It's like Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, but even better...RESTAURANT WEEK IS COMING!

Happy Friday!

Just wanted to let you know that it’s soon to be restaurant week in SJ and thought I would pass on the website with participating restaurants should you be interested

March 20^th-25th

http://sjhotchefs.com/restweek/index.php

mmmm Catelli's, Los Amigos and The Chophouse-my favorites!

http://www.losamigosrest.com/Berlin/

http://www.thechophouse.us/

http://www.catellirestaurant.com/

You can also click on the Recipes tab http://sjhotchefs.com/recipes/index.htm

and find dozens of great recipes from some of our local restaurants

like Scaturro's Pan Seared Scallops by Chef David Levecchia!

Turkey for Tacos!

I have to quickly blog about this recipe I stumbled across online and share it with you all. Unfortunately, my camera was lifeless last night as I left my charger at work, so I have no pictures to post, but like I said, this is blog worthy enough and her pictures do justice!


I love tacos but the meat and grease that goes along with it and taco packets are filled with sodium and high calories that quite frankly I'm trying to avoid...and then Gina's Skinny Recipe's Blog http://www.skinnytaste.com/ came across my eyes..you have to try this! It's super quick and easy and for the most part, you probably already have half the ingredients in your fridge, pantry and spice cabinet.. My hubby loved it and devoured a few of them..the turkey meat tasted soo good you would have never knew the difference. This is also WW friendly! So enjoy and check out my new favorite blogger!

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/04/turkey-taco-lettuce-wraps-3-pts.html?showComment=1299171012958#c8483479149596875459

Garlicky Rice paired with Sesame Soy Red Pepper Flake chicken

Last night we had leftovers, and I had plans for Wednesday night for dinner in the city with my girlfriend and so I wanted to leave a quick dinner for my husband to heat up when he got home from work since I would be out. So I wanted to try a new recipe I had come across on one of my favorite bloggers blog (http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/). This way I could have his dinner all made and extra to bring to work for my lunch today! This is super quick and the flavors and textures really give this meal a unique bite!


Garlicky Rice 

Adapted blog recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net (one of my favorite blogs)

Original recipe by The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of white rice (original recipe calls for Basmati, but I didn't have it in my pantry so I used long grain white and it worked great)
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• Green onions, diced

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute; add the minced garlic then cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the chicken broth and season the water with a bit of sea salt and pepper, to taste; bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and cook over medium low for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and don't touch for 5 minutes. Add the green onions and mix until well combined. Serve immediately and Enjoy.

 Sesame Soy Red Pepper flake chicken

*rice always goes great with chicken so I looked in my fridge for something I could use to keep the asian flair with the rice and scallions dish and came up with the following on a whim...

blog recipe and photos by The Basil Bee.blogspot.com

• 1 lb chicken tenderloins (about 7-8 tenderloins)
• salt and pepper
• garlic salt
• red pepper flakes
• low sodium soy sauce
• Trader Joe's Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette

1. wash and pat dry the chicken and cut into 1 inch cube sized pieces
2. season with salt and pepper, pinch of red pepper flakes to your liking, and hint of garlic salt and put in bowl
3. drizzle 3 tablespoons of the sesame soy ginger vinaigrette over the chicken and mix together
4. drizzle 1 tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce over the chicken and mix
5. then let chicken marinate in the fridge for 15-20 minutes
6. heat medium sautee pan on medium-high heat. when a drop of water sizzles on the pan, drop the chicken and let cook for about 45 seconds and then stir. Continue to cook for about 3 minutes until chicken is done.

Serve the garlicky rice in a bowl with chicken on top and drizzle with the sauce left in pan and wallah! Quick dinner in 20 minutes!

Gaga for Chicken Pot Pie

To pea or not to pea...my answer is, "I don't like peas" (unlike my mom who loves them) so I wont use them in a chicken pot pie recipe! I've tried a few different recipes of the infamous comfort food we all know and love as Chicken Pot Pie. I could never get the rich creaminess of the pot pie you salivate for until Kellie's mom introduced me to the southern style (Weddington, NC to be exact) pot pie that has all my favorite ingredients and super easy to make even as a college kid!

You will need the following ingredients

• 3-4 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
• 4 russet potatoes sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup carrots sliced in circles
• 1 can of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese soup
• Salt & Pepper
• shredded cheese of your choice ( I used a blend of mozzarella and Monterey Jack)
• Celery salt
• Garlic salt (optional, I love garlic, so I added it)
• (1) sheet of Pepperidge Farms puff pastry
• tablespoon of EVOO and some dry herbs of your choice in a small dish and let them infuse for about 10-15 minutes (  I chose a Tuscan blend)

Directions:

1. Turn oven on to 425 degrees
2. Bring a big pot of water with a dash of salt to a boil and drop the chicken, potatoes, and carrots in the pot. Once chicken is cooked through and carrots and potatoes are aldente, strain them and put into PAM greased casserole dish.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, celery salt and garlic salt and stir.
4. Add cheddar cheese soup and stir well together
5. Cover the top layer with shredded cheese
6. Place the puff pastry over the dish covering all of the ingredients. Take the EVOO and infused herbs and spread over the puff pastry with a pastry brush to get a nice sweet golden brown crust on the puff pastry. I had some left over puff pastry too, so I was creative and placed hearts and an "F" for my new last name initial!
7. Transfer to oven on middle rack for about 15-20 minutes until puff pastry is golden brown
8. Serve and enjoy!

                                                   

Our wedding, February 5th, 2011-Paradisus Punta Cana

We are back and newly wed! We just got back from Punta Cana, Dominican Republic where Anthony and I married on the beach at Paradisus Punta Cana Resort! We had 55 guests in attendance and had a wonderful time all week long with activities! We wish we were still there! Upon our arrival back to the states, we both came down with a terrible headcold/flu so we are just getting back on our feet and I will be returning to the kitchen with all my new gadgets from our registry! Will be blogging more soon and posting pics from our wedding shortly! Happy Valentine's Day to all!

 

Happy Valentine's Day to my husband Anthony! xoxoxo

Tomato & Basil Pesto Parmesan Tart

Wow! It has been some time since I've blogged! With only 2 weeks to go until my wedding, one can obviously tell I've been a busy bee! So two weeks from today, I will be arriving Punta Cana for our destination wedding of a lifetime… We are just so excited and can’t wait!
So back to cooking! Anthony and I had some friends over for dinner one night and I decided to try this tomato and basil pesto parmesan tart I had been dying to make ever since I became a fan of Closet Cooking’s blog (http://www.closetcooking.com/2010/08/tomato-and-basil-pesto-parmesan-tart.html) . I saw his recipe and salivated just looking at his pictures- I mean it has all of my favorite ingredients and almost like a flat bread pizza! Who wouldn’t love this! So I decided to make this as an appetizer! This was super quick and easy-I made it even easier by picking up some pre made pesto I got at Wegman’s Olive bar-but I will be trying this recipe again, using my own pesto- I promise.
So here’s what you need for this amazing treat…

Tomato and Basil Pesto Parmesan Tart

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry (thawed according to the packages directions)

1/2 cup basil pesto

1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)

2 large ripe field tomatoes (thinly sliced)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. Roll the puff pastry out to a 16x10 inch rectangle.

2. Score a line around the puff pastry 1/2 inch from the edge. You can use a fork or pastry roller

3. Spread the pesto over the center of the dough and top with the parmigiano reggiano.

4. Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on top of the pesto and parmigiano reggiano.

5. Brush the outside 1/2 inch of the pastry with the oil. You can even add some garlic salt to the olive oil to give it some garlic!

6. Bake in a preheated 400F oven until the pastry is golden brown, about 15-20 minutes

7. slice, serve, and enjoy!