Burgundy Pork Tenderloin

A few people insist on using burgundy wine for this dish.  I remember making it with merlot one time, and it turned out fine.  It's up to you.  The only burgundy wine I can find at the grocery store in Washington State is Carlo Rossi...so slim pickins there.  This particular night I did make it with Mr. Rossi, and it was great.  I had my second set of parents over, as well as my brother, sister in law, and mom.  The second set of parents are my sister in laws mom and dad.  Every time they come to town, it's pretty epic.  I hope to be just like them one day. 

Burgundy Pork Tenderloin

2 pounds pork tenderloin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves chopped garlic

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

2 cups red wine

2 (.75 ounce) packet dry brown gravy mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place pork in a 9x13 inch baking dish, and sprinkle meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

When done baking, remove meat from baking dish, and place on a serving platter.

Sautee onions, mushrooms, and garlic in some olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pour gravy mix into small sauce pan with wine and cooking juices, and whisk until thickened. Slice meat, and cover with the gravy, mushrooms and onions.

I should have made green beans with this dish, but instead I used mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, onions.  It was overpowering since I feel these veggies should cover the meat.  It makes for a better presentation.  I also made mashed potatoes, and added the gravy mix to the top of them.  That worked out great. 

Special Occasion Lasagna

I make this lasagna for special occasions.  It takes awhile, but it's my husband's favorite.  I am locked into this recipe every Christmas, birthday, anniversary, and sometimes Sundays.  :)  I enjoy making it though!  You will have leftovers for a week. 

Lasagna

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

3/4 pound lean ground beef

1 small onion , chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon oregano

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

12 lasagna noodles

16 ounces ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 16 oz bag shredded mozarella cheese 

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Soak lasagna noodles in warm water.  Set aside.

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning,oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.

 In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 10 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

It's amazing.  I really feel that the combonation of beef and sausage along with the fennel seeds make this dish perfect. 

Amatriciana

Love this recipe so much that I included it in our family cookbook.  I am a big fan of spicy, even though more often than not it's not a crowd pleaser.  I think a recipe like this can follow you for years to come.  My husband's favorite dish is spaghetti and meatballs, and this is a great variation to make it a little different.

Amatriciana

4 slices thick cut bacon, cooked and diced.
1 small chopped yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
3-4 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 pound linguine pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Cook diced bacon in a large saucepan over medium high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain grease from pan.

Add olive oil and onion to pan. Cook over medium heat about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, undrained; simmer 20 minutes along with bacon. Add garlic salt and oregano.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of 4 quarts boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.

Stir basil into the sauce, and then toss with cooked pasta. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese

The only thing I screwed up here is that I didn't have fresh parm.  That makes all the difference really.  Don't use the cheese in the plastic container...it definitely takes away from the dish.  Delicious!

Salisbury Steak in Mushroom Gravy

This is hearty.  I have to admit, I am posting some pretty tasty recipes.  However, if I don't want to gain 10 more pounds on account of writing a blog...I might have relax a bit.  This recipe was absolutely amazingly flavorful and delicious.  I can't wait to have Derek and Jill over to try it. 

Salisbury Steak in Mushroom Gravy

1 pound ground beef
3 tablespoon bread crumbs (or crushed up crackers whatever you prefer)
1 finely chopped onion divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup of milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup beef stock (Better Than Bouillon)

First of all, I have discovered Better Than Bouillon.  I found in with the beef stock a few weeks ago, and it was crazy.  It's pretty much the best thing ever invented.  On the back of the jar it measures out exactly how much you are supposed to use. Instead of 1 cup of beef stock, I mixed in 1 teaspoon of BBB into one cup boiling water.  It's bursting with flavor.

In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, egg, cracker crumbs, half of onion, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning using your hands. Shape into 6 patties about 1 inch thick.

Fry the patties in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until browned. Drain off grease, and remove patties to a platter; keep warm.

Add olive oil to semi deep skillet.  Add the rest of the onion and mushrooms and saute until softened.  Sprinkle flour over, and stir until blended.  Stir in milk and beef stock.  Cook and stir until it thickens, and add can of cream of mushroom soup.  Return beef patties to skillet, and heat through on medium low until flavors blend together.

I served this over mashed potatoes, and it was to die for.  Enjoy!!!!

MGD

Chicken Enchiladas (Enchi's)

There are so many enchilada recipes, I guarantee I will post more recipes as I come across them.  This one is definitely my old faithful.  Flavorful, and basic. 

Chicken Enchiladas

2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast meat (I just buy a rotisserie chicken and just shred the breast)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/4 cups sour cream
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 (4 oz) can diced chilies
1 package taco seasoning
1 bunch green onions chopped
1 cup of water
1 lime juiced
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
5 (soft taco size) flour tortillas
1 (16 oz) bag shredded cheddar cheese
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
1 (6 oz) can sliced black olives

Boil chicken breasts for about 10 minutes, remove and shred.  To save time, I just get a rotisserie chicken and shred the breast and set aside.  Combine cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and chili powder and put over medium low heat.  Whisk together to mix, heat and bring heat to low.  Keep warm.

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, and cook until done, about 5 minutes.  Add shredded chicken, green chiles, taco seasoning, half the bunch of green onions, and water.  Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes.  Stir in lime juice, onion powder, and garlic powder and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stir 1 cup of soup mixture on the bottom of 9x13 baking dish.  Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture.  Tuck handful of cheese into tortilla along with chicken.  Fold tortillas over filling and place seam side down in baking dish.

Pour enchilada sauce over enchiladas.  Cover with remaining cheese, and add the rest of the green onions and olives.  I added avocados as well, but of course this is optional.  It doesn't really go with this dish as well as I would have hoped. 

I love this dish, and I make them about once every two weeks.  Enjoy!

MGD

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

I used to make this amazing antipasto pasta salad, but it was getting really expensive to make.  I'd get that really great salami out of the deli, as well as smoked fontina cheese...it was too much.  I started searching for recipes online for an alternative, and came across a nice Greek pasta salad recipe.  I decided to combine the best ingredients of the two, and came up with this creation.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad (for lots of people)! 

2 (12 oz) boxes tri colored rotini pasta
3/4 package Italian dry salami chopped
1 small can sliced mushrooms drained
1 red bell pepper chopped
1/3 cup calamata (greek) olives
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
1 package dry Italian dressing mix
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 1/2 packages feta cheese (garlic & herb)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions in salted pot of water until al dente.  Rinse, drain, and cool.  Set aside.

Whisk together olive oil, vinegar, oregano, parsley in a bowl.  Set aside.

Combine pasta with dried Italian seasoning, all veggies, and chopped salami.  Pour olive oil mixture over pasta salad.  Cover, and chill overnight.

This pasta salad is on the drier side,  you can add more dressing if you like.  I find that it adds a lot of oil, so I like mine like this.  All ready to go for the Superbowl party tomorrow!  Go Packers!

MGD

Mi Tierra- Woodinville, WA

To correspond with my recent obsession with Groupon, I decided to include our outings on this food blog.  I mean, it's only appropriate right?  No one cooks something new every single night.  Typically on Fridays, Tim and I like to go to an early dinner to celebrate the weekend.  We both close up shop around 3:30, so happy hour is a must.  Also, Tim has this fascination with Mexican Family Restaurants.  It's definitely endearing.  It all started with his love for El Burro in San Jose.  To be honest, nothing has been able to stack up...but we try.  Onto last night. 

We decided to hit up Mi Tierra since we just moved to a new area outside of Woodinville, WA.  Since we have only been here a year, we find most of our fun stuff to do off Yelp and from recommendations from friends...well and of course Groupon.  It's amazing how many resources are out there if you own a smartphone.  This place is right up Tim's alley, so we gave it a shot.  When trying a new Mexican restaurant, I always get the same thing to get a read on the place.  Margarita on the rocks with salt, and Chile Colorado.  I feel like those are the two typical Mexican items in where you can't go wrong really. 

Well- let me first start with the margarita.  Nothing special, more average.  It wasn't huge, it wasn't expensive, it wasn't overly saturated with alcohol.  Skip it.  I did take a photo though, so here it is. 

Tim always entices me with happy hour, and then gets a coke.  He's such a good boy.  Me on the other hand...hey it's Friday...time for a drink.  It's almost 5 o'clock right?  The chips and salsa (which I should have snapped a picture) was amazing, and my favorite part of the night.  Yum.

Next came time for dinner, and it came quickly.  I do have to say this place is pretty cute.  There is a bar area on the other side completely separated from the restaurant, and the eating area is a nice size.  It wasn't one of those big drafty Mexican restaurants with way too much seating.  There was a good amount of people in there too.  The food arrived very fast, and I was excited to try.  It was about 13 bucks for a huge plate of chile colorado, that I could easily take home and make three more meals out of which was nice.  Well, I'm sad to say it wasn't that tasty.  Usually this dish is bursting with flavor...but this one missed the mark. I only had two bites, not because it wasn't edible...it totally was...it just wasn't worth the calories to me.  If I am going to eat something that fatty, I want it to be amazing. 

So if you are tooling around Woodinville and get a hankering for Mexican food...I'd say skip this place.  It's inexpensive and has great salsa, but the margaritas and food just don't measure up.  Thanks ya'll.

MGD

Spicy Chicken Pesto

Okay ladies and gentlemen.  I stumbled across this recipe about 2 years ago and modified it slightly to my liking.  The original called for bowtie pasta and chili paste. I will always take corkscrews over bowties. It s a great twist on classic "chicken and pasta" dishes.  The combination of rooster sauce, pesto, cilantro and fresh Parmesan is amazing!  Do not make the mistake of buying reduced fat pesto sauce...you're eating pesto...just admit it to yourself. 

Spicy Chicken Pesto

I (16) oz package Rotini pasta (corkscrews)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Sriracha (rooster) sauce
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 package refrigerated package prepared pesto
1/2 cup grated FRESH Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Fill a stockpot with lightly salter water and boil.  Add pasta and cook till al dente.
Rinse, drain, and add pasta back to the stockpot.


Add olive oil to skillet over medium heat.  Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts.  Add chicken to the skillet, turning once until done...about 10 minutes. Cut up chicken into medium size pieces. When done, combine chicken, pesto sauce, Parmesan cheese, cilantro and pasta in the stock pot and mix over low heat, until heated.  Sprinkle some cheese over pasta and serve.  Delish!

Classic Homemade Pizza

I always wanted to make my own pizza like mom did at home when I was a kid....but this was a bit of a fail. I will provide the recipe, but with modifications to make it great. Tim can't get enough homemade pizza, he'd have it every other night if he could. he doesn't like veggies, but I can sneak them in there underneath as much mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Classic Homemade Pizza

1 package 17.3 oz Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry (Substitute Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough)

1 cup Prego Tomato Basil & Garlic Spaghetti Sauce (substitute Boboli Pizza Sauce)

Handful of chopped pepperoni

half green pepper sliced

2-4 sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 can chopped olives

5-6 leaves fresh basil chopped

5-6 cloves of garlic chopped

1 (8oz) package mozzarella cheese

handful fresh Parmesan

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tsp garlic salt w/ parsley

1 tsp oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out thawed puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Spread pastry in 15X10 baking sheet. Puncture with fork all over the base of the pastry. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. Mix olive oil in small bowl with garlic salt and parsley.  Brush crust with olive oil mixture.

Spread sauce over pastry. Add garlic to sauce and mix in. Add 3/4 cheese to the sauce. Mix chopped basil in with the cheese. Layer the pepperoni, mushrooms, green pepper, and spread olives over the top. Cover with remaining cheese, and spread handful of fresh Parmesan over the top. Bake for 8 minutes in preheated oven.

This was good, however, I'd switch out the Prego for Boboli sauce, and the puff pastry for refrigerated pizza dough. Not sure how that will change the timing...but it would be about the same I'm sure. It was still good...I just don't like my pizza on flaky pastry with watery sauce. Enjoy!