Erin’s Easy Eats

I am a horrible food blogger.  I’m sorry I’ve been missing so long.  No excuses, just an apology.
Should I ever make things happen, I have lots of recipes for you though…

• Goat cheese, apple, and honey tartlets
• Chicken slovaki and tabbouleh
• Swordfish with pesto and fresh tomato sauce
• Taco stuffed shells
• Crijo-jo
• Pictures of our fledgling garden

And, just so this isn’t a post totally devoid of entertaintment, here is a picture of my friend John eating the turkey cake (funfetti cake in the shape of a turkey with blue food coloring spray and lots of icing…) that my husband made him for his birthday. 

This was a simply great, quick dish adapted from Cooking Light.  If you catch shrimp on sale, it’s practically frugal as well…  The idea for tonight was fire, sun, warmth and brightness.  This fit the bill quite well.

• 1/2 lb fettuccine, cooked to package directions and drained (really, start cooking it as soon as you start the rest)
• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 c. chopped tomatoes (or use petite diced canned with a little juice)
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 3 Tbs sour cream (reduced fat)

Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan and add garlic and pepper flakes.  Sautee one minute.  Add shrimp and cook until outsides are no longer pink, about 3 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  Add salt to taste, and then stir in pasta.

For dessert tonight, we had mini pineapple upside down cakes.  I just used a boxed mix and baked them in tart pans, for about 15 minutes.

Tags: easy, fast, healthy, pasta, shrimp

I sort of made this recipe up as I went along, tasting and adjusting as necessary.  I think I got it all though.  The original recipe idea was duck, but I couldn’t find duck breasts anywhere and certainly not for lack of trying.  I called grocery stores up to 50 miles away and still no dice.  Sigh.  Anyway!  The idea here was dark, rich, decadent, and sweet.

• 1 lb turkey chops (or cutlets)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 c. self rising flour
• 2 shallots, chopped finely
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 c. red wine
• 2 Tbs flour
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1 c. frozen cherries, thawed and halved
• Optional: 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbs sugar

Dip chops in egg and then flour.  Cook in a non-stick skillet with a little oil over medium high heat until lightly browned on both sides.  Remove and keep warm.  Add a little more oil to the pan, and throw in the shallots and thyme.  Let cook until shallots soften and start to become translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add flour and cook another 2 minutes.  Add wine and stir, it will thicken quite a bit.  Add broth, cherries, and vinegar and sugar (if using - taste and adjust as necessary - I needed both.)  Put chops back in, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.  I served ours with some rosemary roasted potatoes.

To continue with the decadent, rich and dark theme, we had chocolate mascarpone mousse for dessert.

Tags: fruit, turkey, wine

• Taco stuffed shells
• Crijo-jo (a Caribbean sauce for meat)

And, since it’s “that time of year again,” we’re having some really fancy dinners over the next three days.

• Chocolate mascarpone mousse, revisited
• Cherry and wine sauce over turkey chops
• Spicy shrimp fettuccine
• Wasabi and mango salmon with forbidden rice
• Goat cheese, honey and apple puff pastry
• Personal pineapple upside down cakes

Now, depending on who you are, the picture down there might not look so appetizing.  But I promise this was one of the most well received dinners at my house in a long time, and I quickly put it into the category of “company dinners.”  Not that we ever have company for dinner (and if we do, we normally just order pizza) but if I *did* have to cook something nice for guests, this is on the short list of things I’d maybe choose.

The chicken is stuffed with a mixture of shallots, garlic, goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar.  It cooks in a non-stick pan, and then rests while you make a quick sauce of thyme, more shallots, and a little more vinegar (and some broth.)  I served it over whole wheat pasta, but orzo, or even veggies could work.

Combine:

• 1 c. hot water
• 1/3 c. sundried tomatoes (not packed in oil)

Let stand until tomatoes are soft (about 20 minutes,) drain and chop finely

Over medium heat, cook

• 1/3 c. chopped shallots
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3 cloves chopped garlic

with a little oil, until onion becomes translucent and mixture is lightly browned (about 4 minutes.)  In a small bowl, mix this with the sundried tomatoes and 4 0z. goat cheese.  Add 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar and mix well.  Set aside.

Take your 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and pound them until they are even in thickness, but be careful not to overpound, becuase you have to cut a pocket in them.  (I used two huge breasts, cut them in half, and then pounded them.)  Cut a horizontal slit in each breast to form a pocket, and stuff with about 2 Tbs of the cheese/tomato mixture.  Sprinkle the outside with salt and pepper.  I sealed mine with toothpicks, but I’m not sure it was necessary.  Cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.  Remove from pan, and keep warm.

To the pan, add

• 1/4 c. chopped shallots
• 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 3/4 c. chicken broth

Bring to a boil, then mix in

• 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with…
• 2 tsp water

Whisk until thickened.  Serve with chicken and your choice of side dish.

Tags: chicken, cooking light, healthy, pasta, recipes

For dinner this week, we’re having:

• Chicken tamale casserole
• Sausage, peppers, and orzo
• Lemon chicken with satay sauce
• Baked potatoes and chili
• “Orange rosemary chicken thing”

But don’t worry!  I have some new recipes for you this week too.  This week might be a little rough for me (in teacher land, it is dreaded “state testing week,” so just be patient with me and it will all be okay.  I think I’m reassuring myself more here.)

Sometimes, you just want some comfort food.  After a few weeks of tossing around making another box of Tuna Helper (oh, thrilling meal that it is) I decided to make this instead.  It was easy, it was satisfying, and more importantly, it had noodles and cheese in it.

• 6 oz. egg noodles, cooked to package directions
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 onion, diced finely
• 1 c. frozen peas, thawed
• 2 6 oz. cans tuna, drained
• 1/4 c. sour cream (optional, but I don’t find it so)

Mix all ingredients together and put into large casserole dish.  Top with seasoned breadcrumbs (about 1/2 c.) and some shredded parmesean cheese (I used the green can… gasp!) and bake for 30 minutes at 350

Tags: casserole, fish, pasta, recipes, tuna

This is my mommy’s birthday cake.  I guess technically it was both of my parents’ birthday cakes, since their birthdays are only a few days apart, but it was made with my mom in mind.  She has this thing about mice.  Not real  mice, mind you (I think she’d scream and run away if she ever saw a real one in her proximity) but fake, collectible mice.  I made her a cheese cake.

Well, not a cheesecake.  Actually, it’s a yellow buttermilk cake with chocolate pastry cream and buttercream icing.  (Can we use the words butter or cream any more, possibly?)  It was delicious, but best of all, it was adorable, and that’s what I was going for.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: baking, birthday cake, recipes, sweets

I whipped these up tonight for dessert but couldn’t resist sampling one before dessert time rolled around.  I also couldn’t resist eating any icing that may have found its way out of the icing bowl and on to my finger.  The original recipe yeilded 16 cupcakes - I halved to make 8.  The halved recipe is below.

• 1/4 c. cocoa powder
• 1/2 c. boiling water
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 4 Tbs butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 c. flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Mix cocoa powder and boiling water together until smooth.  Set aside and cool to room temperature.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg, beat 1 minute.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt, mix until just incorporated.  Add cooled cocoa/water, stir until smooth.  Pour into 8 greased or lined muffin tins.  Bake 16-20 minutes at 375, or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove and cool to room temperature.

• 1 stick (8 Tbs) butter, at room temperature
• 2 - 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
• 4 Tbs Bailey’s Irish Cream liquor
• 5 drops green food coloring, 2 drops yellow food coloring

Beat butter until light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar 1/2 c. at a time, mixing well after each addition until it clumps together and is thick.  Add liquor, and beat until smooth.  (If you need to, you can add more sugar or Bailey’s at this point to make it a spreadable consistency.)  Add food coloring and mix until color is uniform.  Spread over cooled cupcakes.  This will make more frosting than you need for 8 cupcakes.

Tags: baking, chocolate cake, cupcakes, recipes, sweets

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  With a name like Erin, how could I resist something at least vaguley resembling a traditional Irish recipe?  Although I tend not to like soda bread, this recipe from Big Red Kitchen has changed my mind.  It is moist, flavorful, and has a good crust.  Best of all, it takes about 5 minutes to mix up.

• 4 c. flour
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 Tbs butter, cold
• 1 c. dried fruit (I used currants, but more traditional recipes use raisins.  You can use whatever you like.)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk + 1 Tbs buttermilk, mixed

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking stone with parchment paper.  In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Cut in butter using a pastry cutter until mixture resembles sand.  Stir in currants until evenly distributed.  In your overly large measuring cup, mix buttermilk, egg, and baking soda.  Pour this all at once into the flour mixture, and stir with a fork until well combined.  Form into about an 8″ dome on the parchment paper, and brush with egg yolk and buttermilk mixture.  Cut a deep cross (about 1/2″) with a sharp knife through the dough.  Bake for 60-65 minutes, rotating pan at 30 minutes.

Tags: baking, bread, recipes