Lasagna Roll-ups

I was looking for an easy no-meat lasagna recipe, and this looked like fun. Just a warning, the recipe calls for tofu. There is no tofu in my kitchen, nor will there ever be. So leave it out, substitute it with ground beef, whatever you prefer.

Ingredients:

1 lb. lasagna noodles
1 lb. mozarella cheese, shredded
15 oz. ricotta cheese
1 lb. firm tofu
10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 28-oz. jar pasta sauce

Note: I halved this recipe. I don't think I own a pan big enough to cook all the roll-ups if I used an entire box of lasagna noodles!

Another note: Wegman's Diavolo Sauce is the BEST. Of course, it also gives my poor husband terrible heart burn, but a spicy sauce really adds to this recipe.
Directions:

Cook the noodles as directed until slightly underdone. Drain and rinse.

In a large bowl, blend together spinach, motz. cheese, ricotta, and 1 cup of parmesan cheese (or 1/2 a cup if you're cutting the recipe in 2).

Lay the noodle out flat and top with cheese mixture. Spread a thin layer of sauce over top. Carefully roll up noodle and lay in pan, seam side down. Repeat with remainder of noodles. Top with remaining sauce and parmesan cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Verdict:

These were easy to make, and very tasty! Plus, they make very convenient serving sizes. I think you get a little extra pasta with this as compared to regular lasagna, which I love.

On another side note, I ended up using WAY more sauce than the recipe called for. I think I used a jar on the insides alone, and then had to get out another jar to put on top of the roll-ups. Half the cheeses, twice the sauce. Yum!

Ginger Soy Flank Steak

I have to begin by apologizing for not having a picture of this recipe. We ended up eating it too fast :)

Ingredients:

2 TBS minced ginger (I substituted with the dry stuff, using about 1 tsp instead)
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS crushed red pepper flakes
1 TBS brown sugar
1 lime, juice of
4 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS dark sesame oil
1 1/2 lbs. flank steak (another substitution here. Flank steaks at Wegman's were $20. Sirloin steaks were $5. I prefer the more tender sirloin anyways.)

Directions:

Mix together all ingredients. Marinate at least 1 hour, preferably more.

Grill.

If you're using flank steak, allow 5 minutes to cool and cut across the grain.



Verdict:

I have to admit that we were a little leary of this recipe once I put it all together. Honestly, it STINKS. It stunk up the fridge. It stunk up the kitchen. It stunk while grilling. But the taste? Delicious! This marinade is definitely a keeper. Especially with a few substitions (the ground ginger, minced garlic from the fridge, lime juice from a bottle) this recipe is easy to prepare last minute.

Tilapia Florentine

I know fish isn't very exciting, but this recipe seemed easy and tasty. And what's better for you than Omega-3 fatty acids and green leafy vegetables? Uh oh, that sounds awfully healthy. Let's get to the recipe:

Ingredients
1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach
6 teaspoons canola oil, divided
4 tilapia fillets (4 ounces each)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons garlic-herb seasoning blend
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
In a large nonstick skillet, cook spinach in 4 teaspoons oil until wilted; drain. Meanwhile, place tilapia in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Drizzle with lime juice and remaining oil. Sprinkle with seasoning blend. In a small bowl, combine the egg, ricotta cheese and spinach; spoon over fillets. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Yield: 4 servings.

Verdict:

Yes, it's healthy, but it's also very tasty! I was surprised how quickly the fish cooked beneath all that spinach and cheese. Ok, so maybe with all the cheese it's not so healthy, but it's better than fish sticks out of the freezer, right?

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Panera Bread in Canandaigua closed unexpectedly last week. Apparently my twice-weekly trips there weren't enough to keep them in business. But I've got their Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe, so it's all good.

Ingredients:

1 TBS butter, melted
½ medium onion, chopped
¼ cup butter, melted
¼ cup flour
2 cups half and half
2 cups chicken stock or bouillon
½ pound fresh broccoli
½ cup carrots, julienned
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ tsp nutmeg
8 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 TBS minced garlic

Directions:

Saute onion and garlic in 1 TBS butter. Set aside. Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and slowly add the half-and-half (this is called making a roux). Add the chicken stock whisking all the time. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender, 20-25 minutes. Add salt and pepper. The soup should thicken. Pour in batches into a blender and puree. Return to pot over low heat and add the cheese. Stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg and serve.

Verdict:

This soup is SO good! But I have to recommend these changes:

-Add a TBS of garlic or so to the onions when sauteing. Garlic goes well with everything in my book, this soup included.

-DO NOT puree the soup. It makes it really gritty. Just make sure you cut up the broccoli and carrots very small, leave it as is, add the cheese, and you're done. We've done it both ways, it was definitely better without being pureed.

Cranberry Pork Chops

Ah, pork. You are NOT my favorite food. But you are the other white meat, and so you must be included in a balanced diet I suppose. Or at least you must be included occasionally on this blog.

In honor of Thanksgiving approaching this month, I bring you a recipe that uses cranberry sauce. You know, that stuff from the can that sits on the table and is woefully neglected during Thanksgiving dinner because it looks entirely too healthy?

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 boneless pork loin chops (1/2 inch thick and 4 oz each)
2 TBS olive oil
1 can (16 oz) whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 TBS balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt, seasoned salt and pepper. Add pork chops, one at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, cook pork in oil over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. In a small bowl, combine cranberry sauce and vinegar; pour over chops. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add rice and cranberries. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes or until broth is absorbed. Serve pork chops with sauce and rice.

VERDICT:

It's not too bad. I think I overcooked the pork (but it's hard to tell when it's done with all that cranberry covering it!) and it probably would have been better if it weren't so chewy. I have yet to discover the secret to non-chewy pork chops, and I'm beginning to think it's just part of pork's charm.

The cranberry taste was great, definitely a recipe to use again... next November.

And just because I can, here's a picture of what Jacob was doing while I was cooking. He swiped the bag of corn (yes, I cheat and just heat up frozen corn from a box!) off the counter and fed his monkey dinner.

Fettuccine with Creamy Seafood Sauce

Seafood, pasta, a thick creamy sauce. What could be better this time of year? And with this recipe, what could be easier?

Ingredients:
1 cup chicken broth
6 scallions, thinly sliced
1 TBS snipped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash ground black pepper
1 cup evaporated skim milk
3 TBS flour
8 oz. shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked
4 oz. cooked crab or lobster meat (I used the fake stuff. It's probably just as good. Kind of.)
1 cup snow peas

8 oz. fettuccine, cookedDirections:

Coat a 2-quart saucepan with non-stick spray. Add the broth, scallions, basil, garlic and pepper. Bring to a boil.

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk and flour. Stir the milk mixture into the broth mixture. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Stir in the shrimp, crab or lobster, and peas. Cook, stirring, until the seafood is heated through and the peas are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Serve over hot fettuccine.

Verdict:

Mmmm... Even Mark liked this, and he's not often fond of my pasta dishes. The sugar snap peas probably should have been cut in half, they were a bit big to eat. And I'm sure the recipe would have been even better with real lobster, but that was overly expensive and I didn't think it would matter that much. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Buffalo-Style Chicken Fingers

Mmm... football season munchies! I love the flavor of wings, but hate picking around the bones. I thought this recipe would be the perfect compromise.

Ingredients
· 1 cup crushed corn flakes
· 1 tablespoon finely snipped parsley
· 1/4 teaspoon salt
· 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
· 1/3 cup bottled blue cheese salad dressing
· 2 teaspoons water
· 1 to 2 teaspoons bottled hot pepper sauce
· Celery sticks
· Bottled blue cheese salad dressing

Directions

1. Combine crushed corn flakes, parsley, and salt in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Cut chicken breasts into strips about 3/4 inch wide and 3 inches long. Combine the 1/3 cup dressing, water, and hot pepper sauce in a large mixing bowl. NOTE: A SEPARATE MIXING BOWL. I PUT IT ALL TOGETHER. THIS DOESN'T WORK. BUT I'LL GET TO THAT LATER...

Add chicken; stir to coat. Roll chicken pieces individually in crumb mixture to coat. Place strips on a foil-lined baking sheet. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours.

2. To serve, heat oven to 425 degree F. Place frozen chicken strips in a single layer in a lightly greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until meat is no longer pink in center and crumbs are golden. Serve warm with celery sticks and additional blue cheese dressing for dipping. Makes 12 servings.

Verdict:

I think that had I actually followed the directions correctly, these would have been awesome. But I mixed the dry ingredients and the wet ones, and well, it wasn't supposed to go that way. The batter looked really good when coating the chicken pieces, but completely melted off in the oven. The taste was still good, but next time I'll be sure to make them correctly.

Since I'm a total failure at making these look good, this is what they should look like:

Spinach Cheese Rolls

Yup, it's the first new recipe in over 3 months. So much for one recipe a week, huh? I thought at one point that I might be able to catch up and do several new recipes a week and make it to 52 by the end of the year... but I'm just going to be honest and say that's not going to happen.

Anyways, here is your first new recipe in months! A new appetizer I tested out at our housewarming party last week.
Ingredients:

1/2 pkg. Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet)
1 egg 1 tbsp. water
1/2 cup shredded Muenster cheese OR Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 green onion, chopped
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 pkg. (about 10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

Directions

THAW pastry sheet at room temperature 40 min. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix egg and water. Set aside. Mix Muenster cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion and garlic powder.

UNFOLD pastry on lightly floured surface. Brush with egg mixture. Top with cheese mixture and spinach. Starting at short side, roll up like a jelly roll. Cut into 20 (1/2") slices. Place on baking sheet. Brush with egg mixture.

BAKE 15 min. or until golden. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 20 appetizers.

The hot sauce is my husband's addition- what's a recipe without hot sauce?

Verdict:

Super easy to make. I would recommend putting the "roll" once it's assembled back into the fridge if you've got time. That hardens up the dough and makes it easier to cut into slices.

Banana-Cherry Bread

This recipe doesn't have any pictures to go along with it. That's mainly because the bread was eaten in the first 4 hours after it came out of the oven. But as the previous post proved, pretty pictures don't alway equal a tasty meal.

This recipe is from my mother's Betty Crocker cookbook (circa 1968!) Jacob and I were up this morning and wanted to make banana bread. But we couldn't find the box mix in the pantry (I admit, Jacob wasn't trying as hard as I was to find it) so I decided to make bread the old-fashioned way. The recipe was only for banana bread, but we had fresh cherries from the tree so I threw those in too.

This was surprisingly easy. Who knew??

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
Ripe banana, mashed
1/3 cup fresh cherries, pitted and sliced
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp soda (I took this to mean baking soda)
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Stir in banana and cherries. Sift together dry ingredients, add to banana mixture (I cheat, I don't pre-sift them. Who has time? And why waste the extra bowl??)

Pour into greased bread pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

Verdict: This was so tasty! It was nearly as easy as adding eggs and milk to the box mix, and just as good. A little too much sugar, so you may want to cut that back a bit. Also, it takes a bit longer than 35 minutes to cook completely. That could have to do with the cherries and their juice, I have no idea.

But it was good! And I cooked it from scratch! Yeah, me!

Marinated Cod with Mango-Pineapple Salsa

I made a lot of mistakes with this recipe.

Mistake #1- selecting Cod. What is Cod? I don't know, but it sure as hell isn't tilapia. It was more expensive than tilapia, it is considered a mild white fish, and it was in the seafood aisle at Wegman's. Any one of those things should have made it better than it was. But it was a disaster. Read on...

Ingredients (for salsa):
2 fresh mangoes, diced (I cheated, I used the canned stuff. Where do you get fresh mangoes in Upstate NY anyways??)

1/4 cup crushed pineapple
1/4 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1/4 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced
2 TBS olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 shallot, finely diced
2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro, or parsley
2 tsp fresh lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, just in case the entire jalapeno wasn't enough for you)

Mistake #2- Marinade for fish. I don't know what the hell was in the ingredients, I remember there being two dashes of tobasco sauce and 1/2 a lemon juiced, but the rest of the ingredients escape me. I could go grab the sheet with them listed, but trust me, you do not want to make this marinade. I will not include it here. Seriously, trust me.

Directions:

Mix together salsa ingredients. Yup, that easy.

Mistake #3: Grilling on a windy day. The grill didn't get above 200 degrees. So we brought the fish inside to finish. Twenty minutes later it was still not flakey and appeared to still be translucent. Another 10 minutes, and not much improvement.

Mistake #4: Actually attempting to eat this monstrosity. The salsa was great, and we eventually gave up all pretense of eating the fish and just ate the salsa with chips. Healthy dinner, huh?

Verdict: I think you see where this entire post was headed from the beginning.

Cod = bad.

Mango salsa = tasty.

Cod + mango salsa = disaster.

Baked Scallops

Back-to-back seafood recipes. Sorry about that. Still can't even look at chicken. Just a few more weeks to go until all the weird pregnancy symptoms should disappear though, so stay tuned.



This week's recipe is a rip-off from the restaurant Legal Seafood.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sea scallops
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves minced
½ C. buttermilk
20 Ritz¨ crackers -- hand crushed
¼ C. butter melted
1 lemon

Directions:

Heat oven to 400. In a bowl, season the scallops with salt and pepper. Add thyme and buttermilk and toss to coat the scallops.


Evenly place the scallops in an oven-proof casserole and cover with hand-crushed Ritz crackers. Top with melted butter and bake for 20 minutes. Squeeze juice of lemon over the scallops and serve immediately.


Verdict:


The only problem I had with this recipe was the need for buttermilk. It's not exactly something you keep on hand in your refridgerator. Or maybe that's just me.


I didn't eat many of these, but my mother and husband both enjoyed them. Very easy to make.

Shrimp Teriyaki Rice Bowl

If you're following my other blogs, you already know that we've moved out of our house in preparation of the sale. Until our new digs are done, we're squatting at my parent's house for a while. We've already encountered difficulties.

Our bedroom is incredibly small and cramped. There is only one tv, and my mother and husband are both nightowls (but luckily they both like to watch HGTV). But most importantly, the kitchen is causing an issue. You see, my parents like to grill. A lot. Instead of the usual four burner stove, they've only got two. The other side of the cooktop is an electric grill.

I very rarely only use one or two burners. I've been known to use all four for one meal. Cooking in my mother's kitchen means cooking the rice an hour before the rest of dinner is started. Or the asparagus. You see the problem. This is going to be an interesting couple of months. But anyway, on to the recipe, borrowed from the Kikkoman Soy Sauce website!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 pound medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Hot cooked rice Steamed vegetables

Directions:
Combine teriyaki sauce and sugar in measuring cup, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Remove 3 Tbsp. of mixture and pour over shrimp in large plastic food storage bag. Press air out of bag; close top securely. Turn bag over several times to coat pieces well. Marinate 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add enough water to remaining teriyaki sauce mixture to measure 2/3 cup; blend in cornstarch.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat; add shrimp and sauté 2 minutes. Add teriyaki sauce mixture; cook, stirring, about 1 minute, or until sauce boils and thickens slightly.

Spoon shrimp and sauce over rice in large individual serving bowls. Serve vegetables on top of rice or on the side, if desired.

Verdict:

All right, honestly? I'm not going to be passing many verdicts from now on. At least not until I'm into the second trimester and can stand the sight of chicken and steak again. Shrimp is ok, but still not something I'm eating because it looks appealing. Nothing is appealing right now.

So check out the pictures, see if it looks good to you, and make it if you feel like it.

Oh, and don't expect any chicken or steak recipes up here any time soon!

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

Ah, spring time! Not exactly the season for Stuffed Shells, but that was what was on our menu for this week. Although it's a bit warm outside for a hearty pasta, this recipe couldn't be easier, leaving lots of time to be outdoors.

INGREDIENTS

1 container (16 oz.) BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Low Fat Cottage Cheese
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 large tomato, chopped

DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Mix cottage cheese, spinach, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning until well blended. Spoon 1 heaping Tbsp. of the cheese mixture evenly into each pasta shell.

COMBINE spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; spoon half of the sauce mixture into 13x9-inch baking dish. Place shells, filled sides up, in baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce mixture over shells. Cover with foil.

BAKE 25 min. or until heated through. Uncover; top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, an additional 2 min. or until cheese is melted.

VERDICT

Yum! This was a super easy recipe. Aside from the cottage cheese every thing else on the ingredient list was in my fridge, cupboards, or freezer. Definitely a keeper!

Minestrone Soup

When I went out and bought the ingredients for this week's recipe, I was prepared to make "Zesty Minestrone." In fact, all of these ingredients for "Zesty Minestrone" were simple and the recipe less difficult and work intensive than the other 5 minestrone recipes I have in my computer. However, upon arriving home after work and preparing to make "Zesty Minestrone" I discovered that I had not really read the directions very well. You see, "Zesty Minestrone" requires 4 hours of cook time in the crock pot. It was 5:30pm. Dinner needed to be on the table in an hour, not four.

Needless to say, this recipe is not "Zesty Minestrone." It is actually the Olive Garden Minestrone. Or close to it. Since I had the ingredients for the "Zesty" recipe, my choices were kind of limited.

So here instead is the Copy Cat version of Olive Garden's tasty Minestrone Soup.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup minced white onions (about 1 small onion)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini I didn't have any... so it wasn't in my version
1/2 cup frozen cut italian green beans Same here... I substituted sugar snap peas. Close enough, right?
1/4 cup minced celery (about 1/2 stalk)
4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
4 cups vegetable broth (*note: Do not use chicken broth!*)
2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
2 (15 ounce) cans small white beans or great northern beans, drained Nope, didn't have these either
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup carrots, julienned or shredded
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups hot water
4 cups fresh baby spinach The frozen stuff works just as well
1/2 cup small shell pasta


Directions:

Heat three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.

Saute onion, celery, garlic, green beans, and zucchini in the oil for 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn translucent.

Add vegetable broth to pot, plus drained tomatoes, beans, carrot, hot water, and spices.
Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Add spinach leaves and pasta and cook for an additional 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
Makes about eight 1 1/2 cup servings.

Verdict:

Good, but not as much taste as I expected. Not as good as Olive Garden. Close though. And this soup does taste better the next day re-heated.

Tomato Basalmic Soup

I'm not a huge soup fan (I really only like the soups that I can dip bread into!) but I gave this a try to appease my husband who has to put up with chicken every other night. This recipe looks a little strange on paper- it's soup that is baked and then blended. But the result is nice.

Ingredients:

1 cup less-sodium beef broth, divided
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
5 garlic cloves
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, drained
Cooking spray
¾ cup half-and-half
Cracked black pepper (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Combine ½ cup of broth, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Place onion, garlic, and tomatoes in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Pour broth mixture over tomato mixture.Bake at 500 degrees for 50 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned.Place tomato mixture in a blender. Add remaining ½ cup broth and half-and-half, and process until smooth. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Garnish with cracked black pepper, if desired.

Verdict: This was good! Different method of making it, but it was certainly easy. Especially when you can use canned tomatoes. I admit that I skipped the whole seive thing after the first bowl though. The above picture demonstrates the difference. On the left, soup unstrainted. On the right, after it goes through the seive. It tastes the same either way, it's just personal preference if you like you soup smooth or slightly chunky.

Chicken Tequilla Fettuccine

I realize that I am behind on posting recipes again. I don't think I'm necessarily behind in trying out the new recipes, just posting them. So as a bonus you'll get two new recipes this year.

I really don't know who I am referring to when I say YOU. Does anyone actually read this insignificant little blog???


But that's a different matter. On to the recipe!
Ingredients:

1 (16 0z) package fettuccine
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 TBS minced garlic
2 TBS minced jalapeno pepper
3 TBS butter
½ cup chicken stock
3 TBS tequila
2 TBS fresh lime juice
3 TBS soy sauce
1 ¼ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
¼ red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
½ green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
Directions:

In a medium sauce pan, sauté the cilantro, garlic and jalapeno pepper in 2 TBS of butter over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the stock, tequila and lime juice. Bring mixture to a boil and cook until reduced to a paste-like consistency. Set aside.

This smells SO GOOD. I was sold on the recipe right here.
Pour soy sauce over chicken and set aside 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium sized skillet, sauté the onion and peppers with the remaining TBS of butter, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine.

When the peppers have wilted, add the chicken and soy sauce. Toss and add the reserved tequila/lime paste and cream. Bring to a boil. Gently simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick. Toss with well-drained fettuccine and garnish with cilantro. Serve.

The Verdict:

This recipe was wonderful. It was spicy, creamy, and had veggies (healthy?) Improvements to the recipe? I can't think of any.

Herbed Steak with Balsamic Sauce

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 boneless beef top loin (strip) steak, cut 3/4 inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

In a small bowl combine pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt. Sprinkle over both sides of steaks; rub in with your fingers.

In a large heavy skillet cook meat in hot oil over medium-low to medium heat until desired doneness, turning once halfway through cooking. Remove meat from skillet, reserving droppings in the skillet. Keep meat warm.

For sauce, carefully add broth and vinegar to the skillet, stirring to loosen any brown bits in bottom of skillet. Bring to boiling. Boil gently, uncovered about 4 minutes or until sauce is reduced by half. Remove from heat; stir in butter.

Divide sauce among 4 dinner plates. Cut each steak in half. Place a piece of meat on top of sauce on each plate.

Verdict:

The spices on the steak were wonderful! We'll probably use this again on meat we grill. Very flavorful and peppery. The sauce... we probably will skip it next time. It didn't do anything for the flavor, and made a mess of the rest of the sides I put on the plate.

Tomato Seafood Soup

We've tried a couple of seafood soups before. Once with clams- shell and all, and another time with muscles. Neither time worked out well for us. So it was with some trepidation that we attempted this recipe last week.

INGREDIENTS
· 1/2 cup chopped onion
· 1/2 cup chopped green pepper I used yellow pepper, I didn't have any green in the fridge
· 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
· 1 tablespoon olive oil
· 1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
· 1 jar (14 ounces) spaghetti sauce
· 1 cup salsa
· 3/4 cup chicken broth
· 1/2 cup white wine or additional chicken broth It seems a shame to waste the remainder of the can of chicken broth, but wine? Yes, that sounds better :)
· 3 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
· 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
· 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
· 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon pepper
· 1 package (12 ounces) frozen uncooked shrimp , thawed, peeled and deveined
· 1 package (8 ounces) imitation crabmeat, chopped or 2 cans (6 ounces each) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed We used the cheap kind, not the fancy lump. I think the $5 cans of fancy lump would have looked a little more appealing, but the taste was the same.
· 1 can (6-1/2 ounces) minced clams, undrained

Wow. Clams, crab and shrimp. Sounds fishy, right? Not at all! This soup was WONDERFUL! But I suppose you'll be wanting the directions:

DIRECTIONS
In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, green pepper and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Stir in the tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa, broth, wine or additional broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the shrimp, crab and clams. Cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.

Verdict: As I hinted, this soup was WONDERFUL. The seafood was not overpowering in flavor, and it had a nice zip to it (must be the salsa- who would have thought to add salsa to soup?) Just delicious!

Fiery Orange Beef Stir-Fry

Yes, another stir-fry. I hear you groaning out there. But stir-fry is very healthy! Veggies! Protein! Carbs!!
Ingredients
1 pound tender beef steak
4 tablespoons Kikkoman Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce, divided
1-1/2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 medium carrot, julienned
3 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths, separating whites from tops
Hot cooked rice

Directions

1. Cut beef into thin strips; coat with mixture of 2 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce, 1-1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch and garlic. Let stand 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine remaining 2 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce, 1 tsp. cornstarch, crushed red pepper, orange peel and juice and 1/4 cup water.

3. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in hot wok or large skillet over high heat. Add beef and stir-fry 2 minutes; remove.

4. Reduce heat to medium-high; heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in same pan. Add carrot and white parts of green onions; stir-fry 1 minute. Add green onion tops; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add beef and teriyaki sauce mixture. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens, about 2 minutes.
Serve with rice.

Verdict: Mark says "yeah," I say "nay." I thought this would be spicy with a hint of orange. Instead it was ORANGE with a little kick. A very small kick. Mostly it was beef smothered with orange juice.

I am the pickiest eater you will ever meet, Mark is the least. So take our review with a grain of salt. I imagine for most people this recipe comes out somewhere in the middle.