A Few of My Favorite Things…

This can be one of my favorite meals when I’m in the mood for something light and healthy… and in the mood for salmon, of course. I don’t really dress any of it up too much… The salmon marinades shortly in some olive oil, white wine and lemon juice. I’m not sure if you’re “supposed” to do it that way, but I do. It’s usually a parmesan couscous that I have on the side, accompanied by some steamed asparagus. There’s something about those three foods together that makes my mouth sing. I don’t make this all that often, but when I do, it’s a treat!

Ribeye Steak with Blue Cheese Mushroom Gravy…

This was quite a rich meal… Ribeye Steaks with a Blue Cheese Mushroom Onion Gravy, Acorn Squash, and Goat Cheese Stuffed Croissants. The gravy came out a bit thinner than I would have liked, but it was still tasty. The recipe came from The Pioneer Woman. I think I would have used a bit less heavy cream, and I did add mushrooms to our gravy while cutting down on the amount of onions. Still, I thought it to be an excellent sauce to go over steaks. Ingredients below:

• 4 Tbsp Butter
• 1 Large Onion (plus Sliced Mushrooms)
• 3/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 cup Crumbled Blue Cheese

Menu for the Week…

• Tomorrow – Ribeye Steaks with a Mushroom-Blue Cheese-Onion Gravy, Mashed Potatoes (perhaps Garlic) and Acorn Squash.  There will also be some Goat Cheese-Filled Croissants and some Pasta Salad for football game nibbles.
• Monday – Cream of Mushroom Soup.  I will make this tomorrow and have it all ready for Monday night’s dinner.  With Crusty Garlic Bread.  Cooler weather is officially here, with the making of the season’s first cream soup.
• Tuesday – Pizza with Artichoke Hearts and Mushrooms.  It’s apparently mushroom week here.
• Wednesday / Thursday / Substitute one of the above nights – Leftovers and a whatever-we-feel-like dinner.

Hearty Chili…

Mr. Food Groove made an exceptionally delicious chili last week. It was perfectly hearty and warm for the cooler weather that is now upon us. It also had a perfect amount of spice to it… I, myself, tend to be a non-spicy type of person. Oftentimes, dishes such as chili have just too much heat for my tastes, but this one had a wonderful combination of tangy heat and hearty beans. Here are the ingredients that he used… Believe it or not, and it may not be too hard to believe, but the bacon added a nice additional smoky flavor to it too.  Shredded cheese on top, of course… We also added some scrambled eggs to the leftover chili during the week… yum!

• 1-lb. Ground Beef
• 1-lb. Ground Turkey
• 3/4-lb. Bacon
• 2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Garlic
• 3 cans Bush’s Mild Chili Beans
• Green Chilies, diced
• Yellow Onion, diced
• 6-oz. Chipotle Peppers  in Adobo Sauce

Normally, I wouldn’t even entertain the idea of adding chipotle peppers to anything, but in the past few years, I’ve come to appreciate the smoky flavors that they can add to a dish.  Never would I have imagined…

Menu for the Week…

Mr. Food Groove made a delicious batch of chili yesterday… I’ll be posting his recipe shortly, after hopefully remembering to take some pictures of it tomorrow. It was a perfect warm and heartly meal for these turning-to-cool, rainy,  gray days.  He also found the perfect soft mini sub rolls to go with it… nice and fresh out of the oven!

• Scrambled Eggs and Chili… I’ve never had that combination before, but I’ve heard good things about it, and I’ve got a hankering for it now that it’s in my head.
• Rice and Veggies, possibly with a peanut-tahini sauce of sorts.
• Herbed Chicken Breasts with Steamed Carrots and Couscous… or something along those lines.

I’m going kind of healthy and nothing-spectacular this week.  Not that I don’t usually try to do the healthy, but oftentimes I end up with a goodly amount of cheese in there (whatever it is).  And, as the fresh veggie season has come to a close and it’s getting cooler, the weekly salad isn’t quite the welcome, fresh dinner that it is in the summertime.  So, as the seasons change, so too the menus…

Mushroom Spinach Burrito-of-Sorts…

Well, I meant to cut into this burrito-of-sorts before I took the picture… It’s filled with a saute of mushrooms, garlic and baby spinach, mixed together with cream cheese. Quite yummy, if I may say so myself. I rolled that mixture into the tortilla type of wraps and sprinkled some shredded cheese on top. That went into the oven to bake and warm and melt the cheese. I pulled out some garden-grown yellow cherry tomato salsa that I had in the freezer, and I also mashed up two avocados for the topping here. (I did, however, add too much fresh lime juice… so be it.) Cut it all with a dollop of sour cream and call it dinner. I had actually assembled the burritos the night beforehand and kept them in the fridge… very nice to come home and just stick them in the oven…

Salad Time…

Well, seeing as we had our fill of meats and cheeses this weekend, I’m thinking of going veggies and legumes for the next few days. Tonight, it’s just a basic salad. I’m thinking of mushroom and spinach burritos for tomorrow, and a beans and tomato type of thing the next day. I meant to make some rice for that last one, hmmm. I’ll do that tomorrow night, seeing as the mushrooms and spinach are prepped and ready to go.

Basic salad ingredients at The Food Groove:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Green Onions
• Cucumbers
• Artichoke Hearts
• A bit of cubed Smoked Gouda that was sitting around

Even when one is a bit meat and cheesed out, there’s still room for a lil bit of cheese. 

Menu for the (Rest of the) Week…

It took me a few days later than I usually like to get this together, but I went through the stock items in the kitchen, and I now have a menu for the rest of the week. It was one of those weekends where the menu planning got away from me… It happens, but I do enjoy when I get it back together.  We’ve made it through thus far by nibbling on leftover Macaroni and Cheese from Sunday…

• Wednesday – BBQ Baked Chicken Breasts with Teriyaki Rice and Steamed Carrots (and/or Asparagus)
• Thursday – Black Bean and Yellow Tomato Salsa Burritos
• Friday – Pizza with Mushrooms, Garlic and Artichoke Hearts

That’s as far as I got, and since we’re not yet sure what the weekend will bring, that’s as far as I need to go for now. 

Pasta Fresca…

This recipe comes pretty much verbatim from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home. It is a seasonal favorite of mine, for when the tomatoes are abundant and fresh. The ingredients are all the ones I love… pasta, mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, garlic… And that’s pretty much it!

The picture above doesn’t really do the sauce justice, since you really can’t see it. But it’s basically tomatoes and basil pureed in a blender, which turns out to be a lovely shade of pink and pretty darn yummy!

• 4 cups Tomotoes, chopped
• 8 large Basil leaves
• 1 large Garlic Clove, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 1 lb. Pasta  (I used Whole Wheat Rotini)
• 1/2 lb. Fresh Mozzarelle, cubed

1.  Bring a large covered pot of water to a boil.

2.  Set aside 1 cup of chopped tomatoes and 2 of the basil leaves.  In a blender or food processor, puree the remaining tomatoes and basil with the garlic and olive oil.  (This time, I sauteed the garlic with some olive oil first, instead of adding it raw.)

3.  When the water comes to a boil, stir in the pasta and cook as directed.  As the pasta cooks, chop the remaining basil leaves.

4.  Drain pasta and toss immediately with mozzarella cubes.  Add the sauce and mix well.  Top with reserved tomatoes and basil.  Serve immediately.

Simple Nachos…

And they are particularly good for Football Sundays! Sometimes I like my nachos with a lot of “stuff” on them, but more often, I like them simple. My basic method of preparation involves chopping fresh tomatoes and green onions, sprinkling shredded cheese (usually a cheddar blend) over top, and warming them in the oven. Yes, pretty simple and pretty darn tasty. The guacamole that I made here was excellent… 2 avocados and the juice of 1 lime. It was fantastic! Just enough lime to enhance the avocados, which were perfectly ripe. And a dollop of sour cream on the side…

Of course, there are time when nachos call for something more, like chicken or beans. I think that refried black beans are my favorite, though I’ve been known to sprinkle some straight black beans on them, too. I’m not a fan of heaps of salsa, but sometimes I’ll add a little on top, or more likely I’ll serve it on the side. When it comes right down to it, my one requirement would simply be lots of cheese.