Course: Main Dish

Stuffed Roasted Romas

Anyone growing a vegetable garden will now be reaping the benefits of all your hard work. Have you ever stopped and thought about how many summer vegetables are fantastic for hollowing out and stuffing? Any vegetable with a fairly sturdy shape can become an edible vessel for dinner. All we need to do is scoop out the middle and fill the inside with a stuffing of our choice. A little time in the oven until everything is heated through and dinner is ready!

When my siblings and I were growing up, my mother had many unique ways of teaching us how to take responsibility. On one side of her huge farm vegetable garden, she designated a ‘strip’ each for the three of us older siblings. The strips were each about 4 feet (1.22 m) wide and the length of her garden. The deal was that we could grow whatever we choose to, but it was ours to weed and care for all summer. At the end of the season, it was fun to see who had the most success. One of my sisters absolutely loved to grow pumpkins as they grew fast and large. I can’t really remember my mother stuffing a lot of vegetables but the idea of stuffing ‘things’ always appeals to me.

It’s hard to beat a summer tomato. They’re plump and juicy and filled with sweet and savory notes. You can certainly eat tomatoes in the wintertime, but this is one of those vegetables that showcases its best aromas and flavors in the summertime.

Aside from the visual presentation of a stuffed tomato, there’s the matter of flavor. I think the real beauty of a stuffed tomato is what you put inside it. And to be honest, the sky’s the limit. Any manner of meats, cheeses, carbs, and veggies can make for  great choices. The blended flavors make for some pretty tasty meals.

Whether it’s stuffed cabbage, stuffed zucchini or these stuffed tomatoes, food just tastes better when it comes in an edible package!

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 Stuffed Roasted Romas
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine European
Keyword stuffed tomatoes & roasted potatoes
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine European
Keyword stuffed tomatoes & roasted potatoes
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil & add ground meat, breaking up the meat with a spatula. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until meat is browned. Drain off any excess grease then add the onion, Italian seasoning & salt to the pan. Cook 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic & cook for 30 more seconds.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly butter an 8-inch baking dish.
  3. Turn tomatoes blossom side down to give you a flat bottom. Trim a thin slice off the 'top'. Hollow out the insides of the tomatoes with a knife or grapefruit spoon. Chop pulp finely to be used in filling.
  4. Stir the rice, most of the cheeses (save a bit to top tomatoes with) & tomato pulp into meat mixture. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
  5. Mound the filling mixture evenly into tomato shells. Place remaining filling in the baking dish. Nestle the stuffed tomatoes into it so they will stay upright during baking time.
  6. Bake tomatoes about 15-20 minutes then top with remaining grated cheese. Bake for another couple of minutes until cheese is melted.
  7. Place a bed of arugula on serving plate & top with loose baked ground meat mixture. Place the roasted Romas on top & serve hot.

Chicken Thighs w/ Grapes & Caramelized Onions

September is the bridge between summer and fall. The beginning of the fall season is just around the corner so it’s time to transition meals between the summer and fall. Turn the oven back on to embrace the changing season. For many, this means baking, but there’s also sautéing and slow roasting, braising and boiling. 

It’s National Chicken Month which gives Canadians from coast to coast another reason to celebrate their favorite protein. It’s the time to cook and eat all sorts of chicken dishes in salute of all the hard-working Canadian farm families that raise the chicken we love.

This recipe for skillet chicken with grapes and caramelized onions is an easy recipe that makes a perfect pair for a crisp green salad, quinoa, or fresh bread. Quinoa is still very much a small niche crop in Canada. The search for seed to produce quinoa varieties that can reliably flourish in Canada continues, and it is entrepreneurs as well as research scientists who are leading these efforts. Quinoa is a cool-season crop and is particularly sensitive to heat, which limits the areas of potential commercial production in Canada.

Its popularity skyrocketed in 2006/7 when restaurants began featuring this ancient grain on their menus, and it quickly won over people’s taste buds with its unique flavor and texture profile.

Serving quinoa with this chicken meal really makes it special.

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 Skillet Chicken w/ Grapes & Caramelized Onions
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Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword shillet chicken w/ grapes & caramelized onions
Servings
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
Chicken
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword shillet chicken w/ grapes & caramelized onions
Servings
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
Chicken
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Caramelized Onions
  1. Heat butter over medium low heat in a heavy ovenproof skillet. Add the onions cook for 20 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. When the onions are a deep golden color, remove from the pan and set aside.
Chicken Thighs
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Combine the flour, salt, chili powder, thyme, allspice, & black pepper. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.
  3. In the same pan as the onions, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add each piece of chicken & fry for a few minutes until golden brown; flip & cook for a few more minutes. Transfer to a plate (it will not be fully cooked at this point, just browned – it will finish cooking in the oven).
  4. Turn the heat down & let the oil cool off a little bit. Add the wine – this will definitely bubble & sizzle! Add the broth & simmer until the mixture is thickened slightly. Add the onions & chicken to the pan. Bake for about 20 minutes.
  5. Remove from the oven, add the grapes, baste with the sauce & bake for another 5-10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Recipe Notes
  • To make without using wine:
  • Use 3/4 cup chicken broth (instead of the 1/3 cup wine & 1/4 cup broth). Add remaining flour (leftover from dredging chicken).
  • Make a roux with excess oil in skillet & dredging flour.
  • Add chicken broth & cook until a sauce forms.
  • Add the onions & chicken to the pan & bake as directed above.

Scallop & Zucchini Quiche

While there’s still time to enjoy summer, it’s definitely prime time for eating some satisfying summer squash.

Zucchini, also known as courgetti, belongs to the same family as pumpkin. The most widely known version is green, though golden varieties exist too, which are yellow or orange.

While zucchini is treated as a vegetable in the culinary sphere, it’s technically the fruit of the zucchini flower (which can also be consumed).

Scallops are buttery, delicious, and easily likeable. This special kind of seafood has won our hearts in the casual and fine dining setting. We continue to ask ourselves how we can enhance the flavor of this seafood treat even more. Since scallops are briny and sweet with a relatively subtle flavor profile, they’ll complement everything from crunchy sweet corn to zippy citrus salads and summer or winter squash.

They’re one of the more sustainably sourced seafood because they are typically harvested from places, they are endemic to. This means that scallops don’t feed off other marine life unnaturally and they’re not placed in areas foreign to them.

I think you will find this scallop and zucchini quiche is nice served as a hot or cold summer entrée.

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 Scallop & Zucchini Quiche
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword scallop & zucchini quiche
Servings
Ingredients
Cornmeal Pastry
Scallop & Zucchini Filling
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword scallop & zucchini quiche
Servings
Ingredients
Cornmeal Pastry
Scallop & Zucchini Filling
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Pastry
  1. In a small bowl, combine sour cream & ice water; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar & salt. Using a pastry blender or fingertips, cut in butter until mixture resembles both coarse crumbs & small peas. Sprinkle the cold sour cream mixture over dough, 1 Tbsp at a time, tossing with a fork to evenly distribute it.
  2. After you have added all the sour cream mixture, dough should be moist enough to stick together when pressed; if not add additional cold water, 1 tsp at a time. DO NOT overwork dough. Press dough into a disk & wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Filling
  1. In a saucepan, fry bacon until cooked but not real crisp. Remove bacon & place on paper towel to drain. In the same saucepan, sauté onions, zucchini mushrooms & garlic in remaining bacon drippings until tender but not over cooked. Add scallops during the last few minutes of sautéing. Remove from pan & combine with bacon; cool slightly.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  3. Grate cheese. Whisk together eggs, milk, Old Bay seasoning, salt & pepper. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
  4. Roll out pastry to fit a 9-inche quiche pan. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with uncooked beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, remove the beans (or rice) & paper. Sprinkle half of the grated cheddar on the quiche shell. Place filling mixture on top; form a ring of tomato halves around the outside edge. Sprinkle with remaining cheese then pour milk mixture over the quiche.
  5. Sprinkle half of the grated cheddar on the quiche shell. Place filling mixture on top; form a ring of tomato halves around the outside edge. Sprinkle with remaining cheese then pour milk mixture over the quiche.
  6. Bake for about 45 minutes or until set.

Cheesy Smoked Oyster Pizza

Oysters pair well with garlic, herbs and cheese so they’re ideal for pizza! But the reasons canned oysters were so popular in the 19th century are they’ll last in the cabinet forever, just waiting to save you on that one desperate evening when you haven’t grocery shopped in weeks.

How does one eat canned oysters? Honestly, however you want. Think of them like any other tinned fish, like sardines or clams. Canned oysters go great as a dip (chopped up with chives and cream cheese) or mixed into pasta (with lemon and butter and parsley). Put them on a pizza, or bake them into a savory pie, or fold them into an omelet.

The star of this recipe is the smoked oysters. The smoked oysters added a smoky richness that is hard to duplicate. If you aren’t accustomed to eating smoked oysters, they are delicious and packed full of healthy nutrients. Oysters are shellfish that have vitamin C, zinc, protein, iron, and selenium. (Selenium is great for keeping your brain happy!)

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 Cheesy Smoked Oyster Pizza
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Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword cheesy smoked oyster pizza
Servings
NAAN PIZZAS
Ingredients
Pizza Base
Pizza Toppings
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword cheesy smoked oyster pizza
Servings
NAAN PIZZAS
Ingredients
Pizza Base
Pizza Toppings
Votes: 1
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Instructions
  1. Chop bacon & fry in a saucepan until cooked but not crisp. Remove from pan & drain on paper towel.
  2. In the same saucepan, place onion in bacon drippings & sprinkle with salt. Sauté until tender then add bacon back to pan & cook a few minutes longer.
  3. Slice drained artichokes in half. Drain smoked oysters & place on paper towel. In a food processor, 'dice' tomatoes for a couple of seconds. Grate cheese.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  5. Lay out Naan breads for your pizza bases. Sprinkle each with a bit of cheese then top each with some tomato 'sauce'.
  6. Sprinkle minced garlic over tomato sauce then top each with bacon/onion mixture, artichokes & some more cheese. Divide smoked oysters between the pizzas & top with remaining cheese.
  7. Bake for 10 minutes or until toppings are heated & cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven & top with fresh arugula. Serve.

Savory Heirloom Tomato Tart

There’s something real special about using heirloom tomatoes as opposed to hybrid varieties. Heirloom tomatoes are ‘breed true’, meaning that the seeds can be saved to grow more of the same tomatoes year after year.  Generally, they are more expensive because they are not as prolific as hybrids, and they do not ship or store well.

The seeds from heirloom tomatoes (also called heritage tomatoes) have been selected over many years for desirable traits, such as size, color, and taste.  They are open-pollinated, meaning that bees, moths, birds, bats, wind, or rain pollinate the tomato flowers.

These days, many hybrid tomatoes are bred for traits such as high yield, disease resistance, and the ability to ship and store well.  This decreases costs for farmers and consumers and minimizes waste due to spoiled produce.

However, this cost savings and efficiency comes at the expense of flavor.  When you cross two tomato plants to make the offspring disease resistant or highly productive, you may also lose other traits, such as rich flavor.

This is exactly what has happened to many hybrid tomato varieties: they have lost some of the sugar and nutrient content that makes heirloom tomatoes taste sweeter and juicier. These little gems add such a special touch to this savory summer tart.

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 Savory Heirloom Tomato Tart
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Course Main Dish
Keyword savory heirloom tomato tart
Servings
Ingredients
Filling
Parmesan Buttermilk Pastry
Course Main Dish
Keyword savory heirloom tomato tart
Servings
Ingredients
Filling
Parmesan Buttermilk Pastry
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Filling
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut tomatoes into ½-inch-thick slices. Place about 7 or 8 slices (enough to cover top of pie) on a baking sheet lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Cover with additional paper towels, and reserve.
  2. Arrange remaining tomatoes in a single layer on a lightly greased wire rack set on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Bake in preheated oven until wilted and slightly dried out, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
  3. Make Parmesan-Buttermilk Pie Crust. Instructions below.
  4. While pie crust cools, cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high until fat is beginning to render, 4 to 5 minutes. Add chopped shallots, and cook until bacon is crisp and shallots are caramelized, 6 to 7 more minutes. Stir in garlic; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon mixture to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Cool 20 minutes.
  5. Stir together cheese, ranch dressing, basil paste, chives, Dijon, and egg until combined. Sprinkle with pepper and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt & spices. Fold in bacon mixture.
  6. Gently spread a third of cheese mixture onto cooled Parmesan-Buttermilk Crust; layer with half of the roasted tomato slices in slightly overlapping pattern. Spread another third of cheese mixture on top of tomato slices. Repeat with remaining roasted tomato slices and cheese mixture. Top with reserved sliced fresh tomatoes, pressing filling gently into crust. Shield edges of pie with aluminum foil.
  7. Bake in preheated oven until filling is set, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let stand 1 hour before serving. Garnish with chopped green onion or chives.
Pastry
  1. Pulse flour, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in food processor until combined. Add butter and shortening. Pulse until butter and shortening are pea size pieces, about 5 times. Drizzle in buttermilk processing until dough begins to just come together. Gather and lightly knead dough into a ball on a large piece of plastic wrap; flatten into disk and wrap tightly. Chill at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
  2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll dough on a floured surface into a 15- to 16-inch circle about 1/3 inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Trim edges leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold edges under and crimp. Freeze dough at least 20 minutes.
  3. Line piecrust with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 400°F 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights and bake until edges are golden and bottom of crust is set, about 8 more minutes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Recipe Notes
  • Whether using store-bought or homemade dough, don't forget to blind-bake the crust (bake it a bit on its own) before adding the filling. This extra step will keep the crust from turning soggy as the pie bakes.
  • Another good pastry alternative would be one with cornmeal in it.

Creamy Chicken Skillet w/ Italian Seasoning

Italian cuisine is renowned for its delicious and aromatic flavors, and one of the most essential ingredients that contribute to this is a blend of herbs and spices that add a distinct flavor to various dishes.

While these herbs are readily available in Italy, they were not always easy to find in America. As a result, early Italian immigrants needed a way to add their preferred flavors to dishes. ‘Italian seasoning’ provided exactly that. Its origins are a bit mysterious, with some people believing it originated in Italy and others insisting it is an American invention. However, the most common understanding is that the Greeks and Romans developed Italian seasoning somewhere in the Mediterranean during ancient times.

Italian seasoning is a mix of dried herbs with an earthy, piney flavor that’s subtly sweet and peppery. This kitchen staple includes dried basil, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme and dried marjoram, but there are several variations that also feature additions like dried sage, fennel seeds or even spices like garlic powder or crushed red-pepper flakes. Traditionally, though, it is just those five core herbs.

It has become a staple in North American kitchens and can be used to flavor just about anything, but some of our favorite uses are in classic Italian American dishes like meatballs, pizza or chicken Parmesan. It adds extra interest to olive oil for dipping bread or vinaigrette for salads. Or stir it into marinades to infuse your meat with woodsy, herbal flavor.

These chicken cutlets cook quickly and are highlighted with a creamy sauce made with tomatoes, zucchini and Italian seasoning. Nice served with roasted mashed cauliflower, brown or Basmati rice or orzo pasta.

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 Creamy Chicken Skillet w/ Italian Seasoning
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken skillet w/ Italian seasoning
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
Sauce
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken skillet w/ Italian seasoning
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Chicken
  1. In a small dish, combine all chicken seasonings & sprinkle on both sides of chicken cutlets. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken & cook, turning once, until browned & cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
Sauce
  1. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, zucchini, mushrooms & onions to the pan. Cook, stirring, until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the liquid has mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, cream cheese & Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring to melt the cream cheese, for 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat with the sauce. Serve topped with basil or Italian parsley if desired.
  2. Nice to serve with roasted mashed cauliflower, brown rice, orzo or basmati rice.

Shrimp Taco Salad

When you think of Mexican food you probably think of the standard burritos, nachos and quesadillas. While those dishes are definitely tasty why not do the summer ‘thing’ and incorporate these ingredients in a salad.

The idea of a full meal salad has always appealed to me. Of course, there are many of these using a variety of ingredients. Probably one of the most popular was the taco salad. The earliest record of it dates back to the 1960’s with its predecessor being the small teacup sized ‘Tacup’. It consisted of beef, beans, sour cream and cheese, served in a small ‘bowl’ made entirely of a Fritos tortilla.

The taco in a Tacup was invented by Charles Elmer Doolin, the founder of Fritos (tortilla chips). He created a device that looked like tongs but with two tart molds at the end of each tong. One mold would fit within the other mold with a tortilla sandwiched between them. The scalloped-edged shell was dipped into hot oil. Holes in the bottom mold exposed the tortilla to the hot oil, enabling it to cook evenly.

Tacups were first served in Dallas, Texas in the early 1950’s and by 1955, he was selling them in Fritos’ flagship restaurant, ‘Casa de Fritos’, at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. It became popular enough that the Tacup was made bigger and served as a full, main-dish sized salad bowl.

Today’s salad is a satisfying meal, a seriously feel-good dinner salad that’s crisp, spicy, and fresh all at once. Tacos de camarones (‘shrimp tacos’) originated in Baja California in Mexico. But these shrimp tacos in salad form gives you that full meal deal. All the very best elements —seasoned shrimp, healthy fresh veggies, in an edible tortilla bowl with a homemade cilantro lime dressing.

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 Shrimp Taco Salad
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword shrimp taco salad
Servings
Ingredients
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
Shrimp
Salad Ingredients
Tortilla Bowls
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword shrimp taco salad
Servings
Ingredients
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
Shrimp
Salad Ingredients
Tortilla Bowls
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Cilantro Dressing
  1. In a food processor, place the cilantro, garlic, avocado, lime juice, honey, coriander & salt. Pulse to combine. With the machine is running, pour in the olive oil & process until smooth.
Shrimp
  1. In a medium bowl, add all marinade ingredients (except shrimp) & blend well. Add shrimp tossing well to coat. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes. In a saucepan, melt a Tbsp butter then sauté shrimp over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or just until shrimp is cooked.
Salad Ingredients
  1. In a saucepan, fry bacon until cooked but not too crisp, drain on paper towel & chop. Drain canned or cook fresh corn on the cob & remove kernels from cob. Peel, pit & cube avocado. Sprinkle a bit of lime juice on it to keep it from going brown. Halve grape tomatoes. Slice green onions, chives & dill. Drain sliced black olives. Cube cheese.
Tortilla Bowls
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Brush inside of 2 heat resistant glass bowls with oil. Place one tortilla in each bowl so that the shape more or less adheres to the bowl. Line each tortilla with cheese slices then place a second tortilla on top.
  3. Place the bowls with the layered tortillas in the oven & bake for 7 minutes. Remove the bowls from the oven & allow to cool before removing the 'edible tortilla bowls'.
Assembly
  1. Place tortilla bowls on serving plates. In a large mixing bowl place shrimp & all salad ingredients. Toss gently, then divide between tortilla bowls. Drizzle with cilantro dressing (or dressing of choice) & serve.

Filet Mignon w/ Shrimp & Lobster Cream Sauce

Today, I have a couple of things I’d like to share with you. First of all, it’s my husband Brion’s birthday. With summer in full swing, our back yard is bursting with all its glorious flowers and foliage and even though he would rather I didn’t add his picture to my blog today, I wanted to share this garden view with you. I think it’s a great backdrop for a birthday picture, right!

Going ‘out’ to a restaurant for a special occasion has never been something that really appealed to us, especially me since my life’s work was in the food service industry. I find it is so nice to just have a specially prepared meal at home on these occasions. This year I decided to surprise Brion with an old favorite – surf & turf!

Sometimes affectionately known as ‘reef and beef,’ surf and turf is a main course that brings together the best of both worlds: seafood and red meat. While the classic combo features lobster and filet mignon, modern variations found on steakhouse menus might include prawns, shrimp, squid, or scallops.

Back in late 19th-century America, there existed glamorous establishments known as ‘lobster palaces.’ These were the go-to spots for the nouveau riche—those newly wealthy individuals eager to flaunt their prosperity. At these lobster palaces, patrons reveled in large portions of both lobster and steak, creating a decadent dining experience. However, like all trends, this one eventually waned, and by the 1920s, the lobster-steak combo had fallen out of favor. Fast-forward to the early 1960s, and surf ‘n’ turf made a triumphant comeback. Suddenly, the middle-class ‘continental cuisine’ of the ’60s and ’70s embraced this luxurious pairing, with frozen lobster and steak taking center stage. 

As we grow older, it becomes clearer every day what a special privilege it is to simply have each other to share life with. The little everyday things seem to take on a much greater importance. Maybe it’s the state of our world at this time that has made it very clear not to take anything for granted. Throughout our married life Brion has always gone above and beyond to look after us. I am grateful to have the privilege of such a loving and caring husband.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY LOVE … YOU’RE THE BEST!

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 Filet Mignon w/ Shrimp & Lobster Cream Sauce
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword filet mignon w/ shrimp & lobster cream sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Steak
Lobster & Shrimp
Cream Sauce
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword filet mignon w/ shrimp & lobster cream sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Steak
Lobster & Shrimp
Cream Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Steak
  1. In a zip-lock plastic bag, place oil, steaks & Montreal steak spice. Close bag & shake to combine contents well. Set aside to marinate while preparing the sauce.
Lobster & Shrimp
  1. In a skillet, heat butter & olive oil over medium heat. Sear prepared shrimp for 2 minutes on one side, then flip & sear for 1 minute more. Remove & set aside. Add 1 more Tbsp butter to the skillet, then add prepared lobster tails. Sauté lobster until it turns pink in color. This shouldn't take any longer than 3 minutes. Remove & set aside.
Cream Sauce
  1. Add 6 Tbsp of butter to skillet. When butter starts to melt, add white wine & clam juice. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder & smoked paprika. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent boiling over. Sauce will reduce & thicken. Taste & add more salt if you feel it needs it.
  2. Stir in shrimp & lobster & let simmer for an additional 1-2 minutes. Keep hot while you cook the steaks.
Cooking/Serving
  1. Turn on the broiler. Heat a cast iron pan to a very hot temperature. Once the pan is hot add marinated steaks & sear for approximately 3-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of steaks.
  2. Once steaks have seared, place under the broiler for approximately 4-5 minutes per side or to your desired level of doneness. Transfer steaks to serving plates & generously spoon the shrimp/lobster cream sauce over each filet mignon steak, allowing the flavors to meld together.
  3. Garnish with a sprig of fresh herbs & serve immediately. We enjoyed our steaks with mashed potatoes & roasted asparagus.

Pork & Apple Skewers

Cooking pork with apples could be one of humanity’s most ancient recipes. This combination appears in some of the oldest known cookbooks. The more recent ancient history of apples and pork is easier to decipher since European cooks began recording their recipes from around the fourth or fifth century AD onward. The continent’s earliest recipe collections paint the history of how cooks stewed apples and pork together, and sometimes crushed the fruit into sauces.

The association of pigs with apples is obvious at one level – pigs were often let to graze in apple orchards, where they could feast on the windfalls, so the fruit was converted by the pig’s metabolism into pork, instead of rotting into compost and being ‘wasted’ as a food source. Apples are ripe in autumn, which was also the traditional time for culling the surplus stock that could not be overwintered. The pig was the victim of choice here as much of it was eminently preservable for winter use in the form of sausages, ham, and bacon. The fresh cuts were enjoyed at the time in a fresh meat feast which would be the last for a long time – and as the apples were ripe and in abundance at the same time ….. apple sauce with pork made sense.

Generally, when I make pork skewers, I like to use pork tenderloin. But when I saw this recipe on the internet, the ingredients and the look got my attention. The idea of wrapping each meatball in bacon and barbecuing them with apple chunks sounded so good. There is something special about the sweet taste of apples and the full flavor of pork that work so well together.

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 Pork & Apple Skewers
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Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword pork & apple skewers
Servings
SKEWERS
Ingredients
Meatballs
Other Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword pork & apple skewers
Servings
SKEWERS
Ingredients
Meatballs
Other Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Soak 5 wooden skewers in cold water for about 30 minutes.
  2. In a bowl, combine all meatball ingredients & form into 18 balls. Wrap each meatball with a half slice of bacon. Prepare apples.
  3. Assemble skewers starting with a meatball then a piece of apple, another meatball, apple & end with a meatball.
  4. Preheat the BBQ to medium heat & cook the skewers on each side to brown the bacon well.
Recipe Notes
  • Brion & I enjoyed this meal with some creamy orzo parmesan pasta.

Spicy Honey Lime Chicken

I’m one of those people who almost always has chicken frozen in my freezer, so I’m always interested in ‘another’ chicken recipe. 

Marinated in honey, lime juice, soy sauce, and garlic, these honey lime chicken skewers have a tangy, sweet, and salty taste, 

A perfect marinade for chicken guarantees the chicken will be flavorful and juicy. So, marinades should always combine an acid (such as vinegar or lime juice), fat, and sweetness. Salt, herbs, and spices also contribute to the end flavor of marinated chicken.

Honey and lime is an all-time flavor pairing. It not only works on sweet things, but it also plays nice with savory dishes. I think the reason it works so well is that it’s got that perfect balance between tangy and sweet. Add in a few savory and salty elements in the rest of the marinade, and the flavors are just mouthwatering.

The honey lime chicken marinade I’m using today infuses the chicken with loads of flavor, but it also helps caramelize the outside of the chicken, so you get not only gorgeous flavor, but a beautiful textural contrast between the crisp, caramelized exterior and the tender, flavorful interior.

Print Recipe
 Spicy Honey Lime Chicken
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword spicy honey lime chicken
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Chicken
Honey Lime Marinade
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword spicy honey lime chicken
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Chicken
Honey Lime Marinade
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Marinade
  1. Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a small bowl or blend them in a food processor.
Marinate Chicken
  1. Pour HALF the marinade into a zip-lock bag or container & add chicken. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature or 6-12 hours in the refrigerator. IMPORTANT: If marinating overnight, leave out the lime juice & increase zest so it doesn't 'cook' the chicken.
Glaze
  1. Use the reserved marinade for basting & glazing. Mix the cornstarch into the reserved marinade & microwave for about 1 minute, watching carefully. Set aside.
Grilling
  1. Spray grill with oil. Heat grill to medium-high heat. Skewer marinated chicken pieces onto skewers & PAT DRY. Discard the marinade used for marinating. Lightly spray chicken with oil to avoid sticking.
  2. Grill on all sides until chicken cooks to a golden brown (you will need to turn chicken a couple of times), for 9-12 minutes in total (depending on the thickness & how tightly packed the skewers are), basting once or twice with the GLAZE.
  3. Any extra glaze can be drizzled over cooked skewers. Serve with lime wedges if you wish. Serve hot or at room temperature.