Breakfast for Dinner!

September 26, 2012

Hello fellow Foodies!  I've missed you!

Sorry I haven't posted over the last week, but this Foodie Favorite has also decided to become a "Pampered Chef" and I've been spending some time kicking that off.  Check out my new website at http://pamperedchef.biz/foodiefavorites to see all of the great products, get some new recipes and consider being a host.  Great, great benefits for hosts where you can earn FREE products, half price products and discounted products.  OK.  Done plugging myself :)

So, going along with the Pampered Chef theme, I recently pulled out some old cookbooks from when I last hosted a PC party, 2002, and came across the "Farmstand Frittata"- the ingredients seemed so awesomely farmer's market and "end of summer" and I actually had most of them in the fridge so I decided to make it.  My husband is more of a meat and potatoes (rice, really) kind-of-guy so you can imagine his excitement when he came home from work and I told him we were having a fritatta for dinner (and bacon).  Hahaha.  My kids would never eat this...too many eggs, too many vegetables, etc., but "Breakfast for Dinner" is a novelty idea in the kid universe so they were still excited and they did both try the bacon though they had alternate main courses.

Check out the recipe below...though it's good for dinner, it is also great for Brunch and/or for leftover breakfast which skeptical hubbie had the next morning!

Coming soon...Our very own Cabhunter will be back with his wine picks for the fall and Foodie will give an easy solution to delicious short ribs!  Tell your friends to check us out by coming to foodiefavorites.blogspot.com and click subscribe to get direct e-mails whenever there is a post.

Bon Appetit!




Veggies + eggs= yummy frittata!



Farmstand Fritatta

Ingredients:
6 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 medium zucchini, sliced (1 and 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves snipped, divided
6 eggs
1/2 teasopoon plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided
1 and 1/2 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, grated, divided (about 6 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1.  Break thin spaghettin into 2-to 3-inch lengths.  Cook according to package directions; drain.

2.  Meanwhile, chop onion and bell pepper.  Slice zucchini.  Snip basil with shears.

3.  In small bowl, whisk together eggs, 1 tablespoon of the snipped basil, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and black pepper using a whisk.  Add 4 tablespoons of the grated Parmesan cheese.

4.  In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini and garlic pressed with a garlic press.  Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are tender; stir in cooked spaghetti.  Reduce heat to low.  Pour egg mixture over pasta mixture in pan.  Cover; cook 14-15 minutes or until egg mixture is set in center.

5.  Meanwhile, combine tomatoes with remaining 1 tablespoon snipped basil and 1/8 teaspoon salt.  Grate remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over frittata.  Cut frittata into wedges.  Serve topped with tomato mixture.

6 servings.  Calories 230, Fat 8 g, Sodium 400mg, Dietary Fiber 2g

Foodie Note: Keep an eye on the eggs while they are cooking.  Depending on how well done you like your eggs and/or the pan you are using, cooking time may vary.  I cooked my frittata a bit longer than the recipe called for.

Pampered Chef Notes:  1- With the spaghetti added, the frittata has a firm texture, making it easy to slice and serve.  2- You can cook the thin spaghetti ahead of time and refrigerate, or use 3 cups leftover cooked thin spaghetti.  Use kitchen shears to cut leftover cooked spaghetti into 2- to 3-inch lengths.

Bargain Red Wines

September 17, 2012

I've been known to throw back a glass (bottle) or two of wine on occasion.  I have my everyday favorites which usually are at a lesser price point then bottles for special occasions.  Like alot of people, I've tasted wine from the inexpensive to the VERY expensive.  I am not a connoisseur of wine and I haven't been formally trained or schooled, but I know what I like.  As far as reds go, I generally like a light to middle bodied wine which can be found in almost all regions.  There are of course many, many delicious wines but as a rule of thumb, once you start going over a 14%-ish alcohol level, you'll be falling down after a couple of glasses.  Sadly, I speak from experience...

I gave 2 different bottles a try recently which were smooth and yummy and were from Whole Foods so you should be able to find them fairly easily.  They were great buys for the money!!  I hope you get a chance to give them a try.

Details below:



Altos Las Hormigas
Malbec-Clasico Mendoza
Argentina 2011
14.2% alcohol
www.lashormigas.com
$10.99 (at Whole Foods)


M.Chapoutier's Belleruche
Cotes-Du-Rhone
France 2010
14% alcohol
$13.99 (at Whole Foods)


Cheers!

The Lobster Roll from Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP

September 7, 2012

 

I've become a huge fan of the lobster roll this summer.  One of our nearby restaurants, Boondocks, in Red Bank, NJ gets credit for turning me onto them.  I don't really like mayo, but I gave it a try anyway because I LOVE lobster, and it was delicious- I can't get enough of it.

Soooo... When I saw a recipe come through in my own e-mail box, I thought I must share it.  Gwyneth Paltrow started her own blog/website in 2008 called GOOP where every week she "reports" on a different category (make, go, get, do, be, see).  This week not only does she "make" a lobster roll, french fries and martinis with a little help from her friends, but she reports on where to get great lobster rolls in various cities if you don't have the time or the energy to make your own.

Go to:   http://goop.com/journal/make/191/the-lobster-roll

If you have trouble with the link, type in goop.com and under recipes search for the lobster roll.

You can also subscribe to GOOP to get her weekly postings. And subscribe to Foodie Favorites as well at http://foodiefavorites.blogspot.com. 

Enjoy and Bon Appetit!

A Love/ Hate Relationship...with Leftovers

September 6, 2012

For those of you who know this Foodie, you probably know how much I dislike leftovers.  It is a rare occasion that I take any unfinished food home from a restaurant, friend's house, etc.  I just don't like the idea of something cooked for the second time or the re-heated texture (too soggy or tough) or taste of said food on another day.

Over the years, I have learned some passable tricks for "re-packaging" foods of yesterday.  One of them is leftover beef or chicken, marinated or plain.  Many years ago, we were out with some friends and I'm thinking it was actually pre-kids... (I could easily go off on a tangent here, but I won't) and we went back to their house for some late night chow and he whipped us up some fresh quesadillas with a leftover piece of steak sliced thin and sandwiched in between that cheesy tortilla.  It was super satisfying and perhaps my memory is slightly tainted because of the adult beverages I had that night, but borderline delicious.  Whenever I have leftover steak or chicken now, my go-to lunch, appetizer or dinner in one of the days following is the quesadilla.  Easy to make and in my house we have all of those ingredients on hand (shredded cheese, tortillas and a little cooking spray or olive oil- pepper and other veggies also optional) and the bonus is, my kids eat quesadillas now too.

I love pizza.  To tell you the truth, I don't really know anyone who doesn't.  I usually have a pre-made crust on hand for a last minute snack or meal or Pillsbury makes a pizza dough or you can always go old school with a Pillsbury crescent roll crust. I buy a wheat version at Whole Foods, but recently tried Mama Mary's thin crusts with a crowd of people which got the thumbs up from both kids and adults (more about that in a minute).  I've made mini pizzas on the Indian bread, Naan or on pitas or the "kid-friendly" English Muffins.  There are so many different things on the market to choose from.  It occurred to me last night that pizza is really an open canvas for leftovers and basically to get rid of anything that's in your refrigerator.  In no time, I whipped up a pizza on a whole wheat crust with a little tomato sauce, peppers, mushrooms, shrimp, mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan cheese.  With a little garlic powder, oregano and basil, you're on your way and this new concoction was fresh and tasted great.  Think of all of the variations that are possible and inexpensive because you already have everything at home!  Until now, I totally didn't think of this as "leftover" but it kinda was!

Last, there is the "Leftover Challenge"... My family and I were away last week on vacation in North Carolina with 2 other families.  On the day we arrived, we went shopping for 11 people for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The first couple of nights we had basics that were cooked fresh: hamburgers and hotdogs, another night chicken and steak, etc.  The FUN part was as the week went on, assessing what was in the fridge and deciding what we could make to feed 5 kids and 6 adults.  I mean it, I enjoyed the challenge of thinking out of the box in order to use what was on hand with minimal additions from the store.  Afterall, we didn't want to have a full fridge of stuff that needed to be thrown in the garbage at the end of the week.  Some favorites of the week were blueberry pancakes, lots of sandwich combinations and top nights included a Mexican fiesta where there was plenty of chicken, beans, rice and vegetables for fajitas, tacos and quesadillas and make-your-own pizza night where we bought personal pizza crusts (Mama Mary's) and all of the kids and adults got to choose there own toppings from meals and veggies that were cooked, sliced and diced earlier in the week.  Almost everything that we put out for both meals was stuff that we already had on hand.  I'm here to tell you that much of this group of 11 had the same things with small variations for lunch the next day and they were THRILLED about it!  I'm still trying to fit back into my jeans.  Oh wait, that wasn't only from this vacation.  Haha!

You still won't likely catch me taking extra stuff home from a restaurant, but I wanted to share these ideas  for "fresh leftovers" and let you know that I am re-thinking the actual meaning of leftovers and I'm likin' it!

Thanks- Foodie

Fishing in the Outerbanks for our next meal (just kidding)

Foodie Favorites is Back!

September 4, 2012

Doesn't everyone like a comeback?  Well, after 3 years from my last posting, Foodie is back...

Where has the time gone?  It's been busy but we've still enjoyed our Foodie Finds, I just didn't make the time to write about them. I've realized over the last few weeks that blogging about our favorite recipes, restaurants, wines, etc. was still a great way to talk about and share some of the stuff that I love.  Bear with me while I'm finding my groove again and we'll be on our way!

After a 3 year hiatus, I didn't have writer's block per se, but it wasn't easy to decide what to write about so I'm going to start simple with a recipe I made when some friends were over a couple of weeks ago.  The recipe was for Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Pesto compliments of Cooking Light magazine from September 2010.  (yes, I'm behind on my magazines as well!)  The recipe was only a guide for me as I used what I had on hand to make it even easier.  Enjoy the original recipe, the Foodie version or make your own version by swapping in other veggies or pasta.  It's super fast, tasty, and easy.

We can't wait for your feedback.  After not posting for 3 years, our followers have dwindled down to only a loyal couple so tell your friends to join our mailing list at www.foodiefavorites.blogspot.com and they'll be e-mailed directly every time there is a new posting.

Bon Appetit!

 

Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Pesto (Cooking Light, September 2010)
Ingredients:
2 quarts plus 1 tablespoon water, divided
1 (16-ounce) package vacuum-packed gnocchi (I used 4 cheese tortellini instead because it was in the fridge)
4 cups (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 1 pound)
1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp, coarsely chopped
1 cup basil leaves*
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted*
2 tablespoons pre-shredded Parmesan cheese*
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice*
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic*
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil*

*Instead of making the pesto which I'm sure would have been delicious and a good use for all of that basil you're going to have left over in your garden, I used a few spoonfuls of pre-made Buitoni's Pesto with Basil that you can find in most supermarkets.

1.  Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven.  Add gnocchi to pan; cook 4 minutes or until done (gnocchi will rise to surface).  Remove with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl.  Add asparagus and shrimp to pan; cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done.  Drain.  Add shrimp mixture to gnocchi.
2.  Combine remaining 1 tablespoon water, basil and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; process until smooth, scraping sides.  Drizzle oil through food chute with food processor on; process until well blended.  Add basil mixture to shrimp mixture; toss to coat.  Serve immediately.  Yield: 4 servings (serving size 2 cups).

Find other healthy recipes at www.cookinglight.com.