Homemade BBQ Sauce

I've been quite behind on blogging, but you can blame that on my birthday present from Caleb... A KINDLE! I'm so excited, it's a touch and it's awesome! But sometime last week I made some home made BBQ chicken sandwiches with my left over roasted whole chicken! It was delicious and I served it up with a sauce by Rachael Ray and Melissa D'Arabian's Sweet Potato Fries.  Now I can't find that recipe online, but I got it when I was watching her show.  In addition, I also made Green Beans with Shallots and Pancetta.

I know the sauce looks like it has a ton of ingredients, but I'm telling you what, Rachael Ray knows what she's talking about, it was AMAZING! Actually, we had all of the ingredients already in the pantry! You just simmer them all up for about 20 minutes and voila!

The green beans were equally easy, just brown up the pancetta and saute the green beans.  I did add some Italian seasoning for some extra flavor... Also, at the last minute I added some lemon juice.

The sweet potato fries are a house favorite, since I can't find that recipe I'll share with you  how easy it is...
1.  Preheat oven to 450
2.  Peel and slice up your sweet potatoes (I use two medium to large sized ones).  You'll want them pretty thin, if they are thick you'll have to cook them longer so they are crispy.

3.  Add them to a bowl with about 2-3 tbs vegetable/canola oil.
4.  Add 1/4 - 1 tsp cayenne (depending on how spicy you like it)
5.  Sprinkle on some garlic powder (about 1/2 tsp)
6.  Sprinkle on paprika (1-2 tsp)
You'll want to season with to taste, so mix it all up then add it to a baking sheet and throw it in the oven, half way through you'll want to flip them over for max crispyness.
7.  Enjoy.

They are so easy and yummy, it is a crime not to try them!

Spinach Tomato Tortellini

I'm a little behind, but this week has been crazy busy with a few wedding crises.  First, I find out that the wedding coordinator I had been working with at our reception venue had been replaced! We had so many specific requests that it was quite a shock and I admit, I had a little freak out moment.  Although, I got an email from the new person about two weeks before I actually realized why this new person was emailing.  Anyways, I actually love this new girl, I've gotten emails back in less than an hour and she's even called to discuss things! Things are working out lovely! I also have finally gotten in touch with the ceremony coordinator, which is also awesome!

But back to the food, a couple of days ago I made this delicious Spinach Tomato Tortellini that everyone has been pinning on Pintrest.  It was so easy and delicious it should have been a crime! To start I just threw into a saute pan a can of diced tomatoes, some roughly chopped spinach, a diced onion, some garlic and some chopped basil.
I also added a little white wine.

 After the Spinach wilted I threw in 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup heavy cream. 








I let this reduce down into some yummy deliciousness and then threw in the cooked tortellini and shrimp.

 I don't think it could have been any easier or any more yummy!

I highly, highly recommend this recipe! My only change that I could add would be to use Greek Yogurt or sour cream instead of the heavy cream.  It was quite thick and creamy which was delicious but not so healthy.  If you are worried about those extra calories, then I think those substitutions would allow the meal to much healthier yet still just as tastey!

Engagement Chicken

I know what your thinking, Engagement Chicken? But I'm here to testify to its truth.  Almost exactly one year ago, my best friend, Kristian, introduced me to something called Engagement Chicken she found in her Glamour magazine.  Now there were about 50 testimonial posts depicting their success with this bogus sounding recipe.  I was apprehensive, but Caleb and I did need to eat, so why not try it out?  Well, I made it for him, exactly the way it said... three times.  Now about 3-4 months after the first time I made this meal... he proposed! It was the happiest day of my life!  So I'm here to tell all you single girls, TRY THIS RECIPE! It may not work overnight, but it works eventually! (Not that Caleb was probably not already planning proposing before having engagement chicken!  Now that I am passed engaged and on my way to be married, I try out some variations on the recipe and I also follow some of Ina Garten's tips. Sunday is a great day for this recipe because it does take quite a long time, but it is well worth it! And not very difficult at all!

To start you MUST brine your chicken! We bought a four pound bird so that we could have left overs for chicken salad and chicken BBQ sandwiches.  For my brine I did simply salt, pepper, and bay leaves; left it for 24 hours; then patted it completely dry.  I salted and peppered the chicken VERY generously on both sides inside and out; then I added lemon juice all over (and you can see I sliced an onion in the pan for the juices and gravy I made).  Then I pricked two lemons and stuffed them with some garlic into the cavity of the chicken.  (I would have put more if the chicken was bigger or less if it was smaller)

Then I added some white wine to the bottom of the pan so that the drippings would not burn and I could create the gravy.

 Then I threw it in the oven (preheat to 400) then once you put it in uncovered drop the heat to 350.  Then after about an hour and a half it came out at 170 and (although I should have taken it out at 160) it was perfect!You can see I got a great crispy brown skin and the drippings make for an awesome sauce.

So with the drippings I simply poured them ito a small sauce pan, added some flour, cooked it off and then added a splash of milk and it was a yummy mixture of concentrated chicken goodness.

 To go with the yummy engagement chicken I made twice baked potatoes! I love them so  much but hardly ever have time to make them! They are so yummy but also very time consuming! I love Pioneer Woman's recipe the best! So you start by cutting them in half and scraping out the inside!

 Then throw in about 3 tbs butter for two whole potatoes, with some sour cream, salt and butter..

 Then I threw in the cheddar cheese, green onions and fresh made turkey bacon!











 Then I threw some cheese on top and threw them in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.

Then they came out all melted like this.  We ate them up, even the skin!

Now to go with the twice baked potatoes we also made some Grilled Parmesan Eggplant... and the reviews are not as good... I really just think we overcooked them when cooking them on the George Foreman, but I don't we will be making them again since we didn't eat but one bit last night. But hey, at least they looked yummy with the balsalmic reduction!

Now for the piece de resistance.... if you don't speak french, I call this my prized baked possession.  S'mores tart meringue!  It was just plain heavenly! I started by melting 1 cup of chocolate chips in 1/4 cup warm milk.

 Then I poured it into my pre-made graham cracker crust and put it in the freezer for 20 minutes.

 Then it was time for the meringue! It was crazy to watch 3 egg whites get so fluffy and huge!

 Once stiff peaks formed, I added about 1 cup of sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla. Mixed again. Then added to the top of the pie!

I put it in the broiler for about 3 minutes and this came out! I was so unbelievably proud!  And it was as delicious as it looks!

So our meal was complete after this dessert!

 And the gravy was oh so delicious on the chicken! And Hercules was able to sneak in!

This is how much chicken we had leftover! We have enough to make a meal to go with a homemade BBQ sauce as well as to make chicken salad for this week's lunches! YUM!

Thyme Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple-Shallot Sauce

Well I think it's safe to say that Dinners for a Year and Beyond has redeemed itself after the monstrous disaster of the last meal.  Last night I tried a new recipe called Thyme Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple-Shallot Sauce . Holy cow was it delicious and EASY!  Now Caleb and I might be slightly biased toward ANY pork and apple recipe, but this one is in the top two.  It may seem like a lot, but it came together so easily and stress-free that I would want to make it tomorrow, the next day, and maybe even the next.

But back to dinner, I started by seasoning up the pork chops with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme.  I made sure and smushed the thyme in there real good.

Then it was time to chop, chop, chop or as Anne Burrell would say, "prepare the Mise en place".  


I started boiling the potatoes up for some yummy and creamy mashed potatoes.

Then I started searing the chops in about 1 tbs of EVOO and 1 tbs butter.  The butter just gives it much more color and flavor. 

 After about 3 1/2 minutes per side I took out the chops and put them on a plate under some foil and added the apple slices and shallot to the oil. 

After sauteing for about 5 minutes, I added 1/2 cup chicken stock and 1/4 cup white wine.  I let it simmer up and found it a bit to liquidy for my taste, so I added about 1 tbs of heavy cream as well as a sprinkle of flour to make it a bit more decadent and rich.

The next step was to season it up, and really this is where the recipe just goes over the top.  It called for garam masala, which is a spice mix I do not have, but after a bit of research I found that it was simply a mix of  cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and black pepper.  Now I now this sounds like a lot, but after perusing the pantry I found that I have all of these spices except the coriander and cardamom. I  searched on and found that another option added all spice and nutmeg to make up for the others, so that is precisely what I did.  Man oh man, that cinnamon and ginger and nutmeg... it made for an explosion of taste in your mouth.  It really was over the top and oh so yummy!  If you don't have the clove or whatever, just add some all spice and cinnamon, even that would have been enough.  But the mixture of all of those really was amazing.
Now for a basically one pot meal, this was so amazingly delicious that I actually licked my plate clean.  After topping with a couple of sprigs of thyme, it just all came together. 

Excuse my messy plate, but this sauce was awesome...

Also, here's a nice pic of Hercules taking over my seat so that I can't enjoy my dinner.  It's been a while since he's been featured, and these are his tails.

Vietnamese Pork Tenderlon

Now, I'm no super-star professional chef, but oh my goodness, the recipe I  made last night was oh so very stressful and difficult! I made a Vietnamese Pork Tenderloin by Amy Casey on her blog, Dinners for a Year.  I think the most stressful part was knowing whether the pork was fully cooked because last time we used the meat thermometer I accidentally left it in the oven (it is an instant read kind with rubber buttons).  Needless to say, I thought I broke it...  But back to the dinner, it ended up delicious but was probably much more trouble that necessary.  The vegetables were delicious and the sauce was yummy but it was a long night and half way through I debated quitting and getting Chinese take out, until Caleb knocked some sense into me.  I bet you wouldn't have guessed that I only took two pictures... at the end.

Things I liked about it - the sauce, the fresh cilantro, the vegetables

Things I didn't like about it - the recipe, making it

 Caleb's monstrous plate (he absolutely loved it)

My plate, in the end it ended up yummy... just wayyy too stressful to try again, but then again, you never know.

Sunday Funday

Yesterday was Sunday and it was an amazing day! I was able to get up early and make for the very first time on my own, Eggs Benedict! They were oh so amazing! I used The Pioneer Woman's Recipe.  She is a genius! It was so easy and her little tips and tricks worked so perfectly that my Eggs Benedict could not have looked any more beautiful! Now because I was so nervous I don't have step by step pictures.  But here are her tips that worked extra well.

1.  Stir the boiling water so that it looks like a tornado.... this helped the eggs wrap around themselves creating perfectly little poached egg balls!
2.  Her method of using the blender to make the hollendaise... genius!

Now I didn't have the Ham, but we used Turkey Bacon instead giving it a similar texture than regular bacon would have.  Also, we used the double fiber whole wheat/grain English Muffins. YUM! It was a great way to get ready for church!

So after church I made lunch and started a pot roast.  For lunch Caleb and I ate the left over steak from Saturday night (it was a NY strip and it was awesome, cooked in the oven because the grills were being used by others)  I've mentioned how I use left over steak in past posts, but now I can show you.

First start by reducing some balsalmic vinegar (about 3 tablespoons)


Then I sliced up the left over steak.

Then I added them to the balsamlic vinegar and seared them on both sides (30 seconds a side)

Then I added a smidge of spicy brown mustard to some whole grain ritz crackers.











I topped each of those with the steaks and then the balsalmic reduction!
Voila! Delicious lunch for two!




As for dinner, I forgot to photograph my steps, but I don't really use a recipe or measurements for my pot roasts.  I just learn from LOTS of mistakes. :) Start by chopping the red potatoes, onion, and carrots up.  Throw them in the crock pot.  Sear up the pot roast on all sides in a cast iron. Put it in the crock pot.  Then I added about two cups of red wine to scrape up the left overs of the roast to the cast iron and threw all of the wine into the crock pot.  Added a can of fat free cream of mushroom soup, about 3 cups of beef stock, about 2 tablespoons of garlic, and half a packet of onion mix (those mixes used for making onion dip/soup).  Then,  7 hours later, it was steaming and bubbling and smelling oh so yummy!

Caleb and I ate it more like a beef stew than a pot roast but only because the sauce was so good!  Caleb even made up some cheesey garlic biscuits! Yummy leftovers await me at home for lunch today... if only 12:00 would come sooner.

Chicken with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Another home run hit.  Thursday night I made a delicious Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream.  I served it with roasted brussel sprouts with cherry tomatoes as well as some yummy and easy zucchini chips.  I found the chicken recipe from a fellow Blogger, Celeste.  She too is a foodie fanatic and has some great recipes and I can wait to try more of them!  This particular recipe was adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (Knopf, 1961).  Of course, Julia Child called the dish Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons.  Fancy, I know... But it was oh so easy and yummy!  The zucchini chips were also very easy.  I had searched for several zucchini recipes and finally found a few that would be easy and I would be able to do them at the same time as the chicken and brussel sprouts.  One recipe that looked delicious required you to cook them at 225 for almost two hours.... wasn't going to happen. 

So to start I prepped everything up.  After learning from my last experience of roasted brussel sprouts, I decided to cut them in fourths and add in halved cherry tomatoes.  Super easy, made for great charred tasting brussel sprouts. 

Then I added the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  Roasted at 450 for about 30 minutes.

Then they came out looking like this deliciousness.

So for the zucchini I started by using my mandolin to slice them very thin... but then I got interrupted when I accidentally sliced my ring finger on my right hand.... It wasn't pretty, but thanks to Caleb I was able to clean it and cover it up quick. 

Then I made a yummy seasoned bread crumb mixture... Cayenne, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oh my!

The first step was to dip the zucchini in milk.

Then into the crumb mixture.

Then onto a Pam-sprayed wire rack.

After cooking at 450 for about 50 minutes, they came out steaming and yummy and a lot spicy!









Now for the main event! I started by marinating the chicken in lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  The I melted 5 tablespoons, yes 5, of butter and then added one shallot. 

Then I added some mushrooms and mixed them around for about 5 minutes, seasoned with salt and pepper.  Then I added the chicken on top after rolling in the butter and topped it with some fresh thyme.  The next step was to butter a piece of wax paper and cover the chicken with it before putting it into the oven.  I cooked it for about 6 minutes then checked it with my meat thermometer. 

After it came out, the place was smelling good. The chicken was perfectly cooked so I removed it to another plate and started on the sauce. 

I first added some chicken stock and then some white wine (equal parts).  I let that simmer up for about 10 minutes

and then I added the heavy cream... a whole entire cup full.  It made it oh so decadent!

 Then it was time to plate up the yummy dinner!  The chicken was so good and the sauce was AMAZING.

I highly recommend this recipe.  It was fairly easy and so so so worth all of the calories of the butter and the heavy cream.  Caleb and I even loved the mushrooms in them!