Sunday Dinner - week 9

Oh yeah - it's back! Sorry for the lack of Sunday Dinner posts. I am finally caught up with this thing called life and am finally able to do Sunday Dinner again. Welcome to the fall season everyone! One of my favorite fall dishes is this delicious Sweet Potato Soup. I've tweaked and tweaked it over and over until it is finally how I like it. It's become a Thanksgiving dinner favorite but it is so satisfying that you can eat it as a meal. Paired with some yummy potato rolls. YUM!

Sweet Potato Soup

1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)

2 pieces shallots finely diced

1 tbsp. finely chopped garlic (optional)

2 large sweet potatoes, cubed

3 medium to large baking potatoes, cubed

4 (14.5 oz) cans lower sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup light cream

salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in soup pot over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots until shallots are wilted. Do not burn the garlic.

2. Add both potatoes, chicken broth plus 2 cans of water. If you want some pepper, now is the time to add. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer on low for about 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are soft and tender.

3. In batches, puree the potatoes and broth and set aside in a bowl until everything has been pureed.

4. Return the pureed potatoes in the soup pot on low heat.

5. Add the parmesan cheese until melted

6. Add the cream

7. Season with salt to taste

8. Serve with italian cheese mix in the center and some potato rolls (I use Martin's party potato rolls because they are smaller)

* Soup consistency should be slightly runny when hot. It will get thicker as it cools and after it has been refrigerated. You can save some of the broth in a container to for reheating purposes - in case the soup gets too thick.

Enjoy your Sunday Dinner!

Sunday Dinner - week 8

Better late than never! Labor Day weekend was tough! Several BBQ's and one power outage later, my poor Sunday Dinner feature fell to the bottom of my long list of to do's. But here it is. The best burger patty you will ever create. I changed it slightly from the original recipe because of my love for goat cheese.

Goat Cheese Infused Burger Patty

3 pounds ground beef chuck

3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

Coarse salt and coarse ground pepper

1 package of crumbled goat cheese

8 rolls or buns (I use Martin's potato rolls)

1 package baby spinach

2 beefsteak tomatoes sliced into 8 slices

1. Heat grill to medium high. In a large bowl, gently mix together the ground beef, worcestershire sauce, egg, 1 tbsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper and egg. Mix well. Form into 8 equal size mounds.

2. Make a small well in the center of the beef patty. Place a small amount of goat cheese in the well. Wrap the beef around the cheese and pinch to seal.

4. Cook on grill on one side until grill marks are visible. Turn and cook the other side until grill marks show and the meat is slightly pink in the middle.

5. Serve on the roll or bun with the spinach and tomatoes.

Enjoy your Sunday Dinner!

Sorry for yesterday's Sunday Dinner!

I am so sorry for not doing a Sunday Dinner post yesterday. I was just bombarded with the giveaway, the Treasury post, the contest, and most of all, orders that were due to go out today. Sigh. So I apologize. I promise to do a yummy post for Sunday Dinner dedicated to the upcoming Labor Day weekend. Lots of grilling involved and yes - I will be making that burger shown above.

Sunday Dinner - week 7

(image courtesy of Williams Sonoma)

Brown Butter Risotto with Lobster

I love, love, love risotto. You can make it with different kinds of ingredients. As a side dish with asparagus or mushrooms. Or as a complete meal such as this one that I am trying out. I just found this recipe on food network. It looks a lot less complicated than a lot of risotto recipes that I've found. I once tried one from a Williams Sonoma cookbook and the ingredients list was two pages long!

The only thing different I am going to do is add 1 cup of lump crab meat and 1/2 cup chopped roasted asparagus for extra texture. If you do this option, do this on step #10 and stir in with the risotto before you garnish with the lobster.

1 pound frozen lobster tails thawed (about two tails)

4 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken stock

4 tbsp. butter, room temperature

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup brandy

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil over medium high heat. Add the lobster tails and let boil for 8-10 minutes until the tail curls and meat turns white. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool for 15 minutes. Chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

2. In medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and keep hot over low heat.

3. In a large saucepan, melt 3 tbsp. of butter over medium heat. Cook until the butter begins to foam and turn brown (about 1 - 1/2 minutes).

4. Add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes.

5. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter.

6. Add the brandy and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated (about 3 minutes)

7. Add 1/2 cup of stock and stir until almost completely absorbed (about two minutes). Continue adding the stock 1/2 cup at at time stirring constantly and allowing each adding to absorb before adding the next.

8. Cook until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite (about 20 minutes)

9. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese, the remaining butter, 2 tbsp. chives . Season with salt and pepper to taste.

10. Transfer to large bowl and arrange the lobster meat on top of the risotto and garnish with remaining chives.

If you end up trying this recipe, let me know how it works for you! Enjoy your Sunday Dinner!

Sunday Dinner - week 6

(image courtesy of food network)

Summer = BBQ. We LOVE to host barbecue dinners. We usually serve not just your typical hotdogs and burgers but we also do some other grilled meat dish on the side. Here is one of my favorites. It is REALLY easy to do. Just marinate and grill. The asparagus just gets tossed in the oven and the couscous cooks in about 5 minutes.

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Roasted Asparagus and Couscous

Chicken marinade:

1 1/2 - 2 pounds skinless and boneless chicken thighs

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 tbsp. Montreal chicken seasoning

sprinkling of salt and pepper

Toss all the ingredients in a ziplock bag and marinate in the refrigerator overnight or at least 4 hours. Grill until each side is done.

(image courtesy of food network)

Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch (at least a pound) fresh asparagus

good olive oil

kosher salt for sprinkling

freshly ground pepper

coarse ground garlic powder for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Rinse and dry asparagus and place on baking sheet

3. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until well coated

4. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle generously with the salt, pepper and garlic powder

5. Bake for about 25 minutes until the asparagus is tender and crispy

(image courtesy of food network)

Couscous: I buy the boxed kind from Near East and usually get the one with Pine Nuts. You can buy whatever flavor you want and just follow the cooking directions on the package.

Enjoy your Sunday dinner!

Sunday Dinner - week 5

Image courtesy of Food Network

Okay folks. This is my all time favorite dish. It looks intimidating because of all the ingredients but really, the roux and all the prep work are the hardest parts. For those of you who are not familiar with gumbos, you can check out this site.

The cooking time for gumbo is around 4 hours. This doesn't include the prep time that you need to chop up the vegetables. So if you're serving it for dinner, it's best to start early.

The roux is the most important part of the gumbo. It's very important that it's cooked properly and with care. If you burn it, you need to start over. Really. You don't want a gumbo with burnt roux. The rustic rub are your spices. The recipe will call for a big batch. You only have to make it once and it will last many, many, gumbo dinners. Just store it in an airtight container. Ready to make some? This is a recipe from Emeril Lagasse that I've tweaked over and over until I was happy with the results. I've tried to stay true to his original - but I think mine is better :). Here is my version:

Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo with Langostine Tails

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup all purpose flour

2 cups chopped onions

1 1/2 cup chopped celery

1 1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers

1 pound smoked sausage such as andouille or kielbasa (cut in 1/2 inch slices)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne

3 bay leaves

6 cups water

1 pound boneless chicken breast cut into chunks

1 pound langostine or crawfish tails* (or substitute with shrimp)

1 bag frozen okra

3 tbsp. rustic rub (recipe will follow)

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped green onions

* You can buy the langostine or crawfish tails at your local Trader Joes in the frozen seafood section

1. Over medium heat, combine oil and flour in a large soup pot. Stir constantly and continuously for about 25-30 minutes until the roux turns into a caramel color.

2. Add the onions, celery and bell peppers until wilted (about 5 minutes)

3. Add the sausage, salt, cayenne and bay leaves. Stir for 3 minutes.

4. Add the water and stir until the roux and the water are well combined

5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let cook uncovered for 1 hour. Add two tbsp. of the rustic rub. Stir occasionally.

6. Season the chicken with the rub and add to the pot. Simmer for 2 hours.

7. Add the okra. Simmer for another 15 minutes.

8. Add the langostine tails, parsley, and green onions and simmer for another 5- 10 minutes or until langostine tails are cooked.

9. Add more rustic rub if you want more kick or salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in deep bowls over white rice.

Rustic Rub

8 tbsp. paprika

3 tbsp. cayenne

5 tbsp. freshly ground pepper

6 tbsp. garlic powder

3 tbsp. onion powder

6 tbsp. salt

2 1/2 tbsp. dried oregano

2 1/2 tbsp. dried thyme

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy your Sunday dinner!

Sunday Dinner - week 4

(photo courtesy of foodtv.com)

Parker's Beef Stew (recipe courtesy of Barefoot Contessa)

I love this stew. A friend of mine served it for dinner one night and it was delicious! You can find the recipe for it here. Remember that you have to marinate the beef the night before so plan ahead. The recipe may seem complex but it's really not. Just follow the directions carefully. My friend also served this dish with acorn squash and popovers - the recipes are provided below.

Acorn Squash

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Cut squash in half and clean out the seeds. Cut again so they are in quarters.

3. Place them in a pyrex dish filled with a little water.

4. Cover the dish in foil and bake for 45 minutes.

5. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Popovers

(photo courtesy of foodtv.com)

1 1/2 tbsp. melted butter

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

3 extra large eggs at ROOM TEMPERATURE

1 1/2 cups whole milk at ROOM TEMPERATURE

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Generously grease popover pan with melted butter or spray

3. Place the pan in the oven for 2 minutes to preheat

4. Whisk together flour, salt, eggs, milk and melted butter until smooth (the batter will be thin)

5. Take the preheated popover pans out of the oven and fill it half full

6. Bake for EXACTLY 30 minutes and DO NOT PEEK.

Three secrets for a perfect popover: make sure the popover pan is HOT before you fill it, fill each section of the popover pan no more than half full, and please, no peeking in the oven. You will be rewarded with yummy and perfect popovers!

Enjoy your Sunday dinner!

Sunday Dinner - week 3

This is an all time favorite. But I am picky and I love cheese so this recipe calls for a lot of it! It is totally up to you how much you want to put in but if you decide to stick with the recipe - I guarantee you won't be sorry!

Meatball Lasagna

Lasagna Noodles:

1. Cook 11 pieces of lasagna noodles according to package directions. You can leave it a little al dente for the baking process. Set aside. You only need 9 but just in case a noodle or two break or fall apart, you will have extra.

For the meatballs:

1 lb pork, beef, veal ground meat combo

1 egg

1/4 cup parmesan flavor bread crumbs (or plain)

1/4 cup shredded or powdered parmesan cheese

sprinkling of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix all the ingredients together by hand and form into 1 inch balls

3. Place meatballs on an aluminum foil wrapped cookie tray

4. Bake in oven until light brown (around 15-20 minutes)

For the ricotta filling:

15 oz tub of part skim or whole milk ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/4 cup shredded Italian cheese

1/4 cup shredded parmesan

1 tsp. parsley

sprinkling of salt and pepper

1. Mix all ingredients together in mixer with paddle attachment on low.

2. Set aside.

For the sauce:

32 oz jar (or 1 jar and a half) REALLY GOOD MARINARA SAUCE - I highly recommend RAO'S

1/3 bar cream cheese

2 tsp. sugar

1. Heat sauce on medium heat.

2. Stir in cream cheese and sugar.

3. When cheese melts, add the meatballs. Cover and let simmer on medium low to low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Putting the layers together:

1. In a 9 x 13 pan, line the bottom with sauce (no meatballs).

2. Place 3 pieces of lasagna noodles side by side. Top with meatballs and sauce. Add dollops of ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with Italian cheese and parmesan.

3. Repeat step #2 again.

4. For final layer, place the last 3 pieces of lasagna layers and top only with the sauce. Generously sprinkle with the cheeses.

5. Cover the tray with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Take off foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese topping is bubbly (but not burned!).

Sunday Dinner - week 1

I decided to set aside a special day for some yummy dinner recipes. Sundays are my favorite. When I was little, we used to go to my Lolo's (grandfather in Filipino) house for Sunday dinners. So here it is. The first Sunday Dinner recipe lineup. Williams Sonoma has a similar baked recipe here and they used rigatoni instead of bowtie. This recipe below is my version.

Bowtie Pasta with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Carrots

Medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

olive oil

1 pound sweet italian sausage with casing removed

1 - 28 oz can whole tomatoes

1 tbsp. sugar

1/2 cup light cream or 1/3 bar of cream cheese

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 stalk broccoli rabe or broccolini, diced

2 large pieces of carrots, diced

1 box bowtie pasta

1. Saute garlic and onion in olive oil

2. Crumble sausage and add to saute mix

3. When sausage is cooked (brown), add can of tomatoes. Mash tomatoes gently.

4. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

5. Cook pasta according to directions

6. Add light cream or cream cheese to the sausage/tomato mixture

7. Add sugar for a little sweetness.

8. Add the carrots. Simmer for 10 minutes.

9. Add the broccoli rabe. Simmer for another 10 or until broccoli is cooked.

10. Serve over the pasta while pasta is hot. Mix in the parmesan cheese until the pasta is coated all over.

Want some dessert? I just found this yummy recipe from Mary's Blog, Milky Milk. This is her photo and her recipe but I am DEFINITELY trying it out.