Rachael Ray's Linguini

Yall Rachael Ray is annoyingAF sometimes, but this recipe is too legit to quit. Make it! Make it for a group- it's so easy. It's much prettier with the mussels, but you can easily omit them from the recipe.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage with fennel seed
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small red chili pepper, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon flakes
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry vermouth or white wine
4 cups chicken stock, plus one cup of water
1 pound box of linguini
About 32 mussels (around 1 pound, you want to serve 6-8 per person), scrubbed
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Preparation

1. In large, wide pan or deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid, brown and crumble the sausage in olive oil over medium-high heat. 
2. Add onion, fennel, garlic, chili pepper, salt, pepper and thyme. Cover pan and cook to soften, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
3. Uncover, stir in tomato paste and add vermouth and stock. 
4. Bring to a bubble, add pasta, cover and cook 7-8 minutes, tossing with tongs occasionally. If the pasta is sticking to the bottom of the pan, loosen the pasta with water.
5. Add mussels, cover and cook 3-4 minutes more to al dente, adding more stock or water if needed. 
6. Add parsley and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve.

Weekly Menu

Hiyaaaa! So excited to see everyone this weekend!

I hear ya about Blue Apron- so nice to do new recipes and not have to worry about going to the store, but def can be more time consuming. I really loved not having to buy a whole bottle of a condiment and just getting the tiny premeasured size instead. We did Blue Apron from the time that Reed was born (you heard that right- I was cooking with a newborn 3x/week!!! Ryan wasn't that impressed but really shoulda been) and we just got our last box. Taking a brief break. But I cooked soooo many new recipes over the last 11 weeks- kinda awesome.

Sun- Capellini with hatch pepper meatballs and salad
Mon- Crab cake on salad
Tue- Broccoli rabe & ricotta ravioli and salad
Wed- Chicken and veggies
Thur- Work event, Ryan on his own
Fri- Chili then HOUSTON!

Going on a date on Sat night to Provisions and sooo excited about it. A real grown-ups-only dinner! I loooove our nanny but her weekend rates are too high- really need to find a weekend babysitter here so we can start having date nights where we don't bring the baby :)

...Is this thing on?? Weekly Menu!

Hi friends! So much is happening in everyone's life (babies! wedding! more babies! home renovations!). We're so grown up. This is real life.

Home renovations have been chugging along, for better or worse. We had #tilegate last week - red veins and cracks in our master bath tile that weren't supposed to be there; but we ended up using it anyway. They'll be done with the tile soon. Hardwood floors, cabinets, and counter tops are next. Eek!

We're still in the rental, which I'm ok with - close to our work, close to the school, doorman, pool, etc. Still, would love to not have to pay rent + mortgage :)

We've been doing low key cooking, AND some Blue Apron. Here's my take on Blue Apron - I like it because it forces me to up my game (if I could roast chicken every night I would). However, it does take an additional 1 hour at least to cook. They bring me a huge eggplant, two squashes, an onion, and tomatoes to dice up to make ratatouille. I would never make ratatouille on any given weekday. Who's got time for that? So we've been doing it on the weekends and I actually do love it. Amelia sets the table, Will has made a specialty cocktail to go with it. It's nice. But again, for us it's better for weekends. The final product has been SO yummy! A pan seared cod one day, chicken with a delicious salad another day. Really have loved it.

I've wanted to start posting again to get strict on 4HB because Cris' wedding is a month away (where did the year go!?) and I had a very loosey-goosey summer.

This is what we have going on this week - it's a shortish week because we're headed to Houston to see ALL OF YOU AT THE SAME TIME AND MY UNIVERSE WILL EXPLODE!!! While we're gone, Will leaves for Argentina until the following Thursday (right before Labor Day) so it's going to be an interesting week!

Monday: I have a JL volunteer event so I made ground beef and veggies for Will to heat up for him and the girls
Tuesday: Chicken and Mushrooms with Roasted Broccoli
Wednesday: Chili
Thursday: Out
Friday - Sunday: IN HOUSTON!

xoxo

Week 12 Menus - Still.Not.Spring.

Hi everyone! Hope yall had a good weekend. We woke up to snow here in Chiberia. It's been snowing since we woke up. Still snowing. Supposed to be 30* all week. Womp.

We had an uneventful weekend. So uneventful that I didn't even cook dinner Friday or Saturday night. We just had leftovers. How lame is that!? We had soccer, went for lunch at Lula Cafe in our new neighborhood, the tile store. Boring. The girls were hilarious. For some reason extra funny.

Here's our menu for this week! 

Sunday: Lentil Soup

Monday: Out - Father-in-law is in town.

Tuesday: Meatloaf (didn't do it a few weeks ago)

Wednesday: Pork Tenderloin

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Shrimp Scampi

What are you guys up to?? xo

Week 11 2015 menu - late, late, late

Hi everyone! Long time no see :)

I've been cooking but it's been kind of uninspired and just surviving. Work has been crazy, the girls have been sick, I was traveling a ton. Surviving.

Here's what we have going on this week:

Sunday: Dinner at a birthday party
Monday: Roasted Chicken and broccoli (anytime I roast chicken, I slather the chicken pieces with dijon mustard and that's it! No oil, butter, nothing. Comes out delicious every time.)
Tuesday: Soy-honey Chicken with roasted broccoli - new recipe and really delicious!!
Wednesday: Leftover Chili - I usually make either Chili or Bolognese over the weekend for us to have as leftovers or the girl's lunch for the week. I'm going to TETE tonight with old co-workers so Will and the girls are on their own :)
Thursday: Meatloaf and mashed cauliflower
Friday: Lentil Soup


What do you guys have going on??

xo

Week of March 9

Made this Tamale Pie recipe last night and really like it! Lots of leftovers. Ryan got seconds. Next time I would either cook it in a smaller pan or use more meat/bean mixture so that the filling/cornbread ratio was a little more even.
Filling:

In pan before I spread cornbread:

Served:

 

Forgot the cilantro... oops. If it had been nicer weather or closer to summer, I def woulda served with grilled okra- that woulda been really good with this.

Other recipes on my To Try list:
Mulligatawny with grilled naan
Campanelle with burrata, lemon, grilled garlic

Week 3 2015 Menu

Hi everyone! Hope yall got to take advantage of the long weekend!

We did a lot of house things - looked at appliances and tiles. Have to start making decisions which is very exciting. Other than that, very low key weekend. We saw Paddington with the girls on Saturday. Nicole Kidman terrified them but the movie was cute.

Here's what we have on the menu this week!

Monday: White Fish Special (recipe below! Don't think I've posted this before.)
Tuesday: Beth's Korean Beef. Mitch is in town and will have dinner with us!
Wednesday: I'm out for a work event, so probably some leftovers or chicken nuggets for the girls.
Thursday: Basil Chicken Curry an oldie but a goodie.
Friday: Chili (I usually just wing the recipe, but my trick is to add corn tortillas to dissolve in the chili. It's amazing.)
Saturday: CHEAT DAY. World is our oyster. TBD.

What do yall have going on??


White Fish Special (adapted from Kobe Restaurant in Houston)

Any white fish - I use Tilapia
4 egg whites
2 tablespoons cornstarch
*Mix egg whites and cornstarch. Marinate the fish and egg white/cornstarch mixture for some time. I've done as little as 10 minutes while I'm prepping something else or as much as a few hours.
* Add oil to a skillet. Cook fish about 4 minutes per side. You're essentially frying the fish. Once the fish is cooked, set aside and use the same skillet for the sauce.

For the sauce:
1/2 stick of butter
2 sliced or diced jalapenos
fresh grated ginger (I keep mine in the freezer and just grate as needed)
1/2 c of soy sauce
*Brown the butter in the skillet, picking up any bits of fish. It'll start to foam and become brown and smell nutty. Throw in the jalapenos. Add soy sauce and the mixture should boil rapidly and reduce some. Stir in the grated ginger (I usually grate the ginger directly into the skillet). The sauce should be really dark - almost black looking. Put the fish back in the skillet to coat well with the sauce or plate the fish and spoon the sauce on top.

Week 2 2015 Menu

Hi everyone, not a lot going on in the food category - been an emotional few weeks (to say the least) so keeping things simple. Below is what we have going on:

Monday: Shrimp and veggies
Tuesday: Spaghetti and Meatballs for the girls. I have a work event and Will is traveling. Our cousin Karla will feed the girls.
Wednesday: Beef stew
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Sausage and Bean Cassoulet
Saturday: Cheat day!! The world is our oyster. Or our hamburger.

What do yall have going on? xoxo

New Year New Menu Week 1!

Hi everyone! Trying to get back into the swing of things while doing the 4 hour body. We didn't read the book, but talked extensively to Cris and Mitch about. Here is our menu for the week. The girls ate up last night's salmon. At least Amelia did - Annelise is really good at being defiant.

Sunday: Chili
Monday: Lou's Dill Salmon + Roasted Broccoli
Tuesday: Chicken Burrito Bowls (minus rice and cheese)
Wednesday: Lentil Soup, an oldie but a goodie
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Mash instead of potatoes
Saturday: CHEAT DAY! Probably pizza and sushi and pasta and ice cream.

What do yall have going on?? xo

Cauliflower Leek Soup

Makin' a new recipe tonight - Cauliflower Leek Soup. I have allergies like crazy, so soup will be so nice in between sniffles n sneezes. Extra bacon plz. And serving w/ french bread.

I'll report back tomorrow to let y'all know if it's good or not :)

One pot chili mac is also on the menu this week :) I love that stuff.

Week 50 Menu! 50!

I can't believe it's almost the New Year, but more importantly it's almost Christmassss!! We leave for Nicragua in almost a week (who's counting!?) and will be there through New Years and I'm so excited to get out of the cold.

This weekend was supa busy - our company holiday party was on Friday. Started drinking at 11am, stopped at 8pm. I'm still hurting. Then Saturday was our friends' annual Kissmas party so more drinks. Today we had brunch with Santa - Annelise would have none of the Italian Santa. Tonight we tried to go to Zoolights but the traffic/parking was so bad we bailed. We'll go again sometime this week when it's less crowded.

Amelia asked for a dog and a pink dress. Annelise just hung on to me for dear life.

I've had a lot of after work holiday events (one last week involved a shopping spree at a high end cosmetics/beauty store- um yes!), and I'm supposed to have more this week though I might cancel. This is what I have going on this week for food:

Sunday: Irish Beef Stew with mashed potatoes
Monday: Roasted Chicken in walnut sauce
Tuesday: Whiteboy Tacos
Wednesday: Meatloaf meatballs
Thursday: Leftovers for Will and the girls, I'm going out with a friend.
Friday: Out for a friend's bday - hopefully not too late of a night!
Saturday: Shrimp Scampi

What do yall have going on?? xo

Hi my dears,

The weather is nasty here today and B is sick, sick, sick with her first cold & fever. She won't stop crying unless I'm holding her or watching her favorite show (Jack's Big Music Show) so... I've let her watch it on repeat all day (best parenting ever!) While she was occupied, I decided to get into the holiday spirit and make some cookies for our annual Girls Christmas dinner tomorrow night. I found this new recipe online and it's the EASIEST batch of sugar cookies I've ever made-- the ingredients are simple, there is no chilling required, they roll out easily, are not overly sticky and bake up to delicious perfection! A must for your holiday baking this season.

Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

PRINT SAVE

YIELD: 3 dozen cookies

PREP TIME: 30 minutes

COOK TIME: 6-8 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 38 minutes

Soft cut out sugar cookie recipe that keeps its shape and dough does not need to be chilled before baking- perfect edges every time!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In the bowl of your mixer cream butter and sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in extracts and egg.
4. In a separate bowl combine baking powder with flour and add a little at a time to the wet ingredients. The dough will be very stiff. If it becomes too stiff for your mixer turn out the dough onto a countertop surface. Wet your hands and finish off kneading the dough by hand.
5. DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH. Divide into workable batches, roll out onto a floured surface and cut. You want these cookies to be on the thicker side (closer to 1/4 inch rather than 1/8).
6. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to transfer to a cooling rack.

NOTES:

• PLEASE NOTE: This recipe has been edited to make a smaller batch than originally published to accommodate the size of stand mixer that most people own. The original recipe was this exact recipe just doubled proportions.
• If you must chill the dough just leave it on the countertop for 10 minutes before rolling or work the dough with your hands for a few minutes.
• You can omit the almond extract if you do not have it available, however the taste is really fantastic with the hint of almond.
• Keep in mind that the recipe yield will vary according to how thick you roll your cookies and how large or small your cutters are.

Original recipe and images © In Katrina's Kitchen 

I can't wait to try her icing too!

Here's a shot of my cookies. Will post some decorated too-- if I ever get around to it :)

Cheers!

-Lou

Week 48 Menu + Annelise 2nd Birthday!

Hello helloooo!

Hope yall had a great Thanksgiving! We had a lovely, relaxing time in Knoxville. Steve planned a couple of excursions for us. Tropical Bird Sanctuary, Dixie Stampede (Medieval Times meets Dolly Parton and Baby Jesus), and ice skating.

Will dropping his extensive parrot knowledge on Amelia.

Annelise didn't love it.

52 card pickup!

Annelise didn't love it.

Amelia loved it!

Here's what we have going on this cold cold week.

Monday: Chili
Tuesday: Chicken Marbella (love this!)
Wednesday: Chicken Broccoli Quinoa
Thursday: Leftovers. I have the industry holiday party that I'm way too old to attend. I'll be sneaking way as early as possible.
Friday: Annelise's Birthday!! Hopefully we'll go out
Saturday: Spaghetti Carbonara - old family recipe that is super easy.
Sunday: Annelise's birthday party- I'll be making all sorts of little sandwiches (baked ham sandwiches, turkey and cranberry, and blts) for the adults, and the usual (mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, and pigs in the blanket) for the kids.

What do you have going on? xoxo

Aji de Gallina

Aji de Gallina is a traditional Peruvian dish that we grew up eating at my cousins' house in Dallas. I always loved it, but never tackled the recipe myself- until today. It turned out to be pretty easy. And came out delicious. The hardest part was combining the 3 different recipes that I was given, and translating both the language and the foreign measurements (like kilos). The simplified version is below. Happy eating! 

Note: I ordered the aji paste from a gourmet foods site online (which is really second best to using the real aji peppers). 

Aji de Gallina

Ingredients:

-       4 chicken breasts

-       2.5 yellow onions

-       1 large box of chicken broth (32 oz)

-       4 garlic cloves

-       4 slices of white bread, with out crust

-       2 cups of chopped walnuts

-       2 cups of shredded parmesan cheese

-       1 can of evaporated milk

-       aji paste (to taste)

-       4 russet potatoes, boiled and chopped - optional 

Directions:

-       boil chicken breasts in chicken broth with salt and 1/2 quartered onion

-       Once chicken is cooked, remove from liquid and set aside to cool

-       Shred chicken thickly, and set aside

-       In a separate bowl, shred bread and allow to soak up a bit of chicken broth

-       Finely chop 2 cups of walnuts in a food processor. Set aside.

-       In a skillet, heat oil

-       To skillet add 2 onions chopped and 4 pressed garlic gloves

-       Once onions are translucent, add aji paste to taste (start with 1 spoonful; I used 6)

-       Once onion and aji mixer has cooled, blend in food processer

-       Add soggy bread to processor and blend as well 

-       In a skillet over low heat, add shredded chicken, can of evaporated milk, parmesan cheese, chopped walnuts, and onion & bread mixture (add optional potatoes here too)

-       Once all ingredients are blended together, taste and add more aji paste if necessary

-       Season to taste (for more heat, I decided to add a bit of cayenne pepper)

-       Traditionally, this dish is served over rice, with chopped hard boiled eggs and olives sprinkled on top (I never liked those toppings, so feel free to skip)

Week 45 Menu + Back to the routine

Hi everyone, I'm so exhausted I want to give up right now and crawl into a hole. Annelise was sick the entire car ride home from Minneapolis. Minneapolis was great and always so comforting to see Eli and Alex. The car ride home was terrifying. I had to pull over to the side of the road twice because of Annelise getting sick and it was already dark out so I had images going through my head of getting hit by an out of control 18-wheeler. Terrifying. We abandoned a sweatshirt on the side of the road because it was so covered in sick and there was no way in hell I was letting that in the car. Poor dear was sick when we got home too so she slept in my bed (after she got sick all over her crib) and I was so scared she'd choke on something I was up all night just staring at her. We struggled.

I took a whole wardrobe full of maternity clothes for Eli (whoop!) and we had pizza and cocktails (for Alex and me) and went to brunch with Brad. The girls had a blast and hearing Annelise say "Donde esta mi padrino?" is the most adorable thing I've ever heard.

Here's what we have going on this week - hope to stick to it as much as possible!

Monday: Order in
Tuesday: Baked Chicken Mushroom Skillet (didn't do this last week)
Wednesday: Zuppa Toscana. I know. AGAIN. It's so good and it's cold out.
Thursday: Chili
Friday: Lasagna (the frozen kind. yep.)

What are yall up to? xo