Raspberry Yogurt with Grilled Peaches

It was my turn to cook last night, but I failed to make dinner. I did make a tasty snack yesterday that I decided to share though. I really wanted something sweet, but I'm trying to eat better, so this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

2 Peaches (sliced)

1/2 cup of fresh raspberries

2 cups of vanilla yogurt

Honey to taste

I sprayed some non-stick spray on my grill pan, placed the slices of peaches on and cooked til just starting to brown, then I drizzled a little honey on them to sweeten them up and turned the peaches and let the honey kind of carmelize on the peaches. I took the peaches off and set them aside. Then I put the yogurt in the blender with the raspberries and blended together.

I spooned half the mixture into my glass, then topped with some peaches and a raspberry and another little drizzle of honey.

So Delicious.

Fusilli Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and “Hidden” Zucchini

Serves 4
As you eat this unique recipe the juicy, roasted tomatoes break apart into the pasta to make the sauce right on your plate. People at the table might not even notice the extra serving of vegetables you "hid" by grating squash into the pasta, but the flavor will make it a winner.

Ingredients
6 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped basil, divided
1/2 pound whole wheat fusilli
2 zucchini or yellow squash, grated
2 tablespoons lemon juice



Method


Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange tomatoes on a large parchment-lined sheet tray, cut-sides up. Drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Scatter 2 tablespoons Parmesan and 2 tablespoons basil evenly over top. Roast until juicy and bubbling, about 20 minutes; set aside. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add fusilli and cook until al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add zucchini, lemon juice, remaining 6 tablespoons Parmesan and 2 tablespoons basil. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide pasta onto four plates, top with tomatoes and serve.

Deviations: I had to make some changes to the recipe. I couldn't find fusilli pasta. In actuality, I've never even heard of it. So I just bought whole wheat rotini. In lieu, of lemon juice I used balsamic vinegar, because Stephanie was not a huge fan of the last dish I made with lemon juice. I also added some chopped garlic to the tomatoes before I roasted them.



Nutrition
Per serving (about 9oz/271g-wt.): 310 calories (60 from fat), 7g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 10mg cholesterol, 470mg sodium, 51g total carbohydrate (7g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 13g protein




Cooked By: Cristina
Recipe Provided by: Whole Foods



















Commentary:



Aaron: I enjoyed this meal to my suprise. I wasn't really sure of having pasta with no sauce, but this was a good experience. The tomatoes were perfect!!! The pasta by itself had an interesting texture to it which wasn't terrible but wasn't good either, but like I said when the tomato was consumed with it the flavor was great! They were full of flavor and when combined with the pasta the flavor really took off. I think we all agreed this meal needed something else, but I don't think any of us could put our finger on it. I thought mabye adding some sort of mozzerella ball but who knows...anyways I give the meal as a whole a B+ although I think if it really came down to it the grade would be 89.6 which would round it up to an A-



Cristina: First, I would like to apologize for the delay in posting this. It is almost my turn to cook again, so this recipe is nearly 3 weeks old. Our guest judge had something come up, so we were without one this particular meal. I don't remember what I had going on, but I know I was busy and didn't have a lot of time to cook. So I knew I wanted something super fast and relatively healthy. Oklahoma is getting their first Whole Foods store soon, and I couldn't be more excited. I was introduced to Whole Foods when I lived in Dallas, and I was sad to leave it behind when I returned to Oklahoma. So in preparation, I have started scouring Whole Foods website for healthy meal options. This one was so simple and really fast. Start to finish was about 30 minutes.


I was really excited about the tomatoes. I have never liked to eat tomatoes, but for some reason this recipe looked really delicious to me. They turned out better than I could have imagined. The way the tomatoes broke apart in the pasta made a delicious kind of sauce. All the roasted ingredients really worked together. Next time, I will probably roast them a few extra minutes though. The pasta was not my favorite. I have had several whole wheat pastas, but this particular one was too grainy I think. Next time, I will either try a different whole wheat version or i will just go with regular pasta. I am going to continue to look for Fusilli though. The grated zucchini in the pasta was an interesting addition. It gave it some extra texture and an extra serving of vegetables that was greatly appreciated. That was my first time grating zucchini and it was fun. I can't believe there were 2 whole zucchinis in there, because they really were kind of "hidden."

I give this meal a 8.9, only because I would have liked to have a different pasta texture. I loved that it was so fast and easy, and it looked really beautiful on the plate and the tomatoes were so delicious. All in all, I say it was a great success.



Stephanie:

Pizza!!!!

Jay's Signature Crust

Ingredients
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
3. Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.
5. Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 119 Total Fat: 2.1g Cholesterol: 0mg

Cooked By: Aaron

Recipe Provided By: Allrecipes.com

Exquisite Pizza Sauce

Ingredients
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional)
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Directions
1.In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water, Parmesan cheese, garlic, honey, anchovy paste, onion powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and salt; mix together, breaking up any clumps of cheese.
2.Sauce should sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors; spread over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 89 Total Fat: 1.4g Cholesterol: 4mg

Cooked By: Aaron

Recipe Provided By: Allrecipes.com

Other Pictures

Commentary

Aaron: I've been terrified of this meal all weak. I have always wanted to make pizza dough or any kind of dough at that. I had attempted helping Stephanie's dad when we went to St. Louis and you could tell that he was not impressed with my dough making ability. And I thought it was going to turn out bad when I first started rolling the dough, it was so sticky and Cristina was just laughing at me saying we needed to call Papa Johns....but after adding more flour and rolling and more flour and then letting it rise for an hour, it turned out great! This whole meal turned out way better than I expected. For the dough itself I give it a A- because I would have liked to have added some type of flavor, maybe a tomato basil flavor...I did however bursh the crust with a garlic butter for flavor...The sauce I was impressed with, great flavor once it hit the taste buds and left with a bit of a kick from the cayenne and red pepper flakes..just to my liking...If you are a ridiculous wuss when it comes to spice like Stephanie it may not be to your liking...I give the sauce a solid A. The wine was very good. It wasn't too dry or too sweet. I give it a B+.... Now for the pizza as a whole...I just kinda went with things I liked for the toppings...[Sage flavored pork sausage (rolled), pepperoni, red and green bell pepper, red onion, fresh mushrooms, black olives]...I also bought artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers but didnt use them this time. I may try making Calzone later this week to finish off my ingredients. I give the pizza as a whole an A-. This meal was accompanied by spinach and balsalmic vinegarette.

Cristina: This Pizza was good. Who knew, especially while watching him make the dough! lol. The crust was actually my favorite part though. It was thick but not too heavy, and with all the toppings he kept adding, I was a little concerned the crust wouldn't support them, but it was great. I might have added a little less toppings, but I guess he was going for a Sbarro style pizza. The sauce had a little more kick them I might have liked. When he first had me try it, there was no real flavor at the beginning, but after you swallowed, the peppers hit your throat. After a little more revamping with the spices, the sauce had a really nice flavor in the beginning, but he still couldn't do anything about that final kick. I give the Pizza at 9.1. It was good and I hope he'll make it again for me. I was in charge of the wine this week and I actually really liked it. I went into the wine shop and told them what was for dinner and they helped me find a good blend, and even better, it was on sale for the month of September! Score!. I'm a sucker for a red Zin, because I don't like really dry red wine. This was a blend of zin and merlot, so I was a little skeptical, but I really liked it. Not too sweet, not too dry, complemented the pizza and spinach really well. I will definately be buying it again. Vino score of 8.7.

Stephanie: This pizza was awesome! The texture was great, the taste was awesome, the toppings were juicy, the crust was thick and it was all cooked to perfection! Aaron really outdid himself with this recipe. I know that when we visited my parents recently my dad tried to show him how he made the dough for pizza. I don't know if Aaron learned anything from him or if he just figured this out on his own but the crust was PERFECT! Sauce was spicy, especially for me. Even with the heat, I would've eaten two slices if I would have had room for it. The slices were huge! Overall, I was super impressed!  A+ I'm looking forward to having this again soon.

Guest Judge (Mr. Brendon Chill):

Best pizza in town? Maybe. Worst conversation? Absolutely.
Pizza: The key element of any good pizza is the crust and my slice far exceeded my expectations. Deep dish Chicago style crust made from scratch. AMAZING! It was slightly crispy, very thick and held up under the weight of the massive toppings.
On to the sauce. Many people can kill a pizza by overloading it with sauce, not this chef, the quantity was just right. The flavor was good as well, a bit on the spicy side which is great for me but may have been overwhelming for some. I wish it would have been a little sweeter though. That would have landed the sauce a five star rating for sure.
I can’t recall exactly what toppings the pizza had but all the classics were accounted for, pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms and a healthy dusting of cheese. Aaron mentioned that he wanted to add a few additional toppings such as artichoke hearts, but I’m glad he held back. The ratio of toppings to cheese and sauce was perfect. Any more and it would have been too much.
Overall I was very pleased with the pizza. My only regret is not going back for a second slice but as a guest judge I didn’t want to show my inner fat kid.
Side
Raw spinach leafs with bottled dressing were served as a side dish. I chose the walnut vinaigrette dressing which I did not care for but I typically don’t like vinaigrette dressings. I’m more of a Caesar guy. Given the level of effort that went into the pizza I can’t hold it against Aaron for going with such a simple side.
Wine
I am by no means a sommelier, so any wine review on my part should not hold much weight. I honestly can’t discern between the cheapest bottle and the best vintage, so I am usually happy to drink whatever is on hand. What I do know is that it did not come from a box and was served in an actual wine glass, that alone scored a favorable review.
Dessert
For dessert I was introduced to the wonderful world of PeachWave. Despite the guidance of PeachWave veterans I made the rookie mistake of selecting my yogurt flavors before evaluating the potential toppings. To say I was overwhelmed once I hit the toppings would be an understatement. Despite my first timer error I was still very pleased with the yogurt and will be back soon!
Setting
It was my first visit to Casa de Mora so I received the grand tour. It is a very nice space with great décor and furnishings. One of the items I was very interested to see was the “As seen on TV” Shake Weight. Now I know how Aaron has been looking so buff recently.
Another area of interest was the art work / photography in the men’s room. I was greeted by an eye level photo of John McDonald which was disturbing and heartwarming all at the same time.
Once we sat down to eat the conversation took an interesting turn. Now don’t get me wrong, I thrive on awkward situations like this but the topic of conversation was just a bit too controversial for me.
Overall it was a very entertaining evening and I really enjoyed myself.
And the icing on the cake…I got a new friend, well Facebook friend anyway.
Rating
Pizza 4.33/ 5
• Toppings 4/5
• Sauce 4/5
• Crust 5/5
Sides 3/5
Wine 4/5
Setting 3.5 / 5
• Cleanliness 5/5
• Décor 5/5
• Company 3/5
• Conversation 1/5

Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken and sides

Ingredients
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (3 pound) whole chicken
2 lemons
2 tablespoons olive oil


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Combine the seasoning, salt, mustard powder, garlic powder and black pepper; set aside. Rinse the chicken thoroughly, and remove the giblets. Place chicken in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture inside the chicken. Rub the remaining mixture on the outside of the chicken.
3. Squeeze the juice of the 2 lemons into a small bowl or cup, and mix with the olive oil. Drizzle this oil/juice mixture over the chicken.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until juices run clear, basting several times with the remaining oil mixture.


Cooked by Cristina
Recipe provided by: allrecipe.com


Roasted Asparagus with Garlic and Parsley
Serves 4 to 6
Look for asparagus during the spring of each year, when the flavorful, fragrant stalks are at their best. This vegetable goes particularly well with roasted or grilled fish, but it's equally delicious roughly chopped and tossed into hot pasta or whole grains, too.


Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, ends trimmed
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 400°F.


Arrange asparagus in a baking pan in a single layer. Sprinkle parsley and garlic over the top then drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until just tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve hot.


Cooked by Cristina
Recipe provided by: wholefoodsmarket.com




Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Olive Oil

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds baking potatoes
salt to taste
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste


Directions
PEEL the potatoes if you wish. Or peel half and leave the other half with the skins on.
CUT the potatoes in half and plunge them into a large pot of rapidly boiling water. Add the whole garlic cloves and cook, covered, until the potatoes are very tender - about 25 minutes
DRAIN the potatoes and garlic well and turn them into a warm serving bowl.
USING a potato masher, mash them coarsely, adding the olive oil a little at a time.
WHEN all the oil has been added, taste and add more salt if needed and an abundance of black pepper.
SERVE immediately.


Cooked by Cristina
Recipe provided by: grouprecipes.com

Wine Pairing:

Starborough Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand 2009


Courtesy of: Edmond Wine Shop
Selected by: Aaron




Surprise Mystery Dessert: Oreo Pudding
So before I write this down, please know that I do know how to make pudding. I had to figure out a short cut so I could still bring this to dinner this particular night. (the night after Aaron licked bird crap off of his arm) Just as long as we are on the same page about the fact that I would never really do this unless it was some sort of bird poop emergency, I'll continue...


Ingredients:
1 pkg vanilla JELLO pudding snackpacks (comes in a pack of 6)
1 pkg chocolate JELLO pudding snackpacks (comes in a pack of 6)
1 pkg OREO cookies (probably won't need the whole package)


In a 9 x 9 dish, empty all of the chocolate pudding cups. Spread it evenly. Crush many OREOs and spread them over the chocolate pudding until its covered. Repeat with the vanilla pudding and another layer of crushed OREOs. Place in the fridge until time to serve.




COMMENTARY


Aaron: I liked this meal quite a bit. I thought the chicken had great flavor despite Stephanie's face in the video. It did have a very lemony flavor. However I think it is because the recipe called for a whole chicken and Cristina just used breasts. the chicken was great, moist and tender! I give the lemon chicken a B+, only because I would have loved to see a whole chicken prepared and I think the flavor would have spread evenly. The Asparagus was very good, only thing I would do is add a little more lemon and sea salt but I loved the addition of garlic I give the asparagus an A-. The potatoes were prepared very well, I loved everything that was in them. However because it was prepared to early they were a bit cold and clumped together, but the flavor was still there. I give them a B, probably a A if they were hot and fresh. The wine was a new kind for me as well, but it had great taste and accompanied the meal very well. I give the wine an A.

Cristina: For the chicken, I used boneless breasts instead of a whole chicken and cooked for 30 minutes at 350. I really loved this chicken. It was really lemony, but I thought it had great flavor and it was super moist. I give the bird a 9.0. The asparagus I added a squeeze of lemon on the flower end to really bring out the flavor and I have to say, I loved this too. A solid 8 for me for sure. I would maybe add a little more garlic and some thyme next time though. I had high hopes for the mashed potatoes, because mashed potatoes are my favorite food in the whole world. These were actually pretty good. Unfortunately they were done earlier than the other two items, so they were cold and had to be reheated by the time I served dinner. Also, I think I am going to invest in some higher end olive oil for next time, because the flavor was a little off for me. I give these potatoes a 7, but I am positive with some improvements I can get them to a 10. The wine Aaron selected was surprisingly good. I haven't had many Sauvignon Blancs, but it really complemented the citrus in the chicken well and it had a smooth finish. For $12, it will be a good competitor for my normal Rieslings.

Stephanie: Despite my reaction in the video, I didn't hate this meal, per se, it just didn't complete agree with my taste buds. :) The chicken was...interesting. It was overwhelmingly tart. I think you could probably stretch that amount of lemon juice over 2 whole chickens and it still be a little tangy. The juiciness of the chicken, however, was great! That was a nice change. It's so easy to dry out chicken! After eating all of my chicken breast, being careful to eat it with potatoes and asparagus instead of by itself, I realized that it wasn't all that bad. But still, it was sour.

The asparagus was too crispy for me. I am not wanting baby food soft veggies but something that appears to be cooked. The flavor of the asparagus was also, not to my liking.
The potatoes were good, not a lot of flavor, but it worked with the rest of flavorful things on my plate.


My ratings:
Lemon Chicken: C+ (A without the lemon!)
Asparagus: B-
Mashed Potatoes: A

Guest Judge Karen Suchite: Well I was super excited to be invited as a guest judge to Casa Cristina but that’s just because I love to eat, oh yeah and to spend time with my sister. : ) She sent me the menu earlier that day…. and then that’s all I could think about. I’ve always secretly wished I could be a judge on Top Chef, that would be my freakin’ dream job! Anyways on to the meal, I walked into the house and it smelled delicioso! First item I spotted was the asparagus, it looked so tasty. Well we sat down for dinner and wine, first sip of the wine I thought it was quite tart not my favorite flavor but hey its wine so I’m going to pass it up (listen for my comment about “drinking” wine in the video).

Now the chicken was perfectly seasoned, lemony, juicy-just awesome; and afterwards I enjoyed the wine even more, it paired with the flavor of the chicken wonderfully.

The asparagus was crisp, I hate when veggies are cooked to much! They should retain their original texture, if not you can just enjoy some mashed up veggies aka baby food. Lol.

And the mashed potatoes were good but not my most favorite part. I like potatoes a little creamier, thicker; but that’s just because I’m used to my momma’s potatoes. They were very fluffy, kinda made it seem like they were good for you potatoes, like they had less carbs-or that’s just what I was telling myself.

And the Oreo pudding dessert, although very delicious I’m sure I enjoyed it more than Cristina’s brother! Good times, word of advice don’t park under trees.

Overall I was absolutely pleased with the dinner, I have decided that my grade scale will be based off the stickers that teachers give out in elementary school!

Chicken: Perfect!
Asparagus: Awesome!
Mashed Potatoes: Good work.
Dessert: Brilliant!
Wine: “Happy Face” Sticker

The End.

Not a New Recipe, But Definitely A New Flavor

Good Thursday morning readers. Normally at this point in the week, I would be posting a new recipe and telling you how it turned out. That is not what this story is about. I will go ahead and warn you that this story, while hilarious, is still pretty disgusting, so if you would rather not read on, you can come back tomorrow, when my new recipes will be posted for your enjoyment. Those of you who are intrigued, please keep reading. Last night was my turn to cook again, but unfortunately I had to reschedule to Thursday night this week to accommodate a visit from some old college friends who live in Anchorage, Alaska now (On a side note, if you have not been to visit Alaska, I thoroughly recommend it, sooooo beautiful). Anyways, a large group of us met for dinner last night and we had a great time catching up and retelling the funny stories of our "youth." Unfortunately, when I parked my car, I failed to notice the large tree looming over the spot. So as we were leaving, it was hard to ignore the large amount of birds who had taken up residence in this tree while we were inside. My car was already very speckled with their droppings. My friend Karen (who rode to the restaurant with me) and I made a plan to quickly get into the car, hopefully avoiding any falling matter. Unfortunately, we were not as successful as we had hoped. At this point, you are probably having one of two reactions. You are either laughing hysterically or you may be cringing, your shoulders tensing into your earlobes. Based on the title of this particular post, you may be thinking, "dear lord, please don't tell me they got bird droppings into their mouths somehow." I am pleased to tell you that no fecal matter made it into my or Karen's mouth. I did however get a nice size drop on my shoulder though. Ick! Now at this point, I would like to recite a poem that my grandfather told me once when I was a little girl. After the poem, I will continue my story, so please take this brief intermission to decide if you really want to hear the end. If not, no hard feelings, I will expect to see you back here next week. OK. On to the poetry! Birdie, Birdie, in the sky, Dropped a poo-poo in my eye, I'm a big girl, I don't cry, I'm just glad that cows don't fly. (Compliments of Vance Brooks) Now, where was I? O, yes. So a bird had pooped on my shoulder, and apparently on my purse too. When we got to Karen's house, we took turns checking each other over. After I thought I had cleaned as much as I could, I headed home. I walked in the door to find Aaron, my brother, sitting on the couch, studying and watching tv. I handed him my styrofoam container with my leftovers and began to tell him, how I just got pooped on. He thought it was hilarious. Yes, it is hilarious, until it happens to you. Then its just gross!! Anyways, so I settled into my chair and began watching the season premiere of Modern Family on the dvr. Between the laughs I had already begun to forget the traumatic event that had happened to me earlier. About midway through, I looked over at Aaron, who has decided to enjoy my leftovers. I could tell something was wrong, but I wasn't sure what was going on. The way he was sitting with his arms held out, all stiff, I instantly thought there must have been some droppings on the Styrofoam box and he had gotten it on his arm. He just sat there making this awful face, and I said, "Its probably bird poop. Did you get some on you or something?" He instantly jumped up and ran to the sink and starts spitting and flushing his mouth out with water. I start laughing hysterically "how the heck did you get it in your mouth?" I laughed for two minutes straight while he continued rinsing his mouth and using a paper towel to wipe his tongue all the while mumbling something about bird flu and e.coli. When he finally was able to speak, he told me, he had gotten this black and white mixture on his arm from the box, and for some reason, he thought it was remnants of a dessert I had not eaten. He thought maybe it was an oreo and whip cream mixture, and apparently he had forgotten the story I had told him, not 30 minutes before. In a hasty move, he just licked it off. He instantly realized that it was not a tasty treat, but a foul tasting concoction. I guess that was the exact moment I had looked over at him and when I asked if he had gotten bird poop on him, my story came rushing back to him, and he immediately knew what he had tasted. When he told me that he had deliberately licked it off his arm, I lost it. I laughed so hard, I nearly wet myself. For the remainder of the evening, whenever I looked over at him, his face was fighting off the bad taste the "oreos" had left in his mouth. I would quietly laugh to myself, "yes, it is hilarious, til it happens to you." Not so funny now, is it Aaron? Please tune in tomorrow for some new recipes and hopefully some new stories.

Peppered Shrimp Alfredo

Ingredients

• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, diced
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 
  
• Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter together with the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, red pepper, and mushroom; cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 2 minutes more.
3. Stir in the shrimp, and cook until firm and pink, then pour in Alfredo sauce, Romano cheese, and cream; bring to a simmer stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir drained pasta into the sauce, and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Cooked by Stephanie

Recipe provided by: allrecipe.com

Commentary
Aaron: I thought this meal was very good.  I compared it to the diablo shrimp and chicken pasta I get from Johnny Carinos.  I wouldn't change much I loved the spice!  Asparagus could be a good addition though.  I give this meal a grade of A - only because I think some addition of bigger vegetables would be a good addition.


Cristina: Although it was actually my turn in the rotation, Stephanie was kind enough to pinch hit for me this week, as I was out of town earlier this week and had little time to prepare. (On a side note, I was in Salt Lake City, UT for work this week, and while there I did eat two of the best meals of my life, so I'm currently coming down from a food high and as such, may be judging to a particularly high standard this week). 

Okay...so on to the critique.  I am not big on seafood.  I am currently working through that, and shrimp is something I have recently been beginning to enjoy.  I am still not big on certain textures, cooked onions and mushrooms being high on that list.  So needless to say, I was very concerned about eating this meal.  As Stephanie was preparing it, I watched her chop up half an onion and had to feverishly hold my tongue, all the while my eyes were beginning to water.  Then just as I thought she was done, I looked on in complete horror as she proceeded to chop the other half.  Rather then subject myself to anymore torture,  I thought it was in my best interest to go into the other room and just wait to be "surprised". 

And I was pleasantly surprised.  I am a big advocate for wheat pasta and the sauce was really delicious and just the right amount of spice.  I ate all the pasta and shrimp in my bowl and tried to consume some of the mushrooms and onions, but in the end, I had a bowl full of surplus vegetables in sauce.  I agree with my collegues that asparagus would have been a welcomed alternative, and I look forward to attempting this meal with chicken in the future.  On a scale of 1-10, I give this meal a 6.5 w/ the whole onion, an 8.5 without it. 

Stephanie: Well this was a pleasant surprise. I compared it to the Cajun Chicken Pasta that I always loved at Chilis. Kinda spicy. I feel like the cayenne pepper was a little much but it really depends on your own specific tastes. After all of the vegetables cooked through there was a lot of juices in the pot, next time I'd take some out. I felt like it kept the sauce from getting as thick as I was wanting. I'm not a HUGE fan of mushrooms so I was thinking about taking those out next time and adding in about inch long pieces of asparagus. That could be even better.

Beef Broccoli

Ingredients

2 tablespoons minced garlic

4 teaspoons grated ginger

4 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 teaspoons hoisin sauce

3 teaspoons orange blossom honey

4 tablespoons peanut oil, divided

2 pounds beef flap steak, thinly sliced across the grain*
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 large heads broccoli, cut into florets and blanched

1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

Steamed white rice, for serving

(I also added sliced carrots and 1/4 cup orange juice to mine)

Directions
Combine the garlic, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and honey. Mix well and set aside until ready to use. Preheat a wok or a large skillet. Once it has reached a medium heat, add 1/2 of the peanut oil. Dredge the beef in the cornstarch, lightly shake off any excess cornstarch and add 1/2 of the beef to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 of the broccoli to the pan and shake frequently.


Add 1/2 of the sauce and stir to evenly coat the beef and broccoli. Cook until the sauce thickens about 5 minutes. Repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients. Serve immediately with steamed white rice.


*It will be easier to slice the beef in thin strips if it has been partially frozen.


Cooked by: Aaron
Recipe provided by: foodnetwork.com




Commentary
Aaron: For my first dish of asian food I wasn't too upset with it. Yes the beef could have been a bit more tender but overall I was satisfied. The flavor of it was good, but I think the hoison sauce was a little different. As for the fried rice I attempted I just need to work on it...It was way to mushy but hey atleast I tried. I give this meal a B + and a D for my rice.


Cristina: I've honestly been dreading putting my commentary on this one! For those of you who know my brother Aaron, he has kind of been declared the "chef" in the family. Whether that is a self proclaimed title or he actually deserves it is debatable, but more on that later. What I do know, is that he prides himself on making amazing meals, and that being said, he is very "close" to his food dishes. In other words, he does not like criticism, even when its constructive. For those of you, who know me, I can be brutally honest sometimes to a fault, so I will do my best to give an honest opinion without causing too much damage to his self-esteem.

I was really excited to bring some asian flavor into the NRW mix. Aaron purchased his first Wok and I could envision several delicious dishes coming out of said Wok. This particular meal was actually pretty good. While I think the meat was a little chewy, that could just be due to the particular cut. The flavors were delicious and I think the the broccoli and carrots were cooked to near perfection. The problem with this meal though, really stemmed back to the fried rice he attempted to make. There is no recipe included here, and that is for good reason...It was not good. I say that with the sincerest hope that his rice has no option but to improve. I at least attempted to eat some of the rice, while Stephanie made little effort to spare Aaron's feelings on his failed attempt at a side dish. He immediately got defensive, as we knew he would, but our criticism was only in an effort to improve his culinary skills. On a scale of 1-10, entree receives an 8, side receives a 2.5.

I hope that I have not reopened old wounds for you Aaron, but in the spirit of full disclosure and in an effort to provide our readers with not only new recipes but also some weekly entertainment, I feel that I must provide my brutally honest opinion and I implore you to do the same! I can take it, I promise!

Stephanie: The meat was very good. I really enjoyed it. I think that the beef could have been a little more tender, but that could also be helped by using thinner slices of beef too. The broccoli and carrots were good with the meat. I really wouldn't change a thing about this recipe.