Search This Blog

Friday, January 30, 2015




OCTOPUS SALAD

 

Octopus Salad

 I've been wanting to cook octopus for some time now, but I wanted to find the perfect recipe.  If you don't cook it correctly it will turn out rubbery; and we can't have that.

First, I cooked it slowly in a 200 degree bath with 1 whole lemon (juiced), 1 whole orange (juiced), 1 lime (juiced), whole onion (cut in quarters), 3 cloves of garlic, 2 cups of white wine, thyme, rosemary, kosher salt and pepper. Don't let your water go higher than 200 degrees or your octopus will begin to boil.

I cooked mine for approximately 45 minutes.  I only used a 1.5 pound octopus, for anything larger cooking time should be between an hour and an hour and a half.  I then submerged it in a bath of olive oil (approximately 1 liter) enough to submerge the whole octopus, plus the juice of one whole lemon, lime, orange, crushed garlic, red pepper, rosemary and thyme.  I let it marinate for 3 hours covered in the refrigerator.

Don't worry about wasting the olive oil.  you don't have to get rid of it.  Because the Octopus was cooked the olive oil is still good and by good I mean a fantastic infusion of citrus and spices!

Then it was ready to grill.  It only needs to grill 3 to 4 minutes per side.  I then served it over a salad with arugula, red onion and fresh prosciutto.  It was delicious!  ENJOY!






My new life on Paleo

Turkey Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash



 
I started doing Paleo a few weeks ago and realized I needed to start being a little creative with what I can eat, i.e. namely SWEET POTATOES.  So I put together this dish and it turned out quite lovely!

Turkey Sausage and Sweet Potato Hash


2- Sweet Potatoes
4- Turkey Sausage cooked and chopped
3- cloves garlic
1- whole onion
1 tsp.- cumin, thyme, kosher salt, pepper
2-Tablespoons- EVOO

I started by microwaving the sweet potatoes for approx. 5-7 minutes, so they were soft but no mushy.  once cooled, I removed the skin and cut into cubes.

In my trusty Cast Iron Pan, I heated two Tablespoons EVOO and then added 1 whole chopped onion, followed by the garlic.  I then added the sweet potatoes and spices and cooked on medium for approximately 10-15 minutes.  I then added the turkey sausage and let everything cook on medium low for about 30 minutes to get everything nice and brown and crispy.

I topped this off with two poached eggs and yummy!!! ENJOY!

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Happy 2015!  It's been quite a few months since I posted my recipes.  The end of summer came and went and then the next thing I knew the Holidays were upon us.  Here is a small glimpse of our New Year's celebration.  I will have to be more diligent in 2015 with keeping up with my blog-

ENJOY!

New Year's Eve

The Menu

Spiral Ham
Filet Mignon
Scalloped Potatoes
Stromboli
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Homemade Biscuits












Saturday, January 10, 2015

Frank's RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip

Serve Hot with Celery Sticks, Veggies or Pita Chips

1 8 oz package PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce or Buffalo Wing Sauce
1/2 cup blue cheese or ranch dressing
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or your favorite shredded cheese

PREHEAT oven to 350 degreese
COMBINE all ingredients in a 1-quart baking dish
Bake 20 minutes of until mixture is heated through

I like to top mine with shredded mozzarella cheese and cook until brown and bubbly

ENJOY!




Scalloped Potatoes


4 T Butter
1/ yellow onion, diced
1/3 C flour
1 1/2 C half and half
1 1/2 C milk
Freshly Ground Pepper
2 pounds russet potatoes, washed
2 cups grated Gruyere and/or Cheddar Cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Add the butter and onions to a large skillet over medium heat and saute until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and whisk them together. Continue cooking the onion/flour mixture until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and milk and whisk around, allowing the mixture to thicken; this will take 3 to 4 minutes. Add some pepper, stir the sauce, reduce the heat and keep warm.
Slice the potatoes really thin using a mandolin or a really sharp knife, the thinner the better. Generously butter a 2-quart baking dish, then add half the sliced potatoes and half the diced ham. Sprinkle on half the cheese then pour on half the sauce from the skillet. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients, ending with a layer of cheese and sauce. Sprinkle extra pepper on top.
Cover the dish with foil and bake it for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until the cheese is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling, an additional 20 to 30 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if desired and serve it up.