Antipasto Time!

Here is a recipe with loads of fresh flavor and levels of textures.  It's a good way to open up an elegant meal and best of all it doesn't take much work.   

Tomato and Herb Bruschetta

3 Large Ripe Vine Tomatoes (Seeded and Diced)

¼ Cup Diced Onions

¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Basil

¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Scallions

¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Mint

3 to 4 Garlic Cloves Minced

1 lemon Juiced

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper to taste

4 Everything Bagels

½ lb Genoa Salami

1 pack of Cream Cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside

Here’s the untraditional part J

Toast an Everything or Onion Bagel until just crispy.  Spread with Cream Cheese and top with Tomatoes and thinly slice Genoa Salami. (Serves 6 to 8)

Warm....Salad

I have always wanted to make a warm salad and decided to give it a try when I had guests over for dinner.  Fortunately it turned out wonderful.  Imagine plump grilled jumbo shrimp, peppery arugula, a warm balsamic vinaigrette and creamy yet balanced Gorgonzola all in one dish.  Well here let me help you out!

Warm Shrimp and Arugula Salad with Balsamic Dressing


1 pre-packaged box Baby Arugula or Spring Mix
2 Tbs crumbled Gorgonzola Cheese
1/2 lb Jumbo Raw Shrimp peeled and deveined


Dressing:
1/2 cup Very good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs of fresh orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1 Tbs of fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs Honey
1 Garlic clove minced
Salt and Fresh cracked Black Pepper to taste




Pre-heat grill pan or grill and brush with oil. Place thawed shrimp into a small bowl with cool water and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. After 5 minutes remove from sugar water and very lightly season with salt and black pepper. Drizzle with Olive Oil. Grill the shrimp for about 1 minute on each side until pink.  Set aside.


Dressing:


Combine all ingredients (except salt and pepper) in a small sauce pan and whisk together over medium low heat for 3 minutes. Season with salt an pepper.  Remove from heat.


In a large bowl  place the Arugula and toss with Grilled Shrimp and dressing.  Sprinkle with Gorgonzola and serve immediately. Serve with a crusty bread of your choice.

Baby it's cold outside!

Hey guys yes it's fall time and all of our seasonal fruits and veggies are coming out to play! It is getting cold and for me that means its soup making season. Here is a simple and delicious recipe that uses butternut squash a hearty yet delicately flavored fruit that lends itself to sweet and savory flavor. 

Mushroom Butternut Squash Soup

1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp. butter or oil
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. curry powder
3 cups chicken broth
1 (1 lb.) butternut squash
1 tbsp. honey
dash nutmeg
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 cup evaporated milk
optional sour cream or yogurt, topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Cut up the butternut squash into big chunks about 6 pieces. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast in oven for 45 min- 1 hour until very tender. Remove from oven allow to cool for at least 20 min before removing the skin and seeds.  Puree in food processor until smooth. Set Butternut Squash aside. Sautée mushrooms and onion in butter or oil. Add flour and curry and stir. gradually adding broth. Add all but milk and cook, stirring, for 10 - 15 minutes. Add milk and heat through without boiling. May top with sour cream or yogurt.

We love spinach!

Here is a fun and tasty way to incorporate spinach into a pasta dish that everybody will love!

Penne with Spinach Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound whole wheat or multi grain penne
• 3 garlic cloves (if you are not a garlic lover take it down to 1 or 2 cloves)
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 1 ounce reduced fat cream cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan 

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the penne and cook until it is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.

Mince the garlic in a food processor. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and half of the spinach leaves. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Set the cheese and spinach mixture aside.

Meanwhile, place the remaining spinach leaves in a large bowl.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Spoon the pasta atop the spinach leaves in the bowl. Scrape the cheese and spinach mixture over the pasta mixture and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the Parmesan over and serve.

It's Chicken....again or Is It?

Chicken again, man! Sometimes a girl just wants to have fun and no better place is there than creating fun for your taste buds! So again fresh herbs will do the trick add a bit of fancy ham better known as Prosciutto and we are well on our way to a fun, easy and DELICIOUS dinner.  Give this recipe a try courtesy of Rachel Ray.

Prosciutto Wrapped Rosemary Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and very thinly sliced
• 1 package or bundle fresh rosemary
• 8 pieces good quality boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breast, trimmed of fat
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 thin slices prosciutto di Parma
• 2 lemons, cut into thin wedges
• Drizzle balsamic vinegar

Directions

Heat a double burner grill pan, griddle pan, or outdoor grill over medium-high heat.

Pour about 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil into a shallow dish and add the garlic.

Strip the leaves off a sprig of rosemary and finely chop, about 1 tablespoon. Add the chopped rosemary to the bowl with the garlic and oil. Break the remaining rosemary up into 8 small sprigs about the size of the chicken pieces.

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, to taste, and add them to the garlic mixture. Turn to coat. Wrap the chicken pieces in prosciutto, securing the ham with a sprig of rosemary as you wrap. The sprigs should stick out a bit at the edges of the ham. Drizzle the chicken with more oil and grill for 12 minutes, turning occasionally.

Serve 2 pieces of chicken for each serving, along with some lemon wedges for squeezing over the top. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.