Thursday, April 12, 2012

Poached Eggs for Brunch

I almost always eat some kind of leftovers for breakfast.  One of my favorites is a  frittata with leftover vegetables.  Today, I had leftover mashed potatoes available.  Not exactly something to stir fry into my eggs.   What to do?  I poached 2 eggs in pockets of mashed potatoes.

I diced up two jalapeno peppers and mixed them in with the mashed potatoes.  I heated some olive oil in a non stick pan and placed the potatoes in the pan, pressing them to make a huge patty.  When the potatoes were hot all the way through and nicely browned on the bottom, I pressed a spatula into the potatoes to create two indentations.  I opened an egg into each pocket and cooked over medium heat until the white was set and the yolk was still runny.

Onto my plate, I slide the potatoes with the poached egg.  Eating the potatoes with the yolk running through them was heavenly!

Monday, April 2, 2012

My first visit to a Tapas Bar

Other than ice cream and an occasional steak, I could live on appetizers and hors d'oeurve.  Little bites of exotic or everyday food just seems to be the best; snacking all day and feeling like each small bite is a sample of better things to come.  Going to a Tapas Bar just seemed like a natural progression.  What would be better than an entire restaurant filled with bite sized samples of great food?  Add to that a great wine list, and lots of garlic and olives from Spain and I pictured a night of heaven.

Last Thursday, I finally got to one.  365 Bistro Tapas Bar and Lounge is located right off route 287 in Piscataway, NJ.  I think it used to be a run down Chinese buffet, but boy have they improved the look.  It is very upscale both inside and out.  The bar stools are cushioned and the decor is warm and welcoming.  There is a large display of the wines from their impressive wine list.  I thought I had hit the jackpot.

We ordered two appetizers to share and a bottle of my favorite red wine Rosenblum Zinfandel.  First we tried the Kobe Beef Chili with Corn Bread and Pork Rib in Adobo Sauce.  The chili was tasty; full of beef and beans and not spicy at all.  The serving was small, but adequate.  The ribs were tender, but not as flavorful as we had hoped and in spite of the name there wasn't even a hint of heat.  During a great night of music we ordered another duo of appetizers:  Pan Con Camarones – Shrimp, Serrano and Romesco was my choice and my hubby chose and old fashioned New England Clam Chowder.  The chowder was an odd item on a Spanish Tapas menu, but he thought it was one of the best.  Full of clams that were very tender and lots of veggies.  I thought the Pan Con Camarones was the best thing I had all night.  Again, in spite of the name and listing of Serrano, it wasn't spicy at all.  But, it was full of flavor and the Romesco sauce was awesome!!  Later in the evening hubby again chose an untypical Tapas item of Chicken Fingers with Frittes. I am very picky about my French fried potatoes (frittes), but these were crispy and certainly among the best I have ever had.  They have an entire menu of Frittes and if we ever get there again, I will try a few of the more exotic varieties.

All in all, it was a nice evening.  We met some friendly people, both employees and customers.  The chef was friendly and accessible.  Our only complaint was the prices.  It seemed a bit over priced for the quantity of food that was provided.  

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Nacho Ravioli Bake

Ok, what does that mean??  Nachos and Ravioli???  YES!  It has many good reasons for being a great dish.  First, it adds variety to ravioli.  Second, it allows you to make a full meal in one pan, veggies and all!  And third, it allows you to cut back on the white pasta carbs.

Here is how you do it:

Ingredients:

2 28 ounce bags frozen ravioli
2 cans fat free refried beans.  (If you like it spicy, use the spicy variety.)
1 large can tomato puree
2 large cans diced tomatoes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups black beans or any beans you like (Canned beans are fine; I make dried beans and freeze in 1 cup portions.)

Preheat oven to 350F

I use a very large roasting pan/lasagne pan size.  But this can be made in any size casserole

In a large casserole dish pour half of the tomato puree.  Place one layer of the ravioli (still frozen) and then begin layering the refried beans (spreading with a spatula), the black beans, the cheddar cheese and the diced tomatoes.  Depending on the size of your casserole you will have at least 3 layers.  So plan accordingly and only use 1/3 of your ingredients at a time.

When you reach the top layer, end with the cheese and pour the last half of the tomato puree over the top.  Be sure all the ravioli is submerged in the liquid.  The secret to being able to cook the ravioli from the frozen state is to keep them under the liquid.  Cover with foil

Bake covered for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving to allow the liquid to cool enough so it won't swim on your plate.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Menu 3/11 - 3/21

Sunday 3/11 - Chicken Jambalaya in Rice Cooker
Monday 3/12 - Ravioli, Salad
Tuesday 3/13 - Blackened Chicken and Shrimp, Broccoli
Wednesday 3/14 - Take-out Chinese
Thursday 3/15 - Burgers, Slaw, French Fries
Friday 3/16 -  Wings, Carrots, Celery
Saturday 3/17 - Corned Beef, Guinness, Lots of good music, NANCY WHISKEY!!! and FUN!!
Sunday 3/18 - Ravioli Bake
Monday 3/19 - Pizza
Tuesday 3/20 Sesame and Peanut Noodles
Wednesday 3/21 Turmeric and Cumin Chicken in Slow Cooker