Tamari Garlic Green Beans

Be a lazy cook, & still impress with this yummy side dish! This was actually what I served to my fiance along with an entree, the very first time I EVER cooked for him! He was so impressed! He thought for sure I had some amazing & complicated secret on how to make them! But I didn't! Take took me a total of 15 mins to cook! He kept taking a little bit, then coming back for more & more of them. *Note: This was when we first started dating aka pre-vegetable loving days ;)

Ingredients:

Tamari (very similar to Soy Sauce with less sodium) or Soy Sauce  approx 2 Tbl

Garlic freshly minced  approx 4 cloves

Olive Oil approx 1/4 cup

Green Beans (fresh or frozen) approx 5 cups or 1/2 bag frozen
Chili Flakes to taste if desired

How to make it:

1) Heat frying pan with olive oil.

2) Add minced garlic cook approx 30 secs.

3) Add beans and Tamari (& Chili Flakes if spiciness desired)

4) Cook until warm but still firm approx 5 mins and probably 10 mins for frozen.

Great paired with Red Wine & Beef Stroganoff! See my recipe here

Don't know what to do with Turnips? Make a Souffle!

I came up with this recipe when I was pregnant because I had a goal to try a new vegetable, (or one I didn't eat very often) every time I went to the grocery store. I never have really loved the taste of turnips, so I got them home and did some creative thinking to see if I could cook up something yummy. Luckily this turned out fabulously my first try!

My pregant belly :)

The second time I made this I only had a couple turnips, so I mixed in some sweet potatoes which made for a delightful twist!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds turnips, peeled and sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2/3 cup milk

4 eggs, separated

How to make it:

Place turnips, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and sugar in a saucepan; cover with water. Cover and cook until turnips are tender, about 15-20 minutes; drain well and mash (do not add milk or butter). Set aside.

In another saucepan, melt butter; stir in the flour and remaining salt until smooth. Add milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Beat egg yolks in a small bowl; gradually stir in 1/2 cup hot milk mixture. Return all to pan; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in turnips; remove from the heat. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold into batter. Spoon into a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. glass baking dish. 

 Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Easy Egg Nog for any time of the year!

Ok so I know that there is an unwritten rule about Egg Nog that says - only drink it during the holidays. But I say, I loooove Egg Nog (& there must be someone else out there that craves it in the summer months too). I think everyone should have the option to drink it any time they want to! Milk Shakes & Frappucinos are acceptable year round, so why not Egg Nog? For those of you that fret about this, year & year again, don't worry I am here to help! When the holidays are over and the grocery stores stop carrying it, I have a super-easy super-satisfying quick way to make Egg Nog at home!

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar (even less is still yummy if you need to cut some out)

3 cups milk (nonfat for a lighter & still delicious version)

1t Vanilla

As much of your favorite vanilla icecream as you desire!

How to make it:

Take icecream out of the freezer to melt a little.

Beat together sugar & eggs

Stir in milk, vanilla & as much icecream as you want and let it melt in.

Then serve! And add rum if you would like! Yum! Yum!

Make Your Own Pesto!

You gotta love Italy for coming up with Pesto YUM! Pesto just makes so many things taste better! And the premade kind you get from the store doesn't even taste like pesto in comparison to fresh pesto. But don't worry it turns out that it is actually pretty easy to make yourself!

Ingredients:

1 bunch Fresh basil

3 Tbl Pine nuts

4 cloves Garlic

1/2 cup Olive oil

2 oz Parmesan or Romano cheese grated

How to make it:

1)Rinse basil & toast pine nuts in a dry pan until light brown spots appear.

2) Mash all ingredients except olive oil and cheese by hand for a chunky result, or puree in a food processor.

3) Add olive oil & cheese.

4) Keeps in a closed container in the fridge. Check on it in 3-4 days and if the olive oil hasn't risen to the top add some more to create a protective barrier or freeze in an ice cube tray.

*Use it in sandwiches, pasta, pizza, potatoes, fish, chicken, vegetable dishes you name it!

"Make Him Fall for You" Beef Stroganoff

Serve this to your prospect and watch his heart melt! ;)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Unsalted butter

3 cloves Garlic minced

1 cup chopped onion

2 small cans or 1 big can mushrooms (of course fresh is always best but I like to cheat on this recipe)

2 lbs sirloin or round steak cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup Sourcream

Salt & Pepper to taste

1Tsp Kitchen Bouquet

2Tsp Worchestershire Sauce

3 Tbl Flour

2 Beef boullion cubes

Brown Rice or Pasta

Fry pan

Baking dish


How to make it:

PREHEAT oven 350 degrees

1) Cook pasta or Rice


2) Melt butter into fry pan and brown the steak "well" in it.


3) Add garlic, onion & mushrooms & cook until soft.


4) Add sourcream, Kitchen Bouquet & Worchestershire.


5) Mix 3 Tbl of flour into 1 cup boullion (2 bouillion cubes in 1 cup hot water) and add to everything else.


6) Pour into baking dish, cover & bake.

*Best to bake 20 mins at 350 degrees then 300 degrees for 1 hr (or longer) but just 1 hr at 350 degrees will work just fine!

*Dinner Tonight* - Angelic Lemon & Dill Salmon

This recipe is so incredibly easy & I know it's delicious because my fiance, (who doesn't like seafood & usually trys not to do seconds) couldn't resist seconds!

Everytime I make this I don't measure anything. So please just use the amounts as a guideline.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter or approx 3 Tbl Olive Oil for a healthier version

1/2 pkg Angel Hair Pasta (I like the kind with flax in it & I cook the whole pkg and use the left overs for something else)

2 Tbl Fresh or 1 Tbl Dried Dill

Salt to taste

1/2 lb Salmon

3 Tsp Lemon juice

1 clove Garlic minced

1/2 cup Onion finely chopped

1 medium saucepan
1 medium to large fry pan

How to make it:

1) Boil water in a saucepan for the pasta. And follow pkg instructions for cooking.

2) Melt butter in a frying pan add garlic & onion cook for approx. 2 mins.

3) Add salmon, lemon & dill. Cook until salmon is done all the way through, and then flake it into bit sized chunks.

4)Add salt and add to pasta. Drizzle more olive oil or butter if needed.

5) Enjoy :)

Best Breakfast in Bed - Apple Pan Puff

On a Saturday morning when you are feeling like doing something nice. Make someone you love breakfast in bed! This recipe is perfect for splitting in half. It may seem like alot of food for 2 people, but I promise it's so scrumptious you will easily, "make room".

Ingredients:

• 2 Apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla, Almond or Hazelnut Extract

How to make it:


1) PREHEAT oven to 450 degrees


2) Saute apples in butter until soft.


3) Spread apples evenly over the bottom of a glass or ceramic pie plate, or a cast iron pan.


4) In a medium bowl, beat eggs, add flour and beat until smooth.


5) Stir in milk & extract.


6) Pour over apples.


7) Bake 20 minutes, or until lightly browned.


*Serve with Paige-shire Cream, Creme Fraiche (see previous recipe post) or Whipping Cream.

* I also like to pile whatever fresh fruit is in season on top.