Enjoy

Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole

 

Comfort food, for me, consists of; fried foods, chocolate, cheese and most things salty. Although I would not do much for a Klondike Bar, I would do extreme things for deep-fried mozzarella sticks with ranch. Fried chicken, love it. Grilled cheese, love it. Dark chocolate truffles, LOVE them. I would probably weigh 500 pounds if I knew how to successfully make fried chicken and/or dark chocolate truffles. Recipes would be appreciated, without nutritional facts. Thanks :)

You don’t need to change a thing from this recipe and it will turn out awesome. I have never tried the Hash Brown Casserole from Cracker Barrel, but I imagine this must be a close comparison – I really can’t see it getting much better.

I wish I had more pictures of the preparation for this recipe, but it was prepared in my early earlier blogging days.

Ingredients:

• 26 ounces bag frozen country-style hash browns

• 2 cups shredded Colby cheese

• 1/4 cup minced onion

• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 cup beef stock or canned broth

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1 dash garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

2. Combine frozen hash browns, cheese, and onion in a large bowl

3. Combine the milk, beef stock, half the melted butter, the garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in another bowl. Mix until well blended, then pour the mixture over the hash browns and mix well

4. Heat the remaining butter in a large, ovenproof skillet (no plastic handle) over high heat

5. When the skillet is hot, spoon in the hash brown mixture. Cook the hash browns, stirring occasionally, until hot and all of the cheese has melted (about 7 minutes)

6. Put the skillet into the oven and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until the surface of the hash browns is dark brown

7. Enjoy

Note: If you do not have an ovenproof skillet (such as myself), you can prepare the dish up to step 6, where you can then transfer the ingredients into a casserole dish and proceed to bake it.

Hungry Harps Macaroni & Cheese

When I started throwing this dish together I had no intentions of blogging about it, but as the recipe started coming together in my head I knew I was going to have to share it. Be brave, try it. :) We were surprised by how tasty it was and there were no leftovers.

Ingredients
• 1 pound Ground Beef
• 1 box Macaroni & Cheese (Just the plain one, nothing fancy)
• ½ cup chopped Broccoli
• 1 ½ cups cheese, shredded (I used Pepper Jack and Colby, mixed)
• ¼ cup Italian Breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup Garlic Compound Butter
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced Garlic
• 1 tablespoon Worcestshire Sauce
• 1 tablespoon Fresh Dill
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions
1. Brown ground beef with garlic, worcestshire sauce and salt & pepper. Drain
2. Make macaroni & cheese as directed on package, substituting the margarine with garlic compound butter

3. I used frozen broccoli, so at this point I sautéed the broccoli just long enough to have any extra water evaporate. Mix with beef and dill

4. Layer in 8x8 baking dish;
• Macaroni & cheese
• Beef mixture
• Half of cheese
• Half of breadcrumbs
• Repeat one more time, topping with parmesan cheese

5. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top
6. Enjoy

Daddy's Delight #1 - Tamale Casserole

This is our very first Daddy’s Delight posting!
The original idea behind this segment of the blog was that Handy Harp would cook up one of the many recipes he knows and I would blog about it. Well, being the control freak I am in the kitchen, it turned out a little different. First I offered to do the preparing while he told me what to do… then I completely changed the recipe. I am laughing as I write this because I know it is totally true – I am a Kitchen Freak. It is kind of like a control freak, but just focused on the culinary aspect of life. So, this posting will still go under Daddy’s Delight because without his inspiration this dish would of never happened… I promise. . The original recipe did not involve onions or cheese and was not going to see an oven anytime in it’s lifetime. This dish is cheap, easy and is actually better than I thought it was going to be. I would say if you only have a few bucks and need some food, give this a try – you will most likely be surprised.

Ingredients
• 2 cans Hormel Chili with Beans
• 2 cans Hormel Beef Tamales
• 1 cup onions
• 1-1/2 cups cheese

Directions
1. Unwrap paper around tamales, reserve chili sauce of one tamale can

2. Mix one can of chili with reserved chili sauce

3. Layer in 9x13 baking dish: Chili, NOT mixed with chili sauce

½ cup onions

1/2 cup cheese

Tamales

Chili mixed WITH chili sauce

½ cup onions

1 cup cheese

4. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes

5. Enjoy!

One-Pot Pasta

I was excited when I found a recipe for One-Pot Spaghetti at Better Homes & Gardens and I have been just waiting to make it. Let me tell you why I was so excited, 1) The only tomato sauce that gets served in my house is always from a jar and 2) I have never liked using 2 pots for a dish that is going to be mixed together anyway. So, it is a perfect recipe for me and I ended up loving it! The sauce is pretty plain, so I used a couple extra ingredients such as more garlic, pesto and jalapeno. Jalapeno? Who puts jalapeno in spaghetti? Um, guilty. We like it spicy around here so I turn up the heat wherever I can. Super Yum!! I also used penne rigate instead of spaghetti, it was all I had and it turned out wonderful. 

No more jarred pasta sauce, this is too good and easy to pass up .

Ingredients
• 1 pound ground beef or bulk pork sausage
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon pesto
• ½ jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 14-ounce chicken broth
• 1-3/4 cups water
• 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 6 ounces dry pasta
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions
1. Brown meat, drain and return to pan. Add mushrooms, onions, jalapeno, garlic and salt & pepper – sauté for a couple minutes

2. Add tomato paste, chicken broth, water, pesto and Italian seasoning, stir well and bring to boil

3. Add pasta slowly, stirring as you go – gently boil until pasta is tender
4. Enjoy

Nothing to Write Home About... #2

Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Stroganoff with Fresh Mushrooms & Beef Stew Meat

Plain Ol' Cheeseburgers with Garlic Butter on the Toasted Buns

Meaty Manicotti

Menu Monday

I have decided to start planning our menus weekly. I have two motivations for this:

1) Eliminate eating out. It all too often seems as though the cost is too high for the mediocre food you are getting. 

2) Try out my huge collection of recipes. With over a hundred recipes bookmarked on my computer and close to a hundred cookbooks – I have recipes for days!! :)

Last week I came up with the dishes I would cook, but put them in no particular order. I put 10 items on the menu and between lunches and dinners I cooked 8. Not too shabby. For the record, I did not make the Shrimp Egg Salad Sandwiches, not once did they even remotely sound good – although a couple times the thought did gross me out a little bit. We did not go out to eat once and tried a few new dishes. Duh… Bi-Winning. :P

So here is this weeks menu:

Monday: One-Pot Spaghetti from BHG.com

Tuesday: Italian Breaded Pork Steaks with leftover pasta from Monday

Wednesday: Daddy’s Delight (Get excited for this, Handy Harp is taking over the kitchen!)

Thursday: Pretty Simple Tacos

Friday: Breakfast for dinner

I know it’s not exciting, but it should all be pretty good. 

Hope everyone has a good week!


Menu Monday's Featured Menu:
La Tupina in Bordeaux, France - Night Menu

Cottage Pies

I am quite surprised that I have never made Cottage Pies before. They are simple, tasty and they have been around for more than two hundred years. I should make a list of things that I must make from “scratch”… successfully. :) On this list I will have to put fettuccine alfredo, gravy from drippings, marinara sauce, chili and fried chicken. I am sure this list will grow, but it looks good for now, plus I can check off Cottage Pies! Yay!I found this recipe at RealSimple.com, and I only changed a couple things.

If you are short on time, this is a great make-ahead dish – just prepare it up to putting it in the oven, but instead put it in your fridge until you are ready to heat & serve. In the summertime I will make this early in the morning and then heat on the bbq for dinner, altogether avoiding turning on the kitchen appliances in the heat. Side note: I am dreading the summer. I hate the heat; I should be living somewhere that is cold and rainy. People have told me I would be miserable living in conditions like that, I say that is impossible.

Anyway, enough of my whining of the inevitable… back to the Cottage Pies. I suggest everyone give them a whirl… add your own variations, next time I will be putting a little twist in mine, just not sure what yet.

Ingredients
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup onion
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1 ½ cups frozen carrots & peas
• 5 russet potatoes, peeled and chunked for boiling
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon worcestshire sauce
• Salt & Pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup milk

Directions
1. Put potatoes in pot, cover with cold water
2. Bring to boil, lower temperature and simmer for about 15 minutes or until tender
3. Add olive oil to skillet and sauté onions and 2 cloves of garlic for 2 minutes, add ground beef and brown
4. Drain meat, return to skillet and add mushrooms, carrots & peas, worcestshire sauce, ketchup, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper

5. When potatoes are done, drain and add milk, butter, rest of the garlic, salt & pepper to mash
6. Add meat to 13x9 baking pan, spread evenly
7. Add potatoes on top of meat, spread evenly

8. Bake for 25 minutes on 425 degrees

9. Enjoy