A Foodie's Recipe Blog

What can I say?  I love cooking Italian food.  The last time I had stuffed shells was at Buca Di Beppo for my 29th birthday party.  I think that was a lesson learned not to ever plan a birthday party or have a birthday other than the big ones.  I think once you celebrate the big 21 there's no need to celebrate and go all out with friends until the big 30.  Maybe 25 can be an exception.  My 25th was an amazing party with friends and family. My dad volunteered to host it and there ended up being a kid's jumper, a cotton candy  machine, and karaoke.  The latter was inevitable.  My dad will come up with any excuse to whip out the good ole karaoke machine. These shells are topped with my basic meat sauce.  See the older post for the recipe.  I used whatever cheeses I had in the fridge and it came out perfect! Serves 4 - yields about 20 shells Ingredients 1 box of jumbo shells (you will only use half, but double the recipe if you want more shells) Basic tomato meat sauce 1 c

Courtesy of  girlversusdough on Tablespoon.com I wanted some doughnut holes similar to the ones I had in Chicago at Lou Mitchell's.  Anytime you are in Chicago, you HAVE to go to Lou Mitchell's for breakfast.  Although the line maybe long, it is totally worth the wait.  They also have a girl that has a fresh basket of homemade doughnut holes to give to people in line while you wait.  Amazing!  This recipe was the first one that popped up on my Google search.  Super easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients in your cupboard.   With this recipe I was able to make about 15 holes. The best thing about this recipe is the crunchiness of the outside and the fluffy goodness on the inside.  If you have kids, they will absolutely devour these.  Oh yeah, and husbands too.  So double the recipe. Ingredients 1 1/4  cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/3  cup sugar 2  tsp baking powder 1/2  tsp nutmeg 1/2  tsp salt 1  egg 1/2  cup milk 2  tbsp me

I absolutely love this dish at Cheesecake Factory.  Unfortunately, now that I know how to make it, I rarely order it.  My go to order at CF is the Chicken Farfallle Pasta.  I have that recipe somewhere too.  I'll have to make it again so I can put down on paper the amount of seasoning and ingredients I use. The Crusted Chicken Romano recipe is so easy! Serves 4-6 Ingredients: 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts 1/2 stick of butter 1 cup of Romano Cheese 4 tablespoons of heavy cream Cooked spaghetti noodles 1 lemon 1 cup of bread crumbs (homemade in a food processor or store bought) 2 eggs Flour Salt and Pepper 1 16 oz can of tomato sauce Parmesan cheese to top pasta Directions Set up 2 shallow dishes with the following in each:  Scrabled eggs for dip, bread crumbs and Romano cheese mixed Slice the chicken breasts half wise to make it into two thin pieces.  Use a meat pounder (flat side) to flatten chicken to about 1/4 inch.  Season chicken on both sides with

I've never made potato salad prior to this first time at my mother in law's 65th birthday party.  I always just had to endure my family member's bland version, which I had no problem devouring after raining down a good amount of salt.  You see, I feel that the perfect potato salad is not too creamy, holds its shape, and does not run or seep into the rest of the food on your plate.  I am a picky eater in the sense that my food cannot touch.  I do not like my mashed potatoes or gravy making contact with my fried chicken.  It gives me some kind of anxiety like my food will be tainted if they mesh together, messing up the proportions of flavor.  My husband thinks I'm crazy sometimes.  I always have to proportion my bites, my meat to rice ratio, french fries to ketchup ratio, or how many bites I take to chew on something.  I always ask for my gravy on the side, or the dressing on the side.  Let me decide how much and to what degree I want to mix my food.  Now on to the potat

My version of Empire Cafe's Focaccia and Eggs.  Totally the same thing! Feeds 4 Ingredients: Sliced Focaccia or Ciabiatta Bread (4) 6 Scrambled Eggs 8 slices of thick bacon, cut into pieces 6 fresh basil leaves chopped 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce 2 Roma tomatoes diced Shredded Mozzarella cheese for topping Directions: Toast the bread slices in the oven at 200F for about 5-7 min Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over each slice of bread Mix the eggs and bacon pieces and top bread with it Top each slice with some tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella I wish I had a picture but I will make this soon and post it.  Trust me, I feel as I have uncovered Empire Cafe's recipe and it is exactly the same.  

So this weekend we were trapped within the confines of our apartment with nowhere to go because of the icy road conditions.  The 27 degree temperature mixed with rain and sleet caused a school closing on Friday.  I was unaware that I would be stuck at home for the entire weekend due to unfavorable and unsafe road conditions.  In addition to that, I would have to tend to a sick husband.  I attempted to swing by the grocery store late Friday morning but the entire meat section was almost obsolete.  I picked up a few items to get me through the long weekend which included: Nyquil, red nail polish for the holiday season, a bag of chips, a gallon of Blue Bell ice cream, and some staples for baking.  With the freezing temperatures outside, I wanted to cook something hot like chili or pho.  Although I would have loved to spend my entire morning prepping and cooking pho, I did not have the necessary ingredients.  Then it dawned on me:  Chicken and dumplings.  I had made this before a few years

I use this sauce for pasta dishes or just to top over some rice or protein like chicken. Soooo delicious and easy! Ingredients 1  8oz container of baby bella mushrooms sliced (or regular portabella) About 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons butter 2-3 cloves garlic minced Salt and Pepper to taste ~1/4 cup of heavy cream In a medium skillet on medium high heat, melt butter and saute garlic.   Add in mushrooms and stir continuously until soft.  About 5-10 minutes Slow stir in the cream until you reach a gravy like consistency.  The sauce will thicken after you add in the cheese.  You can always add more cream after adding the cheese to get the consistency you want. Add in Parmesan cheese and continue stirring.   Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.  (I usually don't add any  more salt b/c the cheese is enough) Serve over pasta, chicken, or rice.  I have used this as a sauce with linguine and sauteed shrimp and garlic.  Delicious!  

I love having a food processor and I love experimenting with new flavors I can add to my protein.  I found myself getting bored with the same old recipes involving chicken.  I wanted to branch out and experiment with a lot of different flavors by creating my own glazes, sauces, and rubs.  When I threw this dish together, it came out surprisingly delicious.  I hope you enjoy it!  Love having Kyle as my guinea pig.  I know not all of my recipes have pictures but I promise to upload them when I cook them again, which will be soon! There are some grocery items that you must always have on hand in your fridge and in your pantry. Here is a list of what I always have in my kitchen on top of staples such as sugar and flour: Milk Bread Plain bread crumbs rice butter EVOO heavy cream Green onions White or yellow onions Garlic Tomato Sauces, Diced tomatoes, Tomato paste Chicken Broth, Beef Broth Chicken Stock Corn Starch Rice Wine Vinegar Ingredients 2 lean thick cut pork ch

When I think of meatloaf, I think of Kyle's mom.  She makes the best meatloaf there is.  I have made some of my own adjustments to the recipe, but it still has that taste which reminds me of home.  This is NOT the healthy version.  I have made a healthy version using either the leanest ground beef or ground turkey.  Either way, its up to you!  This recipe can feed about 4-6 people Ingredients 2 pounds of ground beef or ground chuck (80/20) 2 teaspoons of black pepper (season to taste) 3 teaspoons of salt (season to taste) 2 eggs 1/2 cup of milk 5 slices of bread 3 tablespoon Ketchup 3 tablespoon worcestershire sauce 1 can of tomato sauce (if you can find the tomato sauce specific to meatloaf, get it!  Hunt's seasoned tomato sauce for Meatloaf is excellent) 1 small onion diced (about 1/2 cup) 1 green bell pepper diced (about 1/2 cup) 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar Loaf pan Preheat your oven to 350 Make your breadcrumbs by placing the bread in a food proce

Salmon is something that is easy to cook especially baked.  You can play around with flavors, try wrapping in foil, or just bake a simple salt and peppered filet in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Ingredients: 2 salmon filets 3 slices of bread 2 teaspoons of oregano 1 teaspoon thyme 1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley or 5 sprigs of fresh parsley 2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard 2 tablespoons of melted butter 1 tablespoon of butter Large stove to oven skillet Make the bread crumbs: Preheat oven to 400 degrees In a food processor put in the bread and spices.  Pulse until all mixed.  Add in half of the melted butter and pulse.  Keep adding butter until you get a good consistency like wet sand.   Spread out the bread crumbs on a foil lined aluminum pan and toast in oven for about 3-5 minutes Take the bread crumbs out of the oven.  Salt and Pepper the filets and lightly brush each salmon filet with mustard.  Don't forget the sides too!   Heat up a large skillet on medium high

This is my great recipe for hosting a group of about 10 people.  So yummy!  I made it for a work pot luck and got the stamp of approval from a native Louisiannan!  One thing I find hard to communicate in writing down my recipes is the amount of spices to put in.  Like most people, I just season to taste.  I will try my best to estimate the amount of spices but I will do it on the low end to be safe.  Nothing will ruin a dish like over spicing.  You can modify this dish with whatever protein you want.  If you can't get the crawfish skip it.  I'm lucky enough to have a mom that buys crawfish by the pounds, peels, and freezes them.  Whenever I come home, she always fills up one of those styrofoam coolers for me full of shrimp, crawfish, meats, and soups.  Again, customize this based on what you like.  The most important thing you get right is the roux.  For one party, I made a separate pot of étouffée with just sausage for the non seafood eater(s).  In this case it was for one of

I had a dish similar to this in Rome and it inspired me to make it at home.  I actually saved the restaurant's location on my iPhone maps.  I am hoping that when I go back to Rome, I will be able to find it again.  I know for sure it is on a small side street behind the Louis Vuitton store; and you know I will be stopping by there on the way!  I have to say it was the most beautiful LV store I've ever been in. They even served us expresso in Louis Vuitton shot glasses.  By the way, designer handbags are definitely cheaper there than in the U.S.  If you are planning on spending more than $500 it is worth the extra effort and paperwork.  At the store, you tell the cashier that you need to get the paperwork for the VAT.  You get a refund on a portion of the tax once you are the airport on your way home.  When we were departing from Rome, there was a booth inside after security where you get your  money back in cash.  Before you get in line at this booth, you need to go to the offi

Meat Sauce This is my go to meat sauce recipe for lasagna, baked ziti, and spaghetti.  I used to enjoy baked ziti at that little plae in the mall food cort, Sbarro's.  It was a meatless sauce and I remember getting it all of the time during my lunch breaks.  I actually had two jobs at the mall - both retail.  My first retail job was at Paul Harris, a women's clothing store managed by one of my high school friend's mom.  I hated it.  I hated it because I had some pretty snooty managers; one of them being a girl I went to high school with.  Don't even get me started on high school mean girls...The second mall job was at Abercrombie and Fitch.  Oh yes.  I was 22 years old and rather enjoyed spending all of my paychecks on new clothes.  It was a vicious cycle.  The great thing was I was a tiny little thing.  I actually fit into  a size 0.  In A&F sizes that was probably really a size 00.  It's been 10 years since and I have managed to move up only a few sizes.  M

Bruschetta with Fresh Mozzarella This dish is so simple and reminds me so much of our honeymoon in Italy.  Everything is so fresh and flavorful there.  The only downside about going in the summer or anytime it's hot is the lack of A/C you will find.  I did not find that bit of information in any of the Rick Steves travel guides.  Plus the lack of ice cold water and the fact that you have to pay for water at restaurants.  It wasn't that big of a problem because you could get an ice cold beer or a glass of wine for less than a glass of water.  Another neat fact about Rome:  All of the over 2,500 public fountains run cool filtered water.  I kept a water bottle in my bag and anytime I saw a fountain, I'd just fill up right there.  Anyways, back to the dish... If you are a fan of Caprese Salad then you can skip the carbs and just prepare it without the baguette and serve it cold. This is a great baseline for any type of toppings you might want to add like shrimp or b

Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork  So I wanted to try planning out our dinners one week at at time, only going to the grocery store on Sundays.  I have tried this before and it works out great.  No more trying to decide where to eat, what we are going to eat, etc.  So for my first day of cooking I decided to go with pulled pork tacos.  Luckily the pork shoulder/butt was on sale at the local grocery store.  I think I read somewhere that they are not going to call them butts anymore.  Nothing like a good ole pork butt in my belly.  I got a decent sized 4.5lb pork shoulder for a little over 10 dollars.  The prep time only took me less than 20 minutes and then I waited... the result was a juicy, succulent, melt in your mouth flavor.  I am definitely going to make this again for a larger crowd.  I love hosting people and cooking but it gets a little cramped in our 2 bedroom apartment.  The hubby approved and could not stop picking at the meat when I took it out of the CrockPot.   Ingredie