Sage and Prosciutto Saltimbocca with Rosemary Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

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Every once in a while, I’ll be flipping through my food magazines and think “this is going to taste good!”  These recipes from Taste of Home practically screamed that when I turned to the page.

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Sage & Prosciutto Saltimbocca with
Rosemary Roasted Potatoes & Asparagus

I love a good sautéed chicken and there’s nothing better than a butter sauce with a wine reduction.  I also love prosciutto and when it is sautéed to a crisp, it is even better.  I’m drooling just thinking about it.  The potatoes and asparagus with rosemary and garlic are a bonus.  I don’t think there are two vegetables I like more than that.

What I Made: June 14, 2012

Yesterday was another busy day that started off right... with breakfast!

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Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

These Strawberry-Banana Smoothies from Food Network's April 2011 issue were fantastic.  The creamy Greek vanilla yogurt was healthy for us and tasted great!  

What I Made: June 5

So 2 days in and I already fall behind.  Figures.

It doesn't mean I haven't eaten in two days.  Nope, I've been busily cooking, taking pictures, coating my pug in Fondant...  you know, the basics.  What?  You've never spilled melted marshmallow on your dog before?

For the record, I'd highly advise against it.

So this day, I made myself a little lunch.  I made Bacon Fried Rice from a recipe I got from Cooking.com.

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Bacon Fried Rice

If you don't read my blog regularly, let me let you in on a not-a-secret: I LOVE BACON!  I overcooked it a wee-bit this time, but it still was delicious.

Microwave Tomato Risotto

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – September 8, 2011

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Microwave Tomato Risotto recipe originally published in Good Housekeeping – August 2011.

So earlier in the year, I tried my hand at making risotto.  I fell in love.  However, I didn’t make a lot of it because it is a tedious process.  When I found a recipe that allowed me to make it in the microwave, I was intrigued.  Still I hadn’t gotten around to making it.

Then one day, I had one of those days where if it could happen to me, it did.  I had to prepare for a wedding I was working, my neurotic Chihuahua, Lola, managed to escape from the house and I had to chase her a block, I had to fight with my town’s recycling center to pick up my container and I saw a private client. 

I figured this was a good day to utilize the microwave.

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Microwave Tomato Risotto

Looking at the picture again is making me hungry.  My rice was perfectly chewy and the tomatoes permeated throughout the dish.  When I compared it to the picture shown in Good Housekeeping, I was proud and declared success.

Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo and Roasted Asparagus

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – August 25, 2011

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Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo recipe originally published in Cooking Light – September 2011.

Roasted Asparagus recipe originally published in Cooking Light – September 2011.

I love alfredo.  I REALLY love it.  Unfortunately, it has got to be one of the least healthy pasta dishes you can make.  Weighed down by cream and butter, it is one of those meals that we can only have once in a blue moon.  So imagine my excitement when I was presented with a healthier version of one of my favorite dishes.

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Shrimp Alfredo and Roasted Asparagus

Now I know what you’re thinking… it doesn’t look as good without alfredo sauce oozing all over the plate.  Trust me though.  It didn’t need it.  I didn’t get as pretty of a plating (or picture for that matter) but it still looked pretty close to that from the magazine.  I certainly wouldn’t push this away from me at the table.

Chili-Rubbed Pork Chops with Black Bean Salad

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 14, 2011

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Recipe originally published in Every Day with Rachael Ray – May 2011.

It had been a while since I served pork chops.  My husband, out of the blue, announced that he had no issues with pork chops, even though he had once told me he didn’t eat them.  So I found a recipe that blended his love of Cajun spices with pork chops – and it was a hit!  So I’ll admit I went on pork-chop-overload.  We had a good run too until it was mentioned that we were eating a lot of pork chops.

I took that as a hint.

When I found this recipe tucked away neatly in an insert in my May issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray, I knew I’d have to make it.  Along with mushrooms and tomatoes – I’ve gotten addicted to black beans.  Soups, salsas, burgers, I just can’t get enough.  So when I found a chili-spiced (YUM) pork chop (YUM) with a black bean salad (MMMMMM) and grilled avocado (drool goes here)… well let’s just say that I didn’t care who had a problem with pork chops being over-served.

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Chili-Rubbed Pork Chops with Black Bean Salad

Looking at this picture, I want to eat it again.  If I had pork chops in my house, I’d abandon writing this post and starting cooking.  The pork chops look perfect and the black bean salad is screaming “delicious!”  Maybe my avocado doesn’t look perfect, but it doesn’t matter since everything else looks fantastic.

Skirt Steak with Mustard Sauce and Puffed Cheddar-Rice Casserole

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 17, 2011

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Skirt Steak recipe originally published by All You – February 2011

Puffed Cheddar-Rice Casserole originally published by All You – February 2011

When I was still motivated enough to try to cook an entrée AND a side, I matched these two delightful recipes together.  I was driven by the yummy skirt steak recipe.  It was quick recipe and the picture in the recipe looked delicious.  However, I didn’t want to do a salad & potato… it seemed like a cheat.  I do that on a regular basis anyway.

I kept flipping through the magazine and found the puffed cheddar-rice casserole and it looked appetizing and was different.  Who doesn’t like cheese and I had never really attempted a soufflé type of dish.  The two seemed like they would pair together nicely and a meal was born.

Before I get into the recipe, I thought I’d talk a little about your neighborhood butcher.  I went through school with the grandson of the local butcher in the tiny town I grew up in.  The nicest guy you’d ever meet, and unfortunately he recently passed away which was a loss to the town (RIP Mr. Welch).  If you don’t see what you’re looking for in the meat case, don’t be afraid to ask him/her if they have any in the back or if they can cut you what you are looking for.  Just be nice about it… they are busy and usually covered in raw meat juice.  If they can’t cut it for you, they will be more than happy to let you know what cut of meat can be substituted for your dish – which is what happened in this particular case.

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Skirt Steak with Mustard Sauce and Puffed Cheddar-Rice Casserole

I was so happy with the way my steak turned out.  It looked juicy which is usually an issue for me.  I ALWAYS seem to dry out my steak.  Also, the sauce smelled great and I’ll admit to “accidentally” sticking my finger in it to try it before I took the picture.

The rice casserole, well it didn’t look as appetizing as I hoped.  It seemed a little dry when I was taking it out of the dish.  I thought it was going to be a little more oozy-cheesy and fluffy.  I still was optimistic about the taste though.

Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta with a Soft Egg and Chive & Cheese Breadsticks

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 14, 2011

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Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta with a Soft Egg recipe originally published by Cooking Light – January/February 2011

Chive and Cheese Breadsticks recipe originally published by Simple and Delicious – December/January 2011

I’m writing this post angry today.  I decided to make myself an omelet for breakfast this morning and it sucked.  It made me cranky.

Then I got a headache that will not disappear.  This made me surly.

Now I’m watching the Bears game and it isn’t making it any better.

Okay, focus… I’m going to focus… I promise I won’t be a Debbie Downer and I’ll just get to the recipes.

I love pasta and I enjoy finding recipes that don’t involve the traditional pasta sauce.  I remember the first time I took a chance on pesto and fell in love, so when I saw the recipe for the Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta in Cooking Light, I was ready to take a chance.  Also, I was intrigued by the soft boiled egg.  I’ve got the technique for hard boiled down and this presents a new challenge.

I decided that I wanted to have savory bread with this dish.  Regular bread and butter just didn’t seem like they would cut it.  Luckily I didn’t have to look too hard – the recipe for the Chive and Cheese Breadsticks was in the next magazine that I read.  My meal was complete.

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Walnut-Breadcrumb Pasta with a Soft Egg
and Chive & Cheese Breadsticks

My pasta looks okay.  I’m a little disappointed in the pasta color though.  I used regular pasta in this case, so it shouldn’t be as brown as it is.  The goat cheese on top looks messy… like it doesn’t belong there.

As for the breadstick, this was one of the prettiest ones in the bunch.  Nicely browned and it held the twist.  However, if I’m being honest, I have to admit that not all of them looked like this.  In fact, not many of them looked like this.

Reunion Casserole with Asiago Tater Tots

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – March 11, 2011

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Reunion Casserole recipe originally published by Simple and Delicious – December/January 2011

Asiago Tater Tots recipe originally published by Every Day with Rachael Ray – February 2011

At some point, I realized that I need to make more meals instead of single dishes.  Part of the issue is that I have a couple of stand-by side dishes that I always go back to.  Not that they are bad, just unimaginative.  The other is that I’m making a lot of casseroles.  Casseroles have everything in one dish which is sort of the appeal.

Then I came upon this recipe for the Asiago Tater Tots.  I love a good tot (who doesn’t), but it isn’t like you can make a meal out of them.  Well I actually had a boyfriend who would make entire bags of them and eat them out of a bowl with an oversized spoon… but he was an idiot, so that doesn’t count.

So I had to find a recipe that would work with the tots.  I could have gone the hamburger/hot dog route but when I read this recipe, it reminded me of a fancy sloppy joe, with pasta for the carbs instead of bread.  I knew it would be a hit.

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Reunion Casserole with Asiago Tater Tots

Visually, I’m disappointed with the meal.  It is so brown.  Separately, I can’t complain.  The casserole looks hearty and yummy.  It could have a little more color, but it still smelled fantastic.  The tater tots turned out even better than I thought they ever would.  Golden brown and crisp, I couldn’t wait to eat them.

Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis with Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? - February 23, 2011

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Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis Recipe originally published in Cooking Light, January/February 2011.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes originally published in Taste of Home Holiday Collection 2008, but found at the Mrs. Dash web site.

Meatloaf, as boring as it is, is one of my go-to recipes when I’m in a pinch.  I always have ingredients on hand and have a favorite recipe (Better Homes and Gardens).  On occasion, I’ll stuff it with vegetables and cheese, but for the most part, it’s a standard recipe that, while tasty, doesn’t have much pizzazz.  The Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis definitely had a more interesting ingredient list than my usual meatloaf.  Horseradish, Dijon mustard, onion and garlic made it almost impossible for me to pass up.

Since meatloaf isn’t really difficult to make, I decided this was a dish I needed to prepare with a side.  Now, I have a list of about 9000 recipes (yes, you read that right) of every kind of dish you can imagine.  I couldn’t find ANYTHING I wanted to serve with my mini-loaves.  I stumbled across this recipe that was attributed to a magazine, yet was so old that I found it on a completely different web site than the original.

I don’t know if that made any sense.  I think I need to tweak my medication.

On to the pictures!!!!!

My finished meal:

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Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis with Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Admit it.  You want to eat the mini-meatloaf.  Okay, my vegetarian friends/followers don’t, but the carnivores, like me, do.  My loaves didn’t look as pretty as those of Cooking Light, but they aren’t ugly either.

The smell was FANTASTIC, but upon reflection of this dish, I should have gone with my initial instincts and made garlic mashed potatoes.  Still it tasted good with the meatloaf and overall I was happy with the way it looked.

Chili-Apricot Pork Chops with Truffled Mash

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? on February 20, 2011

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Chili-Apricot Pork Chops recipe originally published in Taste of Home, December/January 2011.

Truffled Mash recipe originally published in Food Network Magazine, January/February 2011.

I was going through my refrigerator, cleaning stuff out, and I found a jar of partially used sugar-free apricot preserves.  It reminded me of some delicious chicken wings I made for a party.  I can’t honestly say that I went searching for a recipe that used the preserves, but it certainly influenced my decision to select this one when I came across it.  Pork chops aren’t one of those things that you can eat alone or with a salad… at least in my mind.  Granted, my mind is kind of simple, but something about them cries out for potatoes – preferably mashed.

Now, every time I watch Iron Chef America, they’re using truffles, truffle oil, truffle salt – everything truffle – so when I found this recipe in Food Network’s magazine (coincidentally the next one I read after Taste of Home with the pork chops), I was excited to try it and see how they tasted.  Apparently they’re all magical or something.  According to Alton Brown on Iron Chef America, "Those white truffles are better than 97% of the sex you will have during your lifetime." (Thanks to Eater for this little nugget of delight!)

My finished product:

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Chili-Apricot Pork Chops with Truffled Mash

Chili-Apricot Pork Chops Picture published with recipe: © Taste of Home

Truffled Mash Picture published with recipe: © Food Network Magazine

Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets with Wild Rice and Mushrooms

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? on February 18, 2011

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Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets recipe originally published in Taste of Home, December/January 2011.

Wild Rice and Mushrooms recipe originally published by Pillsbury.

Usually, when I’m putting two dishes together, it is driven by the entree.  Not so in this case.  I found the recipe for the Wild Rice and Mushrooms and didn’t know what to do with it.  Ordinarily, when I have a breaded poultry dish, I look for a potato, but I decided to break from what I usually do and pair it with the rice.  I’m a daredevil like that – rice or potato, what will she choose?!?!?!

I also learned a couple things while making this meal.  One was very interesting and the other was a cooking lesson I will keep with me always.

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Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets with Wild Rice and Mushrooms

I was proud of how pretty the dish looked.  Okay, I was most proud of how the breaded turkey looked, and I really felt like I needed more green or red on my plate, but I still didn’t think it turned out too bad.

Scalloped Shrimp and Potatoes with Onion Crescent Rolls

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? on February 11, 2011

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Scalloped Shrimp and Potatoes recipe originally published in Simple and Delicious, December/January 2011.

Onion Crescent Rolls recipe originally published in Taste of Home, Holiday Collection 2008.

When I saw the picture of the Scalloped Shrimp and Potatoes it was being served with sesame seed breadsticks.  I immediately began to scan my recipes for something similar – which I eventually found – but I could not stop my brain from wanting to make these Onion Crescent Rolls.  I looked at the shrimp recipe a little closer and realized that they would work well since there wouldn’t be much competing spice in the cheesy shrimp and potatoes.

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Scalloped Shrimp and Potatoes with Onion Crescent Rolls

My only regret is that it doesn't have a lot of color to the dish.  The crescent roll kind of blends into the shrimp and potatoes.  Of course, that has nothing to do with taste or texture.  I just like my food to be pretty as well.

Smoky Pan-Grilled Pork Chops with Caramelized Onion & Horseradish Smashed Potatoes

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – January 27, 2011

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Smoky Pan-Grilled Pork Chops recipe originally published in Cooking Light, January/February 2011.

Caramelized Onion & Horseradish Smashed Potatoes recipe originally published by allRecipes on Saturday, October 25, 2008.

Simple sauces and spice rubs are an easy way to dress up chicken, beef or pork.  Very similar to yesterday’s post, chicken cutlets in a creamy Dijon sauce, the pork in today’s post is dressed up with a spice rub and then grilled on the stovetop. 

My Pork Chops: © You Want Me to Cook?

Pork Chops by Cooking Light: © Cooking Light

Not bad, right?  So I’m sure you noticed that Cooking Light had some side-suggestions for their pork chops.  I decided I needed to find something similar to make a complete meal.  But what dish to make?

When I read my magazines, I type all the recipes I want to try into a spreadsheet.  Then I verify I can find them all on-line at a later date.  That way, I don’t have piles of magazines lying around my house – which I do anyway because I can never keep up, but that’s a story for another blog. 

Anyway…

If I see a recipe that is something similar to what I already have (and not a slimmed down version or something special) I’ll pass it up.  I’m not sure why I didn’t write down what this side was, but I’m going to guess it was probably that reason.  I have close to a hundred potato recipes.

Now, I enjoy Cooking Light, but one of my pet peeves is that when they pair dishes together, they don’t link them on their website.  You have to search through recipes for that issue, which could be over a hundred, not including the articles.  So I decided to go through my pile of potato recipes instead of trying to find which potatoes they made.  It was then I stumbled upon allRecipes version of Caramelized Onion & Horseradish Smashed Potatoes.

My Potatoes: © You Want Me to Cook?

Potatoes by allRecipes: © allRecipes.com

 

Little did I know, Cooking Light had selected a similar recipe to pair with their pork chop as well.  Of course, I only knew this because I was going through the comments looking for tips on keeping my pork chops juicy.  NOT because they made it easy to find that information.  I guess great minds think alike.

And by the way, my picture has been uploaded to allRecipes as well.  Yay me!  When all the cooking was finished, this is what I ended up with…

My finished product: ©You Want Me to Cook?

Picture published with recipe: © Cooking Light

Pretty nice, right?  I decided to make the purchase of a grill pan since I wanted it to look pretty as well as taste good.  Of course, the pan affects the cook time too, but I’m getting ahead of myself.  My husband doesn’t like broccoli, so I decided to pass on this side dish, but we did enjoy a salad with it.