Jamie's Recipes

Yesterday I bared it all when I showed you the embarrassing amount of food I had in my pantry when I thought I had “nothing to eat”. With the realization that I had way more food than I thought I decided to challenge myself to cook from my pantry. Using food in my pantry and refrigerator, and not making any special trips to the grocery store. Last night I made my first meal using what I had on hand.

These first few meals I’m guessing will probably be easier to put together and better than the ones we eat towards the end of the challenge. Last night’s dinner was so good. It makes me sad I didn’t think about it earlier this summer. With a loaf of crusty bread it would make the easiest summer dinner. This dinner will make a reappearance in our meal line up.

BALSAMIC CHICKEN CAPRESE SALAD
Served 4 as a side or 2 as a meal

2 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless (mine were thinner chicken breasts)
2 T butter I am all out of olive oil
Balsamic vinegar, a couple good splashes
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to your taste preferences
water

Season chicken breasts with salt & pepper on both sides. Coat chicken with a couple good splashes of balsamic vinegar. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add butter/oil. Add chicken breasts to the butter and sprinkle the garlic on top of the chicken. Cook about 5 minutes, turn breasts over and cook 4-5 minutes on this side. Stir the garlic so it doesn’t burn. Give the chicken breasts another splash of vinegar and a splash of water then reduce down to a lovely brown glaze. Remove chicken and turn off heat and remove pan. Let chicken sit 4-5 minutes before slicing thinly. Place chicken on assembled salad and pour glaze over top of the chicken.

CAPRESE SALAD
lettuce
4 thin slices of fresh mozzarella (it is soft)
2-3 Roma tomatoes sliced
2 sliced, cooked balsamic chicken breasts
fresh basil
salt & pepper to taste

Place lettuce on a large plate. Top with sliced mozzarella and tomatoes. Salt & pepper according to your taste preferences. Add sliced balsamic chicken and the balsamic garlic glaze. Top the salad with fresh sprigs of basil.

*The tomatoes and basil came from my garden

Hello readers! Is there anyone still out there? I’m sorry for my extended absence. The absence was unplanned. In fact I have a few recipes and photos of food I have made this summer that I had intended on sharing but never got around to doing it.

Let me briefly explain, to me food blogging was starting to seem like a giant popularity contest. Other blogs I would read would occasionally mention all the readers they had or I would see hundreds of comments on each post knowing that I would never have an audience like that. At first that saddened me and I quit writing, I have never been popular before why did I expect popularity through blogging. Basically it was a pity party, I magically wanted a pretty website with hundreds of readers.

This time off has made me realize that I miss sharing my recipes with others. So what if I don’t have legions of readers. Those big food sites deserve all the traffic they get. They have pretty websites with pretty pictures and eloquent words. I am ok with my twenty or so visitors (Hi Grandma!). I have learned a lot about cooking and food photography by doing this site. My site may not have the most eloquent descriptions or the most beautiful photos, but I am learning and that makes me happy. So that’s that. I hope to be back to a regular posting schedule.

OK….

How many times have you opened up the pantry or the refrigerator and while staring at full or semi-full shelves said “there is nothing to eat”? This is something I have said countless times since childhood I am sure. I have been fortunate in my life to never know the true statement of there is nothing to eat, there has always been food to eat. Today I opened up my pantry and thought “there is nothing to eat” and then it dawned on me how much food there actually was in the pantry. Every item in my pantry was bought for a reason even if that reason has long been forgotten.

With two grocery stores less than half a mile a way I have gotten lazy. It is easy to run to the store  (or have my husband stop on the way home from work) to pick up a specific ingredient for a meal instead of getting creative and using what I have on hand. The laziness and disregard for my grocery budget is stopping today. I am challenging myself (and you) to plan meals centered around what you have on hand.

I emptied my pantry shelves onto my dining room table. I was shocked to see that my table was covered with “nothing to eat”. It is embarrassing. I took pictures to show you what my “nothing to eat” looks like. There are no pictures of my refrigerator and freezer, they aren’t filled to the brim, but there is food in there I will use to make meals for my family. In the freezer there are several whole chickens, a pot roast, and shredded cheese which will help round out some of the creative meals.

So without further ado here are the pictures:

Here is everything from my pantry laid out in an embarrassing amount.

There it is all laid out for you. If you empty out your pantry please share your photos with me. The recipes I will post in the next week will be made using these ingredients. We are all out of bread so that is the first from the pantry food item I am going to make. I am really hoping to make it a week or more without having to go to the grocery store (other than for milk, butter/oil, and eggs).

I am looking for any meal suggestions you may have for me after looking at my ingredients. Or if you have any questions about what something might be let me know in the comments and I will get back to you.

LOOK HERE FOR A COLLECTION OF MY PANTRY RECIPES:
Balsamic Chicken Caprese Salad

Last night I harvested the first produce from my square foot garden. There was only enough for each of us to have a small sample. Currently there are tons of green grape tomatoes and tiny little green beans that will soon ripen and be ready to harvest. Last night’s little taste was a wonderful preview to what is ahead. I love that I can walk out to the garden and pick what I need for dinner. Mom and Dad shared some freshly dug potatoes with us over the weekend, which I boiled for dinner last night too. I am jealous of their 5,000 sq ft garden. Some day I hope to have an area where I too can plant an enormous garden.

What have you enjoyed from your garden this year already?

Recently I posted a recipe about pesto I made using basil from my garden. If you are a frequent reader then you already know I love all things pesto. Even though pesto and pasta make a terrific meal I wanted to add something more substantial to the dish. My first thought was to add some garlicky chicken, but alas, all our chicken was frozen. The next best thing was garlicky shrimp, especially since shrimp defrost very quickly under cool running water and cook in a flash. For me it was the perfect last minute solution.

This recipe cooks up in minutes and has minimal ingredients. If you really want to impress your friends with a dish that is delicious but requires very little work shrimp scampi is your winning ticket. Once cooked you could toss with your favorite pasta or serve as is with a nice crust bread to soak up any left over buttery garlic sauce. Your choice! I added it on top of the pesto pasta and my family thought it was perfect.

SHRIMP SCAMPI
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4-6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped (I like the garlic bigger, feel free to mince if you prefer it smaller)
2T butter
1 T olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Over medium heat melt the butter in a saute pan. Add garlic cook for 1 minute making sure not to burn. Add shrimp. Turn the shrimp over once they turn pink. Cook until other side turns pink. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Give everything a good stir then serve.

*If you’re serving this plain with pasta you could add another tablespoon of butter and oil.
*Adding red pepper flake to the shrimp would be a nice spicy addition. I left it out because it is too spicy for my little girls.

OTHER SHRIMP RECIPES:
Shrimp Pasta from My Baking Addiction
Spaghetti with Shrimp, Broccoli, and Basil from Taste Food Blog
Shrimp Scampi from Nook & Pantry
Asparagus Pesto Pasta with Blackened Shrimp from Gimme Some Oven

Recently we went to a friend’s house for a barbecue (I am a huge fan of summertime barbecues). Wonderful food was served including watermelon salsa. I had never had watermelon salsa before and after the first taste, I knew I had to replicate it at home. To some the idea of sweet fruit combined with spicy jalapenos may not sound like a winning combination. Let me stop to remind you that the tomato is actually a fruit so went you are enjoying your favorite salsa you technically are enjoying “fruit” salsa. Right? My Dad and my Grandpa (who I wouldn’t classify as adventurous eaters) tried the salsa and liked it. I think they both said something to the effect of “It is different. Different but good.” as they each scooped up another chip full. If that still doesn’t convince you, I encourage you to follow the advice of my four year old, “Try it. You will like it.”

The watermelon provides a sweet coolness to an otherwise regular tomato salsa. Please make this for your Fourth of July get together or next family barbecue. This is a refreshing snack to enjoy while you are waiting for the coals to heat up, while you are sitting around chit-chatting with friends and family, and/or while you are enjoying a frosty beverage.

Have a happy and safe holiday!

WATERMELON SALSA
inspired by a friend

2 c ripe seedless watermelon, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large red onion, minced
2 jalapenos, minced –remove seeds and membrane if you don’t want it too spicy
handful of cilantro, chopped coarsely
1 lime juiced
season with salt & pepper as needed

Combine all ingredients in serving dish. Stir together. Season accordingly.

Feel free to add more of any ingredient according to your taste preferences. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

OTHER SALSAS:
Fresh Salsa from Jamie’s Recipes
Fresh Fruit Salsa from Guilty Kitchen
Blueberry Salsa from Kitchen Parade
Peach and Peppadew Salsa from Pinch My Salt
Mango Salsa from The Arugula Files

I just read on Eater that the current issue (July/August 2010)  of Food Network Magazine listed the best breakfast in every state. This is not a magazine I subscribe too and I have not read the article so I am unsure how they determined where the best restaurant breakfast is. To pick one winner in each state would be a difficult and delicious task.

For my Nebraska readers the Belgian waffles at Petrow’s Restaurant in Omaha was the winner. I have never eaten there before so I can’t comment on the quality of the waffles. BUT if you do want my opinion on one of the best breakfast meals I’ve eaten in Omaha it would be the red beans and rice omelet from Dixie Quicks. Dixie Quicks is a small comfort food style restaurant. Their menu is on a giant chalkboard and items get erased when they run out. If you want to try Dixie Quicks reservations are recommended during the week and are required for Sunday brunch.

OK breakfast eaters, do you agree with the results that Food Network Magazine came up with? If you were in charge of writing that article what restaurants/breakfasts would you include? Where is your favorite breakfast served in your city or state? Please share in the comments.

Here are the magazine’s results:

Alabama: Eggs Mauvila at Café 615, Mobile
Alaska: Reindeer Sausage Omelet at Gwennie’s Old Alaska Restaurant
Arizona: The Over Easy at Over Easy
Arkansas: Banana Pancakes at The Pancake Shop
California: Fantastic French Toast at Marston’s Restaurant
Colorado: Breakfast Burrito at King’s Chef Diner
Connecticut: The Portuguese Fisherman at Kitchen Little
Delaware: Sausage Sandwich at Helen’s Famous Sausage House
Florida: Philadelphia Scrapple at Skyway Jack’s
Georgia: HabersHam and Eggs at B. Matthew’s Eatery
Hawaii: Ahi Steak and Eggs at Eggs ‘n Things
Idaho: Oatmeal Soufflé at Red Feather Lounge
Illinois: Vegetarian Scrapple at Ina’s
Indiana: Paxton’s Potatoes at Village Deli
Iowa: Our Famous Pancake at Grove Café
Kansas: Buenos Dias Frittata at The Chef
Kentucky: French Toast at Lynn’s Paradise Café
Louisiana: Got Boudin? Omelet at Café Des Amis
Maine: Fresh Buttermilk Pancakes at Boyton-McKay Food Co.
Maryland: Shirley’s Affair with Oscar at Miss Shirley’s Café
Massachusetts: Doughnut at Craigie on Main
Michigan: The Cowboy Curtis at The Fly Trap: A Finer Diner
Minnesota: Pastrami & Egg at Be’wiched Deli
Mississippi: Beignets at Triplett-Day Drug Company Soda Fountain
Missouri: Rooster Slinger at Rooster
Montana: Haystack at Goode’s Q & Bayou Grill
Nebraska: Belgian Waffle at Petrow’s Restaurant
Nevada: Cowpoke Quiche at Dish Café
New Hampshire: Littleton Buckwheat Pancakes at The Littleton Diner
New Jersey: The Slider at Summit Diner
New Mexico: Atole Piñon Hotcakes at Tecolote Café
New York: Poached Eggs with Curried Lentils, Yoghurt and Cilantro at The Breslin
North Carolina: Fried Chicken Biscuit at Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen
North Dakota: Rancher Skillet at Kroll’s Diner
Ohio: Cinnamon Rolls at Omega Artisan Baking
Oklahoma: Steak and Eggs at Cattlemen’s Steakhouse
Oregon: Triple Berry Toast at Green Salmon Coffee House
Pennsylvania: Strawberry Hotcakes at Pamela’s P&G Diner
Rhode Island: Johnnycakes at Jigger’s Diner
South Carolina: Fried Green Tomatoes and Shrimp with Grits at Marina Variety Store Restaurant
South Dakota: Buffalo Steak Tips and Eggs at Blue Bell Lodge at Custer State Park Resort
Tennessee: Tennessee “Jack” Egg Sandwich at The Capitol Grille
Texas: Reggie’s Weekend Special at Torres Taco Haven
Utah: Sill’s Famous Scone at Sill’s Café
Vermont: Penny Cluse at Penny Cluse Café
Virginia: California Huevos Ranchero at Kuba Kuba
Washington: Corned Beef Mash: at The Braeburn Restaurant
Washington DC: Fried Chicken, Eggs and Waffles at Founding Fathers
West Virginia He-Man Breakfast: at The Poky Dot Diner
Wisconsin: Swedish Pancakes at Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant & Butik
Wyoming: Chicken-Fried Steak, Eggs and Potatoes at Sherri’s Place

It wasn’t that long ago that I tried pesto for the first time. On a whim I bought some, it was jarred and sitting next to the spaghetti sauces on the top shelf at the grocery store. I was a little hesitant to try it and the jar sat in my pantry for at least a month after I bought it. When I finally had the courage to try it (which is weird because I love trying new things) I opened the jar and noticed there was a layer of oil just floating on top of a green mass. So far I wasn’t impressed. Uncertain whether or not to stir the oil back into the pesto or pour it off I opted just to stir it back in. Finally I was ready to try it. I stuck the spoon back into the jar and scooped up a little bit of pesto. I ate it straight off the spoon and I was pleasantly surprise how wonderful it was. Prior to this experience I really hadn’t tried much basil before, but now I was in love with the garlic, basil, Parmesan cheese combination. Last summer Mom grew basil in her garden and canned plenty of pesto to enjoy during the off season. When I was planning out my garden, I knew without a doubt, basil would be included.

Last week my basil was finally big enough to harvest some leaves for my first batch of pesto. When I did my weekly grocery shopping trip I planned to get Parmesan cheese and pine nuts (I always have garlic on hand) for the pesto. Much to my surprise pine nuts were $29.99 per pound at Whole Foods. Eek! I knew they were a costly little seed but I was surprised at the actual price tag. Not wanting to spend that much I was just going to buy walnuts since I’ve used them before when making pesto. As I was reaching for the walnuts I saw the sunflower seeds and recalled I still have a small stash of them at home. So the walnuts went back on the shelf. The sunflower seeds I had were salted and roasted so I skipped adding any extra salt to my pesto. The pesto was quickly made in my food processor and tossed with some fettuccine.  To make the meal a little more substantial I made some shrimp scampi (recipe here) to toss on top.

I think the sunflower seeds worked wonderfully in pesto. They are a really nutty tasting seed and combined with the Parmesan cheese and garlic I thought it was delicious. Have fun with your pesto and switch around which type or nuts or seeds you use. Give the sunflower seed pesto a try, I think you will like it. Do you have a favorite nut or seed you use in your pesto? Let me know in the comments.

BASIL & SUNFLOWER SEED PESTO
2-3 c Basil leaves
2-3 cloves garlic
1/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 c roasted sunflower seeds (without the shell)
squeeze of 1/2 lemon
2-3 T olive oil, enough to loosen the mixture

Place everything besides the olive oil in the food processor or blender. Pulse until smooth. Turn food processor or blender on so it will continuously blend. Slowly stream in olive oil -just until the mixture is loose. Toss with cooked hot pasta. Enjoy!

*I like to reserve 1/4 c or so of the pasta cooking liquid to add to the pesto. This allows for it to coat the pasta easier without adding more oil.

OTHER DISHES WITH PESTO:
Deconstructed Pesto with Beet Greens & Garlic Scapes
Baby Bok Choy Pesto
Sausage and Spinach Lasagna Rolls with Pesto Tomato Sauce
Pesto Couscous
Tuna and Pesto Sandwich
Spaghetti and Meatballs

Summer is my favorite time of year. This weekend we were busy spending time outside, barbecuing, and mingling with friends. Actually this weekend I did not cook a single meal. My husband made breakfast and both nights we ate at our friends’ houses. Stepping out of the kitchen and not having the “burden” of cooking a meal has really inspired me and excited me to get cooking again. I have a good list of food I want to make and share with you soon.

On Saturday evening we joined a small group of people at a sushi making party. It was so much fun and I can’t wait to have my own sushi making party so I can share pictures and recipes with you. For the party I wanted to make a fun dessert that would compliment the sushi theme. At Whole Foods I found sweet matcha powder and used that to make homemade green tea ice cream. Before making the ice cream I hadn’t tried green tea ice cream before so I wasn’t exactly sure what flavor I was trying to create. The ice cream was smooth, sweet, and creamy with a subtle green tea flavor. Everyone seemed to enjoy it at that party. My daughter’s loved the (natural) green color of the ice cream. I am looking forward to cranking out many delicious ice cream recipes this summer.

GREEN TEA (MATCHA) ICE CREAM
from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
4 tsp matcha (green tea powder)
6 large egg yolks

*I used 1/2 c sugar and 3 T sweet matcha powder

Warm milk, sugar, and salt in medium saucepan. Pour cream into a large bowl and whisk in green tea powder. Set mesh strainer on top. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks together and slowly pour in the warmed milk mixture, you don’t want scrambled eggs so pour slowly and whisk constantly. Pour the contents back into the pan and stir over medium heat with a heatproof spatula. Continue to stir until mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Remove from heat and pour the custard through the strainer, stirring it into the cream. Whisk vigorously to dissolve the green tea powder. Stir until cool over an ice bath. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

OTHER WONDERFUL ICE CREAM CREATIONS:

Honey lavender ice cream by Homesick Texan
Earl Grey Ice Cream by At the Baker’s Bench
another David Lebovitz recipe: Gianduja Gelato at Two Peas and Their Pod
Cherry Frozen Yogurt by Simply Recipes

This is the first gardening season where I have a permanent space to garden. Since we haven’t lived through a gardening season at our new house I thought it would be best to build a garden box instead of tilling up our yard. Have you heard of square foot gardening (SFG)? At my local library I stumbled upon a book on the topic and thought this method may be the best option for us to try our novice hand at gardening. Last year my parents had a large garden and very generously shared the surplus harvest. This year they planted another large garden which hopefully will be prolific.  With the hopes of receiving some of my parents surplus, I was able to focus on just a few items while honing my gardening skills. I didn’t plant potatoes in my small garden because I helped plant about 500 hill of potatoes Easter weekend in my parents’ garden.

Here is my dad hoeing a row for potatoes. As you can see they have a lot more space for a garden than we do.

At the beginning of the year I ordered my seeds from Johnny’s Seeds. The first gardening lesson I’ve learned is that in order for my tomato plants to “bulk up” for planting outside next year I will need to start the seeds much earlier. Since the tomato plants were so little I did purchase plants from Menard’s. My pepper plants still seemed a little scrawny but I planted them with hopes they will still produce. I have plenty of seeds leftover so next year’s garden seeds will be started earlier. I am excited about my garden. Below are pictures of the gardening box and my garden.

Sorry for the poor quality photo, I took it with my cell phone. I built a 4 foot x 4 foot gardening box using 2 – 8 foot long 2×6 cut in half, a 4 ft square piece of 1/2 inch plywood, and some chicken wire left behind by the previous homeowner. If you want to build your own garden box make sure that the wood you use is untreated. On the bottom of the gardening box (the plywood) I drilled drainage holes about every 3 inches. Once the box was built I moved it to a nice sunny spot on part of our driveway. I placed the box on a couple of 2×4 to prop it up to allow for proper drainage. The box was then filled with a combination of vermiculite, peat moss, and compost. Along side of the gardening box I have pots with herbs and a couple of boxes for my lettuce.

Basil is on the left side of the photo with Bibb lettuce (which will be turned into a salad tonight) in the boxes.

Starting at the top left to right: Sage, lavender, cilantro (in the green pot), mint, Bibb lettuce, and basil

Starting from top left moving to top right:
Green beans and Burgundy beans in the top 3 squares and grape tomato in the final square
jalapeño pepper/green onions, Roma tomato, mixed colored bell pepper, grape tomato
jalapeño pepper/green onions, Roma tomato, mixed colored bell pepper, grape tomato
jalapeño pepper/green onions, Pink Brandywine tomato, mixed colored pepper, grape tomato

QUESTIONS FOR EXPERIENCED GARDENERS:

I live in Nebraska. When should I start my tomato and pepper seeds?
What is the best way to stake tomatoes in a SFG?

Have any of my readers tried a square foot garden before? I would love to hear your tips, lessons learned, and gardening stories.

In high school I worked at Hy-Vee (a local grocery store) in the produce department. Every Saturday and Sunday I would make dozens of vegetable and fruit pizzas. It was fun getting to make pretty designs using the fruit. I probably made hundreds of each when I was working there, and it has been since high school (nine years ago) since I’ve made one. It seems so silly since it is so easy to make and easily adapt to whatever fruit is in season.

A simple sugar cookie dough, cream cheese frosting, and top with whatever fruit your family likes would make a beautiful fruit pizza for a brunch, picnic, or a barbecue gathering. My two little girls who love to help in the kitchen enjoyed rinsing the berries and pressing the cookie dough into the pan. They enjoy helping any way they can.

Check out your farmers markets for fresh local berries.

FRUIT PIZZA

SUGAR COOKIE DOUGH:
from Pinch My Salt

2 1/2 C. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1 C. butter, softened
1 1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. almond extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In separate bowl mix together flour, soda, and cream of tartar. Set aside. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Slowly and in batches add the flour mixture making sure it is completely mixed together.  Press into a jelly roll pan (17 x 14) making sure to come up the sides. Bake for 15 minutes or until crust looks golden. Cool.

CREAM CHEESE BASE:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together all ingredients. Spread over cooled crust.

Top with your favorite fruits. Some fruit topping ideas: kiwi, grapes, berries, orange segments or mandarin oranges, apple slices, bananas, pineapple, peaches, nectarines, plums, shredded coconut, the possibilities are endless. If you want to use apples or bananas give them a squeeze of lime juice to help stop them from browning so quickly. Have fun and be creative! ENJOY!