Relay for Life and Banana Pancakes

So Friday was the Relay for Life and it went very well! Our team raised about $500 that night even though it rained almost the whole time!

This morning we decided to have a lazy morning. We slept in and then made Banana Pancakes. It was pretty good. I like that the banana was mashed up into the pancakes rather than in chunks. Yum Yum Yum - and I don't like pancakes all that much.

Does anyone have any great pancakes recipes? Since Matt likes pancakes I need to find some that I like.

Shrimp Scampi with Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Jane - Sorry it took me SOO long to post this! Hope you enjoy it.

Biscuit Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 TBLS baking powder
1 teas Kosher salt
1/2 teas cream of tartar
6 TBLS butter, cold, cubed
1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded salt to taste
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten

1. Mix together dry ingredients for the biscuits.
2. Cut in butter with two knives until the size of peas. Stir in the cheese.
3. Combine buttermilk and egg, then stir into the flour mixture just until combined. Scoop out with an ice cream scoop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 450.

Scampi Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and dusted with flour

4. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add shrimp and saute 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook about 30 seconds.
5. Deglaze with wine. Simmer until reduced by half, 2 minutes. Stir in butter.
6. Combine cilantro, lime juice, and shrimp mixture in a glass bowl and season with salt. Toss.
7. To serve, spoon scampi over biscuits.

Matt's 24 BDay: Ziti & Tiramisu

For Matt's birthday on Tuesday (4/20) I made him his favorite Baked Ziti from the Sopranos cookbook. It's awesome but it takes A LOT of effort so we don't make it often. He actually admitted afterward that he was wanting it but didn't want to ask me to do it since it takes so long - good thing I surprised him with it.

This was also the first time I made tiramisu and it turned out great and was even better the next day! I'll have to post that recipe when I have more time because it was YUMMY and I definitely recommend it.

Grilled Pizza

Friday night we grilled pizzas... that's right, we GRILLED them. Now that spring has sprung we've apparently decided that grilling is the only way to go!

We topped the grilled crusts with a roasted tomato sauce and gooey cheese; grilled italian sausage, thinly sliced red onion, white cheddar, crushed red pepper, and roasted tomato sauce (a true favorite since it packs in the flavor!); and our last pizza had all the ingredients of our new favorite dish - the upscale fajitas. It had red chili and citrus marinated chicken, roasted poblano peppers, pepperjack cheese, and the fresh tomatillo avocado sauce spread on top. It was AWESOME! Tim and DeaLona (Matt's dad and stepmom) were here with the girls and the 4 adults definitely agree the fajita turned pizza was the best this time. If you've never grilled pizzas, I highly suggest it.

Want the recipe? Let me know.

Relay for Life

I'm running a team and on the board for my local Relay for Life this year. I'm trying to hit a personal goal as well as a team goal for fundraising and would really appreciate any help - even if it's just $10! PLEASE visit this site: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10National?px=15455340&pg=personal&fr_id=22723 so we can reach the goal and help fight cancer!
Thank you ahead of time!!! - Anne

Souffle, Grilled Pork, and Intriguing Mash

The night Matt proposed to me we were on a cruise and eating at a super upscale restaurant on the ship. For an appetizer I had the best goat cheese souffle. Turns out that the chef on the ship created the recipe and doesn't share it with anyone - not even chef's on the same cruise line. It was awesome.

Tonight, I found a recipe for a goat cheese souffle - so we tried it. It was quite tasty: incredibly light and airy (like nothing I remember having before). Plus, the Boursin cheese was actually more noticeable of a taste than the goat cheese so for those of you who don't care for goat cheese very much - this is still worth trying.

We also had pork tenderloin that dad sliced into thick slices, wrapped in bacon, and grilled on skewers while basting with a chimichurri sauce (a parsley style pesto with lots of garlic). Most intriguing for the night was the sweet potato, pineapple, and banana mash. I was skeptical but man it was good. YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS. Let me know and I'll get you the recipe.

Repeat Meal

Friday night I made the creamy polenta and Italian grilled steak again (well... dad grilled the steak but I got it ready) with grilled bread. Both were great. I also made a heart of palm, heart of artichokes, and romaine lettuce salad with a dressing made of orange marmelade, dijon, olive oil, etc. Not my favorite. It was really light which is sometimes nice but I thought that it wasn't nearly flavorful enough to be worth the effort.

Perfect Weather + New Patio Furniture = Grilled Dinner

Tonight we used the leftover rub and homemade BBQ sauce on pork chops. I like it even better on pork than steak. Plus, the grilled squash, zucchini, and artichokes - yum. We fried up the left over chilled polenta but that was now so awesome. It was definitely better fresh, hot, and creamy.

It you want some grilled veggies, I definitely suggest brushing them with olive oil and then sprinkling with Lowry's seasoned pepper and a little Kosher salt.
Not grilling? One of my favorite sides is simply slicing zucchini and/or squash into rounds and sauteing in some butter with Lowry's seasoned pepper.

Steak Florentina and Creamy Polenta

Although I do enjoy a simple steak grilled to a nice medium pinkness, tonight really showed me how lucky Matt and I are that we like to cook. We ate the exact same piece of meat grilled the same way two nights in a row. But they tasted completely different ... it's amazing what different seasonings and people can do to a similar ingredient by just putting their own style on it.

We had steak florentina - New York Strip covered in Italian seasonings and good olive oil then grilled to perfection! (Matt seriously grilled them perfectly)

Also, I made a creamy polenta with a little spice in it, which was excellent (the word Matt used). It was definitely a keeper - now if I can only remember how I made it...

Want the recipe? Let me know.

New Recipe - Bruschetta with Crotini & Basil Olive Oil

This is my own recipe and I have to admit that I thought it was great! Any opinionS?

Remove the seeds from 3 tomatoes and toss with 2 cloves of minced garlic, kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper. Set aside to let the flavors blend.

Dip an entire package of fresh basil in boiling water briefly, for about 10-20 seconds. Then dunk in an ice bath immediately (this way the basil will hold it's color and flavor better). Combine basil in a blender with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and about 1/2 cup olive oil. Add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and a little freshly ground pepper. Strain through a very fine sieve.

Toast a sliced baguette until lightly crunchy. Drizzle the basil olive oil over the bread and top with the simple bruschetta.

- You can also use the basil olive oil as a dip for warmed bread as a side dish.

Sushi, Fondue, Grandpa's Eggs, Dips, Steak and Potatoes

Matt pointed out that I haven't posted anything in a week - I apologize. Honestly we don't cook as fancy of meals during the week lately and then we were so busy with family in town that I barely even touched my computer! It was a great Easter weekend as Matt joined the Catholic church and was baptized. It was an especially wonderful Easter since we were able to really stay focused on the religion behind the holiday.

Now for the food:
Thursday we made homemade sushi - always one of our favorites. I'm still working on the perfect sushi rice since it seems to be tricky!

Friday I made a simple spinach salad with artichoke hearts and marinated tomatoes with toasted ravioli and marinara sauce for lunch for Claire and I. It was the perfect light lunch on the patio in the sunshine! For dinner we had Matt and I's staple cheese fondue - mozzarella, chicken broth, tomato paste, and pesto. We dipped bread, potatoes, baby pickles, zucchini, squash, etc. - Delicious!

Sunday we had the infamous Grandpa's eggs for breakfast - always a treat especially with the colorful eggs! Never better than on Easter morning.
Then we snacked on a trio of tapas: Shrimp Dip (Matt's favorite) with club crackers, Corn and Tomatillo Salsa with tortilla chips, and a new recipe of mine: Simple Bruschetta with Crostini and Basil Oil. It was awesome!
Dinner was twice baked potatoes, Strawberry pecan salad with Balsamic viniagrette, and New York Strips with a rub and homemade barbeque sauce. OH yeah!

Want any of these recipes??? Let me know and I'll send them your way.

Cilantro Shrimp Scampi with Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

As a catholic we can't eat meat on Fridays during Lent. SO.... at least once a lent I make the same recipe. Cilantro Shrimp Scampi with Cheddar Cheese Biscuits. It is SO good. The scampi is actually better made a day ahead on top of the freshly baked biscuits. However, since I never seem to think about it a day ahead of time, I don't usually. Anyway, The sweet cheesy biscuits are perfectly light and yummy (even as leftovers). Paired with the buttery, limey, cilantro shrimp - AWESOME

Don't worry... I took a photo.

The Beginning

Since I've had a couple of requests to start a blog I thought that I'd try it out. Having no idea how often to post on a blog or what anyone wants to read about... I'm gonna wing it - so give me feedback!

Honestly I haven't even cooked in a few days but tonight I start again. I'm thinking either Sun-dried tomato crusted chicken with a sunny butter sauce or a Parmesan crusted chicken with a sage butter sauce.... hmmm, choices.