Beautiful foods to try

Breakfast Casserole

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I love trying new recipes so when my fav author Jennifer L. Scott decided to share her recipe for her breakfast casserole, I just had to give it a try.

I followed her instructions and it came out great! We ate it Christmas morning and it was a nice breakfast to have after opening presents.

My casserole at home
Here is the recipe:
And video….
I hope you enjoy this recipe just as much as I did. 

(photos Mrs. Shockley & Jennifer L. Scott)

My First Cheese Plate

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I shared on the blog last week about the french cheese board (see here if you missed it). So for our family New Year’s celebration I decided to make my first cheese plate for my family and I.

I went to our local grocery store and went to the Murray’s Cheese section and I picked up a small sample package.

One of the rep’s there had a great sampler out that day and I tried the brie. Oh goodness was it good! I also tried the gouda and Irish cheese. So good….

I talked with her about crackers and spreads. She directed me to the fig spread and these tasty thin wafer crackers. Just delicious….

I picked up some sweet green grapes, flowers and headed up front to pay for my items.
I couldn’t wait to get home to taste everything. The sampler that I purchased included all the cheeses, bread and meat that you see and it was only $5.99!! The brie (white cheese) and fig spread I purchased separately. I spent under $20 for everything.
Of course the wines were purchased separately. My favorite wine in all the world is the Risata Moscato d’Asti. I could drink it every day but I don’t. We got the Welch’s Sparkling Grape for the kids and they loved it!
Overall it was a great cheese plate and I will be doing it again very soon! To read the blog post that inspired me click here. It is quite delightful….

(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

Eating with Fresh Herbs

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Last summer my mother in law went to the grocery store and picked up some fresh herbs. She was so excited about her mint and parsley plants.

I thought it was a wonderful idea and decided to try it this summer so I went to my local grocery and picked up some mint and parsley. It is so nice having them on my window ledge.

You can smell the mint and it is just heavenly. I used the parsley in our weekly pasta meal and it was delish!

The plants themselves were not too expensive. If you can pick up some small ones from your local grocery. Having them around will put a smile on your face.

My herbs

I chopped up the parsley and put it in the sauce. Ohhh so good!

A simple yet delicious dinner. 













(photos via Mrs. Shockley)

My Dinner Rotation Meals

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Keeping a home schedule is very important to me. Earlier this year I talked about having An Elegant Routine and in that entry I talked about my dinner rotation list.

Every week I head to the grocery store. I am not one to stock up on food. I don’t know why but I like going every week. I like talking with the florist and I like talking with the cashiers.

It’s nice to have some “people time”. I always write out a grocery list on Friday nights. I keep the same meals through out the week and we shift days but the meals stay the same.

Right now the meals that we rotate are: roasted chicken with olive oil and salt, red potatoes with olive oil and salt, steamed broccoli, french bread, rigatoni with herbs and meat sauce, chicken fingers with steamed rice and veggies, taco salad, chicken fettuccine, turkey sausage and steamed rice, fried chicken with mashed potatoes and veggies and bundt pan pizza (see recipe here).  

During the fall and winter I will pull out some of these dishes and replace them with chili, pot roast, potatoes and carrots, crock pot chicken with Campbell’s cream of chicken soup and baked spaghetti.

Below are some photos of some of our meals and video from my fav author Jennifer L. Scott and she talks about her meals with her family which are simple and easy. Enjoy!

Fried chicken meal

Panko crusted chicken meal (see recipe here)
Meat sauce with fresh herbs and rigatoni
(My daughter’s favorite)



Lemon crusted chicken

Bundt pan pizza
I love french bread! To learn about the dipping oil see here.

Another fried chicken meal. My family and I love chicken!



Another meal that I make is baked salmon. I have that once a week and I usually make it for myself. My husband and daughter do not like seafood. 






I hope you enjoy the video!













(photos via Mrs. Shockley)






Cooking is ~ A list of why cooking is Beautiful…

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I jump on Amazon from time to time to check out new books. I have always been quite fascinated with how the French live. (see my blog entry here about how I am inspired)

I recently saw this book called ” French Women Don’t Get Fat”.  So I took a “peek” inside and found this great list called “Cooking is”. I think that it reminds us of how important home-cooked meals are and how to enjoy our lives. I had to share this list….

~ Cooking is an act of love, for sure, as those of us who’ve cooked all our lives know that to spoil others is a great source of pleasure, even though for some who cook dinner every night it may sometimes seem like a chore.

~ Cooking is self-expression, a way of finding the aromas, colors, and flavors that define your personality.

~ Cooking is contemplative experience reaching and probing deep in our thoughts and emotions.

~ Cooking is memory, as it links to a person’s culture and values. Whenever we eat something, the taste and memory of all the times we have eaten that dish live in the present.

~ Cooking is seduction, from creating the atmosphere and setting, to the giving of what is loved and shared, to the cumulative engagement of the senses and being.

 My Mediterranean salmon 

~ Cooking is relaxing, and focusing on your preparation can be a getaway from daily stress.

~ Cooking is good for the mind, good for mental health, using your hands to craft a delicious and complete finished dish or meal.

~ Cooking is conversation, as a meal gathers values, tastes, rituals, and words that are passed on for generations and play an extremely important social role not only over holiday seasons.

~ Cooking is reading from a recipe in a cookbook or on the Internet, thus absorption and learning.

My chicken piccata, see recipe here.




~ Cooking is pleasure and an integral part of what is called l’equilibre alimentaire, a balanced approach to eating. 
~ Cooking is the reward for shopping.
~ Cooking is healthy. 
~ Cooking is slimming. 
I really enjoyed this list. It is much longer! I will be purchasing this book. I am sure I will enjoy it!
Thanks for reading!!!
(photos via Mrs. Shockley)
(List via Mireille Guiliano 

Rigatoni and Cauliflower Recipe

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I tried another beautiful recipe about two weeks ago. It is called Rigatoni and Cauliflower al Forno and it was a hit at my house!

My step~son ate the leftovers during the weekend! Fantastic right?

Well if you want to give it a try the recipe is below. It is quite simple. Enjoy!

My dish at home

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound rigatoni or other large pasta shape
  • 1 medium cauliflower, about 1 1/2 pounds
  •  Extra-virgin olive oil
  •  Salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon capers, roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste
  • 3 tablespoons roughly choppedsage, plus a few sage leaves left whole
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • 6 ounces coarsely grated fontina or mozzarella
  • 2 ounces finely grated Romano cheese or other hard pecorino
  • ½ cup coarse dry bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leafparsley, for garnish

PREPARATION


Cook the rigatoni in well-salted water according to package directions, but drain while still quite al dente. (If directions call for 12 minutes cooking, cook for 10 instead.) Rinse pasta with cool water, then drain again and set aside.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut cauliflower in half from top to bottom. Cut out tough core and stem any extraneous leaves. Lay cauliflower flat side down and cut crosswise into rough 1/4-inch slices. Break into smaller pieces.

Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over high heat. Add cauliflower slices, along with any crumbly pieces, in one layer. (Work in batches if necessary.) Let cauliflower brown and caramelize for about 2 minutes, then turn pieces over to brown the other side. Cook for another 2 minutes, or until the cauliflower is easily pierced with a fork. It’s fine if some pieces don’t brown evenly. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add capers, garlic, red pepper flakes, chopped sage, sage leaves and lemon zest and stir to coat.

Put cooked cauliflower mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add cooked rigatoni and fontina and toss. Transfer mixture to a lightly oiled baking dish. Top with Romano cheese, then with bread crumbs and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. (Dish may be completed to this point up to several hours in advance and kept at room temperature, covered.)

Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until top is crisp and golden. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley before serving.







see original recipe here.

Apple & Pear Crisp

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This is the second recipe that I tried from the “It’s Friday Night Again” episode from the Barefoot Contessa.

This was absolutely delicious!!! My step-son’s really enjoyed it. It was so simple and quick. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

2 pounds ripe Bosc pears (4 pears)

2 pounds firm Macoun apples (6 apples)

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the topping:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal

1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced









Directions:




Peel, core, and cut the pears and apples into large chunks. Place the fruit in a large bowl and add the zests, juices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

For the topping:
Combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, until the mixture is in large crumbles. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely.

Place the baking dish on a sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly. Serve warm.








Recipe from the Food Network, see here.