Ultra-Buttery Cauliflower Mash

I really like cauliflower, but I tend to only eat it one way and that's steamed.  Well, I've discovered another way I like it . . . mashed and with lots of butter.  Give this one a try.

3 - 4 cups cooked cauliflower, very warm

3 Tbsp butter

1/3 - 1/2 cup half and half, warm

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Salt and black pepper

Tiny pinch garlic powder

Blend cauliflower until smooth.

Add butter, half and half, Parmesan, salt, pepper and garlic powder

Blend again until luxuriously creamy.

Taste.  Add more butter or salt if needed.  

Note:  I like to use my immersion blender for this.  It works really well.
 

Dr. Pepper Baked Chicken Thighs

As a lifelong lover of Dr. Pepper, this recipe caught my eye.  I absolutely had to give it a try.  It was super good and really easy to make.  It's a little sweet, a little savory, and a little sticky.  Perfect!

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk together:

1 cup Dr. Pepper

2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp garlic powder

Season six chicken thighs (I like skin-on)

Sear the thighs skin-side down until skin is brown and crispy.

Place in a baking dish skin side up.  Pour sauce over the thighs.  Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, uncovered.  Broil for 2 - 3 minutes to caramelize.

Serve with roasted potatoes or green beans.

 

Pan-Seared Orange Roughy with Garlic Butter & Herbs

I was searching for fish recipes that I might like.  I've said before that I want to include more seafood in my diet and I really don't like much seafood.  This recipe caught my eye and makes me a believer that I can work more fish dishes into my regular routine.  

4 Orange Roughy fillets (about 4 - 6 oz each)

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp fresh parsley (or dill, or a mix), chopped

1 Tbsp lemon juice (plus wedges for serving)

2 Tbsp flour for light dredging

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pat the fillets dry with paper towels.  Season both sides with salt and pepper.  Lightly dredge in flour for a golden crust.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the fillets, (skin side down if they have skin).  Cook 2 - 3 minutes per side, until golden and flaky.  Remove fish and set aside on a warm plate.  

In the same pan, reduce heat to medium.  Add butter and let it melt.  Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant.  Do not let it burn. Add lemon juice and parsley, stirring to combine.

Return the fillets briefly to the pan, spooning sauce over them.  Serve immediately with lemon wedges and extra herbs on top

Pair with rice pilaf, roasted vegetables, or garlic mashed potatoes.  

 

Pasta con Broccoli

Enjoy a dinner date at home with this creamy Pasta con Broccoli.  It's quick to prepare and super tasty.  

1 (8 - 10 oz) grilled chicken breast, cut into chunks

8 oz Cavatelli shells

4 Tbsp butter, divided

2/3 cup mushrooms, sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup half and half

1 cup milk

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Cook pasta in salted water for 4 minutes (ladle out one cup of the starchy pasta water and set aside) and then drain.  

Leave pasta in the colander and melt 2 Tbsp butter in the pot.  Add the mushrooms and sauté for 2 minutes over medium heat.  Empty into a bowl and set aside.  

Melt 2 more Tbsp and add the garlic, cooking for 30 seconds.  Whisk in the half and half, milk, and tomato sauce.  Add the pasta and then bring to a boil over medium heat.  Boil for 4 - 5 minutes (add the broccoli, chicken, and mushrooms for the last 2 minutes), stirring occasionally.

When pasta is al dente, remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.  Add a little of the reserved pasta water at a time to thin sauce to desired consistency.  Salt and pepper to taste.  

Serve garnished with more Parmesan.  

 

Grilled Steak Tacos

 I do love a good steak and I do love tacos.  This recipe gives me the best of both worlds.  Best of all, there's not a lot of fuss and these taste great.

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

1 lb Certified Angus Beef skirt steak

8 corn tortillas, warmed-

Pico de gallo, 

Shredded Mexican-style cheese

Fresh cilantro

In a large bowl, stir together first six ingredients.  Add steak and toss to coat.  Cover and set aside 20 - 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare grill for high heat.  

Remove steak from marinade, allowing excess to drip off.  Grill 3 - 4 minutes per side or until desired doneness.  Remove from heat and let rest 5 minutes.  

Thinly slice steak against the grain and serve on tortillas topped with prepared pico de gallo, cheese and/or cilantro.

Serve with salted sour cream and guacamole.  

Pumpkin Custard Squares

This is and always be one of my favorite desserts!  I love pumpkin and I love gingersnaps.  You can thank my Grandma Kruse for that.  

Crust

2 cups crushed gingersnaps (36 cookies)

6 Tbsp butter, melted

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

Filling

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp salt

Heat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9 x 9 x 2" pan with nonstick foil, extending foil beyond edges of pan.

Crust:  In a bowl, stir crushed cookies, melted butter and sugar until combined.  Press into bottom of prepared pan.  Refrigerate while making filling.

Filling:  In a saucepan, whisk cornstarch and sugar.  Stir in milk and egg.  Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until smooth, steaming and slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. In a large bowl, blend pumpkin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt.  Whisk in milk mixture.  Pour over crust and transfer to the oven.  Bake for 50 minutes or until center is set.  

Cool completely on a wire rack.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Use foil to lift bars from pan.  Slice into squares.  

Garnish with whipped cream, if desired.  

 

Lemon Shrimp Scampi Flatbread

 

This is a recipe I discovered when I was having Hello Chef boxes delivered to my home.  It's creative and unusual . . . not something I would have thought of.  

4 oz Cremini mushrooms

1 lemon

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 oz mayonnaise

3 oz butter

2 Naan flatbreads

2 garlic cloves

2 oz shredded mozzarella

1 shallot

8 oz shrimp

Olive oil

Rinse and pat dry fresh produce.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Cut mushrooms into 1/4" slices.  Zest and halve lemon.  Cut one half into wedges and juice the other half.  Peel and halve the shallot.  Slice thinly.  Mince garlic.  Pat shrimp dry.  

Place flatbreads directly on oven rack in hot oven and bake until lightly browned, 6 - 8 minutes.  

While flatbreads par-bake, cook shrimp mixture.  

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  

Add shrimp and mushrooms to hot pan.  Cook until mushrooms are tender and shrimp reach a minimum internal temp of 145 degrees, 1 - 2 minutes.  

Add shallot and garlic and stir occasionally until tender, 2 - 3 minutes. 

Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice and stir occasionally, 1 minute.  

Remove from burner.  Stir in butter.  

Place par-baked flatbreads on prepared baking sheet.  Top with shrimp mixture, then cheese. 

Bake in hot oven until cheese is melted and edges are brown and crispy, 6 - 8 minutes.  

While flatbreads bake, make sauce

Combine mayonnaise, 1 tsp water, and 1 tsp lemon zest in a mixing bowl.

e

Plate dish as pictured topping flatbreads with sauce and red pepper flakes to taste.  Squeeze lemon wedges over flatbreads to taste.  

Plate dish:  Flatbreads topped with sauce, red pepper flakes, and a squeeze of lemon juice over the top.  

Teriyaki-Glazed Grilled Chicken

This recipe takes grilled chicken breasts in a whole new tasty direction.  The homemade Hoisin-Teriyaki glaze goes on in the last few minutes of cooking to create a delicious char.  

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup ketchup

2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce

2 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tsp Sesame oil

1 garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Whisk together ketchup, Hoisin sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, sesame oil and garlic.

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Prepare grill pan with olive oil and place over medium-high heat.  Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until charred in places and cooked throuh 10 - 15 minutes total.  In the last 2 - 3 minutes of cooking, brush hoisin mixture over both sides of chicken, turning occasionally.  

Serve.  Your dinner guests will not be disappointed.  

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I know we are getting close to being out of soup season, but this is a recipe you're sure to hold onto.  This one competes with Panera's Broccoli Cheddar Soup.  It's rich and comforting.  I think you're going to keep this one handy.

1 bunch broccoli

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 medium red potato, diced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 cups Half & Half

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Separate the stems and florets from the broccoli.  Trim and discard the bottom of the broccoli stems and peel the tough outer layers.  Finely chop the stems and coarsely chop the florets and set aside separately.

Add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat.  Add the broccoli stems, onions and potatoes and cook, stirring, until softened, 7 - 10 minutes.  Add flour and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the vegetables are tender 12 - 15 minutes.  

Meanwhile, combine the reserved florets and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cover and continue to steam until the florets are bright green and crisp tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the entire contents of the pot with the florets to the soup along with the nutmeg.  Stir to combine and reduce heat to low.  Stir in the cheddar, Worcestershire and Half & Half.  Season with salt and pepper.  Garnish with the green onions.  

Sheet Pan Shrimp and Vegetables with Rice

I'm a huge fan of shrimp, but I have to admit it's not one of my go to ingredients when I want to make dinner in a hurry.  This dish is ready in thirty minutes, and the family can enjoy shrimp, rice, and flavorful vegetables AND it's an easy sheet pan supper.  A great way to spice up your weeknight dinner routine from the usual easy chicken, beef or pork recipes.  Personally, I love any dinner recipe that makes my day easier from prep to clean-up!

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, divided

1 lb raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 medium zucchini, cut diagonally into 1/2" slices

1 medium-size yellow squash, cut diagonally into 1/2" slices

1 lemon, cut into quarters

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 cups basmati rice

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Add basmati rice and stock to a 4-quart saucepan.  Add 1/2 tsp salt.  Cover and place on a stovetop burner over high heat.  Once boiling, reduce heat and allow to simmer for approximately 20 minutes.  

Meanwhile, preheat your broiler with oven rack 6" from the heat.

Stir together olive oil, garlic, crushed red pepper, and 3/4 tsp of the thyme in a small bowl.  Place shrimp and tomatoes in 2 separate bowls.  Combine zucchini and yellow squash in a third bowl.  Toss each one with 1//3 of the oil mixture.  

Heat a rimmed baking sheet in the oven for 2 minutes.  Add zucchini, squash, and lemon (flesh side up) to hot baking sheet, and bake until squash begins to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, and bake until tomatoes begin to burst, about 5 minutes.  Stir in shrimp; bake until shrimp are cooked through and zucchini is tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Squeeze juice from roasted lemon over vegetables; stir to combine.  

Divide rice, shrimp, and vegetables among 4 plates.  Top evenly with remaining 3/4 tsp thyme.