- Preheat oven to 400.
- Pour tomatoes into large bowl and add zucchini, basil, cheese, olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Meanwhile, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook 4 minutes. The orzo should only be partially cooked. Use a fine mesh sieve to transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the other vegetables. Stir the orzo into the vegetable mix to combine. Transfer the warm veggie broth to a 3 quart baking dish.
- Slice the tops of the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds.
- Place peppers in the baking dish with the warm veggie broth. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Cover the dish with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle top with feta and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Stuffed Peppers
Posted by cookingkatie at 4:29 PM 1 comments
Sunday, July 4, 2010
4th of July
Wow this took me a while to update:) Sorry! We moved to Traverse City which hosts the national Cherry Festival every year and I have been extremely busy introducing the world of cherries to my son. The fourth was great. We celebrate every year on Torch Lake, which is the 3rd most beautiful lake in the world! Every year we do a cookout at a good friends home. Her son is a chef and makes all kinds of goodies. I made a few easy desserts this year that I could throw together quickly after being on the lake all day. I made a red, white and blue trifle, which was super easy.
- Slice the french bread into 1/2 inch slices
- Brush on olive oil and season
- Bake at 350 until lightly browned
- Sprinkle with goat cheese
- Add a cherry
- throw in oven for a couple more minutes
Posted by cookingkatie at 6:16 AM 0 comments
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Lemon and Chives Orzo with Farmers' Market Veggies
Whoo hoo I'm back!!! Finally!!! We moved into your new house this week and although we have no furniture, I have my kitchen!! And thanks to my mom it was the first thing we set up. The hubby is traveling for work and the baby's finally letting me cook, so here I go. I saw this recipe on facebook, of all places, and really wanted to try it. It was a Rachael Ray recipe, but I totally changed it based on what I had in the fridge. It turned out great and was a great summer meal.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil fro pasta. Cook Pasta according to package.
- Slice asparagus in 1 inch pieces on an angle. Cut beans into thirds, also on an angle.
- Midway through cooking the pasta, add asparagus and beans to water so they cook3 minutes in boiling water with the pasta.
- Add peas to the pot 1 minute before draining.
- Reserve about 1/4 cup of starchy cooking liquid before you drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, heat EVOO in pan and melt butter into it over low to medium low heat. Add chives and garlic and stir a minute or two. Then add wine and gently reduce a couple minutes more.
- Stir in Dijon and lemon juice and turn off heat.
- Add pasta and remaining starchy cooking liquid and toss to coat evenly.
- Add some cheese and pepper to taste.
- Fold in spinach and serve with extra cheese on top.
Posted by cookingkatie at 5:28 PM 0 comments
Thursday, May 13, 2010
I Promise I'm coming Back!
Who would have known this baby thing would be so time consuming LOL. I think I am finally figuring this out. We are closing on a new house this week (whoo hoo) so I will be able to unpack my kitchen and start cooking (and blogging again). Now I just need to find my camera. Hope everyone will keep following this blog. I plan to resume normal blogging in July. Until then I will throw in a couple of posts ( hopefully with pictures).
Here is a quickie week night meal that I made last night and it turned out very well and in only 20 minutes flat. I got the recipe from Cooking Light and it was scrumptious. I served these Greek Steak Pitas with some garlic hummus and homemade pita chips. Hope you enjoy!
Greek Steak Pitas
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp. Greek seasoning (McCormicks)
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 (1lb.) flank steak, trimmed
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp. olive oil
2 T. lemon juice
1 6 oz. pkg. baby spinach
4 pitas, cut in half
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
24 slices english cucumber
1/2 cup feta cheese
- Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top bag; add steak to bag. Marinate 3 minutes, turning once. Remove steak from bag; discard marinade. sprinkle steak with 1/4 tsp. salt. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and olive oil. Add steak; cook 5 minutes per side or until desired doneness. Let stand 2 minutes. Cut steak across the grain into thin slices.
- Return pan to heat. Add juice, garlic and spinach; saute 1 minute. Remove from heat and add remaining salt.
- Spoon 2 T. spinach mixture into each pita half. Place 1 T. onion, 3 cucumber slices and 1 1/2 oz. steak in each pita half, sprinkle 1 T. cheese in each pita half. Yield 4 servings. Serving size is 2 pita halves at 427 calories!
The Verdict: Loved it! Super easy to make. I have had to cut dairy completely out of my diet due to nursing, so finding recipes has been a task. These pitas are just as great without the feta!
Posted by cookingkatie at 12:00 PM 0 comments
Friday, March 5, 2010
Posted by cookingkatie at 7:54 AM 1 comments
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Freezer Stash Chicken and Black Bean Chili
So being 1 day overdue, I feel like I should maybe start stocking up some freezer meals for when the baby's here. This will get my mind off of the anticipation. I probably should have started this a long time ago, but being in between homes has made things a little difficult. I kinda just threw this chili together, and it turned out really tasty. I made enough for 2 gallon size freezer bags, and we ate the rest for dinner for 2 nights. My point, it makes quite a bit.
- Saute onion, celery, garlic, jalapenos, and squash until soft, about 2 minutes.
- Add rest of ingredients and simmer 10 minutes or so.
Posted by cookingkatie at 9:33 AM 0 comments
Friday, January 29, 2010
Apple Cinnamon Butterscotch Muffins
- Preheat oven to 350. Line wells of muffin tins with paper liners and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix lightly with a fork to blend. Stir in the oats. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until light and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Beat in the applesauce, eggs and vanilla extract until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in three additions alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and beating just until incorporated. Fold in the butterscotch chips, apples, and toasted pecans with a rubber spatula.
- Divide batter evenly between muffin cups. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan 10-15 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
Posted by cookingkatie at 10:21 AM 0 comments