Let’s cook!

Basil Green Dressing on Bibb Salad

1 cup good mayonnaise

1 cup chopped scallions

1 cup fresh basil

2 lemons, juiced

2 cloves of garlic

2 teaspoons anchovy paste

1 cup light sour cream

2 heads Bibb lettuce

2 tomatoes

Place the mayonnaise, scallions, basil, lemon juice, garlic, anchovy paste in a blender.

Blend until smooth.

Add the sour cream to the blender.

Process until smooth.

Refrigerate while you finish the rest of the lunch.

Cheese and Prosciutto Sandwich

1 loaf of fresh large garlic bread

1 can of tomato sauce

1/4 cup of Italian seasoning

4 slices Prosciutto

2 thick slices Mozzarella

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a bowl add tomato sauce and Italian seasoning.

Slice the bread into thick slices.

Spread the sauce on both slices of the bread.

On one side place the Mozzarella and on the other the Prosciutto.

Either use a panini press or in my case I used a skillet. Place the butter in the skillet over medium heat and then place the sandwich in the pan.

Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Time to plate the complete lunch.

To finish the salad, cut each head of lettuce in half and remove the core. Cut the tomatoes into wedges and use to top the lettuce. Pour the dressing on top and finish with salt and pepper. Here is the plating:

Here is the close up of the salad:

Here is the close up of the sandwich:

Now you have a rainy weather sandwich and salad recipe to add to your collection!

Happy Cooking!

Let’s cook!

Anti-Pasta Salad

1/4 medium red onion, minced

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1 (6oz) jar artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained

2 cups baby arugula

1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted

1/2 cup freshly shaved parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, diced into small cubes

Dressing:

1 garlic cloves, peeled

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh grated orange zest

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

fresh black pepper

To make the dressing, smash the garlic cloves. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mash into the garlic till almost like a paste. Put the paste into a bowl and add orange zest.

Add fresh black pepper and vinegar.

Gradually whisk in the olive oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream to make a smooth, yet slightly thick dressing.

In another bowl add onion and chickpeas.

Now add red peppers and artichoke hearts.

Now add parsley and olives.

In a salad bowl add the arugula.

Add the other veggies to the bowl and the salad dressing.

Toss and time to plate. Serve with the fresh shaved cheese.

Here is a close-up:

Now you have a nice refreshing salad to add to your armor of kitchen recipes!

Tomorrow will be my night off since Jen has dinner with the girls. I am working on the menu for your anniversary dinner this weekend!

Happy Cooking!

Let’s Cook (or in this case ‘Let’s Combine Ingredients’ since there is no cooking for this meal)!

TCH’s Favorite Salad (The Cooking Husband’s Favorite Salad)

1 bag Sweet Butter Lettuce Mix

1/3 cup Craisins

1/3 cup Gorgonzola Cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup Glazed Pecan and Walnut pieces

1 Tablespoon Brianna’s Poppy Seed Dressing (this is one time I promise the name brand makes a difference)

2 Tablespoons Brianna’s French Vinaigrette Dressing (again, the name brand dressing makes a difference)

Start by putting the entire bag of lettuce in a large salad bowl after rinsing the lettuce.

 Next, measure out 1/3 cup of Craisins for the salad.  For those of you who do not know what Craisins are, it is dried cranberries which add a punch of flavor to this salad.  If you really like the flavor, feel free to add more than 1/3 cup.  This salad is about what YOU like most!

Time to add the Craisins to the lettuce.  I’m telling you this is such hard work to make this salad!

Now, time to measure out the Gorgonzola.  Again, this is to your taste so if you love Gorgonzola, feel free to add more.  I find it is a really good mix to have equal parts Craisins and Gorgonzola to balance out the flavors.

Now, add the Gorgonzola to the salad.  Again–tough work!

Time to measure out the Glazed Pecans and Walnuts.  Trust me this is the true secret ingredient to this salad.  I found this bag of goodies in the produce section of our grocery store on one of the end caps, and I think you could safely say that I am mildly obsessed with the flavor and balance between sweet and salty that these little gems add to a salad.

Time to add the nuts to the salad.  YUM!

Now it is time to do the crazy action of mixing 2 different salad dressings to come up with the most perfect flavor ever.  Take 1 Tablespoon of the Poppy Seed Dressing and put it into a small container with a lid so you can shake the dressings together.

Remember how I said the name brand of these salad dressings is important–I meant it.  I learned the hard way.  I’m a big fan of buying store brands of things to save a few dollars, but in this case the store brands of Poppy Seed dressing (which is somewhat sweet by nature) were entirely too sweet and really messed with the taste of the mixed dressing, so just bite the bullet and by the Brianna’s brand of both dressings.  I promise you will thank me.  Time to add the French Vinaigrette to the same container and get ready to mix.

Now, put on the lid, shake to combine and this is the consistency when both dressings are mixed together.

Drizzle the salad dressing mixture on the salad and toss to mix.

Time to plate–I used Thomas’ favorite white bowls to serve this delicious salad.

And the close up:

There you go–this is The Cooking Husband’s favorite salad.  So easy to make, and it took longer to photograph the steps than it did to actually put everything together.  The next time you have dinner guests coming over that you want to impress, try this salad.  I promise you will get rave reviews.

Happy Cooking!

Last night JP and Carrolle Jobin invited us to dinner and we are still talking about the wonderful food and company. So JP is a man who impacted my life in a big way once I left the military. First, he was the one who took a chance on me in the business world and I am where I am today because of his willingness to teach me. During my early days out of the military, not only did JP teach me the ins-and-outs of business, he taught me that cooking is a way to relax when you are dealing with the stressful world of deadlines and profits. The first experience in cooking was our first pot luck at the office. JP went around and asked what everybody was going to make and I replied, “Chili-Mac-N-Cheese.” Now I could go into details the looks I obtained from JP and others in the office, but let me just say my dish was a HIT,-I ate almost half of it by myself (that was my goal because I knew people would bring strange things). I ended up getting talked into eating thing I never thought I would even smell, and I enjoyed some but not all. A few months later, JP and a few other executives in the office kept trying to have me attend this cooking club (to myself I thought why in the world would I want to learn how to cook) and so being a persistent sales guy, JP kept asking until I said ok. First glass of real red wine (not MD 20/20) was with JP and his family. My first 5 course meal was at his house with his whole family. I have learned so much from this man that I hope as I age, I can come a little closer to his great outlook on life which is ”Enjoy it while you can”. If it wasn’t for JP, I wouldn’t have the passion for cooking or business like I do (and you wouldn’t enjoy the lovely content I put together just for you out there).

I am getting the recipes for this entire meal, but here is a teaser of what you will enjoy once you cook.

So the guys went out and put the duck breast on the grill.

JP has this down to a science to ensure the duck are cooked just right.

Once the duck was finished cooking, we sat down and has this awesome salad.

Then it was time for the main course.

JP paired the duck with a bottle, I mean bottles of Garnacha.

Then we finished the rest of the meal with a homemade Icebox Lemon Torte.

Here is Jen and I with JP.

For this weekend, Jen leaves for DC and I make JERKY!!! That’s right homemade jerky and people who have tried my jerky always ask me to make another batch for them–some have even offered to buy it from me! So check back tomorrow as I feature the steps over the weekend on how to make jerky.

HAPPY COOKING

Filet Mignon with Cabernet Peppercorn Sauce

2 filet mignons

salt and pepper

1 cup white mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup chopped shallots

3 tablespoons black peppercorns

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup cabernet (another glass for you)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon butter

1 beef boullion cube

In a saucepan over medium heat, saute mushrooms, shallots, peppercorns in oil.

When the shallots are tender, deglaze with wine and let it reduce by two-thirds.

Now go start up the grill on high heat and add the corn (I soak mine in water to prevent burning on the husk).

Now is a good time to also season the filet. I just season my filets with salt and pepper and let them rest.

Go rotate the corn and then back to the sauce. Whisk in the cream and beef cube.

Stir well and let simmer on low while you finish the rest of the dinner.

I move the ears of corn to the other burner and let them continue to cook while I grill the steaks. Place the filets on the grill (one extra one for my lunch tomorrow).

These steaks are over 1.5 inches thick so I cooked them for 5 minutes on each side only turning twice to ensure the proper grill marks. Jen and I like our steaks medium-rare, which has an internal temperature of 125 to 130 degrees. Once they reach that tempature, remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes before you serve (the corn should be done by now as well).

Blue Cheese Salad

2 handfuls of baby spinach

1/2 cucumber sliced

1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

3 green onions chopped

3 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled (for me – fresh bacon bits)

blue cheese dressing

In a salad bowl combine, spinach, cucumber, green onion, gorgonzola.

Add blue cheese dressing and fresh bacon bits to finish the salad.

Time to plate the rest of the dinner. Here is how I plated the main dish which was 2 tablespoons of the peppercorn sauce over the steak:

Now you have another way to make your filet mignon, which will be sure to impress! After eating this dish you will be greatful you have the made the rule of “I cook, you clean”.

HAPPY COOKING!

Arugula Salad with Chicken

1 bag of arugula

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I cooked the whole package-3 chicken breasts–and will take the other chicken breast into work for lunch tomorrow)

half of a white onion sliced

1 red pepper

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 table spoon of honey mustard (I grabbed the wrong mustard out of the fridge for the picture)

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

handful of vine tomatoes

1/2 cup shaved parmesan (I use a vegetable peeler for this)

salt and pepper to taste

eat up a skillet with olive oil and add salt and pepper and let the chicken cook.

While the chicken is cooking I slice up the onion, tomatoes, and red pepper.

Now time to add the arugula to the bowl and start making the lemon vinaigrette dressing.

To make the lemon vinaigrette combine lemon juice, olive oil, honey mustard, and lemon zest to a bowl. Whisk until everything is combined.

Chicken should be about done now–make sure to check the internal temp–then let the chicken sit for about 10 minutes to cool.

Add to the bowl of arugula, onion, red pepper, and tomatoes.

Time to mix everything well and add the vinaigrette.

Transfer the salad to a bowl and add chicken and parmesan for plating.

So there you have it, a dinner salad with a lemon vinaigrette you made yourself!

Happy Cooking!

Dijon Chicken

2 bone-in chicken breast

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves of garlic – minced

3 tablespoons of white wine

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of dijon mustard

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Also, preheat your oven to 350.

Now add the chicken and we are going to sear the outside.

I coated the outside of the chicken with salt and pepper which you can tell from this picture. While this is searing in the pan, take a bowl and mix in garlic, wine, soy sauce, and mustard.

Chicken should be seared on all sides and then move the chicken to a baking dish. Pour generously over the chicken, but don’t use all of the sauce, and put into the oven.

Every 15 minutes take your bowl of mixture that is left and continue to coat the top of the chicken throughout the cooking process in the oven (40-50 minutes).

While the chicken was cooking I made a simple salad to go with our chicken.

Simple Salad

1 bag of sweet butter salad mix

1 tomato

1/2 cucumber

1/2 red onion

4 greek peppers

1/4 cup fresh mozzarella

salt and pepper to taste

I dice up the tomato, red onion, cucumber, and mozarella and add to salad in a large bowl

Now it is time to wait for the chicken to be done so I go ahead and set up salad with Jen’s favorite dressing (Girard’s Champagne Dressing).

For the plating of this chicken, I put a small amount of the sauce on the plate and will let the chicken rest on it.

Now is about the time to put the salad in the bowls so here is how I presented the salad.

Now the chicken is done–look how awesome it turned out and trust me, it tastes even better than it looks!

I hope you all enjoy this dish cause I know I do–I’m still full. Time to go watch ESPN while Jen is at tennis practice!

Happy Cooking!