Goodbye 2011! Hello 2012!

Whenever New Year's comes around, I think of my dad.  He is all about "wiping the slate clean and starting fresh."  He loves taking out last year's resolutions and seeing how we all did.  We used to even have competitions and keep score as to who kept the most resolutions.  Ryan and I now do our own resolutions.  We make some as a couple and family and then write down some personal ones of our own. 

2011 was an eventful year.  We found out we were pregnant on Memorial Day weekend. We went on an awesome vacation with my family to the beach for the first time in a looooong time, and I went back to teaching at a school I have always loved when they finally had a position open up.  In 2011, we saw two of our family member's diagnosed with cancer-not cool.  My dad spent 7 weeks undergoing radiation and we just got good news before the New Year that he is healing well and his scans are looking good.  He is an awesome example of having a good attitude and determination throughout his ordeal.  We're really proud of him.

So, here's to 2012.  I'm hoping for a healthy year for everyone in the family!  We will finally get to meet our little guy sometime in the next few weeks and I will graduate from grad. school in May.  Hopefully, these fun events just mean there are more to come.

New Year's also means the end of winter break.  It's back to work this week, so I need to be really organized when it comes to our dinners!  I am going to try the following recipes this week:  Sardinian spaghetti, Chicken Chili Stew, and Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce.

I came across the Sardinian spaghetti recipe while searching for New Year's meals to make on Food Network.  I always read the reviews when looking at a recipe on this site and they all were raving about this recipe.  I might make some extra sauce to have frozen and then keep this on hand for anyone who may need a meal due to current surgeries or babies!  The recipe calls for saffron threads, but I think I may just use saffron.
****Sardinian Spagheti****

Prep Time:

30 min

Cook Time:  40 min       Level:  Easy
Serves:  6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian fennel sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained, seeded and halved, with 1/2 cup juice reserved
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, torn
• Kosher salt
• 3/4 pound spaghetti
• 1 cup shredded pecorino cheese

Directions

Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown, about 7 minutes. Push to one side of the skillet and increase the heat to high. Add the tomatoes, stirring to break them up a bit, and cook until the edges brown and the oil turns red, about 6 minutes. Stir the sausage and tomatoes together.

Add the garlic, bay leaves, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes to the skillet, then scatter the saffron over the mixture. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add the parsley, 1 cup basil and 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Add the spaghetti, cooking liquid and reserved tomato juice to the sausage sauce and toss, about 3 minutes. Top with the pecorino and the remaining 1/2 cup basil.



I have an amazing mom who made me a cookbook last year with family recipes in it.  I love it and use it often!  I also have a close relationship with my aunt who did the same thing this year!  She gave us a binder with recipes she uses and that have been favorites in her household.  I have always wanted to try her chicken chili stew.  She actually got this recipe from a friend of hers who is the mom of a friend of mine from college.  Small world!

***Chicken Chili Stew***
6-8 boneless chicken breasts
4 cloves garlic minced
3 medium onions diced
2 T olive oil
6 15 oz. cans chicken broth
6 15 oz. cans Great Northern bans, rinsed and drained
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
2 10 oz. cans Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies
4 t cumin
1 t oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil in an 8 qt. pan.  Add chicken broth and chicken breasts.  Bring to boil and cook.  Remove when done and set aside to cool.  When cool, shred chicken.  Add remaining ingredients plus the shredded chicken.  Keep on medium heat for about an hour until the soup thickens and serve.  Yield 10-12 servings .  Add grated cheese as a garnish.


When we first got married, I didn't have a whole lot of experience cooking my own meals, let alone figuring out what to have for dinner.  I frequented the website epicurious.com A LOT to figure out what to cook.  I came across this pork chop recipe and have made it many times.  The sauce makes the dish.  I never knew pork chops paired so well with dijon mustard, but it does!  So yummy! 

***Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce***
4 pork chops
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 T vegetable oil
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 T unsalted butter
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup country style Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325 degreesF.
Heat a dry 12 inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot.  Pat pork dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add oil to hot skillet, swirling to coat, then brown chops, turning over once, about 8 minutes total.  Transfer to a shallow baking pan, reserving skillet, and bake, uncovered, until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Let stand, loosely covered with foil, 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour off fat from skillet, then cook shallots in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until softened 3 to 5 minutes.  Add broth and any juices from baking pan and boil, scraping up any brown bits, 2 minutes.  Add mustartd and cream and return to a boil, then add lemon juice and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.


Happy New Year and Happy Eating!

32 Weeks...

I think the Lord shows his sense of humor through a pregnant woman's body.  At 32 weeks, I am actually feeling better than I was at 25-26 weeks, but this belly is definitely a-growin'.  I am at that point where getting from a sitting to a standing  position takes twice as long as it used to and bathroom breaks occur mostly at night.  Tessa likes to look at my belly and say, "Look at your belly, Mama!  It's sooo big!"  She is so innocently honest, and I love it.  She also likes to put her head on my belly to see if Dempsey will kick her.  He usually does.  His pesky little brother side is already manifesting itself.

The heartburn and acid reflux that comes this late in pregnancy has definitely started to settle in, but it has not stopped me from wanting to eat everything in sight.  Moderation is key!  This week, I need to get rid of MORE rockfish (and he's out fishing again today, so who knows how long we will be eating rockfish), and london broil and porkchops are on sale at the store.  And of course, I had to throw in a stew recipe.  This week we are making:  sausage stew, broiled rockfish cakes, dry rubbed london broil, and garlic-parmesan pork chops. 

*This recipe makes A LOT of stew, so feel free to reduce whatever you want and use whatever you have in the fridge.
Sausage Stew

yield: Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds veal or pork sausages
• 3/4 pounds sweet Italian sausages

• 4 onions, sliced
• 2 bell peppers, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 pound boiling potatoes, peeled, cubed
• 1 16-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 1 14 1/2-ounce can chicken broth
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 10-ounce package frozen green beans
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram, crumbled
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Preparation

Heat heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausages and cook until brown, turning occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer sausages to plate; cool slightly. Cut into 1-inch pieces.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from saucepan. Add onions to saucepan and sauté over medium heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Add bell peppers and garlic and continue cooking until bell peppers just begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Pour in wine and boil 1 minute. Add potatoes, tomatoes, broth and tomato paste. Simmer until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in green beans, sausages and herbs. Cover and cook 15 minutes. Add all cheeses and stir.

*I've made something like this before, but this recipe is much simpler than what I made before.  I can't wait to try them.
Broiled Rockfish Cakes
Ingredients:
1 pound shredded cooked rockfish
1 large egg
1/4 to 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Rockfish Preparation  (Foil Steamed):Remove skin and all dark meat, then place filets in foil packet
Drizzle with fresh lemon juice
Lightly salt and pepper
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of basil over filets
Seal packet tightly-cook 425 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Cooking time will vary with thickness of filets. Fish should flake easily.
Mix all ingredients together, excluding rockfish, with whisk. Add rockfish to dressing mixture. Put covered mixture in refrigerator for about 1 hour. After 1 hour, form cakes with mixture and return to refrigerator for about 1/2 hour.
Lightly spray cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place cakes on cookie sheet and place under broiler at low temperature until they are beautifully browned. Flip, and do the same for other side. There is no filler in these cakes, it is just pure delicious rockfish.

*I haven't made this recipe in a while, but dry rubbing london broil or marinating it is pretty much the way to go when cooking it.  I'll probably serve this with mashed potatoes and maybe a side of cooked carrots. 
Dry Rubbed London Broil
Adapted from Food Network recipe courtesy of Dave Lieberman

Ingredients:
1 (2 pound) London Broil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 recipe Dave's rub               (mix all ingredients in a small bowl)
   -2 tablespoons chili powder
  - 1 tablespoon dried oregano
   -1 tablespoon sweet paprika
   -2 teaspoons garlic powder
   -4 pinches salt
   -15 grinds black pepper

Rub London broil with olive oil and then coat generously with dry rub.  Let stand for about 15 minutes at room temperature.  Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.  Place meat on grill and grill for about 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare.  Remove from heat and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing on the bias.


*Pork chops pair really well with Dijon mustard.  I've found that any recipe that has Dijon mustard included with pork chops is delicious.  I hope you like this recipe as much as we do!  I'll probably serve this with a salad, rolls, and some kind of apple-something.
Garlic Parmesan Pork Chops
adapted from Southern Living

6 boneless pork loin chops
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup butter or margarine, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Sprinkle pork chops evenly with salt and pepper.  Stir together milk and mustard.  Dip pork chops in milk mixture; dredge in breadcrumbs.  place pork chops on a rack in a broiler pan.  Back pork chops at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until done.  Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat; add garlic, and saute 2 to 3 minutes.  Stir in cream, wine, and cheese; reduce heat, and simmer 3 to 4 minutes ( do not boil).  Whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons butter until melted.  Serve with chops.