Inspiration: This recipe has been on our table in one form or another for years, and over the last few months, I’ve finally perfected a lower-carb version that we really, really love. This is typically something that we’d eat a lot of in the summer time, but every once in a while in the winter time, a light and bright fish supper is just what we need.

What We Loved: This is one of those dishes that is just so delicious in its simplicity. The recipe is nothing but a nice filet of tender, flaky fish with a crispy crust and juicy lemon, but those simple ingredients really make for an excellent flavor combination and a truly enjoyable meal. We particularly loved the bright, fresh lemon juice, which added even more moistness to the already tender fish. Plus, every once in a while, there’s just nothing like a great crispy crust on a piece of fish or chicken, right? This really is a great light option for a satisfying supper.

Tips: I think that the crust on this fish would work very well for chicken Parmesan. I’ll be trying that out soon! Also, don’t skip the lemon with this one – that fresh lemon juice is one of the best parts of the dish.

Parmesan Almond Tilapia with Lemon
Source: Original Recipe

2 tilapia filets
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 egg
About 1/4 – 1/3 cup almond meal
About 1/4 – 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated and then blended to a powder in a food processor
Butter
Italian seasoning
Lemon wedges

1. Place the coconut flour onto a plate, beat the egg in a shallow bowl, and mix the almond meal and Parmesan cheese together on another plate.

2. Season the filets with salt and pepper. Dredge the filets in the coconut flour to coat.

3. Dip the filets in the egg, and then dip them into the Parmesan/almond mixture. Use your hands to pat the mixture firmly onto the filets.

4. Heat some butter in a saute pan over medium heat, enough to generously coat the bottom of the pan. Add the filets, and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, flipping only once. Cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

5. Plate the fish, and season with Italian seasoning. Serve with lemon wedges.

Inspiration: This is one of those recipes that I’ve been making for years (I think we’ve made it as part of Brandon’s family’s Christmas Eve supper for the past three years now), yet it’s somehow never made it onto the blog. I’ve made a lot of stuffed mushrooms ever since I fell in love with mushrooms several years back, and in our opinion, nothing can hold a candle to these. They’re by far our favorite stuffed mushrooms (and I think that my brother-in-law, Brian, just might agree). With football playoffs in full swing, I thought that now would be a great time to finally post this recipe. We always love to do a fun appetizer spread for Superbowl Sunday in particular, and after looking at these pictures, I have a feeling that these will be making an appearance on our table that day for sure.

What We Loved: These mushrooms are rich, cheesy, and decadent. They’re defined by a wonderful bacon flavor that melds with the light, succulent flavor of fresh shrimp; the  rich, browned flavor of sauteed onions; and a combination of velvety cream cheese and nutty, crispy Parmesan. The result is really just a perfect, intensely rich and flavorful combination. I feel like stuffed mushrooms are one of those dishes that just call for decadence, and these mushrooms definitely deliver.

Tips: I’ve made these using several different kinds of mushrooms (white stuffing mushrooms, baby cremini mushrooms, and large portabella mushrooms), and every kind that we’ve tried so far works wonderfully. I’ve found that smaller, appetizer-sized mushrooms are our favorite, but large, dinner-sized portabellas work just fine, too. Basically, this recipe will work as whatever you’re looking for, depending on which mushrooms you use – an appetizer, a side dish, or even a main course.

Shrimp and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms
Source: Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

About 24 ounces mushrooms (whichever kind you prefer – we like to use smaller white stuffing mushrooms or baby bellas – about 18 mushrooms total)
4 slices bacon, diced
½ Vidalia onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and black pepper
About 10 large shrimp, finely diced
6 ounces cream cheese
¾ cups fresh Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1. Rinse and clean the mushrooms, and cut out all of the stems. Finely chop the stems and set aside.

2. Cook the bacon in a saute pan until it renders some fat and is about halfway crisped.

3. Add the onion and the mushroom stem pieces to the pan. Season well with salt and pepper, and continue to cook until the water released from the mushrooms evaporates and the vegetables are softened and beginning to get nice and browned.

4. Add the garlic to the pan, and stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the shrimp.

5. Mix in the cream cheese and Parmesan cheese.

6. Spoon the mixture into the mushrooms, and place them into a baking dish.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the filling cooks through and the mushrooms have released their moisture. If desired, turn the broiler on for a minute or two before the end of cooking to brown the top of the mushrooms.

8. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

Inspiration: My parents have this favorite cozy little Mexican restaurant called El Salto that they often take us to that has the most amazing Mexican food. We’ve been there countless times, and we all always say that there’s nothing on the menu that’s not good. Isn’t that just the best kind of restaurant? (especially considering that it’s Mexican food…..our favorite). Anyway, one of us will sometimes get their spicy shrimp dish (I think that they call it camarones al diablo), and it’s a fabulously spicy, spicy dish. It’s the kind of dish where you have to make sure that you have a full glass of water (or margarita) in front of you while you’re eating. I was browsing through one of Rick Bayless’ books recently when I saw something that looked pretty similar – his chipotle shrimp dish – and I knew that I had to give it a try. There’s just something so fun about trying to recreate restaurant meals at home, isn’t there? Plus, we always say the same thing about Rick Bayless as we do about the restaurant – there’s nothing in his cookbooks that’s not gold.

What We Loved: This dish ended up tasting quite a bit different than our restaurant favorite, but it sure was tasty just the same. The sauce has just the perfect amount of spice and heat (with a nice, smoky kick from the adobo sauce), and the shrimp are so tender and succulent, as shrimp should always be. We loved the fresh cilantro garnish and the lovely tart zip that came from squeezing fresh lime juice atop the meal as we ate. If you like spicy food, then this recipe is definitely a winner. We served it alongside some fresh homemade guacamole for a great Saturday night Mexican supper.

Tips: For the amount of shrimp that we cooked (one pound between two people), there was a lot of extra sauce in the pan. I’d recommend cooking anywhere between 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of shrimp to serve three or four with the amount of sauce called for in the recipe below. Or, I’d use less chicken stock so that the sauce is thicker and you have less leftover in the pan.

Chipotle Shrimp
Source: Slightly adapted from Rick Bayless, from Mexican Everyday

1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
2 canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
Butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 lb fresh, large shrimp
Cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges

1. Pour the drained tomatoes into a food processor. Add the chipotles and the adobo sauce, and process until smooth.

2. Heat a couple pats of butter in a saute pan. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

3. Pour in the tomato sauce, stir to combine, and cook for about five minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.

4. Add the chicken stock and about a teaspoon of salt (more or less to taste). Allow to simmer and reduce until the sauce is thickened.

5. Add the shrimp, and continue to cook until the shrimp are cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.

6. Serve the shrimp garnished with cilantro and lime wedges.

Inspiration

What We Loved: The base of this soup – the beef stock – is really what makes the soup. After cooking all day on the stovetop, the flavor profile of the stock is rich and hearty, with layer upon layer of comforting beef and vegetable goodness. Brandon and I both agreed that we had never tasted a better beef soup than this one, and it’s entirely due to the fact that the beef stock was so outstanding. And on top of how much we enjoyed the stock, the beef itself was just as good. When the stock is done cooking, the beef just falls right off of the soup bones and shreds apart, giving you tender, succulent meat to add back to your soup. I chose sweet potatoes, carrots, pearl onions, and green beans for the vegetables that I added in to the soup, and we both really loved what each of those vegetables added to the dish. The sweet potatoes added a lovely sweet bite, the beans and carrots added that familiar and characteristic vegetable flavor, and the pearl onions added nice pops of rich onion flavor. This is the kind of soup that is the definition of comfort in a bowl, and it’s perfect for the cold, snowy evenings that I know are headed our way.

Tips: As I use vegetables in my cooking on a day-to-day basis, I save all of the odds and ends that I wouldn’t otherwise use (onion tops, carrot ends, herb stalks, etc.) in a freezer bag in the freezer. I wait until I have a good amount (several cups worth) before making stock, so that I can add those vegetable bits to my stock rather than using fresh, new vegetables. I would really suggest doing the same – it’s a great way to avoid waste and to get use out of all of your vegetables. Secondly, this is an all-day project since it involves making your own beef stock, so make sure that you have enough time. I’d recommend making this recipe on a Sunday, because it really does provide for a wonderful and cozy Sunday evening supper. It’s just the kind of meal that Sundays were made for.

Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup
Source: Original Recipe

About 3 lbs very meaty soup bones
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Any desired dried herbs
A few cups worth of vegetable odds and ends that you’ve saved in the freezer (i.e., carrot and zucchini ends, onion tops, stalks from herbs, Parmesan rinds, etc.)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1 1/2 cups green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces

1. Season the soup bones well with salt and pepper. Roast them on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.

2. Pour the soup bones and any accumulated juices into a large stock pot (mine is 8 quarts). Fill the pot with water, leaving enough space to add your vegetables.

3. Pour your vegetables on top, and add a good bunch of salt, pepper, and any dried herbs that you prefer (I used some dried marjoram that I had on hand).

4. Bring the pot to a boil, and then immediately reduce to a very light simmer. Let cook for about 5 hours on the stovetop.

5. Remove the soup bones/meat and vegetables from the stock, reserving the soup bones and meat. Pour the stock through a  fine mesh sieve into another large pot.

6. Pull the meat from the bones with your hands (it should fall right apart). Shred the meat, removing any fat, and return all of the shredded meat to the pot with the stock.

7. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots, pearl onions, and green beans to the pot. Return the pot to the stove, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, until all of the vegetables are softened.

8. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary (I add a lot of salt at this point).

9. Serve the soup topped with finely shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired (it’s good with or without).

Inspiration: The minute that I saw these on What’s Gaby Cooking, I knew that I’d be whipping up a batch for the Christmas get-together that my family has with all of my siblings each year (hope they look tasty to anyone who will be there!). These really have everything going for them, don’t they? They’re so simple and quick to make, which is a huge bonus during the busy holiday season; they’ll keep just fine probably for weeks, so they’re perfect for making ahead of time; and they include both chocolate and cashews. That pretty much covers all of my requirements for an awesome holiday treat.

What We Loved: Buttery cashews and rich chocolate are truly an indulgent, classic pairing, and they make for such a simple and delicious snack. And since I used roasted and salted cashews, there’s that nice combination of salty and sweet in there, too. One other thing that I like about these is that unlike cashews that are completely coated in chocolate, these give you that nice chocolate flavor without completely masking the great flavor of the cashews.

Tips: I made these for the dessert table, but they’d really be great for an appetizer or snack to have sitting out all evening, too. I debated using both dark and white chocolate, but I ended up just using dark because I got lazy. I think using both would look and taste great, though. Also – if you want your chocolate to look prettier and not have the lighter-colored, dull streaks like you can see in the glob in the left side of the bowl above, you can temper your chocolate. Heat it to 113 degrees F in the double boiler, then let it cool to 88 degrees F before drizzling. Again, though, this came down to laziness for me. Half the reason that I wanted to make this treat was because it was simple.

This will be my last post before stepping aside for Christmas, so I want to take a minute to wish everyone who celebrates Christmas a beautiful and relaxing holiday.

Chocolate-Drizzled Cashews
Source: What’s Gaby Cooking

Cashews (I used roasted and salted)
Chocolate of choice

1. Heat the chocolate in a double boiler until completely melted.
2. Spread the cashews on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with the melted chocolate.
3. Pop the tray in the refrigerator for a few minutes to harden the chocolate.
4. Break the cashews apart. If you feel like the cashews need more chocolate after you mix them up, drizzle with additional chocolate and let harden again in the refrigerator.
5. Store in an air-tight container.

Many of the best memories over the course of my life involve sharing good food and drinks with the people that I love. And when it comes to the holidays, there’s just nothing quite as heartwarming as un-bundling from the cold and settling in with family over a great cheese tray and a bottle of nice red wine. We talk, we laugh, we tell jokes, and we make great memories together over appetizers and snacks. And so for me, holiday appetizer recipes might just be my favorite of all of the special foods that we cook over the holiday season. They’re the little treats that I associate with the fondest memories and with my favorite part of the holiday season – enjoying the company of my loved ones.

Today I’m so happy and excited to participate in Stephanie’s awesome Holiday Project over at Life Tastes Like Food. Stephanie has gathered bloggers and readers alike to join in the holiday spirit and share their stories and recipes. Please head on over to her site for the marinated cheese and olives recipe (here) and to check out all of the other amazing posts.

Inspiration: Well, what’s a Mexican-inspired meal without some chorizo, right? We both adore Mexican chorizo. It’s salty, it’s spicy, it’s rich and fabulous. And seeing how brussels sprouts are such a lovely fall vegetable, it only seemed logical to throw this side dish onto our Mexican Thanksgiving plates. I know that I’m thankful for chorizo, after all :)

What We Loved: One of my favorite parts about this dish was actually the little bits of onion that turned nice and orange from cooking in the fat from the chorizo. Delicious. And as for the main stars of the dish, the brussels sprouts were nice and tender with a light browned flavor, and the chorizo was a perfect, spicy complement. One of the great things about this recipe is that it’s so simple, and that simplicity really allows the main ingredients to really shine. There’s the fresh vegetable flavor of the brussels sprouts, and there’s the much richer and bolder flavor of the chorizo, and the two make a perfect pair.

Tips: Make sure to get the pan nice and hot before adding the brussels sprouts in to brown. My pan wasn’t quite hot enough, so my brussels sprouts didn’t brown as quickly as I needed them to. I ended up taking them off before they were as brown as I wanted them to be, since I didn’t want the rest of my meal getting cold. So I would recommend having the pan nice and hot so that they brown quickly and easily.

Brussels Sprouts with Mexican Chorizo
Source: Adapted from Saveur

1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
8 oz Mexican chorizo sausage (about two links)
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and black pepper

1. Place the brussels sprouts in a sauce pan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook until just tender, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the brussels sprouts to a bowl of ice water, let sit for five minutes, and then drain.

2. Remove the casing from the chorizo, and crumble the chorizo into a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions. Saute until the chorizo is cooked through and the onions are softened and beginning to brown. Add the garlic, and stir to combine. Transfer the chorizo mixture to a bowl.

3. Increase the heat to high. Add the brussels sprouts cut side down into the fat that’s left in the pan from the chorizo, and cook until the brussel sprouts are browned and tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Mix the brussels sprouts into the bowl with the chorizo mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Inspiration: I have to confess that I’m kind of lazy when it comes to salsas. I know. For as much as we love Mexican, Southwestern, and Tex-Mex food (and since those are my favorite kinds of food to cook), you’d think that I’d be whipping up my own salsas left and right. But it always ends up that I don’t want to spend a long time making a garnish, so I’ll either pull a jar of Brandon’s Mom’s homemade salsa out of the pantry (score!) or throw a bottle of one of Rick Bayless’ store-bought salsas into the grocery cart (those are pretty darn tasty, by the way – and with nice, natural ingredients). But when all is said and done, there is just nothing like a fresh, homemade salsa, so when it came to our Mexican-inspired Thanksgiving meal, I really wanted to make a homemade salsa as a prominent part of the meal. The idea of this cranberry salsa just sang to me, so I was more than happy to spend a few hours whipping it up. Cranberry sauce and salsa? Together? As soon as that thought entered my head, there was no way that I wasn’t making it.

What We Loved: Brandon and I both absolutely adored this salsa. It’s got all of the classic components of a good salsa – fire-roasted tomatoes, spicy jalapenos, fresh bell peppers and onions, and the lovely bright flavor of cilantr0 – but it also has an awesome velvety smooth and slightly fruity backbone from the cranberry sauce. That backbone is what makes the salsa so unique, and it’s what makes it marvelous. The salsa really does have this crazy, silky smooth texture, and the savory/spicy/fruity/just-a-touch-sweet flavor combination is killer. I particularly loved that there was still that familiar spicy bite from jalapenos and a fresh garden flavor from cilantro. We ate this atop roasted turkey, but I can see it paring great with chicken or white fish, too.

Tips: Make a double batch? And don’t forget to season with Kosher salt and pepper when the salsa is done. I found that a really good bit of salt really brightened up all of the flavors.

Cranberry Salsa
Source: Melissa d’Arabian

1/2 cup simple tart cranberry sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1 small jalapeno, coarsely chopped
1/2 white onion coarsely chopped, covered and microwaved for 1 minute
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup fire-roasted, adobo-flavored diced tomatoes
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper

1. Place the cranberry sauce, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, onion, red pepper, green pepper, and tomatoes in a food processor. Process until blended, but still a little bit chunky.

2. Season to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper.

Inspiration: This recipe was somewhat of a means to an end for me. I tried it out simply because I wanted to make some cranberry salsa to include on our Mexican-inspired Thanksgiving plates, and to make the salsa I needed some cranberry sauce. And if I can take a minute to be honest, here, this is the first homemade cranberry sauce that I’ve ever eaten in my life. Can you believe that? I’ve eaten the store-bought kind….and I’ve had some sweetened cranberry casserole-type dishes….but I’ve never had simple homemade cranberry sauce. It was high time that that ended :)

What We Loved: One of the things that I love about cooking is how food can sometimes be so simply and beautifully transformed right before your eyes. Throw a carton of fresh cranberries and a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice onto the stovetop, let it boil for a few minutes, and you magically end up with this stunning, gorgeous red sauce that just begs for you to dig a spoon into it. I was amazed by the simplicity of the process and by how beautiful the final result was. And that’s not even mentioning the flavor of the sauce, which was fruity and tart, dominated of course by the flavor of cranberries with just a hint of orange and sugar. I’ve definitely found a lovely new treat to add to the fall and winter menus around our house.

Tips: I contemplated not adding any sugar at all to this recipe, but after a taste test, the sauce was way too bitter without any sugar at all. The original recipe calls for just a teaspoon of Stevia extract (I prefer agave or honey), but I added about two teaspoons of agave to suit my taste. I’d recommend tasting the sauce without any sweetener and then continuing to taste-test as you slowly add in the agave/honey, as I did, because what’s perfect for me might be too tart for you. And remember that the final dish will still be rather tart and unlike a very sweetened cranberry sauce, since only a minimal amount of sugar is used. It’s best to eat the sauce atop a nice piece of roasted turkey for the perfect complement.

Simple Tart Cranberry Sauce
Source: Adapted slightly from The Food Lovers’ Primal Palate

12 oz cranberries, rinsed
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
2 teaspoons agave (or honey)

1. Place the cranberries and the orange juice in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. The cranberries will begin to pop.

2. Boil for a few minutes, stirring, until the cranberries have all popped and the mixture has thickened.

3. Remove from the heat. Add a few teaspoons of agave or honey, to taste.

4. Let cool and refrigerate.

Inspiration: Every year on Thanksgiving, Brandon and I visit our families and share in a couple of fabulous meals prepared by my Mom and by his Mom and Grandma. We’re a couple of lucky, lucky people to be so fortunate to have two Thanksgiving meals prepared for us, and I really do love taking the day to do nothing but appreciate just how much I have to be thankful for. It’s my favorite day of the year, and those meals that our Moms prepare are absolutely my very favorite meals of the year. Being one who loves to cook, though, I just can’t resist making some sort of Thanksgiving meal for just Brandon and I a little bit before Thanksgiving Day. This year, I decided to go for a Mexican-inspired meal by putting a Mexican spin on some standard Thanksgiving dishes. I ended up making this roasted turkey breast with a dry rub using Mexican spices, a cranberry salsa, brussel sprouts cooked with chorizo, and a butternut squash/poblano gratin. I’ll be posting the rest of the recipes in the coming weeks, but for now, I just want to wish everyone who might be reading my little blog a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope that all of your days are beautiful ones.

What We Loved: I’ve never cooked a lone turkey breast before, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect with this recipe. Initially, I was a little bit worried about two things – first, I was worried that the meat would be dry when it was done since it was all breast meat, and secondly, I was worried that the flavor would be a little bit bland since the spice combination wasn’t very complex. But the reviews for the recipe were excellent, so I forged ahead, and it turned out that both of my worries were completely unfounded. The meat was insanely moist and succulent on the inside, and the outside had this fabulous, crunchy crust. I really packed the spices onto the outside of the turkey because I wanted that nice crust, and I was so pleased with the end result. The flavor of the seasoning mix was very similar to what you’d find in any number of Mexican dishes (a lot like taco seasoning), with chili powder and cumin being the dominate spices. With that spicy, crusty outside and a super moist inside, I really thought that this recipe was perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Tips: As I mentioned above, I packed a lot of seasoning onto my turkey breast because I wanted a nice crust. I used a 2.8 pound turkey breast and just patted on as much seasoning as I needed to cover it completely. I actually ended up mixing up a second little batch of seasoning because I initially ran out. I’ll list the amounts for my initial batch below, but I’d really recommend doing the same as I did and mixing up more seasoning if necessary. The crust is truly lovely. And if you’re looking for a nice beverage to pair with your meal, we enjoyed this supper with a couple of New Holland Ichabod pumpkin ales that we’ve been saving in the back of the fridge since before Halloween. Perfect.

Roasted Turkey Breast with Zesty Dry Rub
Source: Adapted from Food Network, originally from Family Circle Magazine

For the Turkey
1 boneless turkey breast (mine was about 3 lbs)
Olive oil
Lime juice from 1/2 lime

For The Dry Rub
1-2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Rub the turkey breast on all sides with olive oil and lime juice.

2. Mix together the dry rub in a small bowl, and rub it all over the turkey breast. Mix up more dry rub if necessary to cover the entire breast.

3. Roast the turkey in the oven at 350 degrees F until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F, about one to one and a half hours for a 3 pound turkey breast.

4. Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes before carving.