My Perfect Marinara

My Perfect Marinara

1 Pound Ground Turkey
3 Tbs Olive Oil, divided
1 Shallot, finely chopped
1 Garlic Clove, pressed
1 (14.5oz) Can Diced Tomatoes, pureed in blender
1/2 tsp dry Basil
1/2 tsp dry Oregano
Salt

1. In a large frying pan, cook turkey over medium high heat until brown and then turn it on low to keep warm, stirring occasionally.
2. In a small sauce pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add chopped shallot.  Cook only long enough for them to become translucent.
3. Add pressed garlic clove to shallot, stir quickly until mixed.  Scoop out about half of the mixture and put it into the turkey.
4. Add pureed tomatoes to shallot mixture, and stir until mixed.  Turn down to low and let simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Stir meat so that the scoop of shallot and garlic is evenly distributed and then add basil, oregano and salt (I used about 1/4 tsp).  Drizzle with last 1 tablespoon of olive oil and stir.
6. Once most of the water has evaporated from the tomatoes, stir one more time and add as much meat as you'd like (More meat? More tomatoes?  It's up to you!).  Add salt to taste and pour over your favorite pasta, and top with Parmesan cheese!

It has been waaaaay too long since I've posted on here.  Update?  My husband and I have been married almost 7 years, my son turned 2 recently, and I've got another baby joining our little family in Mid-August.  I've been cured of Thyroid Cancer, I'm working way less (as in, I haven't worked since October, but I'm still on-call for the most amazing little Oncology office ever), and I try every day to appreciate every moment I am blessed to be on this earth!  God is faithful, and I am so busy with real life that I tend to ignore the computer on a regular basis.

Anyway, I've been googling a lot of recipes lately, and to be honest, all the commentary at the beginning of each recipe blog post drives me absolutely bonkers because it takes forever to actually scroll to the bottom to find the recipe.  Soooo, I'm putting my commentary at the end...  No need to thank me, I know on that tiny phone screen that I just saved your day!

I made the above recipe for the first time tonight and my husband loved it!  I saw this video the other day and thought "I can do that! BUT, will it really taste that good?!"  I purposefully made too much meat because I wanted leftovers for another meal (and I didn't want to use too many tomatoes if my experiment was a dud).  It allowed me to make the tomato sauce extra meaty for my husband who prefers meat over tomatoes!  I didn't get a picture to make your mouth water, but I know I'll make it again and I'll just have to update this post.

Happy cooking!

Kauai Inspired Cilantro Salmon Wrap

My hubby & I just got home from a fabulous week on Kauai's east shore.  We ate all our meals based on Yelp reviews!  We found things that made our taste buds dance and sing.  I'm not normally a fish person, but ahi, ono, and mahi mahi fresh from the Pacific sure made me a happy vacationer.

Our favorite hole-in-the-wall was a very popular establishment called Mermaids Cafe.  I had the Ahi Cilantro Wrap... not once, but two times during our stay!  So, of course, I had to create something reminiscent of my fabulous experience when I returned to the mainland.  All I had on hand was salmon, brown rice, and boring ol' flour tortillas, but that just had to do!  So I asked the man of the house to prepare the salmon on the grill and I set to work trying to create a cilantro sauce.  I have no idea what they put in their recipe, so I looked up "cilantro pesto" on the WWW, and got an idea for ingredients other than the obvious.  Of course I didn't measure, and it's all on taste, but here ya go:

2 cloves of garlic peeled, smashed and chopped
1 bunch of cilantro with the stems cut off
2ish tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
2ish tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1ish teaspoon of pepper

Put it all in the food processor until it resembles pesto.

I had leftover brown rice in the fridge from yesterday's lunch, so we dumped it (cold) on top of the tortilla along with the cilantro mix and the sliced salmon, and rolled it up like a burrito.  The flavors were pretty fantastic and I must say it will be a staple dinner in my house from now on.  Sure, it's a "summer in the sun" kind of meal, but hey, it's practically summer all year 'round where I live.

For next time:
I'd like to try a little dash of cayenne in the cilantro mix, and some sliced cucumber in the wrap.
Also, the hubby had a second wrap, and we were out of rice by then, so he used wasabi mayo from TJ's with the salmon and said it was very tasty!

3 Bean Turkey Chili

First, I have a question...  How do you make chili look appetizing?  If you have any helpful hints, I'll take them!  At least this one is colorful :)  My mom always made chili with all sorts of beans and a yummy spice mix, but I've never been able to make my chili as good as my mom's!  My hubby's grandmother gave me a cookbook a few weeks ago as a graduation gift, and I tried the chili recipe and fell in love!  Of course, I'm not an avid TJ's shopper like the majority of my friends, but I did have all the ingredients on hand and thought I'd give it a whirl.  So, here's my interpretation:

• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 14 oz can Diced Tomatoes
• 14 oz can Black Beans
• 14 oz can White Beans
• 14 oz can Vegetarian Refried Beans (I like Rosarita brand)
• 1/2 C Chipotle Salsa (for a smokey flavor)
• 1/4 C Thick & Spicy BBQ Sauce (for a little zing)
• One yellow onion, chopped
• Olive oil (just a drizzle to saute your onion)
• Ground Turkey (I use the prepackaged-from-Costco approximately 1 pound stuff)

1. Stir together tomatoes, beans, salsa and BBQ sauce in large pot over low heat.

2. Heat pan over medium heat with olive oil, and saute your onions until crisp tender, add turkey and brown.

3. Add cumin to meat and stir until all the meat is evenly coated.

4. Add meat mixture to bean mixture and simmer over low heat.  Serve once heated through.

I made this  yesterday for bible study, and the girls brought shredded cheddar cheese and Greek yogurt to top it.  They also brought a green salad and cornbread muffins that complimented it perfectly!  Since I wanted it ready when they got here, I threw everything in the crockpot on low for an hour and a half and then left it on warm until they arrived.  It allowed the flavors to mingle a bit longer, and the house smelled good too!

Pesto Pizza

This post is in honor of my dear friend Linda who helped me remember that I hadn't posted about my pesto adventures!  It started a few months ago when I was perusing the fresh herbs at the local grocery store.  I saw a giant pack of basil that had to be kept closed with a rubber band.  I didn't know exactly how I planned to use it all at the time, but then I remembered PESTO.  Yum!  So I looked on one of my all time favorite recipe sites, and found this tasty pesto recipe.  I love that it uses toasted almonds instead of pine nuts because I usually have almonds on hand.   Since my first batch of pesto, I have found an even better way of keeping the basil fresh if I can't use it all right away...  I bought a plant at Trader Joe's for only $2.99.

What was I to do with all this fabulous pesto?  Of course, I would spread the pesto over pizza dough, and top it with cheese!  Ok, so, I have a secret to share.  I could honestly live on pizza...  breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack...  every day... for the rest of my life.  It was a weekly ritual growing up, pizza, every.Friday.night!  I just can't get enough of the stuff.  Making dough in my bread maker takes at least an hour, so I searched my files of quick recipes, and decided on a focaccia.

I tried this focaccia recipe in a December post, and I was less than satisfied with the flavor.  However, I always hear my husband's voice in my head saying "It's a good first attempt" when I make something that does not meet the expectations of my taste buds' standards.  So, I grabbed that giant mixer and set to work with the bread.  I don't really measure the olive oil, I just kind of get my hands oily and spread the dough pretty thin on a baking sheet.  I only sprinkle the tiniest bit of cayenne and parmesan across the top before baking.  I bake it for about 8 minutes before yanking it from the oven and spreading pesto, cheese and toppings over the lightly browned thin crust.  The pizza in the picture is only topped with pesto, mozzarella and parmesan, but I've used leftover BBQ chicken, olives, pineapple, mushrooms, feta, cheddar, and any other toppings I might have in the fridge that day.

So, there's the easiest, fastest way I have figured out to satisfy my craving for pizza, and use that basil!  While the Focaccia is baking, whip up that pesto, shred that cheese, and have dinner ready in under 30!

Basil, Tomato, & Mozzarella, Oh My!

I bought a basil plant at Trader Joe's a few weeks ago and it just loves my sunny kitchen window! So much so, that I'm actually running out of recipes for all those scrumptious leaves!

My hubby had a long day at work today so I thought I'd make this snack for his arrival home. It popped into my head while I was staring at my giant basil plant and contemplating what to do for my hubby to provide a calm home atmosphere... FOOD! A friend of mine made a similar arrangement when I went to her house one day, so I thought I'd try it out.

It's so simple, and very tasty on a summer evening: 3 Roma tomatoes, fresh mozzarella in water, and fresh basil. I sliced and layered them in the fun arrangement you see in the picture, drizzled them with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and sprinkled the masterpiece with pepper and kosher salt.

On a side note...  My hubby bought me an iPhone for graduation, and I'm having so much fun taking pictures with it.  I tried posting this blog entry from my phone, but for some reason only the picture came through...  I'm still learning :)