Mushroom, Brie, and Smoked Gouda Fondue

This Valentine's day, Kenny and I made fondue. It is a quick and easy meal that is always a crowd pleaser. We halved the recipe so that there wouldn't bee too many leftovers.

1 wheel of brie
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup of shredded smoked gouda cheese
1 container of baby portabella mushrooms
1 shallot
2 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of dry white wine

1 baguette of crusty, french bread
1 rotisserie chicken (meat cut off the bone)
1 head of broccoli (steamed)

1. Cut the rind off the brie; rip the cheese into 1-2 inch pieces and toss with corn starch. Add the shredded gouda and toss again so the corn starch coats all of the cheese. Refridgerate until the other ingredients are ready.

2. For the french bread we get the one at Kroger where you bake it at home. Pre-heat the oven and bake the bread according to the directions on the bag.

3. While the bread is baking, cut skin off the rotisserie chicken. Use the white meat from the breast of the chicken and cut into bite sized pieces.

 4. Boil water to steam the broccoli. Cover the broccoli for 1-2 minutes until it turns a bright, green color.



5. When the broccoli is done, cut up the scallion and mushrooms. Blend them in a food proccessor until they are finely minced.

6. When the bread is done baking, cut it into bite sized pieces. Set up all the food you are dipping in the cheese next to the fondue pot (bread, chicken, and broccoli). Our fondue pot is an electric one made by Cuisinart; it is non-stick and regulates heat on it's own. I highly reccomend it! I turned mine onto heat setting 4 1/2 to melt the butter. Add the mushroom scallion mixture and cook for 1-2 minutes.

7. Get the cheese out of the fridge and add in gradually, stirring with a non-stick wisk.

8.When the cheese is melted and smooth you are ready to dip your bread, chicken, or broccoli. Turn your fondue pot down (I turned mine to heat setting 3).



Italian Skillet

Kenny and I love going to Tin Lizzy's, a great Tex-Mex restaurant. They make a great dish called a skillet. This is our take on a skillet but using Italian ingredients.

1 chicken breast cut up into bite sized pieces
1/2 white onion
2 cups of uncooked orzo
mozzarella cheese
2 cloves of garlic
1 tomato
4 cups fresh spinach

1. Put water on the stove to boil for the orzo. When the water begins to boil add the orzo (cook for 9 minutes, drain, and reserve). While the orzo is cooking cut up the raw chicken. Put the raw chicken pieces into a bowl. Season them with salt and pepper. Add them to a warm cast iron skillet (on medium-high heat) with a little olive oil.

2. In a separate, nonstick skilled cook the onions and garlic until the chicken is finished cooking. When the chicken is done put it in a bowl to the side. Add the partially coked onions and garlic to the cast iron skillet. This way the flavor of the chicken will be cooked in.

 

3. Stir the onions and garlic and let them brown for 1-2 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the cooked orzo and chicken to the pan.

4. Add the spinach and stir until it is wilted.

5. Add the mozzarella and stir. Serve in bowls.

Ginger Chicken Salad

I love buying rotisserie chickens. They are inexpensive and always tasty. It takes the hassle out of having to cook the chicken for a simple dish. I chose to make chicken salad with ours and it turned out great! By adding ginger seasoning it really gave it a great flavor.

1 rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil mayo
salt
pepper
ginger seasoning
cherry tomatoes
10 fresh rosemary leaves
4-6 fresh chives

1. Let the rotisserie chicken cool. Cut off the white meat and slice into bite size pieces.

2. Put the chicken in a bowl. Chop up the rosemary and add to the chicken. Add the mayo, dijon, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.

3. Chop up the tomatoes into fourths. Chop up the chives. Add them to the bowl and stir them in gently.

You can serve it by itself, on a sandwich, or over greens.

Skillet Hamburgers and Sweet Potato Fries

Since we live in a condo we don't have easy access to a grill. We have found that using a cast iron skillet and steaming the burgers makes them juicy and with a little crisp on the outside. And you can't have burgers without fries! We love to make sweet potato fries in the oven. They are a much healthier option than regular fries; I have actually grown to prefer them.

1 package of lean, ground beef
Salt
Pepper
Dry Vermouth
2 slices of provolone cheese
2 sweet potatoes; peeled
2 cloves of garlic; chopped
Olive oil
Ketchup

1. Preheat oven to 450 Degrees F. Put a cookie sheet lined with foil in the oven while it heats up; this will make the fries crispy when you add them to the pan.
2. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into half. Slice the sweet potatoes into even slices, about 1 inch think.

3. Put the sliced sweet potatoes in a gallon size baggie. Peel and chop the garlic; add to the baggie. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to the baggie. Seal the baggie and mix up the sweet potatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.

4. When the oven is fully heated, add a little oil to the hot pan. Then add the sweet potato fries to the hot pan. Cook for 20 minutes. Flip the fries over and cook for 15 minutes more.

5. While the fries are cooking heat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Season the meat and make the patties. When the fries are done cooking leave them on the hot pan.

6. When the skillet is hot, add a little bit of olive oil to the pan and the patties. Cook on each side for about 4 minutes. After each side has been cooked, cover the pan and let the burgers steam for about 2-3 minutes.

7. Add the cheese to the top of the burgers. Pour a little dry vermouth into the skillet. Cover again to steam and melt the cheese on top.

8. The finished meal

His and Hers Club Dinner

Last night Kenny and I could not decide what to make. I really wanted a salad and he wanted a sandwich. So we compromised and made a salad and a sandwich using the same ingredients. We both got what we wanted and it was delicious!

For the Sandwich:
2 pieces of whole wheat bread
2 pieces of cooked turkey bacon
5-6 slices of thinly sliced turkey breast
1 avacado; sliced
Dijon mustard
Olive oil mayo
3-4 slices of tomato
1leaf of romaine lettuce

For the salad:
3-4 pieces of cooked turkey bacon
2 slices of thinly sliced turkey breast
4-5 cherry tomatoes
1 avacado; sliced
3-4 leaves of romaine lettuce

For the salad dressing:
Olive oil
Dijon mustard
Powdered ginger
Salt
Pepper

1. Cook the turkey bacon according to the package directions. Let it cool; it is much easier to handle that way. Start assembling the sandwich; add the turkey on one side of the bread. Add the mayo and dijon mustard on the other side of the bread. Then do the lettuce, tomato, avacado, and turkey bacon.

2. To secure the sandwich before cutting, we used two martini picks to hold it in place.

3. Make the salad dressing; put olive oil, dijon mustard, and spices in a bowl and whisk with a fork.

4. Assemble the salad. Rip up the romaine lettuce. Chop the tomatoes, turkey, and turkey bacon. Sprinkle them over the lettuce. Add the avacado to the top.

5. Add the dressing to the top of the salad and sprinkle with salt and pepper.