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Fanned Potatoes

August 31, 2008 by Lynsey 1 Comment

Potatoes are such an easy and versatile vegetable to use for sides with multiple types of food. I love potatoes and I love trying new recipes using them. This recipe was so easy and very quick to put together. You could use pretty much any type seasonings you wanted to to change it up and to make it compliment the taste of the main dish. For this particular recipe I just used salt, pepper, butter and garlic salt to season; something very simple but it made the end result very good. This recipe isn’t just your average “baked potato” recipe; the inside of the potato is very soft more along the lines of a baked potato but the outer edges were a little crispy and gave the entire taste just a little something different. We thoroughly enjoyed these and I’m sure we’ll definitely be having these many more times.

Ingredients:

2 Potatoes-medium to large size

2-4 Tablespoons butter

1/2 Small onion, sliced

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Salt-(I use Lowry’s Garlic Salt with herbs)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Thinly slice potatoes, but do not slice all the way through, making the end result look like a fan. Rub the bottom of an oven safe dish with either part of the butter for spray with cooking oil. Place potatoes in dish; season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Spread onion slices over potatoes and dish and then set butter slices on top of potatoes. Place in oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until tender in middle.

Recipe Source: adapted from Recipe Zaar

Ham & Asparagus Lasagna

August 30, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

It has been so long since I’ve been able to sit down and actually post something to my blog. I have been cooking quite a bit but it juset seems like time has been passing by extremely fast. After I finish cooking and cleaning up the kitchen, I sit down and chill out for a minute and it’s time to go to bed. Thank goodness for 3 day weekends; I actually have time to sit down and update everything. This recipe is for ham and asparagus lasagna. I came across this recipe in Everyday With Rachael Ray. When I first told my hubby about this recipe that I came across he was pretty skeptical; but I guess if your the type of person that hears lasagna and thinks traditional is the only way to go then it is pretty easy to be skeptical. After I finally got him warmed up to the idea I got all the ingredients and decided to give it a try. It was a super easy and quick recipe. It’s one of those that is great for a night where you don’t have a lot of time to get something together but you still want to eat at home. If you don’t like ham or prefer a lighter meat I’m sure turkey would work just fine. I’m a pretty big turkey fan myself but I stuck with ham for this particular recipe and it turned out pretty tasty.

Ingredients:

1 Pound asparagus, cut into 1 in pieces

1 Pound lasagna noodles
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Small onion, finely chopped
1/3 Cup flour
4 1/2 Cups milk
1 Cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Cup grated colby and monteray jack mix cheese
1 Teaspoon grated nutmeg
Salt and Pepper
1/2 Pound deli sliced baked ham, cut into 1/2 ribbons

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the asparagus until just tender, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the asparagus to a strainer. Return the water to a boil, add the lasagna and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a platter.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the parmesan and half of the nutmeg; season with salt and pepper.

Spread about 1/3 cup of the cheese sauce in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Layer 4 noodles on the sauce and top with 3/4 cup cheese sauce. Sprinkle a quarter of the ham, a quarter of the asparagus, and 3 tablespoons of the remaining cheese over the sauce. Repeat the layering process three more times. Top with the remaining noodles, cheese sauce, cheese and nutmeg. Cover with foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes more. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Source: adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

Pork Loin in Key Lime Sauce

July 27, 2008 by Lynsey 1 Comment

This was another part of my key lime escapade. I had a pork loin I needed to cook and I wanted to do something different than just salt and pepper. I thought with it being summer it would be nice to have a lighter, citrus-y taste with the pork.
This marinade is another recipe I discovered from Key West Key Lime Pie Co. I adapted this sauce recipe from Jim’s Key Lime Sauce.

Pork Loin in Key Lime Sauce

1 Pork Loin
1/2 Cup of olive oil
1/3-1/2 Cup of soy sauce
1/4 Cup of Worcestershire
1/4 Cup mustard
1/4 Cup key lime juice
Dash of garlic
Salt
Pepper to taste
Lemon and Lime slices

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Line pan/casserole dish with foil, place half of the lemon and lime slices on bottom of pan, put pork on top. Mix up remaining ingredients, except lemon and lime slices, and pour over pork. Place remainder of lemon and lime slices on top of the pork. Cover and cook for 40 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Uncover and place back in oven for 10 minutes more.

Recipe Source: Lynsey & Key West Key Lime Co.

Parsley Fried Squash

July 27, 2008 by Lynsey 1 Comment

Being from the south I can’t help but be a true southern girl. I definitely integrate some southern flare in a lot of my dishes. Southern style food, as we all know, is known for having a lot of fried style dishes and squash is not exception.
I have grown up on squash in various forms. It is one of my favorite veggies; I love it fried, boiled, on salads…pretty much in any form. We had gotten some fresh squash from my hubby’s dad’s garden and so I decided I would fry this batch up. Instead of doing the traditional cornmeal and flour I decided to add some herbs to give it a change. It turned out wonderful and the small addition of herbs made such a difference!

Parsley Fried Squash

Ingredients:
1 Cup milk
1/2 Cup cornmeal
1/2 Cup flour
Salt and Pepper- to taste
1/2-1 Tablespoon parsely
Oil for frying

Directions:

Preheat oil in medium to large skillet on low-medium heat.

Clean and thinly slice squash. In medium bowl combine flour, cornmeal, parsley, salt and pepper. In separate bowl pour milk. Dip squash in milk, toss in flour mixture and then place in frying pan.

Fry until both sides are golden brown.
Remove from oil, place on plate covered with a paper towel.

Recipe Source: A Lynsey Original

Cheese-Garlic Biscuits

July 27, 2008 by Lynsey 1 Comment

Cheese is a main staple in our house. We make so many things that includes cheese and we’re always looking for new recipes including cheese. I have made these before it was just a long long time ago. It is one of those recipes that we LOVED but it just kind of slipped through the cracks and I didn’t really ever think of making them.
We were having a surf-n-turf meal at our house and when I was putting the menu together I wanted to make a bread but something other than garlic bread or regular biscuits. DH and one of the other guys that was coming over LOVES the garlic cheese biscuits from Red Lobster so I knew that was a no fail recipe for this group. I looked around the internet for a little bit and came across quite a few recipes and decided on this one since it was quick and easy. I did find some others that I want to try that are a “from scratch” recipe but I just didn’t have the time to do that with everything else I had to get together.
These biscuits were awesome. They are so simple and easy to throw together; especially when you need a quick bread side.

Cheese-Garlic Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 Cups Bisquick mix
2/3 Cup milk
3/4-1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 Cup butter, melted
1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder or garlic salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 F.
Mix baking mix, milk and cheese until soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds. (If too dry add a little more milk) Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Mix butter and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm.

Recipe Source: adapted from www.cs.cmu.edu

White Sangria

July 27, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

We were having a few friends over after work one evening. We were grilling out and I wanted a fun drink to sip on while preparing the meal and during the meal. We love sangria; when we get together it’s guaranteed we’ll get a pitcher or two to share. It’s definitely a no fail choice when we’re together.

This recipe was so easy to make and doesn’t really take a lot of time to prepare or chill. I halved the recipe since there were only going to be two people drinking it; but the full recipe would be great for a larger group.

White Sangria

1 Bottle sauvignon blanc
1/2 Cup brandy
3/4 Cup sugar
1 Lemon and 1 Lime, thinly sliced
1 Granny Smith Apple
1 Liter Sprite (or lemon-lime soda)
1 Cup frozen green grapes

Directions:

Combine the wine, brandy and sugar in a larger pitcher and mix gently to dissolve the sugar Add the sliced lemon, lime and apple. Chill for 2 hours or longer. Add the Sprite and grapes and mix gently. Serve over ice.

Recipe Source: Adapted from “Beach Appetit”, The Junior League of the Emeral Coast

Key Lime Dressing

July 27, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

So, I’m still on my key lime kick. I’ve come across quite a few recipes that involve key limes and key lime juice. I love light foods especially in the summer time; something that’s different, fruity and sweet always interests me. I came across this dressing recipe and wanted to give it a try. It’s so simple and easy to throw together; it uses 3 ingredients that I think everyone always has in their kitchen. This is going to be a go to recipe for me; especially when I want something light and different or if I need a quick dressing.

***Substitute plain lime juice for key lime if that is all you have.

Key Lime Dressing

1 Cup Mayonnaise

1/4 Cup honey

1/4 Cup key lime juice

Combine all ingredients, mix together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Source: Key West Key Lime Pie Co.

Key Lime Pie

July 27, 2008 by Lynsey Leave a Comment

I am a huge fan of things sweet and tart; but mix the two together and it’s a guaranteed winner. Key lime pie is one of my long time favorite desserts. Every time I go out and it’s on the menu it’s guaranteed I’m going to get a piece for dessert.

I have made many desserts that have the sweet and tart combination but I have never taken on the challenge of making a key lime pie myself. One day I searched all day for the perfect recipe to try out; I really never found one that really jumped out at me and had everything I wanted in one. There are some that seemed like the flavor would be muted because of lack of lime or too much other stuff so I decided to write one myself. I figured if I wrote it myself it would include everything I was hunting for.

The first attempt turned out pretty good. I was very impressed with it; especially for it being my first attempt. I will definitely make it again; I may try to “tweak” it a little to make the filling a little thicker initially so it doesn’t have to bake as long but that’s probably the only change I’ll make.

***If you’re not a big fan of lip puckering tartness half the amount of key lime juice used.

Key Lime Pie

Crust:

5-6 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 Cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 Cup almonds
1/2 Cup pretzels
1/8 Teaspoon sugar

Filling:
1 Can sweetened condesned milk
1 Egg, beaten
2 Egg yolks
Zest of 1 lime
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup key lime juice (I used Nellie and Joe’s)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Crust:Place pretzels and almonds in bag and smash with rolling pin until in course pieces. (I wanted to be able to see the almonds in the crust and I didn’t want the almonds or pretzels to be a powder so that’s why I coarsely crushed them) Combine butter, graham cracker crumbs, almonds, pretzels, and sugar and mix until completely combined. Once mixed together put mixture in 9 inch pie plate;pat the mixture in the pan until pan is completely lined.

Once finished place for 10-12 minutes or until crust is completely cooked. Remove from oven and let cool.

Filling:
Beat egg and egg yolks. Combine condensed milk, eggs, sugar and combine. Once combined add lime juice and lime zest and blend together completely. Pour in cooled pie crust.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until filling is set. Let cool and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe Source: A Lynsey Original

Bacon Avocado Griddle Pizza

July 17, 2008 by Lynsey 1 Comment

I love recipes that take two distinctly different dishes and somehow incorporate them into one dish that flows together so nicely. This pizza incorporates all the elements of a guacomole salad, yum, and istead of serving it as a dip it serves as the “sauce” on this light and delicious pizza. I could eat guacomole all day long, it’s one of my favorite dips, I didn’t think it could get any better but with the addition of bacon, chicken and spinach it takes it to an entirely different leve. I saw this recipe for Bacon Avocado Pizza in Rachael Ray’s magazine, and I knew instantly that I just had to make it.

This is the first time I have cooked a pizza in a less than traditional manner, I’ve always cooked my pizzas in the oven but I’m always up for something new and cooking this pizza on the griddle was so fun. The crust cooks up very quickly, and after you flip it once the pizza is ready to assemble. The crust itself is fabulous, it’s just the right consistency of bread and crunch, and topping it with the avocado mixture and the bacon just put this pizza right over the top. This is such a great twist on two classics but it’s also a very quick and easy meal to put together any night of the week.

Bacon Avocado Griddle Pizza

1 Cup lukewarm watter
2 1/4 Cups flour
One 1/4 ounce packet active dry yeast
1 Teaspoon sugar
Salt
1 Pint plum tomatoes, halved
1 Small onion, lightly sauteed
1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Pepper
3 Avocados
One 12 ounce package bacon
2 Cups spinach
Garlic salt, to taste
Tobasco, to taste
Grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast (optional)

Directions:

In a large glass, whisk together the water, 1 tablespoon flour, the yeast and sugar; let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Using a food processor, combine the remaining flour and 1 teaspoon salt. With the machine on, pour in the yeast mixture and process until the dough forms a ball. Mix for another minute, then transfer to a large greased bowl, turning the ball of dough to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
In a bowl toss together the tomatoes, sauteed onion, olive oil and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature.
In a bowl, mash the avocados and then mix in garlic salt, pepper, and tobasco then press plastic wrap directly onto the surface to cover.
Preheat a large skillet; add the bacon and cook until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Preheat a griddle over high heat or an electric griddle to 400°. On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into 4 pieces, then flatten each one into a disk. Stretch each disk into a 10-inch round (if dough is too elastic, let rest for 5 minutes).
Brush one side of each round with olive oil and transfer to the griddle, placing the oiled sides down. Cook, lightly brushing the tops with more oil and flipping once, until browned, about 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a cutting board.
Spread the avocado evenly on each crust. Toss the spinach with the tomato mixture and scatter over the pizzas. Crumble the bacon on top.

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray

Pepperoni Stuffed Chicken

July 17, 2008 by Lynsey 1 Comment

I was trying to think of something to cook for supper but nothing really sounded that great. I started thinking of what all I had and what I could do with what I had. I started going through different combinations of how I could pair things; and after I went through several I finally decided on this one. There is not a lot to it; but the combination goes together very well.

Pepperoni Stuffed Chicken
Ingredients:

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/2 Cup Spinach, coarsely chopped

1/2-1 Cup parmesan cheese (amount according to taste)

15-20 Slices pepperoni

1 Tablespoon Parsely

1/8 Cup seasoned bread crumbs

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Place chicken breast between 2 pieces of parchment/wax paper and poud out until about 1/2 inch thick. Once pounded out salt and pepper to taste then add parsley.

Sprinkle spinach over chicken, followed by pepperoni and shredded cheese.

Roll chicken breast, then secure with toothepicks. Sprinkle chicken with bread crumbs then drizzle olive oil over chicken.

Place in oven, cook for 25-30 minutes at 350 F.

A Lynsey Original

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