Tuesday, July 1, 2008

French Bread Pizza with Sausage, Clams and Mushrooms



A few weeks ago, I decided that I needed to use up some of the stuff that was sitting in my pantry and freezer. I took an inventory and then went searching for recipes to go with the stash. I had some cans of Chopped Clams and some bulk Italian Sausage. The recipe that came up sounded questionable, mostly because it was from Cooking Light magazine, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and try it.

It was a huge hit! Hubby kept going on and on about how great it was. At first, I thought he was trying to be all romanic and trying to get lucky but no. He was really enjoying it.

French Bread Pizza with Sausage, Clams and Mushrooms
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine.

Ingredients
3/4 lb bulk sweet Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 (6 1/2-ounce) can chopped clams, undrained
1 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1 loaf French bread, cut in half horizontally
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.
Cook sausage and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add flour, and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the mushrooms, milk, oregano, pepper, and clams; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until thick.

Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese.

Place bread halves on a baking sheet; spread clam mixture evenly over cut sides of bread. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese and parsley. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cut each half into 3 pieces.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 piece).

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

My little boy, is a picky eater. He is great at eating cereal and eggs, likes mac and cheese but by dinner time....he would rather just play and forget about his last meal.

I served this to him the other night and he gobbled it up! He even finished his sister's plate. The really great thing about this recipe is how easy it is to put together. And it is tasty!

BRUSCHETTA CHICKEN BAKE

1 19 ounce can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg Stove Top Stuffing Mix for chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used garlic powder, because minced garlic cloves? Exotic!)
1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bit-sized pieces
1 tsp dried basil leaves
2 cups Mozzarella shredded cheese, separated

PREHEAT oven to 400. Place tomatoes in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix and garlic. Stir until moistened.

PLACE chicken pieces in greased 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle w/ basil and 1 cup cheese. Top with stuffing mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
Serves 8.

Chicken Scarpariello

I came across this recipe a couple weeks ago and I couldn't wait to make it. It just sounded so wonderful and spicy! We love spicy food and it is hard to come by in Utah. Utahn's don't like food that has taste. I found the recipe here. I could only find reguar cherry peppers so I added some jarred yellow peppers. Don't do that if you don't like your food spicy. Also, if you like it more medium, then just use all Sweet Italian Sausage.

Chicken Scarpariello
Adapted from Pure Sugar Blog

3 Hot Italian Sausages
3 Sweet Italian Sausages
1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
5 small red potatoes, quartered
6 cloves of garlic, diced
1 cup hot cherry peppers, cut in half and stems removed
1 cup mild cheery peppers, cut in half and stems removed
1/2 cup brine from mild cherry peppers
1/2 cup chicken broth
Olive Oil
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
Salt
Pepper

Prick sausages, place in a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. This works great for removing some of the grease.

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat enough olive oil in a pan to cook the chicken, saute until golden brown.

After sausages have boiled for a few minutes, drain and cut into 1 inch chunks. Once chicken as cooked for about 10 minutes, add garlic and sausages. Saute for 4 minutes.

Add potatoes, hot peppers, milk peppers, brine and chicken broth. Simmer for 5 minutes and give a taste. Adjust seasoning and add wine. Simmer another 10 minutes to reduce the sauce.

Serve over thin spaghetti and with garlic bread.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Menu Plan Monday ~ June 30th



What a week! Monday, I noticed that my freezer was no longer freezing anything. OH NO! Our property manager couldn't have anyone out until Wednesday Afternoon. That is just.too.long! I have two small children. We can not be without a fridge AND we had just been to Sam's that weekend before.

Hubby called Appliance EMT and they sent someone out the next morning. WHEW! Crisis averted but ouch on the pocket book. Good thing I was cooking from the pantry last week.

I have a new favorite treat. It is the Carmel Java Chiller from Sonic. Oh me, oh my. It is fabulous and just perfect on a hot Utah day.

Sunday:
Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Monday:
French Bread Pizza with Sausage, Clams and Mushrooms

Tuesday:
Pearl Couscous with Olives and Roasted Tomatoes
Salmon cakes

Wednesday:
Grilled Hamburgers
Fries
Peas

Thursday:
Grilled Chicken
Salad with Feta

Friday: Happy Independence's Day
Rib eye
Corn on the Cob

Saturday:
Cavatappi with Spinach, Garbanzo Beans and Feta
Garlic Bread

For fun....take this caffeine test! My results are after 4 cups a coffee, 2 soda's and a Carmel Java Chiller!
The Caffeine Click Test - How Caffeinated Are You?
Created by OnePlusYou

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Menu Plan Monday ~ June 23rd


I have been absent from posting my menu plan for a couple weeks due to my parents visiting and a sick little boy. We celebrated Father's Day last week with Brunch at Needles Lodge Dining Room at Snowbasin Ski Resort. The food is amazing, the coffee is the best in Utah and the best part is the 20 minute gondola ride to the restaurant. What views!

Now that I am back on track....I decided to take an inventory of the items in my pantry and freezer and try to come up with some meals with these items.

Pantry Inventory

Pearl Couscous
Linguine
Cans Chopped Clams (2)
Pink Salmon
Kidney Beans
Garbanzo Beans
White Beans
Udon Noodles

Freezer Inventory

Country Style Ribs
Chicken Thighs
Ribeyes (2)
Ground Sirloin (2)
Curly Fries
Pie Crust


I planned my menu for the next two weeks around many of these ingredients.

Sunday:
Fa-Fa, Feta and Salmon Pasta

Monday:
Chicken Scarpariello
Thin Spaghetti
French Bread

Tuesday:
Mom's Night Off....Jumbo Burger!
The Best Gyro in Utah!

Wednesday:
Green Chili Smothered Burritos
Spanish Rice

Thursday:
Chicken Thighs & Artichokes
Long Grain Rice
Zucchini

Friday:
French Bread Pizza with Sausage, Clams and Mushrooms

Saturday:
Pearl Couscous
Salmon Cakes
Broccoli

For more great menu's....check out The Organizing Junkie!

Fa-Fa, Feta and Salmon Pasta

I love salmon and I love pasta dishes so I was so delighted to come across this recipe. It tastes so fresh and summery, and the kid liked it too.

Fa-Fa, Feta and Salmon Pasta
Adapted from divine caroline.com


2 fresh salmon fillets, roughly 12 ounces
A few dashes salt (to taste)
10 ounces farfalle pasta, or whatever kind you like
5 cloves garlic, minced
20 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup chopped green onions.
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil leaves (yes, it must be fresh.)
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
A few drizzles olive oil, you choose how much to use
One 4 ounce package crumbled feta cheese.



Cook pasta according to package. Drain, drizzle with olive oil, cover, and set aside. Make sure this stays warm.

Meanwhile, drizzle olive oil into a medium high heat pan and toss in about half of the minced garlic cloves. Cook for about a minute or until the aroma becomes very strong and the garlic starts to soften.

Sprinkle the salmon with salt. Add the salmon to the pan and cook for about five minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Turn the fish occasionally while cooking.

Stir in the tomatoes, the rest of the garlic, onions, basil, and peppers. Heat through, stirring occasionally.

Right before you think you’re done, toss in the spinach leaves and heat them just enough so they start to wilt. In a large bowl toss together the hot pasta, some olive oil, and the salmon mixture. Top with the feta cheese and enjoy.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Gazpacho

I wanted to make something to go with my Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Soup sounded like a good idea until I checked the forecast for that day and saw that it was going to be around 90 degrees.

I have always wanted to make Gazpacho, so I decided this was the perfect time! It turned out great and there were lots of leftovers for Calvin's lunch.

Gazpacho
Adapted from Simply Recipes blog

4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 sweet red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons sugar
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 cups of tomato juice

Combine all ingredients. Blend slightly, to deisred consistency. Place in non-metal, non-reactive storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight, allowing flavors to blend.

Serves 8.