Handmade Noodles With Chicken and Vegetables Cooked in White Wine Sauce

I had been craving pasta for weeks and I had a lot of time on my hands. I decided to make an attempt at homemade pasta. Although tedious, the end result was very rewarding and I would definitely make it again. I pretty much just used some chicken and assortment of vegetables I had around the house so the actual cooking was pretty simple. If you choose to do so, this recipe can be followed with store bought pasta. However, I'll include the recipe for the homemade version.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of unbleached flour
• 2 eggs
• olive oil
• salt
• 4 cloves of garlic
• pepper
• 4 cipollini onions
• 2 chicken quarters of 2 large chicken breasts
• 1 artichoke
• 1 cup of mushrooms
• 3-4 cups of fresh spinach
• lots of basil
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 cup of white wine of choice

Instructions for the Noodles:

1. In a large bowl, place the 2 cups of flour in a dome shape
2. Make an indentation in the middle 
3. Lightly whisk two eggs and pour into the indentation allowing some to spill to the sides
4. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil and begin mixing dough with hands.
5. Dough is mixed well enough to pick up, move it to a lightly floured surface.
6. Knead dough on the surface for about ten minutes or until perfect consistency is achieved.
7. Once finished, wrap dough in plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 50-60 minutes.
8. After the time has elapsed, roll out the dough on a cutting board. 
9. Roll until desired thickness is achieved
10. Using a sharp knife, begin slicing vertically in order to retrieve noodles. Place them aside until all dough has been sliced.
11. Allow them to dry for 5-10 minutes. You may boil them like normal pasta afterwards 

Instructions For the Prepared Meal:

1. While you are boiling noodles, you may start heating a large skillet with some olive oil.
2. Once hot, add in minced onions and garlic and allow them to slightly brown.
3. Add pieces of the chicken (seasoned with salt and pepper)
4. After 3 minutes or so, add the peas, mushrooms, artichokes and basil. Add some more salt.
5. Allow items to cook thoroughly.
6. Add in half of the wine and allow the mixture to simmer.
7. Once pasta is done, drain and throw it into the chicken and vegetable mixture on the skillet. 
8. Add the remainder of the wine, and a little more olive oil, and more basil.
9. Begin adding spinach gradually and mix it in. The heat of the pasta will cook it.
10. Once spinach is cooked, the pasta is ready to serve. 
11. Top off with some grated parmesan cheese, and fresh tomatoes and basil.

Greek Style Cobia Served with Salad

So this morning, I was lucky enough to receive a freshly caught Cobia from a local beach. I was excited to cook this fish for the first time but I had to overcome the obstacle of filleting my first fish. After watching a very helpful YouTube video, I was able to produce some rather decent fillets. I went with a simple greek style seasoning and preparation and served it with a side salad with some greek kefalotiri cheese and an olive oil, balsamic vinegar dressing. Cobia is not too easy to come by but it can be used on a wide variety of fish to produce a quick and simple delicious result

Ingredients

For Fish:

• 2 fillets of fish of choice
• Olive oil
• Oregano
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Salt
• Pepper

For Salad:

• Spinach or mixed greens
• Kefalotiri cheese
• Tomatos
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Olive Oil

Instructions

1. If you have a whole fish, you are going to need to fillet it. I recommend using a YouTube video if you've never done it before.
2. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
3. Once you have your fillets, season with olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper.Add chopped garlic cloves over the fish.
4. Place in oven and cook for about 7-10 minutes. Keep an eye on the fish to make sure it does not overcook
5. Once fish is done, serve with side salad of choice. To make the one pictured, just mix in the ingredients shown above.
6. Enjoy =] 

Baked Chicken and Leeks Served with Mushroom, Asparagus, and Spinach Risotto

I haven't cooked in about a week or so due to a virus. I just got back to my normal self so this is my first good meal in a few days. It took a little improvising due to limited ingredients, but the results were amazing regardless. I hope you enjoy this delicious meal =]

Ingredients

• 4 chicken quarters (I used free-range chicken)
• 1 leek
• fresh basil
• fresh tarragon
• 1 cup of arborio rice
• 1 large portabella mushroom
• 1 bunch of asparagus
• 3 cups of baby spinach
• 12 oz of white wine of choice (I ran out of wine so I used a bottle of beer instead. It works)
• 12 oz of chicken broth
• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Instructions
For Chicken:

1. Wash chicken well and dry with paper towel. Preheat oven to 400 degrees 
2. Place chicken on a foil lined oven mold 
3. Rub with salt, pepper and olive oil
4. Slice the leek and scatter around chicken.
5. Take a good amount on tarragon and basil and place under chicken skin as well as on top of chicken
6. Baked chicken for about 15-20 mins. 
7. Once fully cooked, turn on the broil on high and allow skin to brown

For Risotto:

1. Dice the small onion and garlic cloves
2. Heat up a deep skillet or pot with a little olive oil
3. Once hot at the onions and garlic and allow them to caramelize 
4. Once lightly brown, add the cup of arborio rice
5. stir for about a minute or two and add mushrooms, followed by half of the beer or wine and half of the chicken broth.
6. Allow the liquid to absorb and add spinach and asparagus and a few leaves of basil
7. Add more broth and wine/beer to rice gradually
8. If a mushier consistency is desired, feel free to continue to add liquid. Add salt and pepper gradually to taste
9. Once desired consistency is achieved, add about two pinches of parmesan cheese. Stir and serve.

I suggest topping the risotto with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Creamy Wine Sauce Chicken served with Asparagus and Couscous

This is my go to chicken recipe. Its really flavorful and delicious. You can really transform regular chicken into a special meal with this recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken cut in individual pieces
• 1 package of tarragon
• 1 package or bunch of asparagus
• 1/3 of chardonnay
• Olive oil
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
• small amount of flour
• 1 cup of couscous
• salt 
• pepper

Instructions

1. Wash chicken well, dry and place in an oven pan lined with aluminum foil
2. Rub chicken with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
3. Add several chopped leaves of tarragon to the chicken. I suggest placing some under the skin for some penetrating flavor.
4. Place to cook in oven at 400 degrees until fully cooked and skin has crisped. You may also cook the asparagus with the chicken or choose to steam them instead.
5. While chicken is cooking, place couscous to cook in about 2-2 1/2 cups of water. Just season with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook time varies but is usually under 10 minutes.
6. Also, begin to prepare the creamy wine sauce.
7. To do so, place heavy whipping cream in a sauce pan at medium low heat. One warmed up, begin adding wine slowly while stirring. Add small amounts of flour until desired consistency is reached. I suggest adding extra tarragon and a pinch of salt to the sauce as well.
8. Once all items are prepared, add sauce to chicken and asparagus and serve with a side of couscous. 
9. Enjoy your delicious dinner!

BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger on Brioche Bun

I made this ensemble for my burger loving boyfriend a while back. Ever since then he hasn't stopped talking about it. He loved it and I hope you do too! 

Ingredients (for 2 large burgers)

• 1 large ribeye steak (either have your local supermarket grind it or you can grind it yourself at home) 
• 4 slices of cheddar cheese 
• Black truffle butter (I got mine from the Fresh Market)
• 1/2 a small onion 
• 2 small cloves of garlic
• a few slices of applewood smoked bacon
• 2 brioche buns
• BBQ sauce of choice
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Place ground meat in a large bowl. 
2. In a food processor mince onion and garlic.
3. Add minced garlic and onion to the ground meat and mix with hands so as to evenly distribute the new additions.
4. Add about a tablespoon of truffle butter to the mix and use your hands to pound all the ingredients together. 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste
6. Form patties with hand and prepare to grill
7. Grilling time for a medium depends on the thickness of the patty. In this case I did about 7 minutes on each side.
8. While burger are grilling, cook up the applewood bacon in a pan to a crisp.
9. Right before finishing up the burgers, place brioche buns on the grill for a minute or two to toast. 
10. Add cheese to the top of the burgers to allow it to melt
11. Finally serve patty on the toasted bun, add bacon, BBQ sauce, and any other desire topping.
12. Serve and enjoy!

*I'm not personally a fan of BBQ bacon cheeseburger so I prepared mine with brie cheese and caramelized onions. It was amazing! So feel free to try any sort of topping combination you feel would work nicely. 

Grilled Shrimp Tacos With Homemade Tortillas and Baja Sauce

I decide to make this recipe for a lighter dinner option. Its relatively low calories and still delicious! I made homemade tortillas for the tacos but store bought ones will work just as well.  Meal as shown has approximately 420 calories.

Ingredients

• 1 pound of shrimp (peeled and cleaned)
• 2 cups of corn masa 
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tbsp. of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of orange juice
• 1 oz. of tequila
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 cup of chopped cilantro
• cayenne pepper
• 1 lemon or lime
• 2 ears of corn
• 1 zucchini 
• 2 small onions
• 1 cup or so of greens of choice (I used sunflower sprouts)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup of light mayo
• 1-2 tbsp of hot sauce ( I used Sriracha hot chili sauce)
• salt

Instructions

For Shrimp 

1. Once shrimp are cleaned and peeled, place in a large bowl and add salt.
2. Add 1/4 cup of orange juice, 1 oz of tequila, and half of a squeezed lemon.
3. Crush 2 cloves of garlic, chop and rub into shrimp. 
4. Add a handfull of chopped cilantro and rub into the shrimp as well.
5. Top off with some cayenne pepper according to spiciness desired.
6. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes
7. When done, skewer, brush with a little olive oil and place on grill for a few minutes on each side. You can also use the oven on broil and they will cook in about 5-7 minutes.

For Vegetables

1. Slice up zucchini and coarsely cut one of the onions. 
2. Skewer and salt.
3. Brush with olive oil.
4. Place in oven. Broil for 10-15 minutes
5. For the corn follow the same step except for the skewering.

For Baja Sauce

1.  In a bowl, add 1/4 cup of light sour cream and 1/4 cup of light mayo (I used the olive oil one. Its still light and personally I think it tastes a little better).
2. Mix well and add the lemon juice of the other half of lemon.
3. Add desired amount of hot sauce. I would add a little and taste to make sure it is not too spicy.
4. Bottle up and save for later.

For Tortillas

1. Place 2 cups of corn masa in a large bowl.
2. Add water slowly and knead
3. Once a good consistency is achieved, ball up dough into golf sized shaped ball
4. Place on tortilla shaper. Make sure you have some sort of plastic on each side to prevent sticking. You can use parchment paper or a cut out of a plastic bag. If you don't have a tortilla maker, you man shape them manually.

For Preparation

1. Place shrimp on tortillas. Add some chopped cilantro, chopped onions, greens, and drizzle some baja sauce. 
2. Serve with the roasted corn and vegetables on the side. 
3. Some avocado goes well too.
4. Enjoy! 

Sirloin Steak Topped with Lump Crab Served with White Asparagus and Hollandaise Sauce

This is an amazing recipe. It is a little indulgent but well worth it. This is a recipe for 2. If more is desired, just double the ingredients.

                          
Ingredients

• 2, 5oz sirloin steaks (I use grass-fed beef)
• 1 tbsp. of olive oil
• 10 leaves of basil
• 1/2 a shallot (chopped)
• 1 bunch of white asparagus
• 1/2 pack of lump crab meat (about 4 oz)
• salt
• pepper

For Sauce

• 4 egg yolks
• 3/4 stick of salted butter
• 2 tbsp. of lemon juice
• 3 tbsp. of cooking wine
• 2 tbsp. of capers

Instructions
I recommend starting with the sauce

1. You are going to need a double boiler for this process. Use the top bowl for all ingredients.
2. Separate eggs and place 4 egg yolks in bowl. Whisk well.
3. Add lemon juice and place bowl over the boiling water. Whisk constantly
4. Gradually add butter and continue to whisk
5. Begin to add wine gradually as well.
6. Once all wine and butter has been added, add the capers and allow to simmer for a couple minutes without ceasing to whisk.
7. Place in bowl, cover, and set aside.

Next you should marinate the steaks

1. Wash well and dry
2. Add desired amount of salt
3. Place olive oil on hands and rub steaks
4. Chop 8 of the 10 leaves of basil and rub onto the steaks
5. Add desired amount of freshly grated pepper

You may begin to grill the steaks at this point or wait until other items are completed.

To make asparagus

1. Place in a shallow pan with enough water to cover half of the asparagus. 
2. Boil for about 7 minutes.
3. Once done drain 

For crab topping

1. Place small amount of olive oil on a pan. Heat.
2. Add in chopped shallot and cook until brown
3. Add lump crab meat and remainder of basil. Allow to brown.
4. Once brown add about 3 spoonfuls of hollandaise sauce. Allow to thicken for about a minute.

Once all items have been completed

1. Serve sirloin topped with crab mix
2. Serve a side of asparagus with the hollandaise sauce on top. Feel free to add some to the steak as well
3. Enjoy :)