Dinner
I’m BACK! Wow, what a crazy couple of months we have had. After recovering from my broken leg and helping my Mom after her surgery we were ready to tackle Christmas. However, two days before Christmas our small dog Zelda slipped a disk in her back leaving her unable to walk. Not the best way to start the holiday, but after two emergency vet visits, 6 weeks worth of medicine and two months of her resting, (the best a dog can rest) I am happy to report that Zelda is now walking unassisted and is back to her playful self. Although she still is unable to tackle stairs she has done amazing!
I have still been tracking all my recipes and pictures so I have so many to share with you! The first recipe I am sharing is Seafood Nachos. These were delicious! I have been wanting to make this dish for a while now as each summer we do a lot of camping with friends and family and always have a huge lobster/clam bake. So I thought it would be fun to have a seafood nacho dish one night! This recipe will be made a number times this summer! I used lobster meat, scallops, and shrimp so this can be an expensive dish BUT also a very impressive dish. You can make a couple of shortcuts with this recipe by purchasing already cooked lobster meat as well as cooked, deveined and tails off shrimp if you wanted to. I chose to roast the shrimp myself and pan sear the scallops adding a beautiful color and texture to the scallops. For the lobster, I simply cooked two lobster tails according to the package instructions as they were frozen tails. This recipe is enough for 4-6 hungry people as an appetizer.
INGREDIENTS
1 large bag of tortilla chips
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
1 Tablespoon Of butter
2 teaspoons roasted garlic
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off
2 lobster tails, cooked and meat removed and chopped (not too small)
1/2 pound scallops, muscle removed
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated parmesan
1 cup grated asiago cheese
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of salt
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
SERVE WITH
Sour cream
Pico de gallo
Pickled jalapeño
DIRECTIONS
For the shrimp – place the shrimp on a baking sheet drizzle with olive oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix to combine. Place in a 400-degree oven for 6-8 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside.
For the scallops – place a tablespoon Of butter in a frying pan, let the butter melt and pan heat up. Add the scallops to the hot pan and let sear until turning a golden brown, turn the scallops and do the same for the second side. Remove from pan and set aside.
For the lobster – I bought frozen lobster tail and followed directions on package. Remove cooked meat from shells and set aside. Or purchase already cooked and shelled meat.
In a large sauté pan add the heavy cream, Parmesan and Asiago cheeses, roasted garlic, salt, and pepper. Allow the cheese to melt. When the cheese has melted and is creamy add the lobster meat to the sauce, cut the scallops in half and add to the sauce, add the shrimp cutting in half if they are large shrimp. Stir to combine and warm the seafood through.
Meanwhile, on a large baking sheet spread the tortilla chips over the pan, add the cheddar and pepper jack cheese covering the chips and bake in a 350-degree oven for 2-4 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, add a layer of the shredded lettuce over the cheese and top with the seafood sauce.
Serve warm with sour cream, pico de gallo and pickled jalapeño.
Enjoy!
I’m always looking for new ways to make chicken, especially for Robby as chicken is not his favorite thing so I know when I am making it for him it really needs some good flavor. This dish is super simple, the maple has lots of sweet flavor, but the pinch of cayenne pepper brings a little heat to the dish. I served this with a side salad. The next day we sliced the chicken up for sandwiches. No matter how you serve it, I’m sure your family will enjoy it!
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Pinch Of cayenne pepper
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Chicken thighs or breasts (I used boneless skinless breasts)
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat an ovenproof pan over medium heat. Mix the olive oil, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper in a bowl or Ziploc bag. Add the chicken and coat the chicken with the olive oil and seasoning mixture. Fry the chicken in your heated skillet for 3-4 minutes on each side drizzle with the maple syrup and place the pan in the preheated oven until cooked through, about 10-12 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. The chicken is cooked through when the juices run clear when pierced in the thickest part of the meat.
Enjoy!
While I was still recovering with my broken leg, I was looking for a fast simple dinner to get on the table and this was it. I had all the ingredients on hand and I baked up some fries and added a salad to go alongside the chicken. Dinner was on the table in no time. I made these using chicken tenders as that’s what I had, but you can certainly use chicken breasts as well. These can be simply fried in the pan as I did or baked at 350 degrees until fully cooked through.
INGREDIENTS
4 chicken breasts or 1 package of chicken tenders
1 orange
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
DIRECTIONS
Squeeze the juice of the orange into a bowl and add the maple syrup and soy sauce. Add the chicken, coating all of the pieces. I fried my tenders in a large pan over medium heat until cooked through and turning halfway. If baking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until cooked through. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
I made these burgers over the 4th of July weekend. Let’s face it no 4th of July is complete without a good burger! I picked this burger to make as I knew it was going to have lots of flavor and I could also caramelize the onions ahead of time as well as mixing up that special sauce leaving me a little more time for other things! Anytime I entertain I do as much in advance as possible and that includes prepping some of the food! We enjoyed these burgers, the caramelized onions and the sauce gave the burger lots of great flavor. I will say next time I make them I will be adding some pickled jalapeño slices on top of my burger to add a little extra punch of flavor! This burger is one of my top three favorites! I will be making these several more times this summer.
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, and more for brushing the griddle
2 large onions, chopped
Salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon mustard
2 lbs. ground chuck (60%)
8 hamburger buns
Pickles
Shredded lettuce
4-8 slices of tomato (I left off)
Pepper
8 slices of American cheese
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in pan and add the chopped onions. Cook onions covered over medium heat for 30 minutes or until onions begin to turn golden brown and caramelize. Watch not to burn and stir occasionally. Remove lid add 1/2 cup of water. Allow water to evaporate. Remove onions from heat and set aside. Can be made ahead and kept in fridge.
For the sauce – mix together mayo, ketchup, relish and vinegar, mix well and set aside. This can also be done the day before.
Form the meat into 8 patties about 4 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Heat griddle and lightly brush with vegetable oil. Toast buns on the griddle, split side down (or can be done under the broiler watching carefully to not burn.) Remove buns from skillet when lightly browned and set aside. Salt and pepper both sides of your hamburger patties and cook on the griddle 3-5 minutes.
Spread the top of the patties with the mustard and flip. Continue cooking on the second side for an additional 3-5 minutes. Top burger with a slice of cheese to melt. When cooked to your desired doneness remove from pan and place lettuce on the bottom bun, add the burger on top of the lettuce, add the caramelized onions and spread the sauce on the split end of the top bun and top of the burger with the bun!
Enjoy!
One of our favorite pizza places in Portsmouth, NH has our favorite Mexican pizza but we don’t always have time to go into Portsmouth so what’s a girl to do? Make my own version right? Well, this is not exactly like the restaurant version and it is definitely a little spicier, but the cool lettuce and tomato slaw on top cools it right down. You can also change the spice level by using mild salsa and leaving the jalapeño’s off. I made this one Saturday afternoon and shortly after I made it we had some neighbors pop over so I was thrilled to see how they liked it. I did not tell them it was my creation before they ate it so I was thrilled when they both cleaned their plates and said how much they liked it! I knew Jim and I liked it but it’s nice to have some additional feedback. I also made a gluten free version for Robby using gluten free crust and gluten free taco seasoning. Robby loved his pizza too! If you want to keep it dairy free, don’t use the sour cream and use dairy free cheese.
INGREDIENTS
Pizza crust of your choice, store bought, home made or dough from your favorite pizza place
1/2 pound ground beef
2 Tablespoons of taco seasoning, I use low sodium
3 Tablspoons water
1/2 cup of salsa, I used medium spice
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 – 1/2 cup jarred sliced pickled jalapeños, depending on how much you want
TOPPING ingredients
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup sour cream
FOR A GLUTEN FREE PIZZA – like this one
Use a gluten free crust and gluten free taco seasoning. To make this dairy free leave out the sour cream and use dairy free cheese.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly spray sheet pan with non-stick spray. Flatten the dough forming your crust. Prebake the crust for 3-4 minutes partially baking it. Remove from oven. In the meantime, heat a skillet to medium heat and add your ground beef. Cook ground beef breaking into crumbs as it cooks, drain excess liquid from the pan and add the taco seasoning and water, mix to combine and finish cooking. When cooked through, remove from heat.
To assemble, add your salsa to the top of your pizza crust and spread to about 1/4 of and inch to the edges, add the ground beef mixture and cover the salsa, add the cheeses spreading over the beef. If desired add the sliced jalapeños. Place back in the oven and bake an additional 8 minutes.
While the pizza is baking combine all of the topping ingredients together and set aside. When pizza is cooked through remove from oven, let rest for just a couple minutes, slice and add a spoonful or so of the topping. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
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