Eggplant Ricotta Pizza

Eggplant rollatini has quickly become one of my absolute favorite foods. I especially love Italian restaurants that have it is an appetizer- I can have a taste without a huge heaping plate of fried food topped with cheese. Not that a whole plate of fried food topped with cheese is a bad thing... I've been known to enjoy such a thing more than once... ::wink wink::

I have mentioned my amazing local Italian deli. When I was there the other day they had the most beautifully thin sliced breaded eggplant. It looked crisp and firm, not soggy and flimsy as eggplant can get. I quickly bought a few pieces knowing exactly what I wanted to do- make an eggplant rollatini inspired pizza. I was hesitant to serve this to John- he does like eggplant but it's not a favorite, nor is ricotta. However he was a huge fan! It was pretty hard to not like this pizza, it was delicious. It's also extremely heavy and filling. John and I ate significantly less of this pizza than we typically do. Best of all this can be made quickly by using premade eggplant cutlets!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1 batch pizza dough
Tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
4-5 thin, small, breaded eggplant cutlets, at room temperature or slightly warm
Ricotta cheese
Italian seasoning

Directions:
1-Preheat the oven to 450 with your pizza stone in the oven.
2- Prepare your crust. Top with a light coating of tomato sauce and about 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.
3- On a separate plate top each eggplant cutlet with some ricotta cheese and a tbsp or two of sauce. Use a spoon to spread the sauce over the cheese. Repeat until all eggplant is topped.
4- Place the eggplant evenly over the pizza. Use the remaining mozzarella cheese to top the whole pizza. Sprinkle with Italian seasonings.
5- Bake 12-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden.

Spicy Tomato Compound Butter

I've said it before but red meat isn't my thing. If I never ate a steak again I'd be fine. John, however, loves a good steak. Once in awhile I suck it up and make him his precious steak... I think of it as fair since I make him eat so many vegetarian pasta dishes. Typically I either marinade the steak or just grill it and call it a day. The other night I wanted something "fancier." We go to this steakhouse by us that always does interesting things with their steak and I've seen them use several compound butters so I decided to try my hand at compound butter on a steak. I personally didn't try this but John loved it. I mixed some in with the zucchini and it was tasty on the veggies. This butter could be used on steaks, veggies, tossed in pasta, spread on bread... the options are limitless!

Source: Slightly adapted from  A Good Appetite

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
Pinch of Cajun seasoning
Pinch of kosher salt
3 sun dried tomatoes, diced small
1 clove garlic, grated using a microplane
2 tbsp. butter, softened

Directions:
1- Combine all of the ingredients and stir well until everything is well incorporated. Refrigerate until serving.

Cheesy Garlic and Herb Bread

I love garlic bread and seriously don't understand how someone could not like it. I mean, bread-good. Garlic-good. Butter-very good. Put it all together and you get an amazing side. Now, add some cheese to it and we're talking! When I made the Alouette pasta I was left with half a tub of this cheese and knew I'd need to incorporate it into several meals and dishes. I wasn't worried about this task since Alouette cheese is amazing, and I have to say this bread was delicious. I made it on roasted garlic ciabatta bread and there were chunks of roasted garlic throughout, topped with melted Alouette cheese... ugh, heaven. John and I were both silently gobbling up this bread which is always the mark of a good meal!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:

1 small loaf (about 10 inches) roasted garlic ciabatta bread, or any ciabatta/Italian bread

Alouette garlic and herb cheese

1-2 tbsp. butter

Garlic powder

Kosher salt

Parsley

Directions:

1- Slice the loaf of bread in half. Spread a thin layer of alouette cheese over both sides of bread.

2- Slice the butter very thin and lay over the bread evenly. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and parsley.

3- Toast until golden, slice and serve. 

Alouette Pasta

I can assure you that this has to be in the top 5 "easiest to make" category on my blog. With the heat outside, busy summer schedules, and just a lack of desire to spend time in the kitchen, I feel pretty confident that this recipe will come in handy on those nights where you just don't feel like cooking. This pasta came together in less than 20 minutes. Literally. So if you're short on time but don't want take out this is a great choice. Not to mention I'm obsessed with Alouette cheese and would put it on just about anything... but that's just me! If you don't know what Alouette cheese is it's simply a spreadable garlic and herb soft cheese. It's great melted on pasta, wrapped in chicken, or just spread on a cracker. Try this- it's tasty and easy.

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1/2 pound pasta, any shape
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup Alouette garlic and herb cheese
Salt and pepper
1 box frozen Green Giant antioxidant blend veggies (broccoli, peppers, carrots, etc.)
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1- In a large pot prepare the pasta according to packaging directions.
2- In a sauce pot heat the broth. Stir in the Alouette cheese until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3- Microwave the frozen veggies according to packaging directions.
4- In the pasta pot combine the drained pasta, sauce, and veggies. Stir well. Top with parmesan cheese to taste.

Bang Bang Shrimp

Howdy, friends! It is sweltering in NJ this week. We are way over 90 degrees each day with high humidity and a high heat index. The kicker? The doctor wants me to avoid heat since my pregnancy is causing some insane asthma. Can I ask you how one avoids HEAT when it feels over 100 degrees each day? Hmm... well, I haven't figured it out yet! The one thing I did figure out was I am not turning on my oven, not under any circumstances. I've been making many dinners on the stovetop and this was one.

John and I love bang bang shrimp from Bonefish Grill. Love. I am pretty anti chain restaurants but I make an exception for Bonefish, particularly for these shrimp. The other day the craving was strong and I decided to make them. Since they are extremely unhealthy I paired it with a simple green salad and called it a meal. We were both happy- this was a definite crowd pleaser. I will make it again next time I have company for an appetizer, it's so tasty and pretty similar to the classic from Bonefish.

Source: Adapted from Chef Mommy

Ingredients:

1 pound shrimp, raw, peeled, and deveined (I used jumbo, I'd suggest medium)

Sauce:
1/2 cup mayo
4-5 tsp. chili garlic sauce
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. rice vinegar

Egg mixture:
1 egg
1 cup milk

Breading:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup panko
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
1- In a small bowl mix all of the sauce ingredients together and set aside, covered.
2- In a shallow bowl mix the egg and milk, set aside. In a separate dish combine the breading ingredients and stir well to combine.
3- Dip the shrimp in the breading, followed by egg, and than back in the breading. Set on a plate. Continue until all shrimp are coated. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4- Meanwhile heat the oil in a nonstick skillet. Once hot, add 6-7 shrimp at a time until golden on one side, slip. Once both sides are golden remove and place on paper towel to dry.
5- Add a few shrimp at a time to a mixing bowl with some sauce. Once coated, remove and add more shrimp/sauce. (I found using a soft rubber mixing spoon worked best to coat without pulling off the breading).
6- Serve hot on a bead of lettuce, top with green onion if desired.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

Words can't express how big of a hit these were in our house. I was photographing the enchiladas while John was trying them and I heard "OH MY GOD!!!" from behind me. I turned around, expecting to see he burnt his tongue or something, and instead I found him happily shoveling this into his mouth. He said it was one of his favorite meals I've ever made and he wants me to make it again immediately. I have to agree with him, they were incredible. The chicken was kind of sweet and sticky, wrapped in a crisp shell and topped with delicious cheese and sauce. The combination of flavors was really out of this world. As I'm typing this up I'm wishing I had more in the freezer so I could make these for dinner tonight. I halved the recipe but next time I'd make the whole thing and freeze half- we will certainly be having this over and over again!

Source: Slightly adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used rotisserie chicken)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup light cream 


Directions:
1- Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour. 
2- Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. 
3- Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. 
4- Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Dinner Spanakopita

A couple weeks ago we went to the wedding of our good friends, Natalie and Mark. We were so excited to go, not just to share in the joy of our friends, but also to EAT! You see, Natalie and Mark got married at the same place as John and I so we were thrilled to finally get to eat the food since we didn't eat anything on the day of our wedding. One of my favorite foods during their wedding was the spanakopita that was being passed during cocktail hour. If I ate less than 5 I'd be surprised, I grabbed one every time the tray passed!

After gorging myself on them at their wedding you'd think I have had my fill, but no... I needed more. So I decided to try my hand at making them at home. I remembered seeing a recipe for them on Annie's blog a long time ago so I dug it up and made them. They were surprisingly easy to make and so very delicious. I sung my own praises as I ate this, declaring myself a kitchen Goddess (yeah... I know... I'm not proud). I paired them with a simple Greek salad and called it a day. Perfect dinner in my opinion!

Source: Slightly adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Ina Garten

Yields 6 strudels

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 small yellow onion, chopped small

2 green onions, yellow and white parts, chopped

1 10 oz package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. bread crumbs

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 cup small crumbled feta cheese

12 sheets phyllo dough, defrosted

6 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:

1- Preheat the oven to 375.

2- Heat the oil in a saute pan. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the green onions, cook 2 minutes. Set aside.

3- In a mixing bowl combine the spinach, egg, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Add the onion mixture, stirring until well combined.

4- Gently fold in the feta.

5- Place one sheet of phyllo on a flat work surface. Brush lightly with butter. Top with an additional sheet of phyllo, repeating until 4 sheets are layered. Using a pizza cutter, slice the phyllo in half, lengthwise. 

6- Spoon about 1/3 cup spinach mixture onto the top of one phyllo rectangle. Roll the dough as if folding a flag, folding the dough over the filling then folding diagonally over itself. Repeat until a triangle is formed (there are videos of this on youtube if you're confused). Place seal side down on a baking sheet. Repeat until all triangles are formed. 

7- Brush the tops with melted butter, sprinkle with flaked salt (kosher salt works well) and bake 30-35 minutes until golden brown. 

Sweet BBQ Chicken Kabobs

Growing up our grill was by far the most used kitchen tool. My dad grilled dinner most nights of the week over the summer and at least a couple times a week year round (snow never held him back!) So when I went there last weekend for a day to spend time with my parents I knew I wanted to make something that could be thrown on the grill. I love cooking for others and since it's currently just John and I, I like to take advantage of opportunities to cook for my family when I go to their house. Needless to say, they don't mind either! These kabobs came out awesome. They were light and healthy, easy, and had just the right amount of flavor. I served them with garlic couscous and it was the perfect summer meal. Give these a shot, you'll be glad you did.

Oh, and just so you know, my dad set up the flowers in the background of the picture up top. He has an insane garden full of vegetables (the peppers were from there) and tons of pots of flowers... so he decided to "stage" my picture for me. Not half bad if I do say so myself!

Source: Slightly adapted from Cassie Craves

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 cups pineapple, cut into chunks
1 large green pepper, cut into chunks
1 red onion, cut into chunks
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
3 tbsp. orange juice

1- On skewers, alternate pieces of chicken, pineapple, bell pepper, and onion. Repeat until the skewer is full and all skewers are complete.
2- In a bowl stir together the BBQ sauce and orange juice until well combined. Spoon over the kabobs, rotating to spoon the sauce evenly over all sides.
3- Grill until cooked though.

Cake Batter Rice Krispie Treats

I am a member of a cooking community full of bloggers and home cooks. One day there was a conversation about how people were "so over" the cake batter trend. I sat there in complete shock. Never, ever, ever will I be over cake batter flavored treats. I have loved cake batter flavored snacks since I first tired cake batter ice cream at Cold Stone in college. Since then I have just fallen deeper and deeper in love with the cakey goodness.

I first saw this recipe months ago and kept meaning to make it but for one reason or another never got around to it. I'm so glad I finally did! They taste pretty similar to their brother, the regular "plain" rice krispie treat, but with a little fun twist. They have a mild cake batter taste and are full of fun colorful sprinkles. Next time I'm not sure I'd mix as many sprinkles into the mix, or if I did I'd do it at the last possible second because mine melted into the mix and kind of "bled" into it, making them a bit more green than white. Overall, delicious. Like, super duper delicious. If I wasn't being lazy I might be eating one now as I typed... but I am lazy and they are juuuussstttttt out of arms reach!

Source: How Sweet It Is

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. butter
1 10 oz bag mini marshmallows
1/4 cup yellow cake mix
6 cups rice krispie cereal
Sprinkles

Directions:
1- Over low heat melt the butter. Stir in the marshmallows and stir constantly until melted.
2- Once melted, spoon in the yellow cake mix one spoon at a time and stir well. Remove from the heat.
3- Add the rice krispies, stirring well until coated in the marshmallow mixture.
4- Add some sprinkles, about 2 tbsp., and stir well.
5- Spoon into a greased dish (any size you want) and push down to flatten (I spray my hand with nonstick spray and push with my hand). Top with additional sprinkles. Allow to set for 30 minutes, then can with a knife sprayed with nonstick spray. Keep in an airtight container.

Summer Risotto

Risotto isn't something I typically think of as a summer dish. It's cheesy rice, which to me says "heavy", which in turn screams winter or fall. Yet lately I've been dreaming of risotto. There's some therapeutic about making risotto, pouring the broth into the rice, watching it absorb, adding more broth, etc. It takes awhile but it's so easy that it's almost mindless.

This risotto recipe was really lovely. The tomatoes popped, releasing a lot of their juice into the risotto. This made it lighter and bit more summery. I used tomatoes and zucchini, but if you have a plentiful garden you could add whatever you have on hand. Also, I roasted my veggies because I'm a fan of the affect roasting has on vegetables, but if you don't want to heat up your kitchen you can easily just cook them in a pan. The flavor of this was excellent with a nice tomato/cheese harmony. I am excited about the leftover risotto, I will be turning it into risotto cakes for lunch tomorrow and I'm already psyched to do it!

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half (about 1 cup)
1 zucchini, sliced in coins and cut in half
Olive oil
Salt/garlic powder

1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced dried onions
1 cup arborio rice
4 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
1 cup pecorino romano cheese, freshly shaved
Salt/pepper

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350. In a small dish toss the tomatoes and zucchini together. Drizzle olive oil over the mixture, season with salt and garlic powder. Bake for 45 minutes or so.
2- Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer.
3- In a large skillet, heat the 1 tsp olive oil and add the onion. Once it's hot, add the rice and stir well. Once it begins to lightly toast, add 1 cup of broth and lower the heat to medium/low. Allow the rice to absorb the broth. Once it's absorbed, add another cup. Continue until all broth is added.
4- When the last cup of broth is cooking with the rice, remove the veggies from the oven and stir into the rice mixture. Add the cheese, stirring well. Season with salt and pepper.
5- Allow to continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve hot.

Mexican Chicken Pizza

Growing up pizza meant one thing- red tomato sauce and cheese. My dad liked other toppings but the rest of us were purists. I can remember going to a friend's house and her family got sausage and peppers on their pizza. I was aghast. I didn't know people could DO such a thing to a pizza. And I certainly wasn't interested in partaking in such an event. It wasn't until recently that I started really experimenting with pizza. I still prefer plain if I'm getting it from a pizzeria, but at home I do get a bit more exciting. That's me, Miss Living-On-The-Edge!

This pizza was awesome. John and I were both big fans. Best of all, I always have all of these ingredients on hand so I can make it at any point. I debated doing a tomato sauce mixed with taco seasoning for the base but I'm really glad I didn't- the salsa was perfecto! Give this a shot, it's tasty stuff.

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1 batch pizza dough
1 tsp. olive oil
1 bell pepper, sliced thin (I used half red/half green)
3 ounces chicken
1/2 tsp. taco seasoning
1 cup salsa
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 450 with your pizza stone in the oven.
2- Prepare your dough, rolling it out on a surface coated in corn meal or parchment paper.
3- In a medium skillet heat the oil. Add the peppers, stirring frequently.
4- Rub the chicken breast with taco seasoning. Add to the skillet, cooking until cooked through. Remove from pan, slicing thin or dicing small.
5- Return the chicken to the skillet. Add the salsa, stirring well. Stir over medium heat for a couple minutes.
6- Spoon the salsa/chicken/pepper mixture over the crust. Top evenly with cheese. Bake 12-15 minutes on the pizza stone.
7- Serve hot.

Pasta with Mascarpone and Roasted Grape Tomatoes

Look, I'm going to cut to the chase here- this is good. Not just good, but great. Like, "OH MAN! Give me more!" great. I kind of assumed it would be, I mean, the ingredients are all amazing and it's hard to combine amazing ingredients in a simple manner and get gross food so I had high hopes to begin with. It was creamy but not heavy which is really an amazing thing. I am not a fan of super heavy meals so when I tried this I was thrilled to see that it had all the flavor of a creamy cheesy dish without that feeling of food sitting like a rock in your stomach. Plus if you've read my blog you know my obsession with roasted tomatoes- they have such a deep flavor. If you are looking for an easy pasta dish try this, I assure you you'll be glad!

Source: Adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from Gourmet
Serves 3

Ingredients:
1 pint grape tomatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Garlic powder
1/2 pound pasta, such as shells
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chicken broth or white wine
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Chives, diced small

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a small oven-safe dish with tin foil. Lay the tomatoes in the dish, drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
2- Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to directions. Reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water for the sauce.
3- In a mixing bowl, pour the roasted tomatoes and olive oil in, mashing the tomatoes with a fork or potato masher until broken up. Stir in the mascarpone cheese, broth (or wine) and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Stir well. Slowly add the pasta water, as needed, until smooth but not runny.
4- Toss in the pasta. Stir.
5- Pour the pasta into an oven safe dish, topping with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
6- Top with chives, serve hot.