The Great Spam Experiment

So I told you that my cousin Johanna requested a few things when we met for brunch in November.  The first one being Chicken Braciole with Alfredo Sauce.  The second one being this...the great Spam experiment!

Yes, that's right folks......we are talking Spam today....   Hey... Wait!  Where do you think you are going?  Seriously, get back here right now and finish reading this post.  I don't care what your feelings on Spam are.. this is a damn good experiment!!  LOL

Ok, now that I have your attention again....let's talk Spam.  When I was a kid, my grandma Marge would always make us Spam sandwiches, or just plan pan fried Spam.  I remember loving it as a kid.  As I got older, the only time I ever tried it was while on a backpacking trip...I ate it because it was there and I was STARVING!!  But I was in my early 20's when that last happened (I learned to bring better food with us, believe me!!) and, well...that's been quite a few years, so I will admit that I was a bit worried about trying this out.   I'm glad I did though, not only did it reminded of some great childhood memories, but I really did an actual experiment in my kitchen!! YAY!!!  (By the way, for anyone that looks down on me for posting a recipe that includes Spam... all I have to say is this:  Can the whole state of Hawaii really be wrong?  They serve Spam everywhere.. even at Burger King!)

The first test was the old school way.  The way my grandma made it for us...or at least the way I remember her making it for us....straight up pan fried.  I'm not even going to give you a recipe for it because all I did was throw it directly into a non-stick skillet and fried them for about 3-4 minutes on each side:

 

What did we think?  Well, honestly, it was ok, just a bit salty....and this is a fact that I remembered and was not surprised about at all.  I don't mind the salty pork flavor, so it really wasn't too bad at all.

With my second test, I decided that I would boil the meat first to get some of the saltiness out of it (I got that little tip from Stephen over at The Obsessive Chef, check out what he did with Spam!!).  It worked like a charm!  If I was going to do this again, that would be the only way I would eat the Spam...boiled first, than fried!  Johanna had suggested doing a panko coating and than frying the Spam... and I thought, heck, if I'm gonna do that, why not make it sort of like Spam Parmigiana?  And Viola!

 

I will admit, I thought it was actually pretty good.  I would even make this again...truth be told, I'd even serve it to guests at a dinner party!

Conclusion:  I recommend trying Spam again if it's been awhile.  But, what I also recommend is boiling the Spam first.  It makes all the difference in the world.  Well, that's if you are afraid of the salty flavor...if you like a little salty pork (which I do) than just throw it right in the pan.  If you try the parmigiana, though, definitely take the few minutes to boil the meat, you will not be sorry.

Spam Parmigiana
Inspired by Johanna W.
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
4-6 slices of Spam (you can cut them however thick or thin you want them)
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon plain or seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning (you can just use basil if you don't have this)
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons of your favorite pasta sauce (you can use more if you want)
shredded mozzarella cheese (you be the judge on how much goes on top of each piece)

Directions:
Bring a pot of water to boil.  Drop the pieces of Spam into the water, reduce the heat, and let it simmer for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and let the meat sit in the water for another 3-5 minutes.

In a shallow dish, mix together panko, bread crumbs, pepper, salt, and Italian seasoning.  Remove the meat from the water and put it directly into the panko mixture.  Coat each piece with the mixture, pressing into the meat.

Preheat the broiler of the oven.  In a skillet, over medium heat, add the olive oil and heat until shimmering.  Carefully place the Spam pieces in the oil and quickly fry (about 2 minutes on each side).  Remove from skillet and place on a wire rack inside a baking sheet.  Top with sauce and cheese and place under the broiler.  Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago: Chicken Fried Steak 

2nd runner up isn't bad.....

WOOHOO!!!!  Hey everyone, I couldn't wait to tell you all... I WON I WON I WON!!!!  Ok, so I didn't win first prize....or first runner up...but I got 2nd runner up...and that aint' half bad at all!!!

Back in December, I entered the Women of the Grill contest.  I entered 4 of my recipes and one of them actually got me 3rd place!!!  YIPPY!!!!

The recipe that beat out all the others (except two of course):

Asian Inspired Pork Chops

I'm so excited!!!  Check out the winners here.  You know what I won??  SAUCES!!!!!!  Seriously, the sauce girl won a gift set with a cookbook and sauces!!!  How cool is that?

Anyway...just wanted to let you all know that the first recipe competition I entered... I took home 3rd place!  And you know what... I thank you all for that.  Without all the support and encouragement I receive, this never would have been possible!!  Thank you!

One Year Ago:  Jalapeno Crusted Tilapia

Baked Cajun Tilapia

Maybe I shouldn't admit this, but I'm running out of ways to dress up tilapia!!  lol  Ok, ok, so there are many more ways, but not so many that Chris would eat.  I say Chris only because he's a bit more pickier than I am...but just a little.  I tell you this, why?  Well, because this recipe is a lot like ones I have posted in that past.  But that's ok...this was still delicious and flavorful and deserves to be posted.  Not only was it tasty, but simple too.  And, let's not forget healthy.. I have sort of stopped posting nutritional values on my posts only because it was becoming a pain and well, I didn't want to go through that extra step.  But trust me on this one.. this one is light and healthy.

Baked Cajun Tilapia
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
4 tilapia fillets
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.  In a small bowl, mix together the thyme, cayenne, garlic salt, onion powder, pepper, and paprika.  Rinse off the fish and pat dry with a paper towel.  Sprinkle both sides of the fillets with the spice mixture and place in prepared baking dish.  Drizzle just a small amount of oil over the top of the fish.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Garlic-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops & A Winter Wonderland

The Winner!! ...... And Baked Onion Chips

Because I don't want to keep you guessing, I'll start this post out with the winner and end it with the recipe...... :)

Drum roll please.....

And the winner of the $30 gift card to Penzeys Spices is:

Judy at Cranberry Morning!! 

YAY!!  Congratulations, Judy, I hope this will help inspire you to create more in the kitchen!  Enjoy!  Thanks to everyone who commented...and played along!  Thank you so much for spending time with me on my journey!

Ok, ok.. now it's time for the recipe!!  Baked onion chips.  Not a new concept at all.  Not even a new recipe for me, but it's one I was sort of surprised I hadn't posted already.  Now, let's remember, I am not a huge onion fan, so to get me to eat something like this.. you know it's gotta be good!  You need to remember two things when you are making these.  1) The thin the slices the crispier the chips will become and 2) to get the best tasting chips, you must use a Vadalia or Sweet onion.  Oh, you could use another onion, but the best tasting chips are going to come from a sweet onion.  I will also admit to you that you are going to loose some of that breading, so don't worry too much about it, they will still be really good!

Baked Onion Chips
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 sweet onion, cut into chip style wedges (I cut the onion in half, then into quarters)
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour, plus 1 Tablespoon
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs (you can also used crushed potato chips)
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place a wire rack on top of a cookie sheet, spray with non stick spray (you can do this directly on the baking sheet too, I just like that they get crispier all around on the rack).

Place the onion chips in a resealable bag along with 2 tablespoons of flour.  Close and shake the bag, making sure all the onions are coated.  Pour the buttermilk into a shallow dish and beat in the egg and the remaining tablespoon of flour.  In another shallow dish, add the panko and the seasonings.  Remove the flour coated onions and drop them into the buttermilk mixture.  Remove from buttermilk and place in panko; toss to coat.  Place prepared onion on baking sheet; continue until all onions are coated.

Place in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the sheet once, or until the chips are golden brown.  Serve with your favorite dipping sauce - ours was ranch mixed with Sriracha.. YUM!  Enjoy!

One Year Ago: Chicken Braised in Walnut Sauce

Chickamauga Chicken

Ok, this chicken was seriously good.  Yes, the name is a bit strange, but please don't let that stop you.  OMG...the spice, the crunch, the cheese....it was wonderful!  I'll be honest with you, the spice for the chicken was so good, it really didn't need anything else on it...but since I had already bought all the stuff, I decided to use it :)

This is another fantastic find from Chris at Nibble Me This via Our Krazy Kitchen.  If you try this for no other reason, try it for the sauce!!  It was flavorful and fantastic.  I love the crunch that the wonton strips added.  It was the perfect little piece of chicken.

Chickamauga Chicken
Adapted from Nibble Me This via Our Krazy Kitchen
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
Tortilla or wonton strips (a handful or a little more)
3 oz Ranch dressing
1 oz barbecue sauce
1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon grounded cumin
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used a colby, cheddar blend)
2 oz black olive, diced or chopped
2 green onions, chopped

Directions:
Mix Ranch dressing and barbecue sauce together and set aside.  Drizzle both sides of all the chicken breasts with lemon juice and than season with dry spices.

Preheat your grill to 350 degrees.  Grill chicken over direct heat for 4-5 minutes per side.  Move the chicken to indirect heat and top with wonton strips, black olives, green onion and cheese.  Close the lid of the grill and let chicken cook another 8-10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.  Drizzle with bbq/ranch sauce and enjoy!

Range top/oven instructions:  Dredge chicken in flour and saute about 4-5 minutes per side in 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil, or until golden brown.  Top with wonton strips, green onions, black olives and cheese.  Place under broiler for about 1-2 minute or until the cheese melts.  Drizzle with bbq/ranch sauce and enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Silpat & Beef Empanadas

***REMEMBER: Today is the last day you can enter for your chance to win a $30 gift card to Penzeys Spices.  The winner will be announced tomorrow morning.***

Chicken Braciole with Alfredo Sauce

Shortly after I posted my mom's Braciole recipe, (while my parents where here visiting) we met my mom's cousin's, who live here in Arizona, for brunch.  We were chatting about my blog when Johanna made a couple suggestions for meals I post.  This was one of those suggestions:  Chicken Braciole with Alfredo Sauce.  I figured since I had created a pretty dang good alfredo sauce when I made the Christmas pasta recently, why not give this one a shot.  I've even made a chicken braciole before, so the only thing I  had to do was bring the two together.  So, a big thank you Johanna (by the way, spam is next on my list)...this was a great idea and it turned out to be incredible!  The alfredo sauce works so well to compliment the delicate chicken flavor.  If you enjoy braciole at all, you will love this one for sure!

Chicken Braciole with Alfredo Sauce
Inspired by Johanna W.
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 bunch parsley, chopped
olive oil
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 pint heavy cream
1-2 cups freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Pound the chicken breasts between two sheets of parchment paper.  Flatten to about 1/4 inch thick.  In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, parmesan, garlic, and parsley together.  Add enough olive oil to make a paste.  Evenly spread the paste onto the bottom of the chicken.  Roll as tightly as you can and secure with toothpicks or cotton string.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a skillet (if you have an oven proof one, now is the time to use it, you will use less dishes!!), over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Carefully add the chicken and quickly sear each side of the chicken.  Place oven proof skillet, or put chicken into a baking dish, in oven and let bake 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat.  Add the flour and stir to combine.  Let cook for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in the heavy cream.  Sprinkle in cheese a little at a time (the more cheese you add the more parmesan flavor you will get) until melted and smooth.  Season with garlic salt and pepper.  Let simmer on very low heat until thickened. (Do not let this boil or you will get a grainy sauce)

To serve, place a small amount of angel hair pasta on a plate.  Place the chicken braciole on the pasta and pour the alfredo sauce over everything.  Enjoy!!

One Year Ago:  Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (one layer)

***Just a reminder: You have until Thursday, January 6, 2011 to enter for your chance to win a $30 gift card to Penzey's Spices.  Click Here for details.**

Pepper Sauce and Beer Marinated Steaks with Potato Latkes

I snagged this little marinade recipe from Chris over at Nibble Me This.  I love his site, talk about being envious of someone elses cooking set up... WOW!  I want a green egg!!!  Anyway, other than over cooking my steak (don't you hate when you do that?  What?  I'm the only one that does it?  I don't believe that at all! Fess up, you know you've done it at least once or twice...maybe even three times!), this meal was wonderful.  The flavors that the marinade brings to this steak was amazing.  No sauce of any kind is needed for this steak.  Heck, we didn't even bring salt or pepper to the table when we sat down to eat this meal.  You know that's a sign of something good!!

As for my attempt at potato latkes....I thought I did a pretty good job for my first try!  I adapted the Food Floozie's and Ma What's for Dinner's recipes...and this is what I came up with.  Only thing I would do differently next time....make them thinner!  I had them a bit too thick so they had a bit of a mush texture in the middle....er, I mean creamy texture, yes, creamy!!  lol  Either way, I'll make these again for sure... YUM!

 

Pepper Sauce and Beer Marinated Steaks
Adapted from Nibble Me This
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 oz beer
1 Tablespoon Frank's hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 chipotle, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
flank, skirt, or flat iron steak (1lb) - I believe I used sirloin

Directions:
Mix together the first 4 ingredients, then slowly whisk in the olive oil.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Pour marinade over the steak and allow to marinate for 4 hours.

Preheat grill to 400 degrees.  Place steak directly over the fire and grill about 4-6 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches your desired doneness.  Enjoy!

 

Potato Latkes
Adapted from Food Floozie and Ma, What's for Dinner
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2 cups shredded potatoes
1 Tablespoon finely diced sweet onion
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
vegetable or peanut oil

Directions:
In a medium size bowl, mix together all ingredients except for the oil.  Form into 4 thin patties.  Let rest on a plate for 10 minutes.

In a skillet, add oil (about 1/4 inch deep) and heat until just shimmering.  Carefully, add the patties and fry until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes on each side.  Drain on a paper towel.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Beer Cheese Soup with Red Peppers & Bacon

***And don't forget to check out my 1 year blogiversary post where you can enter for a chance to win a $30 gift card from my favorite spice store, Penzey's.  You have until Thursday, January 6th***

Simple Baked Fish with Rosemary Aioli

Rosemary aioli.......I think I love you.

Confession time:  I did not make the aioli from scratch...well I did make it from scratch, but not completely from scratch.  You see, I used store bought mayo in place of making my own.  I know, some people think it's just not a true aioli unless you make it 100% from scratch.  Well, I looked around, people.  And I'm here to tell you...even Emeril Lagasse sometimes uses store bought mayo for his aioli (Ok, I really don't know that to be 100% true, so if you are reading Emeril and this isn't true, I'm sorry to have lied for the sake of proving a point.)

Either way, this was a wonderful little sauce to go with a simple baked fish.  I know there are many of you that don't like fish, so you can easily use this on chicken...or even has a sandwich spread...now THAT would be really really GOOD!!

P.S...since I've been around a year now, I have added a link at the end of each post (from here on out) that will lead you to the post from last year.  Who knows, maybe you'll find a new favorite??

***Just a reminder: You have until Thursday, January 6, 2011 to enter for your chance to win a $30 gift card to Penzey's Spices.  Click Here for details.***

Simple Baked Fish with Rosemary Aioli
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
4 tilapia (or any white fish) fillets
Garlic salt
Pepper
Paprika
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1-2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Rinse fish and pat dry.  Season both sides with garlic salt, pepper, and paprika.  Place the fish in prepared dish.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and rosemary.  Serve over fish...and enjoy!  You can also use this as a dip for your french fries.. YUM!

One Year Ago:  Lasagna

HAPPY 2011!!!

Happy New Year to all of you!!  I can't believe it's 2011.  Do you realize that next year will mark my 20th year since high school?  WOW...where has the time gone?  But, I'll face that next year...for now, it's just good old 2011!

This past year has been wonderful.  I have received so much and feel truly blessed.  I could highlight the year and tell you of all the things that have happened to me, but instead, I'm going to leave you with this....some of my favorite recipes from early 2010.  I figured that most of you are more familiar with my posts in the last few months, so why not dig all the way back to the beginning!

Thank you to everyone who has followed me since the beginning.  Thank you to all of you that have followed me since.  I love your comments, feedback, emails, etc.  You are the reason I continue documenting my culinary journey.

A big thanks goes out to Chris, of course, for being the guinnea pig for all my recipes.  Thank you for your love and support, it gets me through each day.

A big thanks goes out to my family too.  My mom and dad have been a huge support throughout my year of blogging and it means the world to me.

And one more thank you to all of the bloggers that I consider my friends.  You are the best support system out there.  The encouragement and ideas you give me are priceless!

I'm sure I could go on and on, but instead, we'll just end with the best of (early) 2010 list:

 Hamburger Buddy

Bacon & Tomato Pasta

Pasta Carbonara

Grilled Sriracha Glazed Chicken

Caramelized Chicken Breasts with Garlic Rice

Strawberry Chicken

Parmesan Orzo with Salmon

Honey & Hoisin Grilled Trout with Orzo Pasta, Zucchini, and Peppers

Murphy's Hot Hamburger

Triple Chocolate Mayan Brownies

As I browsed through my past year recipes, I found a ton of them that I would have loved to have highlighted, but alas, I do not want to keep you here forever.  So, if you are interested, take a little time, browse, there are some pretty good recipes from way back when!

Happy New Year to you all!  May 2011 be filled with love, laughter, and lots of tasty treats!
Ciao!
Jenn

 

Simple Marinated Chicken

 

We are back in the valley of the sun...and lucky for us we were getting used to the cold weather, because believe it or not, when we landed it was only 47 degrees!!!  BRRRRR!!  Now, come on...for people who are more used to it being 110 than below 50, that's freezing!!  It's only supposed to get up to a high of 49 today... 49..that's it.  Yes, I know, most of you are under inches, even feet, of snow...but this is the desert.  The WARM desert.... it's just cold and that's that!

What better way to warm myself than with a recipe that calls for grilling! LOL   Seriously, though, this was something I threw together right before we left....when it was still in the high 70's!!  But I figured if I close my eyes and pretend, I believe it's truly summer grilling weather and all will be fine!!

I know the recipe states it, but this dish was simple.  Simple marinade.  Simple flavor.  Seriously, and I can say this because, once again, it's something I decided to throw together at the last minute.  This was nothing that would knock your socks off, but for the simplicity that it lends to a busy week night makes up for the lack of "wow".

***And don't forget to check out my 1 year blogiversary post where you can enter for a chance to win a $30 gift card from my favorite spice store, Penzey's.  You have until Thursday, January 6th***

Simple Marinated Chicken
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Combine all the ingredients except the chicken, in a resealable plastic bag.  Add the chicken, seal the bag, and let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat grill to 400 degrees.  Place the chicken directly on the grates over the fire.  Cook for 5-8 minutes on each side or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear.  You can also bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Enjoy!

Lemon Parmesan Sauce

Before I get started on my post for this simple yet delicious sauce, I want to give a big Happy Birthday wish to my Dad.  Today is his birthday and I could not let the day go by without wishing him a happy happy birthday and to remind him of how much I love him!  Although I wish I could have spent time with him on his actual birthday, I did get to be with him over Christmas and we did get to celebrate his birthday with him a little early.  My dad was the first man I ever loved and he will always hold that place in my heart.  So, Dad..hope you have a fantastic day...Love and miss you more than you know!

Now, the sauce:  This is a simple and tasty sauce that can be used on fish or chicken.  You know me, I love my sauce and simple sauces are my favorite.  Most of my sauces are not healthy, as this is just mayo and parmesan cheese, but sometimes tasty is so much better then healthy!  The fish I served along side this was baked at 400 degrees for 14 minutes and seasoned with garlic salt, pepper, and some paprika.  As for the sauce... it was simple...it was yummy....that is all.

***Don't forget to check out my 1 year blogiversary giveaway where you can enter to win a $30 gift card to my favorite spice store, Penzey's.  You have until Thursday, January 6th to enter***

Lemon Parmesan Sauce
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
pepper (to taste)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.  Cover and store in refrigerator until ready to use.  Can be made 5 days in advance.  Serve with fish or chicken.

And what a year it's been...

A year ago today, after receiving much encouragement and much help from Chris, I started this blog.  My first post was a simple post.  An introduction to what was to come.  There were no recipes, there were no pictures...just me welcoming you to come with me on this crazy culinary journey.

At that time, I never imagined that I would have over 100 followers or, better yet, that I would form some lasting friendships.

As I look back through the past year of posts, I giggle a little.  There were times where I thought, why am I doing this?  No one cares.  I didn't even have any followers other than family and friends who I'm sure felt more obligated to follow than anything else (bless their hearts that they did it anyway, though...love you all!!).  But than slowly, ever so slowly, people started taking interest in what I was posting.  And even though I have always said I started this blog for myself..not for the followers, not for the comments, but me and only me..I must confess that it felt good that people were finally noticing my site!!!

A year later and my pictures and content are better and I reached the one goal I set for myself:  Create more of my own recipes.....which I have!! YAY!

So to all of you who have watched me grow...thank you!  Thank you for your kind words, your encouragement, your friendship.  And because of you, I am going to be giving away a $30 gift card to my favorite spice store, Penzeys Spices.  Although you may not have a Penzeys near you, they have a wonderful online store where you can browse their entire selection of herbs, spices, and seasonings.  So, go ahead, stock up on many needed items to fill up your spice rack...it's on me :)

So what do you have to do to enter this giveaway?  Well, it's easy...all you have to do is leave a comment here telling me what spice you cannot live without.  That's it.  Well, you also need to leave me your email address in the comment.  Please spell everything out...for example:  jennsfoodjourney(at)gmail(dot)com   
....And that's really it.  You have until Thursday, January 6th to enter this contest.  The winner will be announced on Friday, January 7th.

Good luck!   And thank you...thank you for being a part of my journey!

Merry Christmas!

With the holiday now upon us, I have decided to give myself a little gift.  I think I have been pretty good this year and that I deserve it, so why not.  My gift to myself will be allowing myself to take a much needed break over the next few days.  I am going to go enjoy my holiday and relax and spend time with my family and not cook a damn thing!  And if I do, I'm at least not going to take a picture of it or blog about it.  I'm going to gorge myself on candy and cookies and pizza and ham and probably a little turkey and mac and cheese....mmmmmmmmmm!!!!

But...I will be back, have no fear about that.  And when I return... I will be celebrating my 1 year blogiversary!  YAY!!  I'm excited about that because I believe I've come quite a long way in a year!  I have grown quite a lot in my culinary journey and some of you have witnessed that growth.  I'm so glad you were here to share the past year with me and I hope you continue on this crazy journey with me.  And who knows, maybe there will even be a small little giveaway when I return??!!??!!!!

So, go....enjoy your holiday...may you eat until your hearts content!  I hope you will all be surrounded by your loved ones and remember that they are what's really important in life.

Merry Christmas!  

Happy Holidays!

Seasons Greetings!

Ciao!

Jenn

Christmas Pasta

Chris and I decided to celebrate our Christmas together this past weekend.  It was just easier since we will be spending Christmas with my family.  We tossed around a few ideas on what I would make for dinner and in the end, pasta won out.  Now I know this isn't a traditional Christmas meal, but Chris and I are making our own traditions, so how can that be bad, right?

The basic idea for this recipe came from:
1. The movie The Holiday staring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black
2. From my true arch nemesis Rachel Ray

The Holiday is one of my all time favorite movies...and it's the perfect time of the year for it because it happens to take place around Christmas and New Years.  It's a wonderful little romantic comedy and I'm not going to get too much into it otherwise this post will last until next year :)  Long story short, there are at least two references to "Christmas Fettuccine" throughout this movie.  They never really give you a description of it, but from what I can make out, it's just fettuccine alfredo.  Simple enough.

My arch nemesis has a recipe for Christmas pasta which I have stumbled upon a few times in the last year or so.  I took her recipe out and saw all the ingredients that went with it and though... hhhhmmmmm... I could make this just as tasty but not have to break the bank on all the ingredients.

So the idea was born and the recipe was created....take the simple idea of fettuccine alfredo and mix it with an ingredient slimming version of arch nemesis' Christmas pasta... and Viola!  Christmas Pasta alla Jenn!!!  This was the perfect meal for us.  The alfredo sauce was decadent and flavorful.  The red peppers, zucchini, and parsley added the "Christmas" color affect....it was amazing!

Christmas Pasta
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 pint heavy cream
1-2 cups freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large or 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced or sliced
2 small red bell peppers (or 1 large one will do), thinly sliced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 lb angel hair pasta

Directions:
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat.  Add the flour and stir to combine.  Let cook for 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in the heavy cream.  Sprinkle in cheese a little at a time (the more cheese you add the more parmesan flavor you will get) until melted and smooth.  Season with garlic salt and pepper.  Let simmer on very low heat until thickened. (Do not let this boil or you will get a grainy sauce)

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions; drain.  Add the oil into a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the peppers and saute for 2 minutes.  Add the zucchini and saute another minute or two or until the veggies are to your liking.

When the sauce is ready, add the chicken and vegetables to it.  Toss in the parsley and pour sauce over pasta; toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Enjoy!

Butterhorns

These little tasty bites are my mom's favorite Christmas goody.  Let me tell you, though, I have to give her huge... er....I mean.. HUGE props for going through the process of making these every year.  This is the first year I actually made these...and my mom had said a few times: "Good luck" ... Hhhmmmmm...good luck huh?  How hard can they be?  Geez, it's like crescent rolls with strawberry preserves and walnuts inside!  And really, these were not the hardest thing I've made lately, it was just a bit time consuming and, well...seriously frustrating more than anything else.  You spend the time rolling out the dough, cutting the dough, filling the dough, rolling the dough...only to see the filling ooze out of the dough as it bakes!  So if you can get past that part, I highly recommend trying these out.  They are like little strawberry hand pies.

One bit of a suggestion, if you have a Silpat - USE IT.  The filling does not stick to it at all.  My mom also suggests quick release foil.  I actually used my Silpat on one batch and aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick spray on another, just to see how it worked and they both worked very well, but the Silpat is my recommendation - simple clean up if you want to do another batch on it, unlike the aluminum foil.  If you put these straight on the cookie sheet, you will not only have a mess, but you will have a hard time getting them up off!

Butterhorns
Recipe courtesy my Mom, Sharon
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, sliced
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1/4 - 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cut butter into the flour with a pastry blender.  Add the egg yolk and sour cream and mix well.  Cover and chill for a few hours.  (My mom divides the dough into 5 pieces, flattens them, than covers them in plastic.  You can than take out and roll out one at a time.)

When dough is chilled, roll out, using cinnamon and sugar mixture in place of flour. (I forgot to measure how much sugar and cinnamon I used, but it was about 1/2 cup sugar and 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon...mixed that together and then sprinkled it down on the counter and on the dough, instead of using flour so that it will not stick.)  Cut into pie wedges (you should get 12 wedges with each round.)

Mix together the preserves and the walnuts.  Place a small amount on each wedge. Roll from widest side, like a crescent roll.  Place on cookie sheet with Silpat or quick release Reynolds aluminum foil.  Bake about 20 minutes or until just golden brown.  Allow to cool.  Store in air tight container or freeze.  Enjoy!