Monday, April 25, 2011

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Asparagus (as much as you want)
olive oil
Salt and pepper

Place asparagus side by side on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake at 400 for 8 - 10 minutes. Delicious and easy!!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Great Grandma Austin's Lasagna

I love entertaining with food and my dad was headed to SLC to pick up my mom from the airport Friday night. I told him he ought to come by for dinner beforehand. I also invited my brother and his girlfriend up. I was excited to make a delicious meal for them all to enjoy and this definitely did the trick. This is pretty much the best lasagna I've ever tasted. It is simple, as far as lasagnas go.

The recipe is SUPER vague. I will put what was included in my grandma's recipe/directions in black and I'll add my commentary in pink, just so you can see how simply she wrote it, just to confuse me many years down the road I'm sure.

12 oz lasagna noodles (cooked per package directions - the boxes don't come in 12 oz sizes so I purchased the 16 oz box and cooked 15 of the noodles).
2 lbs hamburger browned with some salt and pepper and drained
24 oz canned diced tomatoes
12 oz tomato paste
1/2 lb swiss cheese sliced
1/2 lb cheddar cheese sliced
1/2 lb moterey jack cheese (or mozzarella) sliced
1/2 box oregano (no idea how to get a box of oregano. I bought fresh oregano and used the leaves from 4 stems. You could also use dried oregano - about 1 Tbsp.)
garlic to taste
salt to taste

Combine browned hamburger, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, garlic, and salt in a saucepan. Simmer sauce for 45 minutes. Put cheese, noodles and sauce in two layers. Do this by first putting some of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Then put down one layer of noodles (I did 4 side by side and then 1/2 of one at the end of the pan where the noodles didn't cover). Place more sauce and then cover with a layer of the sliced cheeses using some of all 3 kinds of cheese. Repeat with the noodle, sauce, and cheese layers. Cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove foil, turn oven to broil and let cook just until cheese starts to bubble and brown on top.

And there you have it. It is SO delicious! We served it with a green salad (my favorite with romaine, crumbled blue cheese, craisins, and sliced almonds) and sliced sour dough bread.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Shrimp Fajitas

These are delicious. If you like shrimp, I'd highly recommend making these. Recipe from a friend's recipe blog:

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. crumbled dried oregano
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1-1/2 lb. large or jumbo shrimp, shelled, deveined, rinsed, and drained
1 large yellow onion, sliced through the stem end into thin wedges
2 medium fresh poblano chiles or bell peppers (4 to 6 oz. total), cored, seeded, and sliced into thin strips
Warmed flour tortillas (I think the uncooked ones you buy and cook up yourself are the best)
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
1 lime, cut in wedges

In a small bowl, combine the cumin, garlic powder, pepper, salt, chili powder, brown sugar, and oregano. Put the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a medium bowl and stir in all but 1 Tbs. of the spice mix. Add the garlic and shrimp; toss to coat.

Heat a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat, and, when hot, add the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the sliced onion and sauté until they’re softened and fragrant and starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the chiles or bell peppers and continue to sauté for 3 minutes. Add the remaining spice mixture and sauté until the onion and chiles are tender but not mushy, another 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Return the skillet to medium high heat and add the shrimp. Cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sautéed vegetables; toss to combine and reheat. Transfer to a large serving platter. Serve with the warmed flour tortillas, cilantro, and lime wedges for squeezing.