Beef Milanese with Summer Corn Salad

Ahh.. it’s been a while, too long!  I promise I won’t let that happen again, it’s been a busy couple of months but really nothing but  take out dinner between the months of February through May due to an overwhelming busy season at work! But I am back now and I will be sure to post plenty of fun summer recipes. I wanted to start with this first one Beef Milanese with a fresh summer corn salad. So here goes!

What You Will Need:

Beef:

6 thinly slices cut of beef

2/3 cup of flour

½ teaspoon rosemary

2 eggs (whisked with a splash of milk)

½ cup breadcrumbs

½ cup panko

½ cup grated Pecorino Romano

Canola oil for frying

Summer Corn Salad: 

2 large ears of corn (cooked and cut from the cob)

½ cup quartered  cherry tomatoes

1 fryer pepper

1 clove of garlic minced

¼ cup EVOO

Salt and pepper

The juice of 1 lemon 

What To Do: 

1. In a large bowl mix together, corn, tomatoes and garlic. Cook the fryer pepper in a large skillet with some oil until it becomes tender then remove the seeds, dice it up and add to the bowl. Season with salt & pepper then add evvoo and lemon juice. 

2. Set up 3 bowls (flour, egg then breadcrumbs mixture) make sure to season each layer with salt and pepper 

                  Flour: add flour and rosemary to a bowl and combine 

                  Egg: Mix together the 2 eggs and a splash of mix

                  Breadcrumb: Mix together breadcrumbs, panko and Pecorino Romano

3. Dredge each piece of meat through the assembly line 

3. Heat a large skillet with a generous layer of oil over medium then fry until the outside is golden brown (about 3 minutes per slide). 

4. Top the beef with the corn salad and enjoy ! 

Pasta Fagioli

This is one of my favorite foods but very rarely do I find a restaurant where I really like it. My secret in this one is red pepper flakes to make the soup a little spicy. It’s perfect on a cold winter day (like this week where it has been negative degrees here in NJ). I seriously think I could live off it and it doesn’t hurt that this soup can be ready in about 30 minutes.

What You’ll Need

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 slices pancetta, chopped
• 1 sprigs rosemary
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 1 carrot (chopped)
• 1 rib celery (chopped)
• 2 gloves of garlic (chopped)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans
• 1 large tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups of water
• 1 quarter chicken stock
• 1 ½ cups ditalini pasta
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (can you less if you would like)
• Grated parmigiano for topping

What to do:

In a large pot over medium heat oil and add in pancetta (cook until brown) then add in rosemary, bay leaf, chopped vegs and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender. 

Add beans, tomato sauce, water and stock to the pot and raise the heat to high. Bring the soup to a boil and add in pasta. Cook the coup 6 to 8 minutes until the pasta is cooked. 

Remove the bay leaf and add in red pepper flakes. Let the soup cool for a few minutes and ladle soup into bowls topping with grated cheese. 

Don’t forget the crusty bread for mopping up the soup! 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

(This blog post is decided to my buffalo chicken loving husband)

When it’s super bowl time that means a few things, one of them being buffalo chicken dip or BCD! This recipe is so easy to make. I’ve made it so many times I just know what it should look like by now I don’t even measure out the ingredients any more. The traditional way to serve this dip would be with chips but I love it with pita bread!

Here’s what you’ll need:

•  8oz packages of cream  cheese (softened)

• ¾ cup of franks hot sauce

• ½ cup of ranch dressing

• 2 ½ cups of shredded cooked chicken

• 1 ½ cups shredded mild cheddar cheese

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large bowl mix together cream cheese, hot sauce and ranch dressing. Add in shredded chicken and 1 cup of cheese ( no need to over mix). Place in a large baking dish and top with last ½ cup of shredded cheese.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes then turn on the broiler and bake for 5 minutes (until cheese is golden brown). As a side note, I love the broiler but you need to keep your eye on what you are cooking when using it things brown in just minutes! 

Serve it up with your favorite chips or pita bread and enjoy! 

Shrimp Scampi with Zoodles

I have been into the idea of vegetable noodles  zoodles for a while now. And I finally brought a zoodle maker from bed bath and beyond. First of all, the link above is for the Veggetti Spiral Vegetable Cutter and tonight was the first time using it and I have nothing but good things to say about it. It was easy to use, made perfect noodles out of zucchini and was easy to clean. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this product. 

This recipe wasn't too bad either, it was a take on shrimp scampi. I love everything about scampi sauce, wine, lemon and garlic. 

What You'll Need: 
3 zucchini made into noodles
1/2 lb of cleaned shrimp 
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons of evoo
3 large cloves of garlic grated 
1/2 cup of wine 
1 lemon (juiced)
1 tablespoon grated parmigiano cheese 
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes










What To Do: 

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a skillet heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of evoo. Cook the shrimp until they are no longer pink.

Place the shrimp on a plate then add the other tablespoon of butter and evoo into the skillet and melt. Add in grated garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes then add 1/2 cup of wine and add the zoodles to the pan. Cook the zoodles for 3-4 minutes then take off the heat, add in the juice of one lemon, parmigiano cheese, pepper flakes and add shrimp back into the skillet. 

Cinnamon Rolls

This sunday it was extremely bad weather and I was stuck in the house all morning so I decided to make the best of it by making homemade cinnamon rolls. This recipe was easy required no yeast, I recommend you try it on your next snow day! 

What You'll Need: 

Dough 
2 cups of flour
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter (cubed softened) 
1 cup milk

Filling
4 tablespoons butter (cubed softened) 
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Glaze 
1/2 cup powdered sugar 
1/4 cup milk

What To Do: 

For the filling, in a small bowl combine softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. 

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in softened butter then stir in milk until it forms a soft dough. 

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. 

Spread the remaining filling on the rolled out dough then roll it up. Use a sharp knife to slice into rolls and place in a 8 by 8 pan (rolls close together) 

Bake the rolls for 20 minutes of 400. 

For the glaze, combine powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth. Coat the rolls with the glaze when they come out of the oven. 

Cheeseburger Quesadilla

"Cheeseburger Quesadilla", "Quesadilla Cheeseburger" I may not be sure what to call this burger but regardless it's a winner! I thought of this one when I was trying to find other alternatives to bread for a cheeseburger and lettuce just wouldn't cut it. One of my favorite parts of this burger was the sauce (see below for all the details) you can add it as a topping to almost any burger or sandwich for a kicked up flavor. 

This recipe will make 4 burgers. 

What You'll Need: 
Burgers: 
1 lb ground beef (I used 95% lean) 
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper 
1 glove of garlic minced 
1 tablespoon worcestershire
2/3 cup of shredded mild cheddar cheese 
8 small tortillas

Sauce: 
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 chipotle (minced) 

What To Do: 

In a large bowl add the ground beef, salt, pepper, garlic and worcestershire sauce. Mix together and form into 4 patties and cook on the grill 5-7 minutes each side. 

While the burgers cook, make the sauce. In a small bowl add sour cream. ketchup and chipotle. Mix together until combined. 

In a large skillet heat a small amount of butter then place 1 small tortilla down and top with handful of shredded cheese until melty. Then place 1 burger on top then top the burger with sauce and second tortilla. Flip over and cook on the other side for 2 minutes. 

Let the quesadilla rest for 1 minute until slicing in half.

Greek Chicken with Tzatziki Sauce

I don't have much experience with greek food and honestly when I think of greek food I think of some weird meat covered in yogurt sauce. But that is totally not the case, recently at work it has been a fan favorite & I really enjoyed it. So I branched out and made grilled greek chicken with tzatziki sauce. To keep this dish diet conscience I would call it a deconstructed chicken gyro. I served the grilled chicken with a fresh salad and Naan bread! This was really a quick weeknight dish but is always something totally difference to enjoy! 



What You'll Need: 
1 lb boneless 
1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper 
1 large garlic clove (chopped finely) 
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
2 cups of chopped lettuce 
1 large piece of naan bread (cut into pieces or you can use pita bread) 

For the Sauce
1/2 cup plain low fat greek yogurt
1/2 lemon juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 gloves of garlic (grated)
1 tablespoon dill 

What To Do: 

Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. In a large bowl place chicken, olive oil, garlic, juice of 1/2 the lemon and the spices. mix together then grill 6 minutes on each side. 

Let the chicken rest and make the tzatziki sauce: place all the ingredients in bowl and some salt and pepper and stir together. 

Place lettuce in bowl and season with salt and pepper and 1/2 lemon juice. 

Slice the chicken and serve over naan bread & lettuce with tzatziki sauce on the side.

Zucchini Boats

I am always looking for new healthy dinner options so tonight we had zucchini boats with veggie pasta! They were SO good and super easy to make and this is a perfect weeknight meal. You could always switch out the ground beef I used with ground turkey or chicken as well.

Another key to this recipe is to buy large zucchini so they break when you try to hallow them out! 

What You'll Need: 

2 large zucchini 

1 lb ground beef (95% lean) 

1/2 cup of your favorite tomato sauce

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes 

2 garlic cloves (crushed) 

2 tablespoons grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

1 tablespoon parsley for a garnish 

What To Do: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees 

2. Cut the zucchini in half and hallow it out (I used a melon baller and it worked pretty well). 

3. Brown up the ground beef in a large pan. Once browned add in the tomato sauce, red pepper flakes garlic, and season with salt & pepper. Let the ground beef simmer for a few minutes then fill between the 4 boats. 

4. Top each boat with some cheese and place in the oven for 15 minutes. 

5. Once they come out of the oven add some parsley and enjoy! 

Pudding with Banana Whip Cream

This dessert is so cute for any dinner party or date night and you won't believe how easy it is! No one can tell me they can't make this desert. The star is instant pudding filling and can be ready within minutes. I served these in big martini glasses but mini shot glasses would be cute for a party. 

What You'll Need 
1 box instant pudding filling 
1 3/4 cup of cold milk 
1 banana 
2 tablespoons sugar 
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream 

What To Do: 
In a mixer add 1 the box of instant pudding filling and cold milk. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Then place into your serving cups and set in the fridge. 

While the pudding is setting start making the whip cream. Mash the banana until it is no longer chunky. Then add in sugar and heavy cream and beat until light and airy (about 4-5 minutes). Using a piping bag add a small amount of whipped cream to the pudding. Garnish with some semi sweet chocolate chips. 

Hope you Enjoy! 

Triple Chocolate Cake

My mother-in-law is a huge chocolate fan so I made this cake for her birthday! I found a few recipes online for double chocolate cake but I like this cake because added a layer of chocolate chips in the middle of the filling to add some texture to the cake! This is a delightful dessert that is a sure chocolate lover pleaser! It is an easy way to dress up any chocolate cake! 

What You'll Need: 

For the Ganache/Filling

12 oz semisweet chocolate

1 pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups heavy cream 

12 cup semi sweet chocolate chips 

Cake: 

Bake 1 basic chocolate cake cooled (2 nine inch cake rounds works best). You can use your favorite recipe for chocolate cake. I honestly used a boxed cake (made with pudding base)

What To Do: 

To make the ganache, put the 12 oz of chocolate and salt  in a large heatproof bowl. Then place the heavy cream in a large sauce pan and bring to simmer, then pour over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes before whisking. 

Pour 3/4 cup of the ganache into a liquid measuring cup and set aside at room temperature. 

Refrigerate the remaining ganache in the bowl until thick (about one hour). Once an hour is up beat with a mixer on medium speed until just fluffy (just about 1 minute). 

To assemble the cake put 1 cake layer on a platter, and spread on a little frosting then evenly spread out the 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Top with the second cake layer and frost the entire cake. Pour the room-temperature ganache on top, letting it flow over the sides. I like to garnish with chocolate shavings or mini chocolate chips! Let this cake set for 30 minutes before cutting into. 

Pork Carnitas

Mexican is always a fan favorite in our house. Tonight I made slow cooked pork carnitas. Rooms and I have been back on track with the 21 day fix diet (post the holidays). If you don't know what the 21 day fix is.. it's totally worth a google! It's basically a portion control diet but this dinner totally qualifies and is good for left overs. I used pork loin instead of pork shoulder as it is a less fatty piece of meat but it's just as flavorful for the tacos. The recipe below is enough for about 4 people

For the 21 day fix version of this recipe fill up the red container with the carnitas meat and use others for toppings, its great to serve over shredded lettuce! 

What You'll Need:
- 1 1/2 pound pork loin
- 1 bay lead
- 1 1/4 cup of water
- For the rub you will need 1 package of mexican taco seasoning
- 1 lime

What To Do:
Rub the meat with the mexican taco seasoning as well as salt and pepper and place it in the slow cooker. Add the bay lead and water and cook on low for 5:30-6 hours. When it is done you should pull apart the pork easily so you can shred it.

Shred all the pork and place it back in the slow cooker with the juices and add the juice of 1 lime. Serve up with your favorite taco ingredients.

Garlic & Lemon Roasted Shrimp over Corn Risotto

If you are looking for a great date night dinner here it is... garlic & lemon roasted shrimp over corn risotto. This is a great dinner and you can prepare the shrimp ahead of time, making it easy for any weeknight meal as well. These shrimps are flavored with butter, garlic, lemon and rosemary. 

Also I made regular risotto with a twist by adding corn. Don't be afraid of risotto, its pretty easy to make you just have to keep an eye on the rice and keep stirring. 

Lets start with the shrimp... 

What You'll Need: 

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 tablespoon olive oil 

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons rosemary

1/2 teaspoon red pepper

2 large lemons

1 lb of shrimp (peeled with the tails on) 

What To Do: 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

In a large pan melt the butter over low heat add in olive oil, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for about 1 minute then add in the juice of one lemon (off the heat). 

In the meantime arrange the shrimp in one layer in a large baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp and sprinkle with salt and pepper. ISlice the second lemon and tuck them among the shrimp. f you want to make this dish ahead of time just cover with the baking dish and refrigerate up for 6 hours. Roast in the over for 12 minutes until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. 

Next up the Corn Risotto 

What You'll Need: 

1 tablespoon butter 

1 cup arborio rice 

1/2 cup dry white wine 

3 cups of chicken stock 

1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano 

1/4 cup frozen corn (during the summer I like to use fresh corn)

What to do: 

Place chicken broth in a medium sauce pan and heat up on low. 

In a deep sauce pan melt butter and add in rice, saute for about 2 minutes then add in wine and let evaporate for 2 more minutes. Add 1 cup of broth and let it get absorbed by the rice (keep stirring the rice). 

Add the rest of the broth to the rice slowly, it should take around 22 minutes to be cooked. Remove from heat, stir in cheese, season with salt and pepper then add in frozen corn. 

Plate: Add a scoop of corn risotto to the plate and top with roasted shrimp. 

Sandwich Night

For sandwich night I made Sliced Chicken Panini with Buffalo Potato Wedges. The sliced chicken sandwiches are easy to make and very filling. The hardest part of this panini is just putting everything on the bread. I like using Swiss or mozzarella cheese for this panini, since both of them melt really well. 

What You'll Need: 
3 tablespoons of butter
1 cup baby portobello mushrooms (sliced) 
1/2 an onion (sliced) 
A pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder 
2 cooked sliced chicken breast (the easiest thing to do here is to use a rotisserie chicken) 
1/2 cup of sour cream
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 large ciabatta loaf cup into 4 pieces  (for 4 sandwiches) 
4 slices of swiss or mozzarella cheese

What To Do: 

In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter then add the mushrooms and onions, season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook until the onions and mushrooms are tender. While the mixture is cooking thinly slice the chicken breast on an angle. 

To make the sauce add sour cream, ketchup and parsley in a small bowl. 

Lightly butter the bread. Build each sandwich: add the sauce, 1 slice of cheese, mushrooms/onion mixture, sliced chicken and more sauce. Grill each sandwich for about 3 minutes. You can either use a panini press or grill pan (what you have a home). 

Buffalo Potato Wedges

These buffalo potato wedges are the perfect side for any buffalo lover. The are ready in only 40 minutes and are simple to bake in the oven, below is the recipe, hope you enjoy! 

What You'll Need: 
3 tablespoons hot sauce ( Franks!!) 
3 tablespoons melted butter 
1 teaspoon salt
4 potatoes cut into 8 pieces


What To Do: 
1. Preheat the oven to 425. In a small bowl combine hot sauce and butter. Cut each potato into 8 wedges, add 1/2 the hot sauce mixture to the bowl and toss together. 
2. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange the potatoes and roast for 40 minutes. 
3. Remove from the oven and toss with remaining hot sauce/butter mixture. 

Chipotle BBQ Wings

Sunday's are for football, drinks and wings! Today I made Chipotle BBQ Wings, they were really simple to make and a great crowd pleaser! 

What You'll Need: 

- 24 wings

- 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce

- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chipotle 

- 1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper

What To Do: 

1. Spray a baking sheet with pan or any kind of cooking oil an place the wings on the baking sheet in a single layer. 

2. Bake in the oven on 400 for 45 minutes then turn the oven on broil and leave the wings in for about 5 more minutes (to get them extra crispy). 

3. While the wings are cooking you can prepare the sauce. In a large bowl combine, BBQ sauce, worcestershire sauce, chopped chipotle and salt & pepper. 

4. When the wings are done cooking place them in the bowl with the sauce and mix around until all the wings are lightly coated. Then Enjoy! 

Chocolate Cake

With all the holiday's I've had some time to relax and do some fun things like.. Bake! Although once we get back into the work flow it's back to healthy eating, for sure. Yesterday I made this decadent chocolate cake from Ina Garten's new cook book "make it ahead." I made a few tweaks to her recipe, she makes this cake with gluten free flour but I used regular flour instead and I used cooled coffee instead of coffee granules. But it came out great and looks so good! 

What You'll Need: 
- 1 Pound & 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate such as Lindt, broken into chunks 
- 1 1/4 sticks of butter (unsalted cut into pieces at room temperature)
-1 tablespoon flour
-1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
-1 teaspoon cooled coffee 
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-4 large eggs, separated
-1/4 cup heavy cream

What To Do: 
1. Preheat the oven to 425 and grease an 11 inch tart pan (with a removable bottom) or you can use an 8-inch spring form pan. 
2. Place the pound of chocolate in a large heat proof bowl over a pan with simmering water (keep stirring the chocolate until it is melted). Off the head add in, butter, flour, sugar, coffee and salt. Then add in egg yolks until smooth. 

                    

3. Whip the egg whites in an electric mixer until they form soft peaks. Fold them into the chocolate mixture (very carefully with a rubber spatula) until everything is combined. 

4. Scape the mixture into the pan and bake for 15 minutes -- then turn off the oven and leave the cake in there for an hour. The cake will sink in the middle. 

5. Carefully release the sides of the pan and slide the cake onto a flat serving cake stand. 
6. Place the 3 ounces of chocolate and heavy cream in a heat-proof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Again keep stirring until the chocolate melts. Pour the chocolate onto the sunken part of the cake. 
7. Allow the cake to cool before serving (I like a cold chocolate cake so I even put it in the fridge)

This cake looks so good and tastes even better!