Real Good Red Potatoes
Jul 18, 2012

Real Good Red Potatoes

By · 4 Comments

What you’ll need:
3-4 Red Potatoes cut into 1 in. cubes
1/2 Onion diced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper diced
2 Tomatoes diced
4-5 Garlic Cloves peeled
1/4 C. Flat Leaf Parsley coarsely chopped
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
Onion and Garlic Powder to taste
Herbs de Provence to taste
2-3 Tbls Olive Oil

Put it together:
Set the oven temp to 400. Wash produce and chop up potatoes, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes and parsley.  Next add all the veggies to a large mixing bowl and include the garlic cloves. Add about 2-3 Tbls of olive oil and then sprinkle the mix with all spices EXCEPT the salt. Salt draws out moisture so you don’t want to add it before cooking otherwise the veggies may shrivel up. So reserve the salt for after the potatoes are done cooking. Now, lightly hand mix the veggies turning a couple times over to make sure they’re well coated. In a large glass baking dish use a little cooking spray to coat the bottom, then transfer the veggies. Place in the oven uncovered and roast for about 45-50 mins. Once the cooking time is up , pierce the potatoes to make sure they’re done! After removing veggies from the oven,  you can now add some kosher salt to taste!
*Note* If you’re a garlic lover…ADD MORE GARLIC!

Enjoy!

From me to you…

Tutu

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This is how I roll…
Jul 2, 2012

This is how I roll…

By · 1 Comment

Now that the song is in your head…let’s talk home made dinner rolls! I followed the Fleischmann’s Classic Dinner Roll recipe using the Active Dry Yeast Pack. Remember, the red and yellow package your mom or grandmother always used to have in the cubbord? Ahh…memories….
Let’s Start:

1 envelope Fleischmann’s® Active Dry Yeast
1/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°F)
2 to 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter OR margarine, softened

Put it Together:

Soften yeast in 1/4 cup warm water in a large mixing bowl.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Add 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, milk and butter.  Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer.  Add 1 cup flour and beat on high speed of mixer for 2 minutes.  Add in enough additional flour (if needed) to make a soft dough.

Turn dough on lightly floured surface and knead 2 to 3 minutes.  Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat.  Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 30 minutes or until doubled.

Punch dough down and divide dough into 12 equal pieces.  Shape into balls.  Place in greased 8-inch round pan.

Pour a 1-inch depth of boiling water into large pan on bottom rack of cold oven.  Set rolls on rack above water. Cover. Close oven door; let rise 30 minutes or until doubled.  Uncover rolls; remove pan of water and rolls from oven.

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Bake rolls for 20 to 25 minutes, or until done.  Remove from pan.  Serve warm.

mmm…warm just out of the oven

Serve:

Serve rolls with butter or visit breadworld.com for more sweet and savory recipes!

Enjoy~

From me to you…

Tutu

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Meatless Monday – Part II
Jun 26, 2012

Meatless Monday – Part II

By · 2 Comments

Hi folks and welcome to Beans and Veggies Part II. To the folks that are just joining us I’m sure that read a bit strange, right? Well, just to update you, yesterday was Meatless Monday and I shared my Crock Pot Beans and Veggie Soup recipe. Today, I’m extending the meal to a second night making it part II…with some changes.

So, I’ve re-heated my soup in a large pot and added a few new ingredients to change things up a bit. My additions are: Yams that have been washed, peeled and cut into chunks, more tomatoes and broth and some all spice seasoning. Yesterday’s soup flavors were dynamite but for today, I think the all spice would really liven it up and compliment the yams. Simply just throw in your new additions and heat until the yams chunks are soft. This only takes about 20 mins.

Enjoy~

Tutu  

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Broiled Skirt Steak with Orzo Pasta
Jun 22, 2012

Broiled Skirt Steak with Orzo Pasta

By · 2 Comments

I’ve made a delicious meal! Broiled Skirt Steak with Orzo Pasta! It was easy…but of course I didn’t let my guests know that. I want them to think I’m a CulinaryRockstar even though this really only took less than 30 minutes to cook up if you exclude the marination time. Ok, so let get started…

Ingredients you’ll need:

(For the Meat and Marinade)
1Lb of Skirt Steak
Hand full of Fresh Cilantro
Hand full of Fresh Parsley
1/2-1 chopped White Onion
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

(For the Orzo Pasta)
1 Cup of Orzo *Note follow cooking instructions on box to cook al dente and boil in salted water*
1/2  Cup chopped Red Onion
Hand full of chopped Green Onion
Hand full of chopped Parsley or Cilantro
1 large Cucumber chopped
1/2 Cup of sliced red or orange Grape Tomatoes
Red Wine Vinegar to taste
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
Crumbled Feta Cheese to taste

 Put it together:

Skirt Steak: Take all of the ingredients listed for the marinade and process them in a food processor. Remember that when you add oil to any marinade, you always want to drizzle it in while the processor is processing! After everything is well blended the consistency should be  slightly think but not too watery. Next lay your cuts of meat down in a dish and smother with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. After the marination time and the meat is ready to cook, turn the oven to broil. Shake off any excess marinade and place the meat in a oven safe dish lined with foil.  For medium cooked meat, broil each side for 3 to 4 minutes. Cook less time per side for medium rare and more time for well done. My suggestion is not to exceed more than 5 minutes per side! When the meat is cooked to your liking remove it from the oven and transfer to a cutting board, cover and let it rest for a few minutes before cutting.

Orzo Pasta: Boil about 1 cup of uncooked Orzo in a nice pot of salted water. Cook according to the al dente directions on the box. Once the pasta is ready, remove from the heat and drain. Place pasta in a large bowl and refrigerate to cool completely. After the pasta has cooled, add the olive oil, vinegar salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Next add the tomatoes, onions, cucumber and parsley or cilantro. Toss again. Finally add the crumbled feta and lightly toss to combine.  

How to serve: By now your skirt steak is ready to cut. Slice thinly and serve alongside a generous helping of the Orzo Pasta. Garnish with parsley and TAKE A BOW. ((((((APPLAUSE))))))

From me to you…

Tutu

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Goodness, Gracious, Great Bowls of Chili!
Jun 11, 2012

Goodness, Gracious, Great Bowls of Chili!

By · 2 Comments

Hi Friends! Today I’m cookin’ in the kitchin’ with my crock pot and makin’ some chili! This is a great meal for your busy days when your attention is needed elsewhere. Hmm, that’s probably everyday right? Ha ha ha, well in that case, I promise to make and share more recipes like this one!

Let’s get started:

Take out your crock pot, turn it on and set to “low”

Ingredients you’ll need: 
1.25 lbs Lean Ground Turkey
1 chopped White Onion
4-5 minced Garlic Cloves
1 pkg Chili Seasoning Mix (or make your own, see Tutu’s notes)
1 can Tomato Sauce 15 oz
1 can Diced Tomatoes 14.5 oz
1 can Golden Sweet Corn 11 oz
1 can Kidney or Red Beans 15 oz
a little Olive Oil
a hand full of chopped Green Onion for garnish (optional)

Ground Turkey and Diced Onions in Bowls

Turkey and Onion ready to cook!

Chili Trio: Red Beans, Corn and Diced Tomatoes in Bowls

Chili Trio: Red Beans, Corn and Diced Tomatoes

     

Put it together:
Dice up 3/4 of the white onion. Reserve 1/4 of the chopped onion for garnish.  In a pan, pour a little oil- just enough to coat the bottom. Add the onion and minced garlic and saute over med-low heat just until the onions are soft. Aroma should be fragrant! Next, add your ground turkey and increase the heat to med-high. Cook meat through, breaking up any large pieces. Careful not to over cook. Once meat looks done turn off the heat and add your chili spice packet. Mix well and add a little of the tomato sauce if mixture seems too dry.

Cooked Chili Meat in Bowl

How the cooked Turkey and Onions should look

Transfer your meat and onion mix to the already warmed crock pot. Finally, dump in the beans, corn, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Fold in to mix ingredients together, cover with the lid and let it cook low and slow, 3 hours.

How to serve:
Place the chili in bowls or large squatty mugs. Garnish with the reserved chopped white onion. Other garnish types can be green onion, cheddar cheese or all of the above!

Cooked Chili in Crock Pot

Cooked Chili in the Crock Pot after about 2-3 hours. Remember, low and slow!

Tutu’s notes:
~ Make your own Chili Seasoning Mix!
Add: pepper, kosher salt, garlic power, onion powder, cumin and zesty chili power. Adjust more or less of any spice to your liking.

~ A Healthier Option
Of course using Turkey is already a healthier start than using Beef, but you can also take other steps to lighten things up! #1 Use less salt and choose “no salt” options for your canned goods or look for lower sodium amounts.
#2 The fresher the ingredient the better! Choose live produce over canned options.
#3 Portion control. It may be hard to stop eating this delicious meal but less can be more! Especially by making this last 2-3 nights.

Enjoy~

From me to you…

Tutu

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Beet-utiful Borscht
Jun 4, 2012

Beet-utiful Borscht

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Wow, what a treat is this!

I followed a Borscht recipe on seriouseats.com but made a few changes.

Tutu, loves vegetarian food but I added some other ingredients to give this soup a more traditional Russian touch.

I also took just a few pictures along the way to share the making process with you.

A little choppin’

A little shreddin’

some other stuff (see linked recipe) and dinner is served!

Here are Tutu’s changes:
~Add fresh minced Garlic!
~Use Butter in place of Olive Oil
~Use a mixture of good Beef and Vegetable stock
~Use Vinegar in place of Lemon (start with a small amount and add more to your liking)
~Sour Cream!
~Serve with Bread
~Enjoy

From me to you…

Tutu

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Zucchini Ribbon Salad
May 28, 2012

Zucchini Ribbon Salad

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Try this really easy technique of making zucchini curls! You’ll need a few zucchini, sliced tomatoes and a vegetable peeler. Start by peeling a small amount from the center of the zucchini just to expose the inside a bit. Next, peel a strip from the zucchini starting from just above the exposed middle and peeling all the way to the end. The peels will have a natural curl to them-just roll them up and place them in your serving dish to create the rolled ribbon effect! Finally add your tomatoes and dressing if desired. You can also try this with yellow squash.

From me to you…

Tutu

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