Blackened Tilapia Sandwiches with Lime-Chive Sour Cream and Black Bean Salsa- April 29, 2010

If you like some spice, blackening is a good alternative to frying. Although usually its done with butter, but still better than fried! We use the Paul Prudhomme Seafood Magic. I picked up some delicious brioche rolls and my husband made a sour cream sauce to go on the sandwiches, which was perfect. A mayonnaise would also have worked well here. I did a black bean, pineapple, tomato and cilantro salsa that was actually more like a little side salad which complemented it well.

Shrimp & Arugula Salad with Manchego Cheese- Woodland Golf Club, April 28, 2010

I was visiting my parents and we ate out at their golf club, Woodland Golf Club in Auburndale. The food is always great! I had a shrimp (see, every chance I get!) and arugula salad with manchego cheese. It was a great idea and something I definitely need to try!

Korean BBQ Beef Stirfry- April 27, 2010

I usually end up buying the entire cut of flank steak from the butcher, which is about a pound, and typically more than I need for two of us. We took the other half from our tacos last week and marinated it in a Korean BBQ sauce we had and then froze it. I pulled it out this morning to make stir fry. My husband first grilled the beef (which was key) and then stir fried some assorted veggies and added them together with some additional Korean BBQ sauce. We served it over rice.

Potato Gnocchi with Tomato & Lamb Sausage Sauce- April 26, 2010

I made some fresh gnocchi today (see here for the recipe as previously posted) and picked up a can of San Marzano's as usual! We added some lamb sausage from Blood Farm in Groton (one of my brother's favorite spots) as well.

Filet Mignon with Fiddleheads- April 25, 2010

My dad had picked up a tenderloin at BJ's that we didn't end up using last night, so my husband cut it into filets and we grilled some up tonight. My brother had brought me some fresh fiddleheads from a local farm. Have you ever noticed what ferns look like just before they explode into their familiar leafy selves in the spring? Fiddleheads! They're little spirals about the size of a half dollar. I sauteed them with some garlic and red pepper flakes. Yummy!

Shrimp, Beef & Vegetable Kebabs, April 24, 2010

My husband is allergic to shrimp, so I don't make it often. Sometimes he'll make it for me when he's making something he can substitute shrimp for, like a simple chicken dish or in this case kebabs. My parents and brother were here so I used this simple but YUMMY recipe from Epicurious and then did some beef kebabs as well with just a simple rub on the beef. I used tips for this. I modified this a little and added more veggies on the kebabs. The couscous was delicious. The Israeli style is a little bigger and more like a rice.

Chicken Breasts with Prosciutto and Sage and Grilled Asparagus- April 23, 2010

Using up the rest of the prosciutto from last night as well as some asparagus, this was a quick and easy meal. I like to grill asparagus or roast it unless its going into a pasta I might blanch it.

Parisian Sandwich with Arugula Salad- April 22, 2010

Last week we ate lunch at French Memories Cafe in Duxbury. My husband had a Parisian sandwich, which consisted of a fresh baguette, butter, pit ham and cornichons (tiny gherkins pickles). It was so simple and delicious, we decided to try our own version. I had trouble finding whatever the type of pit ham they used there was (although in retrospect I probably could have bought it there...) so we used coppa ham and prosciutto instead. Served with a simple green salad, it was ALMOST as good as the French Memories version.

Flank Steak Tacos with Avocado & Cilantro- April 21, 2010

I think I've mentioned I'm not a huge fan of really any cut of beef besides tenderloin (I do like a good burger though), but flank steak definitely works for many recipes. The key to cut it the correct direction otherwise it is very tough. My husband did a simple mexican-style rub on the beef and grilled it. Since its so thin, it cooks quickly. I'm also not a big fan of the taco shells you can usually find at the grocery store, so I stick with the soft tacos (corn tortillas). The avocado was perfect with it and I opened my last jar of salsa I made & canned last summer. Guess I'll have to wait until August for another jar!

Fettucine with Peas, Asparagus, and Pancetta- April 20, 2010

Another springtime pasta dish from Epicurious. I purchased some fresh fettucine for this.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza- April 19, 2010

Using my regular pizza crust (actually one that was frozen), I was planning on doing a BBQ chicken pizza, which is a favorite of ours. I had all the ingredients to try a Buffalo chicken pizza instead though. We made the hot sauce according to the bottle (Frank's Hot Sauce- always!) as if we were making wings. I think this may have been a mistake- the pizza was WAY too rich. All that butter was just too much. It tasted good, but was very spicy and rich. I'd say next time we'd just do the sauce and no butter, but I think this would be way too spicy. I'll have to think on this one because minus the richness it was good. We grilled the chicken and used the sauce as the pizza's base and topped it with blue cheese, of course.

Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Baked Potato- April 18, 2010

My mother-in-law uses a simple but delicious and fail-safe recipe for marinating pork tenderloin. I can't say I know the exact measurements (Unless I'm baking I'm not very good about measurements), but its mainly soy sauce, a little honey, garlic (a clove or two crushed) and teriyaki sauce, which I actually omit. I find even with the soy as the main ingredient it doesn't take on too much of an Asian flavor and goes well with just about anything. I've also been craving a baked potato, and I mixed the sour cream with some fresh chives from the yard. SO good.

Horne's Mixed Green Salad Du Jour- April 17, 2010

Tonight it was another one of our mixed grilled chicken salad. This time we went with a red wine vinaigrette and some yummy mixed cherry tomatoes that Whole Foods and often Roche Bros. carry. We also used blue cheese.

Rice & Beans with Sausage- April 16, 2010

I had bought mussels to cook tonight, but unfortunately when we went to cook them about 70% of them were dead. This was pretty frustrating, but my husband came up with a rice dish on his own- somewhat like a jambalaya- that was actually very good! He used a boxed Goya rice & red beans mix and added some onions, peppers and sausage.

Asparagus Mushroom Tarts- April 15, 2010

Although I think these were actually designed as more of an appetizer, they were also delicious and decadent as a main. We made the entire recipe and froze the remaining tarts to try a as an appetizer sometime.

Chicken Curry with Eggplant, April 14, 2010

As always on busy nights we go for the curry! This was what I had left (I'd frozen it) from Bopha's Green Curry. Delicious!

Grilled Corvina with Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa and Pineapple- April 13, 2010

I've made this recipe before, and it actually calls for Mahi Mahi. I was at Whole Foods and they didn't have Mahi, but they had something that looked very similar. The fishmonger told me this was "the most sought after fish in the USA". I have no idea if this is accurate, but the Corvina was delicious and grilled up just like Mahi if not better. This meal somewhat made up for all the junk we've eaten this week!

BBQ Ribs & Smoked Sausage- April 12, 2010

In an attempt to clean out the freezer/fridge, I grilled some sausage and ribs tonight. The sausage was delicious. The ribs were not. I don't even really like ribs, and these were the pre-cooked & sauced style my husband purchased at some point. Had I slow-roasted them I'm sure they would have been better!

Graziella's Pizza, April 11, 2010

With the move going on its been take-out city! We tried http://www.graziellaspizza.com/ up the street in Pocasset. This changed hands I believe last year or so. I'm more the gourmet pizza fan but this is the good-old traditional kind!

The Courtyard Restaurant, April 10, 2010

We met up with some family tonight at http://www.courtyardcapecod.com/ in Cataumet. I enjoy their sandwiches and salads in particular. I had a craving for a turkey club tonight. Yummy!

Eggplant, Red Pepper, and Fontina Panini with Spinach Salad- April 9, 2010

This is an http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Eggplant-Red-Pepper-and-Fontina-Panini-with-Spinach-Salad-354309 that was easy and quick. I don't have a panini press but used a cast iron pan to press the sandwiches down on the grill. I love fontina cheese because its mild enough to not drown out the rest of the ingredients, but it still has its own distinct flavor.

Hola Takeout- April 8, 2010

It is our last night in Marshfield so we ordered out from Hola. Always yummy!

Vegetable Pot Sticker Soup with Garlicky Greens- April 7, 2010

This recipe also came from the handy little magazine at Whole Foods. This was yummy and very easy. Basically you grab a bag of the frozen veggie pot stickers (VERY good), sautee those, sautee some garlic, spinach, jalapeno & yellow pepper, heat some vegetable broth and put them altogether in the serving bowls. It was ready in about 25 minutes.

Red Quinoa, Brown Rice & Chicken Salad- April 6, 2010

Whole Foods was handing out a little spring magazine which is where I found this recipe. Quinoa is yummy and very good for you, as is brown rice. I don't usually make brown rice because it takes so long to cook, but I discovered Whole Foods carries it frozen. You just microwave it for two minutes and its done! This recipe was vegetarian but I added some rotisserie chicken. Basically you had the rice, quinoa, chicken, some asparagus, canned artichoke hearts, feta cheese and then you added a light vinaigrette to that. It was very yummy as a side or a main.

Border Cafe in Cambridge, April 5, 2010

I met some friends for dinner tonight in Cambridge at our regular spot, The Border Cafe. The best thing about the night was the fact that I found a metered parking spot (well, besides spending time with my friends, of course!). I had the chicken soft tacos, which did not disappoint, but I should have stuck with my favorite, the fish tacos. The margarita was exactly what I needed though!

Orecchiette with Vegetable Pesto & Watercress Salad with Peppered Salami & Parmesean- April 4, 2010

Happy Easter! We usually celebrate more traditionally with ham, lamb and some family, but being in the middle of a move we kept it simple. I had planned a pasta dish but realized that half of the ingredients I needed had already been moved, so this is my husband's improvisation. This is where he far trumps me in the kitchen. I can follow just about any recipe, but I'm not great at winging it. He roasted some veggies (ramps- which are like a scallion/leek, yellow pepper and some other veggies we had) and pureed them with some roasted pine nuts, olive oil, salt & pepper. He tossed the orecchiette with the pesto and added a few reserved roasted veggies. I like using orecchiette for this kind of sauce as it kind of grabs it and tucks it in its little pockets. I had purchased some watercress just basically because it looked so good, and I made a side salad with a light champagne vinaigrette.

Grilled Lemon-Pepper Chicken with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes & Asparagus- April 3, 2010

Another Whole Foods purchase was this marinated chicken. Although I usually like choosing my own marinade as I find the ones at the store can get old after a while (old like boring...), these fantastic warm temps (its only April- wow!) dictate grilling, so this was a no-brainer. I found a recipe for roasted potatoes with asparagus and Parmesan, which paired perfectly with the chicken.

Filet Mignon & Dry Aged Rib Eye with Haricot Vert- April 2, 2010

My husband love the dry-aged rib eye steaks from Whole Foods. I still prefer filet, so I usually just get us one of each. As I've mentioned before, I don't cook good cuts of meat for fear of over/under doing them. So when my husband grills them he usually adds a slice of butter on top just before they're finished- so good! I also sauteed some of the haricot vert I had from the other night.

Slow-Roasted Halibut with Shaved Asparagus and Fennel Salad- April 1, 2010

This is another epicurious recipe. It was very yummy and the salad was light and refreshing. We are moving in a week and packing up a lot of our dinnerware for the time being. I'll miss these plates in particular.

Chili- March 31, 2010

I often use the Bush's Chili Starter on busy nights. You add ground beef, chopped onion and diced tomatoes, and in about 15 minutes you have dinner. I serve it with corn bread (Jiffy Mix, of course) or tortilla chips. My husband usually spices his up a bit but their spicy one is fine for me.

Pepper, Onion & Salami Calzone- March 30, 2010

Mmmm... I love calzones. I usually use store-bought pizza dough, as you need more than my recipe makes and it makes it very easy. Just remember to take it out of the refrigerator several hours before you roll it. I sauteed the onions and peppers and added thinly sliced peppered salami. My husband says the key to a good calzone is lots of cheese and we used a lot of shredded mozzarella. I served it with store-bought pasta sauce. Yummy and easy!

Whole Grain Encrusted Roasted Rack of Lamb with Hariot Vert and Fingerling Potatoes- March 29, 2010

I again neglected to photograph my husband "frenching" the lamb, which is almost an art. He trims it so the bone is exposed and the fat is gone, leaving little fat and making it very easy to eat. Tonight he topped it with whole grain mustard after pan searing it and roasted. I added haricot vert (green beans) that were very thin that I just steamed lightly and added some shallots to. We also had steamed fingerling potatoes, cooked similarly to the haricot vert, but I used chicken broth.