nom – Urban Suburban Mommy

Roasted Acorn Squash

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

As fall really starts to set in and hearty comfort foods start becoming very important, you may be hitting a rut with side dishes and veggie meals. There are so many fresh fall flavors, but it can be hard to find the perfect new recipe to bring into your repertoire. Between fussy kids and a crunch on time, you need the easy people pleasers. Chef Adrianne Calvo, owner of the highly acclaimed Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar shares a vibrant recipe for a fall favorite: Acorn Squash. It’s a fall staple in our home, but we needed a new spin (and we ran out of maple butter) so Chef saved the day with her recipe: Roasted Acorn Squash + Burrata Mozzarella + Garlic Brown Butter Pecans + Salsa Verde.

This recipe has quite a few ingredients, but it’s one of those “throw it together and let it cook” dishes that isn’t difficult at all. Enjoy!

What you need:

– 1 acorn squash, cut into 4 pieces, remove seeds
– 1 tablespoon canola oil
– 1 tablespoon brown sugar
– ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
– 1 cup burrata mozzarella
– ¼ cup butter, unsalted
– ½ cup pecans, chopped
– 1 tablespoon garlic, slivers
– 1 teaspoon soy sauce
– 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
– ¼ cup parsley
– ¼ cup green onion
– ¼ cup cilantro
– ¼ cup lemon juice
– ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
– 1 teaspoon honey
– Pinch kosher salt
– Salsa verde

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Squash prep: Place the cut squash onto a baking sheet and drizzle with canola oil, sprinkle with brown sugar, and salt. Throw it in the oven to bake for 20 to 30 minutes – or until fork tender.

Topping: In a small sauté pan over medium heat, cook pecans in butter for 2 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and crushed red pepper flakes. Set aside.

In a blender, add the parsley, green onion, cilantro, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and salt. Blend until smooth. To plate, add a spoonful of burrata on top of the squash and drizzle with salsa verde. Then, top with the pecan garlic butter. Yum!

Adrianne Calvo is the Executive Chef and owner of Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar, Host of Maximum Flavor Live on NBC’s 6 in the Mix, author of four cookbooks: Maximum Flavor (2005); Chef Adrianne: Driven by Flavor Fueled by Fire (2008); #MaximumFlavorSocial (2014); and Play with Fire (2015), and founder of the Make it Count Foundation. Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar opened in 2007 and offers a varied and rotating menu with something for everyone. Monthly, the restaurant holds its signature event, Dark Dining, where guests are blindfolded for a sensual experience eliminating one sense in order to enhance another, providing maximum flavor.

www.chefadriannes.com

Chef Adrianne

Chef Adrianne Calvo

Outrageous Pumpkin Spice Bar + Butterscotch + Salted Pretzel

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Urban Suburban Mommy .

With pumpkin season in full swing, this treat is the perfect way to put those pumpkins on a plate. Executive Chef Adrianne Calvo has created the perfect dessert for the season – all treat and no trick! Once you take a look, you’ll be shocked at how easy this one is!

What you need:

Crust:

– 2 cups graham cracker, ground
– 1/2 cup sugar
– 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
– 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

– 2 cups canned pumpkin
– 1 cup cream cheese, softened
– 1/2 cup cool whip topping
– 1/2 cup condensed milk
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice

Topping:

– 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
– 2 cups cool whip topping
– 1/2 cup powder sugar
– 1 cup butterscotch chips
– 1/2 cup salted pretzels, chopped

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Crust:

Mix all the ingredients for the crust in a bowl to combine well.

Grease an 8×8 baking dish and press the crust ingredients onto the bottom of the baking dish. Bake for 5 minutes and then allow to cool.

Filling:

In a blender, whip all the filling ingredients together and pour onto crust. Freeze for 2 hours to set.

Topping:

In another blender, whip cream cheese, cool whip, and powdered sugar.

Finishing up:

Spread topping onto the top of set pumpkin. Sprinkle with butterscotch chips and pretzel. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Enjoy!

www.chefadriannes.com

Chef Adrianne

Chef Adrianne Calvo

Become “Boss” of your BBQ

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Danielle Reid Posted in Delicious Dishes, Domestic Goodness .

photo by Georgie Pauwels

Grilling and barbecuing is a summertime tradition. There’s nothing like grilling your meals to add that smokey flavour, while keeping the additional heat out of the house.

Most of us enjoy it so much, that the summer grill Season extends well into fall, winter and spring.

However there are some of us who are intimidated by this process, or have traditionally felt the grill to be a “man’s” domain. Let’st dispel those crazy ideas.

Anyone can use the grill to cook – and just like any new appliance, you just need few tips and tricks to help you along way.

The guidelines of what you can grill have been expanded to include just about anything that will not fall through the grate! This even includes lettuce for salads. Just think about the added flavour to a Caesar salad if the romaine lettuce were grilled… my mouth is watering just writing about it!!

First thing to consider when using your barbecue, is to determine if you want to grill (sear) your food, roast (like in an oven), or slow cook (like you might do in a slow cooker). All can be performed on your barbecue, and sometimes you may even use a combination of both.

Grilling – is a quick method under direct heat, generally under 20 min in total cooking time at a high heat (400° plus). Examples include burgers, steak, vegetables

Roasting – is a longer method under indirect heat, but less than 1 hour in cooking time at a med/high heat (300°). Examples include whole chickens, roasts, tenderloins

Barbecuing – is the longest method under indirect heat, over 2 hrs in cooking time at a low heat (250°). Examples include ribs, pork shoulder

This being said, just about anything you want to cook can be done on your barbecue!

Today we are going to make a Wedged Iceburg Salad with Grilled Steak

What you need:

– 2 firm plum tomatoes
– 2 small onions
– 1 head iceberg lettuce, rinsed and patted dry
– 2 tsp Crushed Peppercorn & Garlic Rub
– 2 beef tenderloin filets (6 oz/175 g each) or 12 oz (350 g) top sirloin steak, cut 1-in. (2.5- cm thick)
– 1 tbsp of oil (high heat withstanding – eg. Avocado Oil)
– 1 tsp of oil (high heat withstanding – eg Avocado Oil)
– Your favourite blue cheese dressing (for a homemade option see below)

What you do:

Fire-up your grill, place it on high and cover for 15 min. This will get your grill warmed up and ready for cooking.
Cut lettuce – Keeping the core intact cut into 4 wedges
Cut the Ttomatoes into wedges (plum tomatoes will stay together better than any other)
Slice to top off of the onion, but keep the roots in tact. Wedge the onion. The roots will keep the layers together while grilling.
Season your meat – brush with oil and add the crushed peppercorn and garlic rub, and set aside.
Once the grill is warmed up, clean grill with a grill scraper
Oil the grill using a silicone brush and a tbsp of oil. (An alternative method is to soak a paper-towel in the oil, then using your tongs, brush the paper-towel soaked with oil over the grill.)
Place your tomatoes and lettuce on the grill for 2 to 2.5 minutes on each side, enough for grill marks to appear.
Remove from the grill and set aside.
Leave the primary burner on High and reduce the other burners to medium (the primary burner is the one that must stay on).
Place the onions over the Medium heat burner, turning after 4 to 6 minutes – or when grill marks appear.
Place meat over the primary grill until nicely charred, 4 to 6 minutes on each side, then place your meat over the Medium heat burner for an additional 4 to 8 minutes longer. Timing will vary due to meat and thickness.
Transfer meat to a covered platter and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.
Turn off the grill.
To serve: Evenly divide lettuce, onions, tomatoes and beef among the plates and drizzle with your favourite Blue Cheese Dressing.

Blue Cheese Dressing:

– 1/4 cup (50 mL) 2% plain low-fat Greek yogurt
– 1/4 cup (50 mL) light mayonnaise
– 1/4 cup (50 mL) crumbled blue cheese (about 1 oz/30 g)
– 3 tbsp (45 mL) milk
– 1 tsp (5 mL) Crushed Peppercorn & Garlic Rub

What you do:

Mix (whisk) all ingredients chill and serve.

Now you can master vegetables or meats on your grill. Let me know what you think or send me pictures of your creations. I’d love to hear what you think.

Have a “GRILLtastic” week!

Danielle Reid

Independent Consultant of The Pampered Chef

Danielle’s Pampered Kitchen..Healthy Meals in Minutes

It’s a Wrap!

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Danielle Reid Posted in Delicious Dishes .

Summer mealtimes tend to be quick and simple. Take the wrap. It’s as good a go-to as the stir-fry. Want to know the secret (and so simple) ingredient to an amazing wrap? Let me share.

Your wraps will never be the same…

There are two types of wrap-eating people in this world, the tortilla people and the lettuce people.

Whether your a “tortilla wrap person” or a “lettuce wrap person” the basics are identical. What you choose to wrap in is your personal preference.

In our house we have begun to move away from the tortilla and wrap and focus more on the lettuce wrap. I was extremely hesitant at first. Our home’s dependency on bread and pasta is serious. With kids on the go and picky eaters, those seem to be the easiest items to grab.

However, the more research I do, I realize that this dependency has to change. I am a firm believer in moderation, so I don’t intend to eliminate these foods, just reduce their portions and frequency. I encourage you to do the same.

It requires a little more creative planning, but the benefits are worth it.

These wraps are a regular meal in our house, usually a Tuesday or Wednesday dinner. There are no complaints – so in essence I think they are my favourite meal!!! Soon to be yours, too.

The secret to a good wrap is: The sauce!

Adding a little TLC to our sauces (mayo, dressing, etc) has such a powerful effect on our wraps and sandwiches. There are a million variations, but here’s the one I use in this wrap. Share your favourites in the comments.

What you need:

– 1/2 Chicken breast (or 2 thighs) per person, grilled *
– 1 package of bacon, cooked and diced
– 1 cup shredded cheddar
– 1 tomato, diced
– Lettuce to Wrap (optional) Iceberg, Romaine or Boston Lettuce for wrapping.
– Tortilla’s to Wrap – 12 inch (Optional)

Optional:

– 1/2 Avocado, diced
– 2 Hard boiled eggs, diced

Sauce:

– 1 1/2 cup mayo
– 1 tbsp – Southwest Seasoning
– 1 tbsp – Bell Pepper Rub
– Salt & Pepper to taste

What you do:

Grill the chicken: I always prefer to grill my chicken on an indoor grill to minimize dryness. On an indoor grill it’s approximately 5 minutes per side on Med-High.

Cook the bacon: My absolute favourite – mess free – way to cook bacon in the oven. Just lay it out on a pan at 350° for 27 minutes. It’s perfect for wraps and sandwiches – and there is no grease splash to clean up. Once you try it this way, you’ll never go back to frying!

Place diced chicken, diced bacon, diced tomato, cheddar and any optional ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix the sauce ingredients together and add to the mixing bowl.

Mix all ingredients well.

Build your wrap using either a tortilla or lettuce wrap. Scoop on 2 to 3 heaping spoonfuls of mixture to each wrap and fold the wrap up.

Folding is a bit of an art in itself, you’ll easily and quickly get the hang of it – here’s a guide:

Option:

You can even grill the finished wrap to add extra effect.

Serve immediately with our favourite side dish – a nice salad, chips, french fries, etc.

Feeling satiated at meals, reducing the snacking between meals and improving cognitive function are just some of the benefits from changing the way we look and consume our food. Do some research and some experimentation to see what works for you.

What are your favourite sauce seasonings? Comment below!

That’s a wrap! Enjoy!

Have a great week

Danielle’s Pampered Kitchen..Healthy Meals in Minutes

Summer Soup

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Danielle Reid Posted in Delicious Dishes .

There’s nothing more comforting than a cozy bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day, but can you replace that in the summer with a cold soup on a hot summer’s day?

Yes! Yes you can.

For many years I didn’t think so – but with this recipe, I’ve been able to capture that same comfort feeling with many of our favourite summer fruits and vegetables, while maintaining my “cool”ness.

Whether served as a snack or part of a meal, this soup has amazing versatility and should be a staple in your fridge as it is in mine. In addition, this soup is actually quite good for you, it is made from foods with anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic inflammation has been linked with many illnesses, from depression, heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s to cancer. We need to reduce inflammation and one factor that can help with this is diet.

Start with this soup.

There are many variations of this recipe, but this one has been my favourite. Start with this, and then find your favourite:

What you need:

– 5 Ripe tomatoes, diced
– 1 onion diced (Option: roasted) *
– 1 Head of garlic, minced (Option: roasted)*
– 1 Cucumber diced
– 2 Jars of roasted red pepper diced
– Salt & Pepper to taste
– 1/3 cup Cilantro, diced

Optional add ons:

– Shrimp
– Chicken
– Croutons
– Fish
– Crackers (My favourite)

What you do:

Place all ingredients together in a large bowl, mix and serve. The flavours meld and come out more if left to sit overnight.

There is a lot of dicing in this recipe

For those of you who love to dice, grab a sharp knife and get to work.

For the rest of us, the short cut is: A food processor! The food processor can be used for this recipe. Run it longer for a smoother blend. If you’d like a chunkier texture, use your pulse feature.

Tip:

*I like both the onion and garlic drizzled in olive oil and roasted at 350° for 30 min.

Enjoy with friends or family!

Have a great week

Danielle’s Pampered Kitchen..Healthy Meals in Minutes

Presto –– it’s Pesto!

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Danielle Reid Posted in Delicious Dishes, Domestic Goodness .

Want a add a twist to the flavour in your Kitchen?

How about one that is simple and easy to make?

Oh, and one that is enjoyed by all?

PESTO!

This wonderful flavour is such a simple add to any plain pasta, chicken, zoodle, panini, or other food that needs a burst of flavour – and an easy add for an instantly delicious meal.

Look no further, we’re going to explore pesto!

Pesto is simply made with basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, olive oil and garlic.

That’s it.

It’s amazing how these 5 simple ingredients combined can be so flavourful. Variations – why yes, of course. We love this article from the Food Network that shows you 50 different ways to make Pesto – 50 Different Pesto Recipes

No matter which combination you choose (my favourite is basic pesto) the format is the same.

What you need:

– 2 cups Fresh basil (loosely packed – include the thin stems as well)
– 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
– 1/3 cup Pine nuts (optional: toast them for more flavour)
– 1/3 cup Olive oil
– 1 Garlic clove, minced
– Salt to taste (optional)

What you do:

Using a food processor (manual or automatic) add pine nuts first. Process to small bits. Add basil, and continue to process until both are tiny bits.

Add olive oil, garlic, and finally Parmesan Cheese (salt too if you want). Mix/blend together well, and serve. It’s as easy as that!

Our favourite is to serve it over shrimp sautéed in butter and garlic. You can serve this over pasta or zoodles (Noodles made from zucchini in a spiralizer or Julienne Peeler). You can also make a double batch and add to your favourite sandwich/panini the next day.

Made extra? It freezes well. A great trick is to freeze it in an ice cube tray so that you can grab as little or as much as you want.

Have a great week!

Danielle’s Pampered Kitchen..Healthy Meals in Minutes

Grilled chicken, apple and spinach salad

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Danielle Reid Posted in Delicious Dishes, Domestic Goodness .

Quick.

Simple.

Delicious.

Any meals that fall into those 3 categories has a permanent place on anyone’s meal plan. This salad has the added bonus of being healthy too!

Great tip: Make your food work for you. Ever notice that chicken added to a salad tends to be a little “too much?” Spread your chicken a little further when using it for sandwiches and salads by splitting the chicken breast into two. I love my handy-dandy tool because it has multiple purposes, as you can see from the video, but splitting chicken breasts is one of my favourites!

Click here for demonstration video or for More information on this product, click here

Get your grill out, cause here we go!

What you need:

2 medium apples (your preference – I like Granny Smith (tart), Gala work well, too)
1 pkg (5 cups) fresh baby spinach (washed and dried)
1 large carrot peeled
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 Cup Sugar Snap Peas – cut in half.
3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (can substitute pork)
Smokey applewood rub (optional)

Dressing:

2 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp oil (avocado or olive)
1 tbsp syrup
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp salt

What you do:

Combine dressing ingredients, mix, and set aside.
Heat grill to medium high.
Slice chicken horizontally (split the chicken breast – bonus tip above).
Season chicken with applewood rub (approximately 1 tbsp).
Place chicken on hot grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Set chicken aside.
Cut apples into wedges
Place on grill for 6 minutes, then turn and repeat. Or do both chicken and apple at the same time if you have a double burner grill pan.
Set aside.
Place spinach in a large bowl. Grate carrots into salad (using a Julienne peeler, cheese grater, or spiralizer).
Slice chicken into strips and add to bowl.
Add cranberries, peas, apples.
Drizzle salad with dressing, and serve!

Have a great week!

Danielle’s Pampered Kitchen..Healthy Meals in Minutes

Southwestern Meal Salad

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Danielle Reid Posted in Delicious Dishes, Domestic Goodness .

Its Spring, time to channel your Inner “Elaine Benes” from Seinfeld, and create your own “Big Salad”. This salad has so many variations, but today we are going Southwest with our version.

Some of you may say that a salad is not filling enough, but I stay tuned as I give you a tip on how to overcome that!

What you need:

Salad:

– 1 head of iceburg lettuce (Romaine can also work here too)
– 1 can of black beans
– 1 can of corn
– 3 chicken breasts cooked and diced (I love to grill mine on my indoor grill pan!)
– 2 tomatoes diced
– 1 cucumber, diced
– 1 orange pepper, diced
– 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
– 1 avocado, diced (Optional)
– Torillia chips (Optional)
– 2 cups penne pasta, prepared (Optional)

Dressing:

– 1 cup ranch dressing
– 2 tbsps southwest seasoning

TIP: Pasta, you question? Why pasta? I’ve started added pasta (or other grains) to many of my meal salads to ensure that the meals feels like a meal! If you ever want to close that kitchen at night, and avoid those “Can I have a snack?” questions 10 min after feeding them a prepared meal, you need to add the pasta.

First of all, kids LOVE pasta, so you’ll get them eating the salad with less complaints, and Second, it will fill them up more.

What you do:

With salads, presentation is everything. Follow this order for a picture perfect salad!

1. In a Large Pasta Serving Bowl or Large Salad Bowl add the ingredients in this order.

Lettuce
Penne (optional)
Black beans
Corn
Chicken
Tomatoes
Peppers
Cheddar
Avocado (optional)
Dressing
Tortilla Chips.

AMP IT UP: If you have the indoor grill all up and ready for the chicken, why not grill up some of the lettuce for a unique and delicious variation to your salad. This works best with romaine lettuce.

Pre-heat the grill to medium-high heat. Slice the tip and root of the lettuce. Spray lettuce (or drizzle) with olive oil spritzer. Place on grill, turning every minute or so. You want the lettuce to turn brown.

Remove from grill and tear up for the salad. Continue on to Step 2!

2. For the dressing, mix the ranch with the seasoning, and pour over salad.

This is a super-simple recipe that can be manipulated to use whatever’s on hand that day. I do this mainly with Caesar Salads and Southwest Salads. It’s a big hit in our home, so I’m sharing it with yours!

For More information on the Products or Other Tools for your Kitchen, contact: Danielle@daniellereid.ca

Independent Consultant for the Pampered Chef & Master Meal Planner

Danielle’s Pampered Kitchen..Healthy Meals in Minutes

daniellereid.ca

Hawaiian Nachos + Pineapple Avocado Relish + “Lava” Aioli

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes, Domestic Goodness .

Savor Hawaii in just one bite by Chef Adrianne Calvo. Big, bold flavors will have your tastebuds saying “Mahalo!” This is an easy, delicious and healthy dish with lots of flavour, it’s nachos with a twist. That pineapple is sweet and zesty, the perfect pairing with blue fin tuna. Bring all the ingredients together and layer it on – it’s as beautiful as it is delicious.

What you need:

– 2 corn tortillas, quartered, fried crispy
– 2 garlic cloves, minced
– 1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
– 1 teaspoon lime juice
– 1 teaspoon honey
– 1/4 cup mayonnaise
– 1/4 lb blue fin tuna, fillet
– 1 teaspoon brown sugar
– 1 teaspoon garlic salt
– 1 teaspoon black pepper
– 1/4 cup pineapple, chopped
– 1/4 cup Hass Avocado, chopped
– 1 tablespoon cilantro
– pinch kosher salt
– 1 teaspoon lime juice
– 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
– 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
– 1 teaspoon ketchup
– 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– 1/2 teaspoon horseradish
– 1 teaspoon Tabasco hot sauce
– Scallions for garnish

What you do:

Preheat fryer to 375 degrees F. Season the tuna fillet with brown sugar, garlic salt, and pepper.

In a hot skillet with a small amount of canola oil – almost to the smoking point – sear tuna on all sides quickly. Set aside and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.

Wrap tuna tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes, which makes for easy slicing. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl whisk garlic, cilantro, lime juice, honey and mayonnaise together.

Set aside.

Pineapple Avocado Relish:
In another mixing bowl, combine pineapple, avocado, cilantro, salt, lime and black sesame seeds.

Set aside.

Lava Aioli:
In another mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, cayenne pepper, horseradish and Tabasco.

To assemble, slice tuna 1/4 inch thick. Place a small dollop of garlic cilantro sauce on crispy tortilla, place tuna on top. Add a spoonful of the Pineapple Avocado Relish and then top with Lava Aioli.

Garnish with scallions and serve.

www.chefadriannes.com

Chef Adrianne

Chef Adrianne Calvo

Chef Calvo’s superstar Super Bowl tailgate chili

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

Know what one of the most searched recipes on the Internet might be?

Yup, chili.

But why search away, when award-winning Chef Adrieanne Calvo has shared hers with us! And with Super Bowl LI this weekend, we’ll make you the superstar of the tailgate party with this one.

The not-so-secret ‘secret ingredient’ in this chili recipe is short ribs, and Chef Adrianne’s short rib recipe made Thrillist’s list of the “50 things you need to eat before you die”. They’re not wrong.

“I have always been a huge fan of watching the Super Bowl with my family and friends,” says Chef Adrianne. “This year, I was inspired to create my very own take on chili; something everyone would be dreaming about long after the game. ”

Bringing her short ribs into the chili mix is just one over-the-top meal waiting to happen. Super Bowl LI demands this kind of extraordinary dish! But it’s not just the dish, Chef Adrianne has given us the most mouth-watering tailgate meal: Maximum Flavor Short Rib Chili + Candied Cornbread + Corn Jalapeño Relish + Chili-dusted Onion Rings

Chili – What you need:

– 3 lbs Short Rib (boneless), trimmed of excess fat
– 1 yellow onion, chopped
– 1 green bell pepper, chopped
– 8 garlic cloves, chopped
– 2 tablespoons chili powder
– 2 teaspoons cumin
– 1 teaspoon oregano
– 1/4 cup brown sugar
– 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
– 1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
– 1 can tomato paste
– 1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes
– 1 cup dark beer
– 2 (16oz) cans Red Kidney Beans
– Kosher salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker on the low heat setting. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Candied Cornbread – What you need:

– 1 loaf cornbread, (can be store bought)
– 1 tablespoon butter, melted
– 1 tablespoon honey

What you do:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Crumble the cornbread into a mixing bowl and toss with butter and honey. Place mixture onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Corn Jalapeño Relish – What you need:

– 1 cup Corn kernels
– 1/4 cup red onion, minced
– 1 tablespoon jalapeño, minced and seeded
– 1 tablespoon cilantro, minced
– 1 tablespoon lime juice
– Kosher salt and pepper

What you do:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Chili Dusted Onion Rings – What you need:

– 1 yellow onion, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rings
– Milk for soaking
– 1 tablespoon cornstarch
– 1 teaspoon chili powder
– Kosher salt and pepper

What you do:

Preheat fryer to 400°F.
In a mixing bowl, add milk and soak each individual onion ring for 15 minutes. In another mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, chili powder, salt and pepper. Dip each ring into powder and fry immediately.

To serve up a dish, top each bowl of chili with candied cornbread crumbles, corn jalapeño relish and top it all off with an onion ring and some shredded pepper jack cheese.

www.chefadriannes.com

Chef Adrianne

Chef Adrianne Calvo

Let them eat lobster

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Urban Suburban Mommy Posted in Delicious Dishes .

It’s expensive, it’s a delicacy, it’s butter-laden and indulgent, and you’re probably thinking I’m crazy when I say “Let them eat lobster.”

But hear me out: 15 minutes from start to finish. Yes, dinner ready in 15 minutes!

Plus, lobster is perfect for our 30 days of wellness. Lobster is actually really good for you. Yes, this luxurious indulgence is quite healthy – it’s known to be one of the healthiest sources of protein around (a 6 oz serving has about 30 grams of protein, no carbs and less than 2 grams of fat).

What you need:

– 1-2 pounds of lobster or a few claws and a few tails
– salt
– butter
– garlic

What you do:

Set the oven to broil and put a ramekin half full of butter into the oven to melt. While the oven is heating, place the lobsters or pieces of lobster on a broiling pan. Get out a cracker or sharp knife. If you have tails, slit the shell in half and expose the meat. If you have claws, make slits or cracks in each segment of the shell. I am not going to explain how to kill the lobster – Google it. I panicked and had the fish market kill and prep it for me.

Place all the pieces on the broiler pan

Put cracks or slits into each piece and open the shell

After 5 minutes, take the butter out of the oven now that it’s melted and add some garlic (I used powdered but you can also use fresh, just put it to the garlic press and add it to the butter), and add a bit of salt. Brush all of the lobster meat with the butter and put it into the oven to broil – for about 10 minutes.

Could be 8 minutes for small pieces, or up to 12 or 13 minutes for bigger, thicker pieces. If you have a 4 pound lobster it will be more like 15 or 16 minutes. It’s done when the flesh is opaque white and just ever-so-slightly starting to brown.

Take it out of the oven and serve with the melted butter for dipping.

Done!

So. Good.

Yes, it can be expensive, but it’s not an everyday meal. You need to mix up the dinner routine and you need a treat once in a while. Splurge on lobster. You may find it’s actually not as expensive as you think, depending on how close to the ocean you are and what time of year it is. Frozen tails are also another option.

Funny story – the reason I’m even writing this all started when we went to a steakhouse last week for my husband’s birthday. I ordered lobster. The boys tried it – and loved it. They ate half my dinner. A few nights later my 6 year old asked for lobster for dinner. I said no. His response? He grumbled “That’s preposterous!” as he walked away.

But he didn’t give up asking, so a couple of days later we went to the fish market to buy some.

If we’d gotten there early I could have just asked them to steam the lobster for me, but we were too late. As we tried to select our dinner in the big tank, I realized I… just… couldn’t.

Instead, the guy laughed at me and came out from the back with a tray of 4 claws and 2 tails. At $20, it was a steal.

So go for it, let them eat lobster, and feel good about it.

photo: Tom Thai