Asparagus Tart

This dish makes me think of Easter. We always ate ham on Easter, and asparagus just goes so nicely with ham. In fact, this could make a lovely entree for an Easter brunch. Well, this dish tasted wonderful, but had a major structural problem. There is an egg custard that gets poured into an already baked pie crust, which leaked out of the crust, and then out of the tart pan. Maybe an actual pie dish would be better suited for next time. Thankfully, Greg had a last minute premonition of egg spillage, and suggested putting tin foil on the oven rack, under the tart pan. Good suggestion =).

Anyway, this was really easy, and really yummy. Next time, I may put poached eggs on top to serve, since the egg custard was fairly thin (but then again, a decent amount of it did spill out).

Recipe:
1 pie crust, rolled to fit your baking dish. I used the Betty Crocker classic, but Cooks Illustrated has a fantastic recipe, using vodka (sadly, we had no vodka on hand).

1 bunch of asparagus. Cut into a bit shorter than the radius of your pie dish (or, short enough to fit into a 9x9 square)
3 red potatoes, boiled and then thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 C. milk
4 lg. eggs
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 lbs. ham
1 tsp. rosemary
1 C. Swiss Cheese, grated.

-Steam asparagus over the boiling water with potatoes cooking. Steam the asparagus until bright green and they start to become tender. Dump into cold water, then dry on a towel.

-While the potatoes are cooking, have pie crust baking. Grate black pepper on pie crust before it goes in the oven.

-Mix eggs, milk, nutmeg, 2/3 C. Swiss cheese and salt.

-Once crust is done, layer in: thinly sliced potatoes, ham, asparagus. Then pour egg mixture over the asparagus. Sprinkle with more remaining cheese.

-Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

-Enjoy!!!

Orzo with Shrimp

Well, hello all. The past 5 months have been hectic, to say the least. Somehow, I convinced myself that it taking the equivalent of anatomy & physiology I & II in 1 semester was a sane thing to do. While I suppressed any creative instincts for the past 5 months, the "right side" of my brain is now ready for a little action. OK, I know, Orzo with Shrimp is not creative, but I didn't really cook for about 5 months, so I need some training wheels again. I actually made this dish the first week after finals to celebrate freedom, and stay warm because we were freezing here in Lexington. This picture is from Greg's re-creation of the meal. After a few quick instructions, he was cooking away when I got home from work last night!

The key for this to turn out well is to actually over cook your orzo. It should be fairly mushy - makes it all the more comforting =). This time, we used frozen pre-cooked shrimp that were just thawed. Next time, I might use fresh frozen so we can spice them up a bit, without turning them into rubber with over cooking them. A dash of fresh nutmeg would also be good for next time. I can't wait for warming weather, because I think grilled shrimp and grilled veggies would be very yummy, too!

Recipe:
1/2 lbs orzo
2 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds, then cut again into halves
2 cloves garlic, minced
~2 tbs EVOO
3/4 C. parmesan cheese
shrimp - thawed and prepared to preference
salt and pepper

Boil water for orzo - let cook until very well done.

While water is boiling, turn over to 375 degrees F. Slice zucchini and cut into rounds. Toss with EVOO, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 5-7 minutes, until they start to turn golden brown on the edges.

Thaw and prepare shrimp while veggies are roasting.

When orzo is done, drain off most of the water. In a large bowl, slowly add parmesan cheese & stir until it starts to smell like Alfredo sauce. You may not need the whole 3/4 C. Once cheese is stirred in, add zucchini and shrimp. Toss to coat. Serve warm.

Enjoy!!!

Breakfast Burrito

I know that is has been ages since I posted last, and this isn't exactly a big "come back" meal, but it sure was good! In the last 4 months I've been busy with finishing up the winter semester, taking one crazy class in 4 weeks time, & then I bought a house with my hubby, moved, and we're just getting settled. As you can see, we don't even have a place set up to take pictures. This was just on the counter!

One of the challenges with the new kitchen is that there is very little functional counter space. A kitchen cart may be in order. I've stayed away from dishes that require multiple pots and pans. But, we've still been eating fairly well =).

This was a hodge-podge meal. Greg was leaving for work and was starving, so we took some roasted chicken left-overs, eggs, cheddar cheese, salsa and cilantro and made this yummy mess. Of course, this means there is no real recipe, but here's my best shot:

Recipe: Serves 2-3

5 eggs
1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C. salsa
1/4 C. packed cilantro
Sea salt and pepper
1 C. shredded roasted chicken

Wisk eggs together. Add shredded cheese. Place in a warm skillet. Add salsa, cilantro, chicken, salt and pepper. Cook as desired. (I actually tried to make an omlet, but in my hurry, forgot to grease the pan...so scrambled it was!)

Enjoy!

Fruit and Tortellini Salad

Greg and I made this a while ago when we were craving foods that remind us of summer. My Mom used to make me a salad like this to take to my summer job as a lifeguard. There is nothing like chilled cheese tortellini with fresh veggies on a sunny 85 degree day! This is another meal with a very lose recipe: tortellini (or ravioli), chopped veggies, salad dressing (optional), parmesan cheese (optional). It takes as long to prepare as the pasta takes to cook & the veggies to be chopped. It is good warm, but best chilled for a few hours.

Our favorite dressing to mix in is Girard's Caesar dressing. But, we were out, and it's $$$, so we tried the Kraft version. For more than a dollar less and 4 more oz., it was a pretty good substitute! Orange and yellow bell peppers were on sale, so we chopped half of each up with two cucumbers (skins removed because they were the waxed kind).

It really satisfied our craving! We'll be making this again, but I want to try adding avocado in. We love the "green gold", but we haven't added it into this before. Maybe some sliced tomatoes would be nice with that, too.

Recipe: Serves 4
1 small bag frozen or fresh cheese tortellini or ravioli
2 - 3C. chopped veggies
2-4 TBS favorite salad dressing
2-4 TBS parmesan cheese

-Cook pasta according to directions on the bag.
-Chop veggies
-Drain the pasta. Add all ingredients. Mix well. Chill for 2ish hours until cool.
-Enjoy!!!

Pancakes

Well, this is another secret Hellman family recipe. I've been a bit busy with school and work (even working some OT), so my posts are behind. This is just a quick little tease =). I have a few actual recipes to post, but those will have to wait until another time.

Orange Teriyaki Chicken Salad

Greg and I have been craving fresh food for a while. I think our bodies are ready for summer! Since the oranges are perfect right now, we took advantage of them. I saw a similar recipe in a fitness magazine. Their protein was fish, and they stir-fried kale to go with it. Greg doesn't really like kale, and I don't really like fish, so we just borrowed the orange teriyaki sauce.

This was a delicious salad, and very filling! I actually couldn't finish mine. I think this would also be really good in a wrap, but maybe leaving out the orange slices. They would have to go on the side.

Recipe: Serves 2

3-4 chicken breast tenders - cut into bite size pieces
1 orange - zested and then sectioned
1 cucumber, sliced
1 bell pepper (though I used half of a yellow and half of a red) - cut into strips
ready to eat spinach
2 tbs teriyaki sauce
zest of one orange
extra virgin olive oil

dressing:
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp orange juice
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

-Add extra virgin olive oil and teriyaki sauce to a medium hot skillet. Add orange zest and stir until fragrant. Not quite a minute. Add the chicken. Stir often. The liquid will for a sauce. You may need to add a bit of flour at the end to make it all come together. Takes about 5 minutes to cook.

-Whisk together the vinegar, orange juice and olive oil for your dressing.

-Combine all ingredients.

Enjoy!!!

All-American Chocolate Butter Cake Cupcakes

Hmmm, chocolate! This title is a mouth full! The recipe is mildly altered from The Cake Bible, which was gifted from dear family friends a few years ago, Thom and Doug! My Mom let me take the book with me when Greg and I moved to Kentucky.

I've made the cake version of this recipe before, and it's always a hit. The texture and flavor are great. The cupcake version was a bit disappointing, but only because I know how glorious the cake can be. But, all said, they were very good!

The only changes I made were to throw about 1 C. of almond slices into the batter. They didn't add much flavor, so I think I would have been better off using almond extract or amaretto. I really want to try that next time!

Recipe: Serves 12 (Yes, the recipe for this, and all of the cakes, comes in volume and weight!)

Unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2C + 3 TBS OR 2.25 oz
Boiling water 1 liquid C OR 8.25 oz
3 large eggs (room temp)
vanilla 2 1/4 tsp OR 9 grams
sifted cake flour 2 1/4 C + 2 TBS OR 8.25 oz
sugar 1 1/2 C OR 10.5 oz
baking powder 1 TBS OR 5 grams
unsalted butter (softened) 12 TBS OR 8 oz

Preheat oven to 350
-Boil water, whisk in the cocoa. Cool to room temp.
-Combine eggs, 1/4 the cocoa mixture and vanilla
-In a third bowl, sift the remaining ingredients together. Add the butter and remaining cocoa mixture. Gradually add the egg mixture.
-makes 24 cupcakes, bake for 15 minutes
OR
-makes 2 9inch cakes, bake for 25-35 minutes.
-Enjoy!!!