Eat.Delicious.

My food-inspired life

[suzannekart]

The picture doesn’t do it justice

Tonight I made Instant Pot chicken with a creamy basil sauce over garlic sourdough toast. 

It was super yummy.

Here’s how you do it:

Saute chicken thighs in 1 TBSP butter and 1 TBSP olive oil in your Instant Pot.

Remove thighs and set aside.

Saute a chopped onion with 2 chopped garlic cloves.

Add 1/2 cup chardonnay and 1/2 cup chicken stock

And salt and pepper it.

Tear up some basil and drop it in.

Put the chicken thighs back in. Put the lid on. And cook 25 minutes on manual pressure.

Once done, remove chicken. Turn on saute again for about 3 minutes. Then add three TBSP sour cream. Whisk it. Whisk it good.

Put your chicken back in the pot.

Serve in shallow bowls. One piece of sourdough bread with butter and garlic powder. Some chicken. A healthy spoonful of the sauce. Top with more fresh Basil.

You’re welcome.

#Eat.Delicious #Yummy #FrenchCooking

[suzannekart]

Food memories

As you may remember, my younger daughter, Lily, is quite the gardener. Which means I have an abundance if tomatoes this time of year. So, I had an idea: I’ll try to recreate my Babcia’s tomato soup.

Babcia was my great great grandmother. She was a Polish immigrant and a fantastic cook. I especially liked her soups. Lily’s middle name is Anna, after Babcia.

Growing up in the 1970s, I don’t remember ever having canned tomato soup. And once I did, I hated it. Because Babcia made awesome tomato soup.  I decided to go ahead and give it a shot.

(Yes, that’s Babcia and me below)

First I peeled the tomatoes and them cut them up and did my best to remove the seeds. Then I cooked my tomatoes and some chopped onion in vegetable stock until they all broke down and used an immersion blender to smooth everything out (this is my newest toy and BTW, I love it!). Took it off the heat, added full-fat sour cream as well as fresh dill, salt and pepper, and it was there. Add in cooked white rice and it tasted just like Babcia’s.

A while back I made French meat pie for my husband  and he teared up. That’s how I felt with this soup. Like I was a kid and sitting in Babcia’s kitchen. Eating soup.

[suzannekart]

BBQ chicken wings and salad for dinner. #Yum

[suzannekart]

What’s more American than grilling on July 4?

So the hubs and I decided to give grilling ribs a shot on July 4. Although we usually depend on the kindness of others to supply us with this kind of delicious meal, our (relatively) new Instant Pot gave us the confidence to make the leap.

My recipe is super simple, friends. But the outcome is AMAZING. Remove the membrane from the ribs. Season your rack of ribs (both sides) with your favorite rub (I used something with a cowgirl on the label). Put two cups of water in your Instant Pot and then the rack that comes with it. Add your ribs to the rack in a circular fashion. Put it to manual at 40 minutes and start.

Once the Instant Pot does its job, lather the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce (both sides) and put them on foil on the grill at high. They are already cooked, so you’re working on the crispy crust.

As a side dish, I made my tomato salad. What I do for that is roast a quart of grape tomatoes at 400 degrees for 15 minutes with EVOO, salt, pepper, and dried basil. Then let them cool.

 I then make a vinaigrette with EVOO, Dijon mustard, and white balsamic vinegar. I add the tomatoes, a bunch of cut up mozzarella cheese, and some of my home made pesto.

Finally, I served both with some corn made on the grill. Super easy. Super delicious. And super American.

Bon Appetit!

Eat.Delicious.us

[suzannekart]

Travel eating, turning 13, and shell fish

When each of my daughters turned 13, I took them on a girls weekend. The older one and I went to Minneapolis and had the city experience three years ago. My younger one and I went to Chincoteague, VA, last week to the hometown of Misty of Chincoteague (my daughter’s favorite horse book.)

I recommend doing something like this one-on-one with your kids. Those were two of my favorite trips of all time (and I’ve been to Hawaii!). 

Travel and food go hand-in-hand for our family. We eat the local cuisine and experience the local culture for each trip. In Chincoteague, that meant my daughter ate crab every day. Day one - crab cakes at Stingrays. Day two, the fabulous steamed seafood platter in the picture from Don’s. Day three, crab legs from The Crab Shack.  Day four, crab chowder at the airport. 

You probably realize by now my kid likes crab.

But the reason I really wanted to write this post is that she tried oysters. She didn’t like them, but she tried them. I think travel is a great opportunity to get your kids to try new foods. I also think it’s a shame when people travel, but they skimp on the food budget. I think going a day or two shorter and eating fabulous meals is better than staying longer and eating fast food.

Our next trip is to northern Michigan for our annual family beach vacation in July. On the menu this year: fresh trout caught locally. It’s delicious on the grill. Simply salt and pepper the insides, stuff with sliced limes, oil the skin, and put it over a high heat to crisp it up.

Pictures to come next month.

Bon Appetit!

[suzannekart]

Instant Pot, Chicken Pot Pie, Shrimp Scampi and My Apologies

It’s been quite a while since I’ve posted my adventures in cooking. I make promises, then I don’t follow through. So I’m thinking my whole dream of becoming a Food Network Star probably takes a little more focus that I have in me. But I have been cooking. A LOT. 

Recently, an old friend from Mrs. Creel’s 2nd grade class ( and literally, we were 2nd grade classmates, gotta love social media) posted on Facebook that she was getting an Instant Pot. I was intrigued. And just like 2nd grade, I was a copy cat. I went and got one.

I love it! I’ve only had it since Sunday, but, frankly, it’s amaze-balls.

My friend from college sent me a shrimp scampi recipe that was fantastic. And yes, you throw dried pasta in there with frozen shrimp and it comes out delicious.

So today, I actually wrote my own Instant Pot recipe for Chicken Pot Pie. 

Don’t get too excited, you still have to dirty up some more pots and use the oven, but this is probably the best C.P.P. I’ve tasted.

Here’s what you do:

First preheat your oven to 425.

In the Instant Pot, put two diced carrots, four diced celery stalks, one cup frozen peas, and two pounds chicken breasts (or a package). Add salt, pepper, celery seed, and thyme. Add four cups water. Hit “manual” and 10 minutes. When it’s done, do a quick release.

Meanwhile, chop up an onion. Put five teaspoons butter in a skillet. Once melted, add the onions and saute until translucent. Then add 1/2 cup flour and stir. 

By now, you’re chicken should be done. Pull out the breasts and set aside. Strain the broth and vegetables into a bowl (so you have broth in the bowl and veggies in the strainer. Cut up your chicken.

Add 1 3/4 cups of the broth to your onions. Then add 3/4 cup of milk. Once it’s all warmed up, add your veggies and chicken and salt and pepper to taste.

Using a pack of two store bought pie crusts, it’s time to assemble. Put one crust in pie dish. Add your chicken mixture. Put the second crust on time and pinch the two crusts together. Cut some vents in the top.

Bake at 425 for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for five minutes.

That’s it!

Bon Appetit!

Eat.Delicious.us

[suzannekart]

Pan seared flank steak over white bean and tomato salad topped with spinach pesto. Bon appetite! #SaturdayDinner #Yum #IMadeThis!

[suzannekart]

[suzannekart]

[suzannekart]

Leftover turkey: Three recipes to use it up

In my family, I’m in charge of the Thanksgiving turkey. Even when I’m not hosting Thanksgiving. This year, I cooked a 20-pounder and took it to my parents’ house where we had a lovely meal. I can’t complain, because I make the best Thanksgiving turkey (not sure I’ll be sharing THAT recipe.)

This year, since the bird was so big, there were lots of leftovers. In addition to making turkey noodle soup the day after Thanksgiving with my mom (she was impressed with my knife skills), I also made three additional dishes when we got home.

#1 Turkey Pot Pie

This is a no-brainer. Here’s what you do.Take some onions, carrots, and celery - chop them up and saute in butter. Then add butter and flour and melt it down. Then add chicken or turkey broth until you get the right consistency - add salt and thyme and you’re set. Finally fold in your turkey.

Get some store-bought pie crusts. Put one on the bottom of  a pie dish. Spoon in your mixture. Put n the top and pinch the edges. Cut in some vents and cook according to the pie crust directions.

#2 Turkey Tetrazzini

There are a million recipes for this online. Google them. But basically this comes down to pasta + turkey + cheese + mushrooms + cream + wine = yum.

#3 Turkey Chili

This was by far the easiest - and the most liked - of my leftover Turkey recipes. Take what’s left of your turkey and add a packet of chili spices, a can of kidney beans, and a can of diced tomatoes You could come up with your own spice blend, but, really, why bother? Finish with some hot sauce and a dab of sour cream.

Bon Appetitit!

EatDelicious.us

[suzannekart]

Tomatoes, tomatoes, and more tomatoes!

My 11-year-old daughter, Farmer Lily, is having quite the tomato harvest this year!

It’s interesting what a country girl she is, considering I was born in Detroit (seriously, check my birth certificate). She loves riding horsing, gardening, and all things outdoorsy.

Lily has harvested dozens of tomatoes this year in her garden. I gave some to my mom. Some to my sister. And my husband and I have been eating tomatoes every meal for weeks.

Finally, I’ve decided to try out some tomato-themed recipes.

Today’s deliciousness is a tomato pie. Here’s how you make it:

Peel four tomatoes (your choice on the method), and slice them. Salt them and put them in a colander for 10 minutes so they can drain.

Meanwhile, cut up 1/2 cup of green onions and rip up about 10 basil leaves. Then mix one cup shredded mozzarella cheese, one cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and a a cup of mayo. 

When your tomatoes are drained, spread them onto a store-bought pie crust. Layer your basil, then your onions. Salt-and-pepper to taste. Finally spread your cheese and mayo mixture on top and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

So so so so good!

Bon Appetit!

EatDelicious.us

[suzannekart]

Easy summer meal after beach vacation

Sadly, we are home from our week at the beach. I’m tanner than I’ve been in years, read four books, and cooked many of our favorites including paella, etoufee, and poached chicken.

Luckily, we also were able to indulge on smoked whitefish while we were in northern Michigan, too (more to come on this delicious find.)

But now that we’re home, I thought a nice Sunday dinner would perk us all up. I decided on a primavera pasta with some seared scallops. 

First you start by chopping up a bunch of veggies, lemons, garlic, and herbs.

From there, it’s pretty easy. Cook up some bow tie pasta. While that’s going, warm up some EVOO in a pan and add garlic and onions for a couple minutes. Add in a chopped red pepper and a chopped yellow zucchini. When those are soft, add 1/2 cup of heavy cream, the juice of one lemon, a sliced lemon, lemon zest, and salt and pepper. Then toss in your cooked pasta, a cup of the starchy cooking water, some chopped fresh basil, and about a cup of chopped grape tomatoes. Fold in your pasta.

The scallops are even easier. Warm some butter in a cast iron skillet, add in some garlic, once everything is fragrant, add in your scallops and sear on both sides. Add the juice of one lemon. Remove scallops, drizzle with the drippings, and sprinkle with a bit of fresh chopped dill.

Then serve the scallops on top of the pasta. Sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Our entire family love it. And it didn’t overheat the summer kitchen. 

Almost made us happy to home from the beach. Almost.

Bon Appetit!

EatDelicious.us

[suzannekart]

The best thing I ever made? Parmesan coated linguine with smoky tomato sauce

So, tonight the hubs proclaimed that what I made for dinner was the best I’ve ever made.

“Even better than Mexi-Spaghetti,” he said.

I’m not sure that’s true, but I can tell you that my Parmesan coated linguine with smoky tomato sauce was really really tasty.

Here’s what you do:

Grate about a cup of Parmesan cheese.

Chop up an onion.

Mince five cloves of garlic.

Chop up a half a pound of bacon.

Now you’re ready to roll. Heat up a cast iron skillet with a bit of EVOO. Add your bacon and cook until crispy. Throw in your onion and a little bit of red pepper flakes and cook until onions are translucent. Add your garlic and one minute later add a 14-oz can of diced tomatoes (drained) and a 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes (not drained). Once it’s bubbly, turn off heat and let it sit.

Now cook up a pound of linguine in heavily salted water according to package directions. Drain and add to a large bowl. Now throw in your Parmesan cheese and mix well.

Turn the heat back on your sauce and make sure it’s warm. Then mix that into your cheesy pasta. 

The result is a smokey, delicious, tomato-based pasta dish with a really deep flavor that makes it tough to stop eating.

Just saying.

Bon Appetit!

EatDelicious.us 

[suzannekart]

Grilled cod with Spanish-inspired spinach saute

I’m always looking for good ideas of meals that can be deconstructed for my picky eater, Isabela. She doesn’t eat mammals, so I always have a supply of individually wrapped chicken breasts and salmon fillets that I can throw in the oven or on the grill when the family wants beef, pork, or lamb.

But today I came up with something yummy that the whole family can enjoy.

Here’s how you make it:

Send the hubs out to the grill with four cod fillets that have been brushed with EVOO and seasoned with salt, pepper, and Old Bay seasoning.

Put a half cup golden raisins in a  small bowl and add 3/4 cup boiling water. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, lightly brown a small package of pine nuts in a large dry pan. Remove nuts from pan.

Then take your EVOO and do three swishes around the pan. Add three whole cloves of garlic and saute until lightly brown. Then remove the cloves and discard.

Add a bag of baby spinach and thoroughly coat. Put a lid on the pan and let the spinach wilt (about 4 minutes). Put your pine nuts back in and add the raisins and the water to the pan. Stir. Finally, take one sliced Roma tomato and set on top. Add salt and pepper.

When the hubs comes back in, put the grilled fillets on top and let everything cook until the water is pretty much evaporated.

The ideal way to eat this is to put some spinach mixture on the plate with the cod on top. Make sure you get a little bit of everything in every fork full.

If you are Isabela, eat the fish and the raisins on the side.

Bon Appetit

EatDelicious.us 

[suzannekart]

Polish paella. It’s a thing. I know, because I invented it.

Last weekend’s weather was awful. The only good thing is that I had some time to cook.

Saturday I made chicken and dumplings (recipe to come). And Sunday I made Polish Paella.

Why Polish? Because I used smoked kielbasa made locally at Jack’s Market. That’s the extent of its Polishness.

If you’re interested in making this (and yes, even my picky eater likes it), here’s how you do it:

Put two cups water, 1 can diced tomatoes, a chopped onion, 1/2 pound smoked kielbasa and a handful of fresh chopped parsley in a skillet and bring to a boil. 

Add one box of Zatarain’s yellow rice, stir, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add 1 cup frozen peas, a pound of raw peeled and deveined shrimp (I like the tails on), and about a half a pound of scallops to the pan. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and let sit for about five minutes. 

That’s it. It’s really good and really easy.

Bon Appetit!

EatDelicious.us

[suzannekart]

Don’t buy Alfredo sauce in a jar

I don’t understand buying Alfredo sauce in a jar, because it’s so easy to make - and homemade tastes better.

Last night, I made the hubs cheese stuffed tortellini in a creamy sauce. I bought the tortellini, but here’s how I made the sauce.

Heat some butter and EVOO in a sauce pan and saute some minced garlic. Once the garlic becomes fragrant, add flour until you create a roux. Then add two cups of heavy cream. 

Finally, add in freshly grated Parmesan cheese (yes, buy the hunk of cheese and pull out your grater. You will thank me.)

Then add your sauce to your cooked tortellini and top with fresh chopped basil. 

Super easy. Super tasty.

Bon Appetit!

EatDelicious.us 

[suzannekart]

No kids Sunday - Rack of lamb, asparagus, and scallops on a bed of lettuce and fruit salsa

I was on the road for work most of last week. Although I had some nice meals, I was super ready to head back to the kitchen when I got home Saturday.

In a twist of fate, the stars aligned, and my kids were both with their friends for Sunday dinner. The hubs and I decided to make something delicious.

Don’t get me wrong, if my kids would eat lamb, I’d make it for them. But, frankly, it’s too pricey for them to pick at and tell me they don’t like it. So today was the perfect day to splurge.

So here’s what I made: Rack of lamb with asparagus and sauteed scallops over a fruit salsa salad. It was magnificent.

Interestingly enough, my younger daughter came home early and noshed on some of the scallops. She loved them. Yay! I have raised at least one kid who will try new stuff.

So here’s how you make this meal:

Rack of Lamb:  Heat two TBSP oil in a skillet. Season your rack with S & P. Put it fat side down on the pan until it’s browned (About 5-10 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool (about 20 minutes). 

Make a crust with about three TBSP softened butter, chopped fresh garlic, parsley, and thyme, and some panko bread crumbs.

Slather the rub onto the lamb. Put in oven at 500 degrees for 20 minutes.

Asparagus: Saute your asparagus in butter until bright green. Add salt, the zest of a lemon, and some freshly grated parmesan cheese. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside until time to eat.

Scallop salad: A couple hours before your meal, cut up some fruit. I used one orange, one tangerine, and two kiwi. Also cut up one small onion. Mix together in a bowl and add one packet of salsa mix (if you are ambitious, you can make your own spice blend, but I’m not ambitious.)

Put the contents of a bag of spring greens onto a platter, add your fruit salsa. 

In a skillet, melt 2 TBSP of butter and brown your scallops. On my stove it took about two minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second. Then lay them on the salad bed.

Warning: This meal is really delicious and really impressive. If served to a love interest, please be aware it does induce amorous reactions.

Bon Appetit!

EatDelicious.us