Bacon Tomato and Ricotta Pasta

Serves 2-3

I'm a huge ricotta fan, nuff said.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 green pasilla (poblano) pepper, diced
• 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
• 10 strips ready bacon, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 1 - 14oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
• 1/2 lb pasta, you choose
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Heat one medium frying pan, add oil, onion and diced pepper - cook until softened, about 5 minutes
2. Add bacon, cook until a little crispy
3. Then stir in garlic and cook about 30 seconds or until fragrant and add tomatoes
4. Stir well, turn down and let simmer, about 10 minutes
5. While it cooks, cook pasta according to package directions
6. When the pasta is ready, drain (keeping about a cup of the water) and add pasta to onion mix along with ricotta
7. Stir to combine well and if it's too thick, add pasta water about a 1/4 cup at a time until it's where you like it
8. Season with salt & pepper and serve

Ricotta & Arugula Pizza

Makes one 12 inch-ish pizza

Ricotta becomes the sauce-like layer of a ridiculously good pizza. Don't like ricotta? It won't matter...just make it.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 ball pizza dough or pre-made crust
• 1/2 cup mozzarella shredded cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 cups baby arugula, depending on how arugula you like it
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Put ricotta, olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a bowl and mix well until smooth
3. If using raw dough, oil a baking sheet, put on dough, lightly oil the top and spread out into desired shape
4. Spread ricotta mix onto dough or crust, top with mozzarella then Parmesan
5. Bake about 15 minutes or until starting to get brown and bubbly
6. Remove, top with arugula, drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt & pepper

Homemade Mayonnaise

Makes about a cup & a half

Make it once and you probably won't buy it again.

Ingredients

• 1 large whole egg
• 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 1/3 cup of Canola oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• pinch salt

Directions

1. Set up your processor using the whisk attachment, but if you don't have one use the S blade
2. Add egg, mustard, start processor
3. Then very slowly pour in the oil in a slow, steady stream
4. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste, and blend for few more seconds
5. Store in refrigerator, it will keep for about 4-5 days.

THE BEST 'NO MAYO' POTATO SALAD

Serves about 6-8

This is perfect summer food & goes stupidly well with this Spicy Dijon Maple Chicken

1.5 pounds baby or pee wee or small potatoes - I used purple, red & yellow, but one color is all good

3 celery stalks, diced

1/4 cup chopped curly parsley

2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped

10 ounces bacon, cooked and chopped

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

6 hard boiled eggs, diced up medium

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

• Cook potatoes in boiling water until soft enough for a fork to pierce easily

• Drain, run cool water over them, and when cool enough to handle Halve the smaller ones and 1/4 the larger ones - put in a large bowl

• Add celery, parsley, dill and and bacon

• Combine honey, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste - mix well and add about half to salad stir through to combine

• Then add the eggs, and gently mix them in gently, add more of the dressing if you like

• Serve

Roasted Poblano Soup

Makes 4 to 5 cups-ish

This is just amazingly good. Kelly says it’s her favorite soup…EVER

3 pounds poblano/pasilla peppers (about 5 or 6)

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 small white or yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic clove, minced

2 1/2 -3 cup chicken broth

Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper

Diced avocado, chopped green onion and cilantro for garnish

• Place peppers on a baking sheet and broil until blackened all around, or put on top of a gas burner on your stove - you'll have to turn them a couple times. Or you could put them over your stove's open top and keep turning until blackened all around

• While they blacken, heat oil and butter in large deep skillet, cook onions about 5 minutes until softened

• When black, put the poblanos in a paper bag, or in a bowl and cover with foil or cling film for 15 minutes to steam

• Peel off blackened skin, remove stem and seeds and rough chop and add to the onions with the garlic

• Stir until fragrant then put in a blender and blend until smooth

• Put back into the pan/pot and add broth until it’s at the thickness you like - heat through

• Serve in a bowl with the avocado, green onion and cilantro

• Boom…hell yes beotches!!!

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Caprese Grilled Cheese

Makes 2 sandwiches

What’s not to like? We take all the wonderfulness of a caprese salad but turn into a grilled cheese with a little garlic aioli to go with it. I’m in love…

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 4 slices Sourdough (or any white bread with a good crust)
• 1 large fresh mozzarella ball, sliced
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Combine mayo, garlic, chopped basil and lemon juice, mix well and set aside
2. For each sandwich, generously spread the aioli on 1 slice
3. layer on mozzarella, tomato, more mozzarella and top with other slice of bread
4. Butter the top, then place face down onto medium hot grill pan and cook until golden brown
5. Butter the top, flip and cook until golden
6. Slice and serve, enjoy!

 

Wonton & Noodle Soup

Serves 2

If a Jewish & Chinese grandmother got together and made a feel-good soup, this would be it.

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth

• 1" fresh ginger, thinly sliced

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed & roughly chopped

• 6 green onions, white & light green parts cut in one inch lengths, with the dark green parts chopped finely for garnish

• 6 frozen chicken pork or chicken pot-stickers

• 4 baby bok choy, root end cut off & leaves separated

• 1 pack instant ramen noodles (discard the seasoning pack, don’t need it)

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon sesame chili oil

Directions

1. Bring broth, ginger, garlic & green onions to a simmer in a medium sized pot - simmer 5 minutes

2. Add pot-stickers and cook for 5 minutes, then add noodles and bok choy

3. Cook until noodles are softened, then stir in soy

4. Serve with a drizzle of chili oil and green onion

Mini Sriracha Bloody Mary

Serves 1

This will complete any breakfast.

Ingredients

• 2 ice cubes
• 1 small can tomato juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
• 2-3 drops Worcestershire sauce
• 1 vodka shot
• 1/4 piece lime, juice salt and pepper

Directions

1. Add ingredients to tall glass, stir well and enjoy.

One Minute Breakfast Bagel

Serves 1

No time to eat you say? In a rush and can’t get it together? Well the most important meal of the day needs more respect than that. And in the time it takes you to brush your teeth you could make this.

Ingredients

• One egg
• Salt and pepper
• 2 ready bacon strips
• One slice of American cheese
• 1 bagel

Directions

1. In a microwave safe bowl beat one egg and season with salt and pepper
2. On one large plate put the bowl on one side and on the other, folded kitchen paper with bacon laid on top, then microwave for 1 minute.
3. While it cooks, grab your bagel cut in half and layer on cheese
4. Then top with egg, and bacon, cut in half and enjoy.

Pesto Meatball French Bread Pizza

Makes one French loaf - serves about 6

Frozen meatballs, pesto & French bread tun into a wildly good pizza-kinda-thing.

Ingredients

• 20 frozen 1-inch meatballs
• 2 tablespoons butter 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 1 loaf French bread
• 1 cup Mozzarella, grated

Directions

1. Place meatballs on a plate and microwave until just softened, then cut in half
2. Put in a bowl and toss with pesto - set aside
3. Melt butter in a medium pot on low heat, add garlic
4. Cook about a minute or until just fragrant then whisk in flour
5. Continue stirring and cook about a minute until it becomes a thick paste
6. Add milk and whisk to incorporate
7. When it starts to thicken, add Parmesan cheese and stir well until thick & smooth
8. Preheat broiler
9. Cut french bread lengthwise and add a generous layer of the cheese sauce to both cut sides
10. Add a layer of meatballs and top with mozzarella
11. Place under the broiler until bubbly, melty and gorgeous
12. Slice & serve

Scrambled Eggchiladas

Makes 4 enchiladas

This combines so many of my favorites into one perfect breakfast: eggs, refried beans, tortillas, eggs - you get the idea.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon veg or canola oil
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1/3 cup diced green chilies
• 4 eggs, beaten
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• 3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese
• 8 ounces refried beans, warmed up a bit
• 4 flour tortillas
• 1 cup whipping cream
• Sour cream & green salsa for ganish

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Heat oil in a non stick pan over medium heat and add onions and diced chilies - cook until softened
3. Pour in eggs, add 1/4 cup of the cheese, season with salt & pepper and stir constantly until mostly set - remove from heat
4. Pour half the cream in the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish
5. Spread 1/4 of the beans on a tortilla and add 1/4 of the eggs
6. Roll up and put in baking dish - repeat with remaining 3
7. Top with rest of cheese and then drizzle with remaining cream
8. Bake until starting to get brown and get bubbly
9. Serve with sour cream and salsa

Artichoke & Alouette Dip

If I can get down to 1-ingredient recipes some day, I'll be very happy. But until then, this simple and delicious little 2'er will have to suffice.

Ingredients

• 1 can artichoke bottoms
• 1 6.5 oz tub of Alouette Garlic & Herb Cheese spread

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Drain artichokes and chop fine
3. Place in a bowl and mix well with Alouette
4. Put in small ovenproof bowl, and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes
5. Serve with crackers or toasted pitas

Crab Quesadilla

There's good crab and there's bad crab. If it's spelled with a 'k', as in 'krab' - stay away. It won't be crab - but it will be krappy.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces crab meat
• 1/4 cup red pepper, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon diced jalapenos
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• Fresh tortillas

Directions

1. Heat large pan over medium heat
2. Mix all ingredients except tortillas in medium bowl
3. Spread approximately 3/4 of a cup of mixture over tortilla, and top second tortilla
4. Place in pan and squish down slightly
5. Cook until lightly brown on both sides
6. Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream and salsa - the green kind (salsa verde) would be very good with this

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Makes one 10 inch pizza

This has all the great taste of those spicy little chicken wings except in a pizza and with no bones.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (one of those deli roasted ones perfect)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 ounces hot sauce
• 3/4 cup blue cheese dressing, any kind but chunkier is better
• 1-10" ready-made pizza crust like Boboli, or fresh pizza dough spread out to be about that size
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Melt butter with hot sauce in small pot, remove from heat
3. Add chicken to the sauce and set aside
4. Spread dressing on crust, then chicken mixture - it will be messy
5. Top with mozzarella
6. Bake until bubbly, brown and awesome looking - about 15 minutes

Roasted Potatoes

Serves 4 to 6

This rules - enough said.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary - or 2 dried
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup baby red onions, peeled or1/2 large red onion cut into a big dice
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400
2. Put potatoes, garlic, rosemary and onions in a large bowl
3. Add olive oil and mix well
4. Place on baking sheet and bake until brown and crispy - about 30 minutes, but don't burn
5. Remove from oven, place on serving tray or plates and sprinkle with feta and more rosemary
6. Sit back and enjoy the praise!

Corn, Jalapeno & Cheese Biscuits

Makes about 18

Don't like the jalapeno heat? You could leave them out - but I wouldn't. I think it's time to start appreciating new flavors - just try a little less of the them.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Bisquick
• 1 tablespoon diced jalapenos
• 1-8 ounce can creamed corn
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Mix all ingredients in large bowl
3. Lightly butter large baking sheet
4. Drop batter by tablespoon-fulls onto sheet
5. Bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes

Artichoke & Red Pepper Dip

We make this all the time...you should too.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers - drained and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup artichoke bottoms - drained and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese - shredded
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Mix all ingredients together except parmesan
3. Transfer to oven proof bowl, and sprinkle parmesan on top
4. Bake about 30 minutes until heated through and bubbly and delicious
5. Serve with crackers, or even better - toasted pitas - see recipe

Asian Wings

Once again those frozen chicken wings I told you to keep in your freezer are coming in handy - and you thought I was crazy. Listen to your mother...and listen to me.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 12-18 chicken wings, frozen even

Directions

1. Mix soy and brown sugar well in a bowl
2. Pour mixture over wings, coat well and allow to marinate up to 30minutes - but if you only have 5 minutes...go with that
3. Place under the broiler for 15 minutes, flip and cook for another 15- try to baste 2 or 3 times on each side
4. Serve on a platter and sprinkle with thinly sliced green onion tops

Baked Ravioli

Keep extra ravioli in the freezer and you'll be set for a last minute, unexpected gathering. Buy the larger ones - you eat these with your fingers and the bigger ones are more fun.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh ravioli, any kind
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Mix bread crumbs, cheese and herbs in a large bowl
3. Cook ravioli in boiling water according to package directions
4. Drain, but not too well and toss them in the bread crumb mixture to coat
5. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes or until bottoms start to brown
6. Remove and place under broiler until tops brown as well
7. Serve with any sauce for dipping - regular pesto, sun dried tomato pesto, spaghetti sauce, mustard sauce - it's up to you Emeril

BBQ Chicken Packs

Makes 8

Delicious little packages of BBQ chicken and cheese and you don't even have to wait until your b-day to open them!

Ingredients

• 1 tube refrigerator biscuits (the big ones are easier)
• 1/4 cup barbeque sauce
• 1/2 cup cheese
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Remove biscuits from package and flatten with your hand
3. In the middle of each biscuit, place some chicken, some barbecue sauce and some cheese - I say "some", because you want to be able to fold them over once the stuff is inside and the amount depends on what size biscuit you buy
4. Fold biscuit over 'stuff', seal edges well and place on cookie sheet
5. Bake at 350 until brown