Yum. This was fabulous and so easy to make. The picture really doesn’t do it justice. I made mine in my toaster oven!

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons hot water
6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano

6 6-ounce swordfish fillets, each about 1 inch thick

Preheat broiler. Whisk olive oil in top of double boiler over simmering water until heated through. Gradually whisk in fresh lemon juice, then 2 tablespoons hot water. Add chopped fresh parsley, chopped garlic and oregano and cook sauce 5 minutes to blend flavors, whisking frequently. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Remove sauce from over simmering water.

Lightly brush swordfish on both sides with sauce. Season fish with salt and pepper. Grill or broil until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer fish to platter. Spoon remaining sauce over and serve.

On the fly for tonight’s TBD steak dinner. Had to make due with what’s in house!

2 lbs. red skinned potatoes, washed and sliced thinly on the mandoline
1 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. skim milk
1/4 c. light ranch dressing
1.5 tbsp. minced garlic
1.5 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
2 c. shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried parsley

Mix together all ingredients except potatoes in bowl and allow flavors to meld, refridgerated, for two hours before cooking.
Preheat oven to 350. Generously butter baking dish. If you slice your potatoes ahead of time, keep them in cold water to prevent discoloring. Thoroughly drain prior to putting potatoes evenly in baking dish.
Pour cheese mixture evenly over potatoes in the baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for an hour. Remove tin foil and allow to brown in oven for another half hour or until brown and bubbly. Yum!

I got a new cookbook over the holidays and I’ve found quite a few recipes that I want to try! The first one, though, is today’s dinner. I was lucky enough to find a link for you, so I don’t have to manually type everything in. Whew. (I’m lazy)

While sauteeing the veggies, I was pleasantly surprised by the awesome aroma, having had suitNtie about clock me one because I prepped the red onion and red pepper two days ago and put them in baggies in the fridge. The onion was…quite pungent. Whew! But the sauteeing veggies smelled SO good.

I did make a few modifications, as I am not a fan of peppers. Not at all. So I actually used about a half cup of red pepper and omitted the yellow entirely.

Yes, I tweaked my recipe again. Gah. Are you sick of me yet? I had to take a cell phone photo before it hit the table because you guys are making me feel guilty about the lack of photos. So you get one, with no top crust, uncooked.

1 box Pillsbury (don’t you dare buy another kind, but you are allowed to make your own if you want to impress me) Pie Crusts

2 chicken breasts, butterflied, then diced after being poached in:

1 box low sodium, low fat chicken broth

1 tbsp Stonewall Kitchen Chicken & Pork Seasoning

2 boxes Green Giant Mixed Veggies (zucchini, carrot, green beans in rosemary butter sauce), defrosted (try to drain as much WATER (not sauce) off as possible. Here’s what the box I use looks like:

1/2 jar chicken gravy

2 tsp. Stonewall Kitchen Chicken & Pork Seasoning

Mid afternoon, combine chicken, veggies, gravy and seasoning in bowl and let flavors marry up in the fridge for a few hours before assembling pie. I highly recommend not doing this while potty training your two children, as you will be guaranteed to find a puddle on your playroom carpet when you return.

Preheat oven to 350.  Blind bake bottom crust in pie plate for 15 minutes.

Fill pie plate with chicken mixture, press down, top with crust.  Put a few slits in to allow steam to pass through and bake for 40 minutes or until top crust is nicely browned. A little bubbling is also not remiss.  Enjoy!

Sorry, no photo. I fail at foodblogging. In reality, we scarfed it so quickly that I didn’t have time.

Things I liked:

• this is awesome for kids. The sauce is tasty but on the bland side, so it works for kid palates. My first thought was, hey, it’s like an intro to Asian for kids (did you note the ketchup in the ingredients)!
• the onions cooked down to just about nothing. they were practically indiscernable from the sauce and chicken
• recipe yielded enough to feed us one night and have a container to freeze for another night. Not bad for a quick prep. Yes, I had to buy hoisin sauce, but I’ve since found a few other recipes to experiment with to use it up.
• loved having the recipe tell you to drain off the cooking liquid. wahoo!

Things I didn’t like:

• the ribs didn’t stay intact for me. Which is fine, but it ended up served similar to a pulled pork, slathered over rice. I just have no idea how someone cooked the ribs in a slow cooker for 10 hours and had them look like the photo on the original recipe site. I like accurate photos. Grr. (says the one who didn’t even take one, I know)
• it was a little on the bland side. If I was making it again, for just suitNtie and I, I would probably spice it up a bit. A little heat behind the sweet in the sauce would have gone a long way for me.

Originally from here.

2 lb boneless country-style pork loin ribs
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
Hot cooked rice, if desired

1. Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray ( I used a slow cooker liner, so I can’t verify whether this will actually keep stuff from sticking or not). Place pork ribs, garlic and onion in slow cooker. Spoon about half of the pineapple with some of the juice over ribs. Reserve remaining pineapple and juice.
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 8 to 10 hours.
3. About 35 minutes before serving, drain and discard cooking juices from slow cooker; wipe edge of slow cooker clean. In small bowl, mix ketchup, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, gingerroot and remaining pineapple with juice. Spoon or pour evenly over ribs. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 25 to 30 minutes longer or until ribs are glazed. Serve with rice.

A Kitchen original recipe. This was my “how much of the random supplies I bought for the holidays can I use in one dish” recipe creation. Recipe is geared towards two people.

two boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded thin
1/4 c. chopped and toasted walnuts
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, rendered fat reserved in pan
1 tsp. ground sage
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 c. gorgonzola or blue cheese
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs, seasoned with 1 tsp. Stonewall Kitchen Chicken & Pork seasoning
1 egg, slightly beaten
Preheat oven to 350.

Cook bacon thoroughly and drain on rack, reserving rendered fat in pan.

Salt and pepper pounded chicken on both sides.  In small bowl, combine walnuts, bacon, sage and gorgonzola thoroughly.  Mixture should be moldable.  Divide in half and mold lengthwise into two logs just shorter than the length of the pounded chicken breast.    Roll chicken breast over cheese stuffing and secure with toothpicks.

Roll chicken in egg and then in the panko mixture, then set into  pan on medium heat with the rendered bacon fat.  Quickly brown on all sides before placing into a baking dish and finishing in the oven.

For more great menus, please visit http://www.orgjunkie.com!

Week 1: The Recovery

27. Monday – mini beef wellingtons with leftover roasted veggies. (forgot to bring the app wellingtons to Sunday’s holiday celebration)
28. Tuesday -  grilled chicken with gorgonzola, walnuts and bacon
29. Wednesday – hot dogs and chili dogs
30. Thursday – comfort food night – baked ziti with fresh mozzarella
31. Friday – New Year’s Eve…Chinese takeout!!!
1. Saturday – Happy New Year!!! Leftover Chinese. Yum.
2. Sunday – crockpot polynesian pork ribs (new!)

Week 2: It’s a New Year!

3. Monday – chicken pot pie (repeat!)
4. Tuesday – FFY Buffet
5. Wednesday – fried egg sandwiches with proscuitto and arugula
6. Thursday – black bean and veggie wraps (mac & cheese for kiddos) (new, from a cookbook I got as a present this year!)
7. Friday -  steak dinner TBD, have to see what looks good at the butcher.
8. Saturday – chicken croquettes (repeat!)
9. Sunday -  swordfish with salmoriglio sauce (new, from a cookbook I got as a present this year!)
10. Monday – cheddar burgers on the George Foreman (someday, I will get a grill pan)
11. Tuesday – grilled chicken and pesto pasta with tomatoes (leftover pesto from Christmas’s amazing Beef Wellington, recipe forthcoming) (NEW!)
12. Wednesday – pasta e fagioli (NEW!)
13. Thursday – maple dijon pork cutlets (repeat)
14. Friday – FFY Buffet

suitNtie’s brother was up for the holidays and we had Christmas dinner at our house. We changed the menu just a bit and one of the things we added was a Caprese salad. The Captain (he asked for the kids to refer to him this way instead of uncle, but it didn’t take) took charge of the salad. He and I drank some good wine while we puttered around the kitchen having a good time.

In any case, his Caprese blew my mind. I asked him to recount all the ingredients for me and at least had the foresight to take a pic before I licked the plate clean. One thing I am not gifted at is making up my own recipes on the fly. I can follow a recipe, and vary off it it a little, but rarely can I make my own up. The Captain seems to do this with ease. Good thing I married into this family, right?

Vinagrette: (whisk all ingredients together to pour over arranged salad)
2 tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tsp olive oil
splash of dry vermouth

Salad:
6 tomatoes, sliced
2 logs fresh mozzarella, sliced
fresh basil leaves

Put over salad once it has been dressed with the vinagrette:
salt and pepper to taste
zest of half a lemon
a few shakes of parmesan cheese
pinch of crushed red pepper

So that I can get holiday gifts like I’m sending in tomorrow for suitNtie’s bosses. This afternoon, I’m making peanut butter cups and salted caramels. The leftovers will get bagged up for our neighbors and we’re giving them all out tomorrow after our son’s school holiday party.

Nom nom nom.

From Jan 2011′s Real Simple magazine.

2 15.5 oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 pint grape tomatoes
4 springs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh oregano, plus leaves for garnish
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tbsp oliv oil
kosher salt and black pepper to taste
8 bone in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lbs)

Heat oven to 425 F. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, toss beans and tomatoes with thyme and oregano, garlic, red pepper, 1 tbsp of oil, 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp. of black pepper.

Pat chicken dry and place on top of bean mixture, skin up. Rub with remaining tablespoon of oil, season with salt and pepper.

Roast until chicken is golden and cooked through, about 35-45 minutes. Sprinkle with oregano leaves.