Mediterranean Shrimp Quesadilla- Tomato Bowl 2011

This is the first post to start off the Tomato Bowl competition. I love quesadillas for a game time snack, but this time they have a little twist! This recipe is really easy, and will impress your game day company. Fresh plump shrimp, feta cheese, tomatoes, red onions, and olives make this a quesadilla you will want to make again. If you aren't a seafood fan you could easily sub in chicken or keep it vegetarian! Enjoy- Go Team Green Bay!!!Ingredients
3/4 lb. pre-cooked shrimp, tails removed and chopped
1/2 cup red onion, sliced
3/4 cup Red Gold petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup kalmata olives, halved
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 tsp oregano, dried
1 1/2 Tbl olive oil
2 Tbl butter
8 corn tortillas, 6 inch

Instructions
Heat oil over medium in a large skillet. Add olives and onions. Saute till onions are tender. Reduce heat to medium low, and add garlic and tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add chopped shrimp and oregano. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.

In a separate skillet melt 1/4 of the allotted amount of butter. Place tortilla in skillet. Add 1/4 amount of feta and 1/8 amount of mozzarella cheese. Place 1/4 of shrimp mixture on top of the tortilla and cheese. Top with 1/8 mozzarella. Place a tortilla on top. When cheese has melted, flip quesadilla. Allow cheese to melt and tortilla to crisp. Remove from heat, and repeat procedure till you have 4 quesadillas. Quarter quesadillas and serve with a side of sour cream.

Tomato Bowl 2011

Last week I was contacted to participate in the first Tomato Bowl sponsored by Red Gold/Red Pack Tomatoes. Five food bloggers from Green Bay and Pittsburgh will battle to Game Day using the Red Gold/Red Pack Tomatoes as recipe inspiration. I am really excited to be participating, and can't wait for team Green Bay to bring home the Tomato Bowl title. I will be posting game day themed food this week featuring Red Gold Tomatoes. Wish me luck, and let the competition commence! Go Pack Go!!!!!!!

PACKERS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!

Just had to yell it! We are thrilled here in Green Bay- bring on the Steelers!!!

We are going to see Clay do a lot more of this.

And we are going to come home with this:

Salmon Florentine

This salmon was delicious! I found the recipe at Apple A Day, and knew it looked right up my ally. I changed the recipe a little bit to make the salmon a bit more smothered, and it was awesome. The meal is super quick and easy- a perfect weeknight meal for family! AND- GO PACK GO!!! Today we find out if we are going to be Superbowl bound!!!
Ingredients
4 6 oz salmon fillets
1 shallot, minced
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup light sour cream
5 sundried tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Saute shallots, tomatoes, garlic, and spinach in a skillet over medium heat. When shallots are soft move them to a large mixing bowl, and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes. While spinach mixture is cooling, grease or spray a medium baking dish with PAM. Place salmon in baking dish, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and set aside. Mix sour cream, ricotta, and parmesan cheese into spinach mixture. Top salmon with florentine. Bake salmon for 15-18 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through.

Tilapia with Peppers, Olives, and Capers

This dish was inspired by one of my favorite dishes to order at one of my favorite restaurants- Cafe Mario in Green Bay. I am not sure how Mario makes his grouper, but I think I came pretty close with this recreation. I am a big fan of olives so anything you put them in I will probably love. This is really simple, but has big flavors. I think it is best served with a nice salad and another green veggie. Delicious. Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 6-8 oz Tilapia fillets (or grouper)
1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 red bell pepper, julienned and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 shallot, finely diced
1 1/2 Tbl capers
2 Tbl italian parsley
3 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl butter
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
flour (about 1/8 to 1/4 cup for dredging)
salt and pepper


Instructions
Saute olives, shallots, peppers, capers, and lemon with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet. Sprinkle tilapia lightly with salt and pepper. Dredge fish in flour so it is lightly covered. When peppers begin to soften, heat a large skillet to medium. Add remaining olive oil and butter in pan and add fish once pan has heated. Cook tilapia over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and top with olive sauce and parsley. Serve with a fresh salad and veggies.

Beef and Vegetable Stew

This turned into a great victory meal after the Packers beat the Falcons last night! Super Bowl bound!! Ron commented that at the end of the game when the camera did a pan of the stadium a lot of the Falcon fans left! I agree with him that Packer fans would have waited it out till the bitter end. Anyways, I have another beef stew recipe on my blog, but this one doesn't include potatoes, making it more of a beef and veggie stew. I served it over potatoes, but it is just as delicious on it's own. Still cheering in Wisconsin! Enjoy!
3 lb beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into large bite pieces
1 lb baby carrots, cut in half
1 lb fresh green beans, cut in half
1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
2 onions, sliced
16 oz frozen peas
28 oz canned whole peeled tomatoes, cut in half
32 oz beef stock
1 1/2 cup red wine
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tbl fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
4 1/2 Tbl flour
1 Tbl butter
2 Tbl olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Saute Beef in a large skillet till brown on all sides. Remove and set aside. In a large pot saute onions and thyme in butter/olive oil. When onions are soft, stir in the flour to coat. Slowly add the beef stock stirring as you pour in the liquid. Once the stock has been incorporated, add the wine, Worcestershire, and bay leaf. Bring mixture to a slow simmer, and add the veggies and beef. Allow stew to simmer on the stove top for 1 1/2-2 hours. During this time the stew will thicken, but be sure to stir every so often to roll the veggies around. Season with salt and pepper about a half hour before you serve.

Caramelized Onion Dip

This is a great dip. I don't really care for the pre-made onion dips and decided that making a homemade version was in order. I searched around for ideas and saw one that used caramelized onions. However, after searching my bookmarks, I can't find the site where I found the recipe! Grr... I hate when that happens. So this recipe is my interpretation for the lost original. This is really easy, but be sure to allow enough time for the onions to cool! I brought this to the a Badger Rose Bowl party *tear*. Enjoy!
Ingredients
14 oz plain greek yogurt
1 cup lite sour cream
2 Tlb onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp butter
1 Tbl olive oil

Instructions
Heat butter and oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook till they are a rich caramel color. This will take about 20-30 minutes. Becareful not to burn them! Remove onions from pan and allow them to cool to room temperature. In a medium bowl, greek yogurt, sour cream, onion powder, and garlic powder. Add 2/3 of the onions to the yogurt mixture. Mix well. Spread dip evenly in a serving dish and top with remaining onions. Refrigerate till you are ready to serve the dip.

Orange and Rosemary Roasted Duck

I must confess that I never cooked a duck before! We were set to make lamb, but I saw a few ducks at the store, and the plan was changed. This turned out wonderful! I love the crispy skin and rich meat. Duck is also very easy to cook, and really doesn't take too much time. A few ripe oranges and fresh rosemary and the goose (well duck) was loose! This strives to impress, and your guests will be impressed!

On another note, I wanted to express my sympathy to Arizona residents over the tragedy involving Rep. Giffords, her staffer, and her constituents. Violence is senseless, as is the dangerous and villianizing rhetoric that has engulfed so many in our country. As a former Congressional staffer, my heat is truly saddened over what happened to these people. Fear for one's safety has unfortunately become apart of one's job as an elected official over the past few years. Hopefully, we will come to a time when peaceful conversation will trump rationalizations for violence over different points of view.
Ingredients
6 1/2 - 7 lb Duck, cleaned and rinsed
3 springs fresh rosemary, chopped
2 large oranges, one quartered
1 onion, quartered
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Allow duck to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. With a fork, prick the skin without piercing the meat. This will allow the fat to drain off while the ducks cook.

In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup butter with rosemary, zest of one orange, and juice of one orange. Place duck breast side up in a roasting pan and stuff with quartered orange and onion. Rub salt and pepper all over duck. Follow by rubbing half the butter mixture on duck.

Melt the remaining butter mixture. Be sure to baste the duck with the orange butter every 20-30 minutes. Roast the duck until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. Allow the duck to rest for a few minutes before carving.

Beer and Onion Braised Chicken

I had a hankering for beer the other day. And onions.... Yummy... I used chicken breasts, but you could use thighs or legs if you prefer dark meat. This is really easy to put together, and it satisfied my need for beer! I drank a Capitol Supper Club while cooking too... Enjoy!!
Ingredients
1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
3 strips of center cut bacon, diced
12 oz beer (I used Capitol Supper Club)
1 large onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbl brown sugar
1 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl butter
1/4 flour, for dredging
1/2 cup beef broth
2 bay leafs
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
Saute bacon in a large skillet till crisp. Remove and set aside. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge, both sides, in flour. Add butter and oil to skillet that was used to cook the bacon in. Place chicken into pan and brown both sides. Add sliced onion, beer, beef broth, garlic, sugar, and bay leaf. Simmer for 30-35 minutes. Plate chicken and top with onion beer sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Top Ten of 2010!!!

Happy New Year! 2010 was an interesting year for me. I had a wonderful year with my family and friends. I loved every moment with my nephews- they are getting so big. Best friends were married in 2010, and babies were born. 2010 also marked the end of a job I really loved, but as I have been told by many people our office worked with- greater things are to come. I also was able to spend lots of time in my kitchen, and I put together a quick list of my personal favorites from the year. 2011 is going to bring lots of new adventures for my family, and I am excited for the new things life will bring. Here is to a wonderful 2011!!!

Best of 2010- Top Ten

10. Burgundy Mushrooms

9. Dulce De Leche

8. Zuppa Toscana

7. Grilled Honey Curry Salmon

6. Lemon Sage Grilled Chicken Wrapped in Prosciutto

5. Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

4. Chicken Dumpling Soup

3. Meat Lasagna with Spinach and Fresh Mozzarella

2. Buffalo Chicken Dip

1. Poached Salmon with Creamy Piccata Sauce