Thursday, July 21, 2011

Tortellini-and-Tomato Salad

This is a recipe I found in Southern Living. Made it for the entire Slivensky Clan over the 4th of July, with the exception of the kiddos everyone really liked it. Makes a great summer dish, we even ate it cold and liked it.

2 (9 oz.) pkg. refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh corn kernels (I used frozen run under warm water)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (I did not use that much)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
Salt and Pepper


Prepare tortellini according to package directions.

Meanwhile, process olive oil and next 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Toss olive oil
mixture with hot cooked tortellini, tomatoes, corn, onion and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The recipe did not call for it but I sprinkled freshly grated parmesan cheese over the top before I served it.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Tex-Mex BBQ Turkey Tamale Pie


This is a Rachael Ray recipe that we saw on her show this morning. Matt asked me to come see it and we both agreed we needed to eat it....TONIGHT. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. This is the best thing I have eaten in a long time. I am always looking for a new recipe to fix when people come over. This is my new go to recipe. We LOVED it.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 lbs ground turkey
1 hot chili pepper (Jalapeno)
1 small bell pepper -chopped
1 small onion -chopped
3-4 garlic cloves-chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 c. beer
2 Tbsp apple cidar vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup polenta
1 Tbsp honey
2 cups shredded cheddar or pepper-jack cheese

I know that seems like a lot. But we had most on hand. I'll get to that in a minute.

Directions:
1. Heat EVOO in an oven safe skillet. Brown turkey well and drain if necessary. Add jalapeno, bell pepper, onion, garlic, season with salt and pepper to taste, cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Stir and cook to soften peppers and onions about 10 minutes.
2. Deglaze pan with 1 cup of beer. Stir together vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato sauce in a small bowl. Pour over turkey and reduce heat to simmer to thicken and combine flavors.
3. In a saucepan, heat milk and chicken stock to a boil. Add polenta and whisk. Cook according to package directions. This was about 5 minutes. Stir in honey.
4. Spread polenta over turkey in the skillet going almost to the edge of the pan. Top polenta with shredded cheese. Broil until cheese melts and browns slightly. Serve from skillet.

Tips from Kitchen of Reality:
1. We don't drink beer, so she suggested using chicken stock instead. You need 2 cups of stock for the polenta and one can of stock is just shy of that. So by using another cup to deglaze, two cans of stock work perfectly and there was no waste.
2. I didn't have coriander and didn't want to pay for it, so I doubled the cumin and it was yummy.
3. I didn't have any plain honey so I used 1 1/2 Tbsp of granulated white sugar in my polenta. Tasted good to me!
4. When we went back for seconds, and you will want to do that, it was better because it set up some. I highly recommend letting it sit for 10 minutes or so before serving.
5. This makes a TON. Her recipe says 4-6 servings. I'd say more like 6-8. If I make it again for just us, I will make a half recipe. My boys don't eat it because it did have some heat with the jalapeno and pepper jack cheese.

Seriously, go make this. You won't be disappointed. It was my first polenta experience and as Rachael Ray would say, "Yum-O."