Spicy Sesame Noodles

This is a recipe that I got from somewhere else to get the basic ingredients but I completely changed the amounts of everything and a few of the ingredients. Every time I make these everyone sucks them down and asks for the recipe!! They are simply delicious!

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

1 (16 ounce) package thin spaghetti pasta (I use the one with protein added)

8 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons safflower oil

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 teaspoons chili sauce

6 green onions, sliced

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

A good amount of minced ginger or a couple good shakes of the powder kind

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a serving bowl.

2. Take a small bowl (or cup even it makes it easier!) and Stir in garlic, sugar, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili sauce. Stir until all blended and suger has melted

3. take mixture and pour into a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Pour sauce over noodles, and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Crisp, one recipe two ways

My mom actually gave me the recipe for the sweeter version seen here

The big carton of fresh blueberries I think about 3 or 4 cups

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/4 cups butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, gently toss together blueberries, and white sugar; set aside.

3. In a separate large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Cover with berries. Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the berries.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

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This disappeared really fast especially since we had company staying with us all weekend so I decided since we ate it so alarmingly fast I decided to try and make a much healthier version

And changed the ingredients to

3 or 4 cups fresh blueberries

1 tablespoon all-purpose sugar

… then this is where it gets tricky since I tend to not measure when I cook…

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 ½ cups rolled oats

1 more cup rolled oats for later

1 cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup walnuts

1 stick of butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, gently toss together blueberries, and white sugar; set aside.

3. In a food processer blend walnuts until fine.

4. In a separate large bowl, combine flour, walnuts, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press half of mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Cover with berries.

5. Add the extra oats Sprinkle remaining crumble mixture over the berries.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and topping is golden brown.

I like the second one much better since it is a lot healthier… still not necessarily a heath food but you can get away with eating it for breakfast and then at dessert just put a small scoop a vanilla ice cream on top and there you go a yummy breakfast and a relatively healthy dessert!

pokitini

one of the best martinis ever and there is no alcohol! Still not okay for pregnant women though. This is one of those recipes here we love it here in Southern California but most people think we are weird for loving it! Ahi is one of my absolute FAVORITE foods! But once hen out o dinner with my fiancees mom, who is from the midwest, she freaked out that "my fish wasn't cook, don't eat that! It took awhile for everyone at the table to convince her it was okay but she wasn't going near it!

ahi (tuna)

green onion sliced thin

avocado cut in small squares

pine nuts

sesame oil

sesame seeds

soy sauce

First you want to find a beautiful sushi grade piece of ahi. Next you can just cut it up or sear it for a few seconds on each side over medium heat. I prefer it raw but not everyone does. Take the pine nuts and cook them over medium heat stirring constantly until they turn slightly brown. Next mix it with the green onion, avocado, pine nuts together with a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce to taste. top with a few sesame seeds and a bit of the green onion and you have a beautiful and healthy dinner in minutes! I serve mine in martini glasses and call it a pokitini.

Enjoy!

A summer salad

Okay so this one is not so much a recipe but an idea. This is a popular one in our house during the summer but it is hardly ever the same twice. The only ingredients that I always add are baked goat cheese, spinach, some kind of nut and different fruits. I usually always top it with shrimp but scallops are also tasty and chicken would go great as well!

Okay so start with spinach, we like spinach because of all of the nutrients but it also pairs perfectly with the goat cheese.

Then put on whatever fruit you please. Recently I used raspberries, strawberries, grapes, avocado and pomegranate seeds. I have also used mango and pineapple but didn't have any. Really any sweet fruit would work!

Then add some sort of nut. I usually use sliced almonds and pine nuts.

lastly take some goat cheese and roll it in your hand and then gently flatten... kind of like you would do with a small cookie. brush some olive oil on each side and then coat with bread crumbs place them on foil on a cookie sheet and broil them for about 5 minutes.

The best stuffed shells you will EVER make.

I left on a business trip so there wasn't a whole lot of cooking going on since I was across the country from my kitchen. Later in the week, cooking resumed and my first night home I had a small impromptu dinner party, yea, I don't know what I was thinking either. All in all it was a great time, great friends and great food!

I wish I could take full credit for this one but I can't. I do change it up a bit so I will post the recipe and then at the end tell you how I change it. This one comes from the food network from Giada.

(12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (recommended: Barilla)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon

1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped

1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce, recipe follows

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)

Arrabbiata Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 ounces sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups jarred or fresh marinara sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.

Yield: approximately 6 cups

Okay now with a recipe that good what do I change? Well I have said before and I will say again we love garlic in our house so there is plenty of that! I would say I increase it by three times as much. I also add more parmesan then it calls for and use a high quality high flavor cheese. I include lots of extra basil and parsley as well. I grow it myself and we love the fresh flavor of basil. Lastly I do not make the arrabbiata sauce. If you have a trader joes by you you will be doing yourself a huge favor by going to the store and picking up two jars of their arrabbriata sauce. Seriously it is fabulous! I don't think I could make it any better if I tried! One of the best parts about this recipe, if you didn't read it already, it freezes! It makes a TON and you can freeze as much as you want!

Hawaiian Chicken

So yesterday I knew I would be busy and with it being Friday I would not want to be in the kitchen for a long time. Cue the crock pot! I love my crock pot! Seriously just through in a bunch of stuff and out comes a wonderful juicy meal and the best part, the meats never overcooked! Once again this recipe is for two so feel free to change it to fit your families size.

Ingredients  

2 trimmed chicken breasts  

2 table spoons chopped green onion 

1 teaspoon of minced garlic (I usually add a bit more) 

1 table spoon dry white whine 

2 table spoons soy sauce 

2 table spoons honey 

2 table spoons water  

a few chucks of pineapple (the amount is really how ever much you want 

fresh ground pepper to taste  

1) Add all of the ingredients except for the chicken into a small bowl and mix them together

2) If you are not in a hurry take defrosted chicken breasts and cut them into bite sized pieces. If you are in a hurry just throw them in the crackpot frozen and whole. The chicken absorbs he sauce better when in small pieces but still tastes amazing when left whole.

3) With all of the ingredients in cook on high for about 3 hours... if I am going to be out of the house I will cook it on low for the day.  

4) Serve over white rice and pour the extra sauce on top! 

Enjoy! 

Baked Peaches

Last night we ended up eating dinner late so  I just made a light salad. I wanted to make something for desert as well but once again wanted it to be light. We have a ton of peaches in the house right now and I remember once eating a baked peach at a restaurant.  It is super sweet and will satisfy the sweet tooth yet healthy as well since there is no sugar added. Well unless you like your deserts with ice cream like I do... but that one is up to you! Once again I only made this for two so double it as need be. 

Baked Peach 

Ingredients 

1 Peach pitted and cut in half 

2 table spoons of honey 

1 table spoon of lemon juice 

a hefty splash of balsamic vinaigrette, about a teaspoon?   

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mix the honey, lemon juice and balsamic together then pour over peach halves  

3. Bake peach halves for about 30 minutes, peach should be soft 

You can then top the peach with whatever you want. We chose a small scoop of vanilla ice cream but chocolate sauce or anything really would compliment it nicely. Ir you could just eat it as it is! 

Enjoy!

Shrimp, Basil and Tomato Pasta

Lets start things off right with a delicious recipe that just so happened to be last nights dinner. Yesterday I was lucky enough to have to go to the dentist to get a cavity filled and was numb for most of the day. Since I had work done I wasn't sure how sensitive my teeth would be so thought it would be best to make a dish with some softer foods. I often look at a few recipes to get idea and then form my own so here is one of my creations :)  

Also *most of the time I cook for two so this recipe is for two so if there are more of you double it or triple it... Just know that we are sauce people so if you aren't you may want to make the same amount of sauce. 

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
2 table spoons olive oil
1/2 package angel hair pasta
2 Big teaspoons of chopped garlic (we love garlic!)
2 handfuls of uncooked shrimp
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 handful of fresh basil - chopped  

1/4 cup of pine nuts
Red Pepper Flakes to your own desired spiciness level 

* I also wanted to add capers but didn't have any but I think a few capers would have complimented the dish beautifully! 

DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Place pasta in a colander, and give it a quick rinse with cold water.
2. Heat olive oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Cook garlic, stirring constantly, until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute. Do not let the garlic burn. Add shrimp, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from the skillet, and set aside.
3. Stir tomatoes, wine, parsley, basil, pine nuts, red pepper flakes and capers into the skillet. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by half, 8 to 12 minutes. Add shrimp, and continue cooking until the shrimp are heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve the shrimp mixture over the pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  

For our veggie I cut up an avocado and put some bay shrimp on top and sprinkled it with some balsamic vinaigrette.  

ENJOY!