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Tasty

Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms

July 17, 2013

Squash Blossoms

I had my first fried squash blossoms in Napa many years ago, and still think about them…  So when I spotted squash blossoms at the farmers market this past week, I jumped on the opportunity to try my hand at recreating this recipe.  I used a Ziplock bag to pipe the cheese picture into the blossoms, and then brushed batter on them and fried for a couple of minutes.  It is definitely important to work in batches, or you will brown the blossoms in the later batches like I did (not a cute look).  Dip in some yummy marinara sauce and you have the perfect starter to any Italian meal!
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Tasty

Weekly Menu #14

July 15, 2013

Pasta Alla Carbonara – This was a super easy and yummy dish!  I love taking a very standard dish of basically bacon/eggs/cheese and using pancetta/eggs/pecorino romano makes it seem so much more chic.  Paired with a light salad this is the perfect meal. 178 180 192

Sunday Dinner: Rib Eye, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Zucchini and a Butter Lettuce Salad

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Skillet Glazed Pork Chops with Caprese Couscous – Trader Joe’s boneless pork chops are a great option for a cheap and easy dinner.  It’s $5 for 5 cutlets and they cook in under 5 minutes.  Doesn’t get much better than that! Except for when you top them with a maple/dijon glaze 🙂

005 008 Caprese Couscous

Glazed Pork Chops

Tasty

Cookie Jar

July 3, 2013

An American (as well as Feezor) fan favorite will always be the chocolate chip cookie.

Chocolate Chip

Growing up I’ve tried and tested many recipes, but two of my favorite (and memorized) recipes are this one and the one below.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 12-oz package semisweet chocolate chips
  1. Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a large baking sheet (or use a Silpat baking sheet). 
  2. Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl to blend.  using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light and fluffy.
  3. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat until well blended.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until mixture is creamy and well blended.
  5. Gradually add flour mixture, beating just until blended.
  6. Stir in chocolate chips.
  7. Working in batches (use an ice cream scoop or melon baller) to scoop mounded tablespoonfuls onto a prepared baking sheet.
  8. Bake cookies until pale brown, about 11-13 minutes.
  9. Cool slightly on sheet, then transfer to racks to cool.

Chocolate Chip Cookie021

Tips:

  1. Make sure to let butter sit out to room temperature (this is key in ALL baking… butter temperature can make or break any baked treats).  It needs to be soft to the touch but not melted.
  2. If you bake at all, you MUST invest in a Kitchen Aid.  It makes baking so much easier and makes for perfectly incorporated cookies that are chewy, crunchy and all around amazing!
  3. Silpat baking sheets are another great investment.  You don’t have to grease your baking sheets (which helps with cleaning up), and you’ll never have to worry about cookies burnt on the bottom!

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Tasty

Burger in Paradise

July 1, 2013

To celebrate America’s birthday, I wanted to have a week devoted to America’s finest… and what screams America more than a burger!? And not just any burger… an In n’ Out burger!

Burger and Chips

In n’ Out Burger

  • 1 lb ground beef chuck (I used 80% lean… more fat the better 🙂 depends how “healthy” you want to be)
  • American cheese slices
  • Secret Spread
    • 2 Tablespoons mayo, 1 teaspoon ketchup, 1/4 teaspoon mayo, 2 teaspoon minced dill pickles
  • Iceberg lettuce
  • Caramelized onions
    • 1 diced yellow onion, 1 Tablespoon oil, salt
  • Tomato Slices
  • Hamburger Buns (potato rolls or brioche rolls are other great options)
  1. Caramelize Onions: Heat oil in a pan over medium – medium low heat and add onions.  Stir occasionally for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Season with salt. 
  2. Secret Spread: Mix together secret spread ingredients.
  3. Burgers: Make patties with ground beef and season with salt and pepper.  The key is to make them really thin – you will need to make them thinner than you think because they will plump up once cooked. Heat oil in a pan and cooker patties over medium heat for about 3 minutes.Top  uncooked side with about 1 teaspoon of mustard.  Flip patty, top with cheese slice and cook until medium doneness.
  4. Assembly: Toast buns, top with secret spread,tomato, lettuce, hamburger patty/cheese, and caramelized onions.

Looking for the perfect side? Make these amazing chips and dip!

Baked Potato Chips with Sour Cream and Onion Dip 

  • Russet Potatoes (3-4)
  • 1/2 cup Sour Cream
  • 1 Green Onion
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Use a mandolin to thinly slice potatoes.  I used to cut thicker slices but I find cutting them 1/4 inch or so is much better!
  3. I used an olive oil mister to spray a baking sheet, then dispersed potatoes on the sheet.  I resprayed with olive oil and sprinkled lightly with salt.  Bake for 10-15 minutes (keep an eye on them, depends how thinly they are cut)
  4. While the potatoes are baking, whip together the last 3 ingredients to make an amazingly easy dip!

Chips