Crab Diablo

Friday we wanted something different, lighter than we'd been eating, and we didn't want to go to the store. Chuck was thinking about Shrimp Diablo but didn't have any shrimp. I reminded him that we got 2 lbs of King Crab on Valentine's Day when it was on sale and that was that: Crab Diablo. And it was fantastic. Tip From Chuck:  Shrimp is an easy substitute for crab!

Crab Diablo 

Ingredients: 

     3 strips        Bacon 
     4                   King Crab legs
     8 oz.             Linguini
     1/2                Red onion, diced
     28 oz can     San Marzano tomates
     3 oz              Tomato paste
     1/2 t             Dried oregano
     1 T                Fresh basil, chopped
     1 T                Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
     2 cloves       Garlic
     1 c.                Dry white wine, divided (we used the Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc left over 
                                   from the last post)
                          Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
                          Kosher salt
                          Fresh cracked pepper
     1 T                Sugar
     1 T               Butter
                         Olive oil
                         Freshly grated Parmesan
                        
Directions:

     1:     Dice bacon and brown it in a Dutch oven.  While it's browning, steam the crab legs in 
                      a covered pot Tip From Chuck:  The crab legs were frozen, so no water was 
                      needed to steam them, they thawed and steamed themselves over low/med heat.

     2:     Remove the crab legs from the heat and split them in half lengthwise, return to pan, 
                      slice butter into a few pats, place on crab legs, and cover.  No need to have it 
                      over heat or anything again just yet.  Just set aside, covered in the pan. 

     3:     Remove the browned bacon from the dutch oven and drain most of the grease (leave 
                      about 1/2 T).  Add a drizzle of olive oil and heat to medium heat.  Add the diced 
                      onion, a pinch of salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper (we used about 1 t).  Get 
                      your pasta water going.
     4:     Once the onions have sweated for a few minuted and are getting soft, add the garlic 
                      and let cook for about a minute.  Then add 3/4 c. white wine.  Let that simmer 
                      for a few minutes.

     5:     Add San Marzano tomatoes, oregano, sugar, 1 T salt, parsley and basil and stir 
                      together.

     6:     Add tomato paste and allow to simmer while you finish the crab and pasta.
     7:     Add pasta to pasta water and heat the crab legs after pouring the remaining 1/4 c. 
                      white wine over them and a pinch of pepper.
     8:     Once pasta is cooked and drained, add a touch of sauce and toss it together.
     9:     Plate this meal by topping a serving of pasta with the sauce and then piling on the 
                      crab.  Sprinkle with the bacon pieces and grate a little Parmesan on top.

We decided we have been eating a little too richly lately and Chuck is really being considerate in trying to attempt healthy things.  Tomorrow I should have a great one since we are making turkey meatballs tonight and serving them on top of mashed cauliflower.  He's excited to try something healthy and make it nice and hearty.

Fresh Picked Pasta Primavera

What a whirlwind couple of weeks! We have been having some repeat dinners from the blog posts but other than that, I landed my dream job and we traveled to Sandpoint for a very important anniversary of my mom's 39th birthday.  All good things, except for my poor pup Oliver who was left in Boise for the fun trip up north and will be left at home by himself a whole lot more really soon!

Last night Chuck did great making a light, healthy, filling dinner.  He was just as surprised as I was that he made dinner without butter or cream.  He's definitely getting the hang of this! And it was just as great reheated for lunch today!

Fresh Picked Pasta Primavera

Ingredients:

     3 links             Sausage (we used chicken andouille)
     1/2#                Orecchiette pasta
     1" slice            Medium red onion, then further sliced thinly
     1/2#                Mushrooms, sliced
     1 med.             Zucchini, coarsely chopped
     2/3                  Orange bell pepper, coarsely chopped
     1/2#                Grape tomatoes, halved
     3/4 c.              Sauvignon Blanc at room temp (chill the rest to drink with dinner!)
     8-10 leaves     Fresh basil
     2 T                   Fresh Italian Parsley
                              Fresh grated Parmesan cheese to taste
                              Kosher salt
                              Fresh cracked black pepper
                              Olive oil 

Directions:

     1:     Cut sausage into bite sized pieces and brown over medium heat in a large pan.  Get 
                    your pasta water heating.  Prep the veggies while the sausage is browning.

     2:     Remove sausage from the pan once browned and remove almost all of the drippings, 
                    leaving a tablespoon or so and place back over medium heat.
     3:     Drizzle a little olive oil into the pan and add the red onions and a pinch of salt and 
                    pepper.    

     4:     Salt your pasta water.
     5:     Add the mushrooms, zucchini, and orange bell pepper with another pinch of salt and 
                     pepper.

     6:     Once they start to soften, add your pasta to your boiling water.
     7:     Add the tomatoes and wine to your pot of veggies followed by the browned sausage.

     8:     When pasta is al dente, transfer to a collander and then immediately add to your 
                      mixture. Don't rinse the pasta or allow to drain entirely. Stir everything 
                      together.

     9:     Chiffonade the basil, chop the parsley, and add them to the pan. Stir together

    
 10:   Grate the Parmesan over the top of the dish to taste and stir in.

We enjoyed this with a loaf of lemon rosemary foccacia from a local bakery and used Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc.  Tasty!

 

And some pictures from our weekend!

Fettuccine Alfredo

How has it already been a week since the last post?!  It's been a busy one, that's for sure.  We haven't cooked as much as usual in the last week and had pizza an astonishing three times for dinner.  Yikes!  

As much as the baked chicken deserved it's own post, so does this little gem.  We had it as a side dish but it could easily stand on its own.  I learned a lot watching this be made, and not just about the nutritional facts... yeah.  This is a lot different than the quick and easy alfredo I posted before.  This alfredo is the real deal!

Restaurant Style Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

     9 oz.        Buitoni fresh fettucini
     1/2 stick Butter
     1 1/2 c.    Heavy cream
                      Fresh cracked pepper
     1               Egg
     3/4 c.      Parmesan, freshly grated (might need more or less, use as a gauge for thickness)
     1/2 T       Parsley, chopped

Directions:

     1:     Melt butter over medium heat.  Once melted, add the cream and 1 t pepper.  Bring to 
                    a simmer and let simmer for a few minutes.  Time to get your pasta water going, 
                    this pasta only takes a couple of minutes to cook.
     2:     Add the parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce.
     3:     Temper the egg.  
              Note from Ashley:  I had no idea what this meant, so I even videoed it.  Chuck 
              cracked an egg and whisked it up in a bowl.  Once the sauce was ready, he added a 
              ladle of the sauce to the bowl with the egg in it and stirred it together.  This slightly 
              warms up the egg and gets nicely mixed into it.  Then you can add the contents of 
              the bowl to the sauce itself.  If you add the egg directly youre going to get a nice bit 
              of scrambled eggs in your sauce.

     4:     Toss the pasta and sauce together, place on plate and top with a sprinkle of 
                       Parmesan cheese and the chopped parsley.

Chuck's Mom's Oven Baked Chicken with a Kick

This is one of Chuck's favorite comfort foods and surprisingly, last Friday night was only the second time he has made it for me.  The first time was in October. 

Last week was busy, or at least felt that way.  Chuck had a coworker in town that we went out with one night and they went out together another night.  The week seemed long and Friday night we were ready to hunker in for some good food and a movie.

After watching the Oscars the week before, we had a list of movies we wanted to see.  And I was determined to stay awake for them.  Friday Chuck rented "Argo" from Direct TV and we had a great time watching it.  It definitely kept us on the edge of our seats and had a hearts pumping at the end!  I easily stayed awake for it and we both loved it!

Back to the food... Chuck paired this chicken with fettuccine alfredo and green bean almondine.  I'm going to save those for other posts because this chicken easily holds it's own.  It's like fried chicken, without the fryer (even if it is basted with butter, it's not completely soaked).  And Chuck seasons the chicken itself, rather than just the breading. 

Oven Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

     1            Whole chicken, cut up
     4 t         Salt (divided)
     2 t         Pepper (divided)
     1 t         Garlic Powder
     1 t         Paprika
     1 t         Ancho chili powder
     1 t         New Mexico Chili Powder
     1/2 t     Cayenne pepper
     1/2 t     Cumin
     1/2 t     Dried oregano
     1 qt       Buttermilk
     1 T        Frank's Red Hot Sauce
     1 c         Flour
     1/4 c.   Butter, melted

Directions:

     1:     In a small bowl mix together 1 t salt, 1 t pepper, the garlic powder, paprika, Ancho 
                     chili powder, New Mexico chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin and oregano.  
                     Set aside.

     2:     In a  bowl big enough to easily hold all of the chicken, place a few pieces of the 
                     chicken and sprinkle each side with the spice mix and rub it in.  Add a few more 
                     pieces, add spices to them, and repeat until all of your chicken is seasoned.

 

     3:     Pour buttermilk into the bowl over the seasoned chicken, add any remaining 
                     seasoning and Frank's Red Hot Sauce.  Stir it all together and make sure the 
                     chicken is well coated.  This needs to sit for at least half an hour but can sit all 
                     day refrigerated.

      4:     Remove a few pieces from the bowl and set them on a plate to let drip a little (you 
                     don't want them dripping too much when you coat them in flour).
      5:     In a gallon size zip top bag, combine the flour, 1 T salt, and 1 t pepper.  Add a couple 
                     pieces of chicken to the bag at a time, shake to coat, remove chicken and place 
                     on a baking sheet covered in non-stick foil.  Repeat removing the chicken from 
                     the bowl, letting drip off a little on the plate, and shaking in the flour mixture 
                     with the remaining chicken.

     6:     Sprinkle the chicken with a little fresh cracked pepper and paprika and allow to sit at 
                     room temperature for 30 minutes.  

     7:     Preheat the oven to 375 and bake for a total of 50-55 minutes (our chicken breasts 
                     were huge and needed more time).  With about 15 minutes left, baste the 
                     chicken with melted butter.  Baste again with 5 minutes left.

 

Pork Stoup

Chuck is new to the slow cooker.  He didn't want to use it until it was the only way to get the pulled pork cooked for my birthday since no one was going to be around to watch it on the grill.  He absolutely loved the result.  A week or so later we had planned on going skiing and he said he'd thought up another slow cooker recipe.  I think he's hooked.  We didn't end up skiing but we did have a day full of watching sports planned for Sunday (Daytona 500 and Michigan State basketball).  

He put everything together on Saturday evening and was able to just pop the pot into the warmer Sunday morning and let it hang out all day.  This is the result:

Pork Stoup

Ingredients:

     2 lb.       Pork sirloin roast, cut into large chunks

     Pork rub:
          1 t          Cumin
          1 t          New Mexico Chili Powder
          2 T         Flour
                        Kosher Salt
          1 t          Cracked black pepper

     Bed for cooking the pork:
          4          Stalks of celery in 3/4" sliced
          1/2       Onion, chopped
          3          Carrots, sliced
          3          Leeks, sliced with leaves cut off
          1/2      Green Bell Pepper, coarsely chopped
          1          Red jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
          1 lg.     Baking potato, coarsely chopped
          2          Garlic cloves, minced

     On top of veggie bed:
          1 T     Kosher salt
          1 t      Cracked black pepper
          1 t      Dried oregano
          1 t      Dried thyme
          3        Bay leaves
     
     On top of pork:
          15 oz can   Diced tomatoes, with juice
          2 c.             Chicken broth

Directions:
  
     1:     Prepare all of your veggies and put into slow cooker. Tip from Chuck:  Slice then 
                   wash the leeks to get rid of the dirt in them. He puts them through the salad 
                   spinner too. Then top the veggies with the salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, and bay 
                   leaves.

     2:     Sprinkle the cumin, chili powder, flour, salt and pepper on the pork completely coat 
                      them and place into the pot on top of the veggies.

 

     3:     Pour the can of diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and  a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

     4:     Cook on low for 8 hours.  Skim the fat off of the top of the soup (there was about 1/3 
                   c. in ours).  Tear apart each piece of pork (should shred easily) either in the pot or 
                   remove, shred, and return to the pot.  Then serve!

And for fun, here is my cold pup Oliver after a bath, snuggled up with Chuck on the couch.  Pretty spoiled!