There's nothing I love more than having friends over for a dinner. So what started out as a gentle dinner party quickly turned into quite the group- and I loved it! It was definitely an interesting mix of people, which led to a night of good food and good conversation.
Crab Wontons
1 gallon vegetable oil
24 wonton wrappers
Flour for dusting
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
8 ounces flaked crab meat
1/2 red bell pepper, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large pot until it's 350 degrees. Lay wonton wrappers out on wax paper dusted with flour. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl. Place a tablespoon of mixture on each skin. Brush water around the edges of the wonton skins and then press together to seal. Cook wontons in batches about 2 minutes, making sure to turn so each side cooks evenly. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve with sweet chili sauce.
Fried Rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red onion, minced
1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded and minced
1 green pepper, halved, seeded and minced
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup peas
3 cup cooked broccoli florets
5 cups cooked rice, cold
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup soy sauce, plus more as needed
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok on medium high heat. Saute garlic and onion for 2 minutes. Add in peppers and carrots and cook another 2 or 3 minutes. Add peas and broccoli and cook another minute. Stir in rice and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Make a well in the middle of the skillet and pour in egg, letting cook for 2 minutes. Stir together and add soy sauce. Enjoy!
Chili Shrimp
2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon hot chili paste
1 tablespoon szechuan chili sauce
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Place shrimp in a large bowl. Combine 1/4 cup oil and remaining ingredients and toss with shrimp. Let marinate in the fridge for 2 hours. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and warm remaining 1/4 cup oil. Saute shrimp about 4 minutes until curling. Serve immediately.
Ginger Beef
3 pounds top sirloin, cut into 1 inch strips
2 inches ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup vegetable oil, divided
1/4 cup soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine beef, ginger, garlic, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, soy sauce and salt and pepper. Marinate for at least 2 hours. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat with remaining oil. Cook about 4 minutes until browned on each side.
The picture explains it all. This was one of those meals that resulted from hunger and random ingredients in the fridge which resulted in all of us eating half of it before remembering to take a picture. One word: yum.
Three Meat Grilled Cheese
8 slices bread
1 pound boneless chicken breast, grilled and cut into strips
1/2 pound deli ham
8 slices bacon
8 slices swiss cheese
1/2 cup fig jam
Preheat a skillet on medium heat. Lay out 4 slices bread. Place chicken strips, 1 slice ham, 2 slices bacon and 2 slices cheese. Spread a generous layer of fig jam on the extra slice of bread. Grill about 4 minutes per side. Serve with oven fries or other side of your choice.
By now you know I love a good burger, and this is my favorite salmon burger recipe. I tried this recipe from Cooking Light last year and have made a few tweaks. I've stayed surprisingly close to this recipe and highly recommend it!
Chipotle Salmon Burgers
1/4 cup red onion
2 garlic cloves
3 chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds salmon
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/3 cup cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
6 Kaiser rolls
1 large avocado, cut into slices (optional)
Combine onion and garlic in a food processor. Add chipotles and oil and pulse. Add salmon, lime, cilatnro and salt and pepper. Next shape in 6 patties. Cook on a large skillet over medium heat about 6 minutes on each side. Serve on rolls with avocado and Mango Mayonnaise (see below)
Mango Mayonnaise
1/2 cup light mayo
1 mango, peeled, pitted and diced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Combine all ingredients and serve on salmon burgers.
I served with roasted squash, which consists on 3 summer squash, sliced on the diagonal, roasted with salt and pepper, olive oil, crushed red pepper and garlic. Cook about 15 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Top with chopped cilantro.
On my last trip to Houston to visit my family, we stopped at Zio's, an Italian restaurant we used to eat at a lot when I was a kid. I had my favorite dish there, pepperoni chicken, which I decided to recreate.
We had a gentle dinner party with our friends Holly and Chad, which always turns into a great night. Since Chad and Luke are big eaters, the proportions on these recipes are pretty large. Also, I got to try out the sassy new serving dishes I got shopping that day!
Pepperoni Chicken
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces sliced button mushrooms
1 cup sliced green olives
1 8 ounce package pepperoni slices
1 (28 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
2 pounds penne pasta, cooked al dente
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Heat a grill pan on medium heat and cook chicken until juices run clear, about 7 minutes on each side (depending on thickness). Remove from heat and rest 10 minutes, then slice into strips.
Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Heat oil then add onions and garlic and saute 3 minutes. Add in mushrooms and olives and cook another 3 minutes. Stir in pepperoni slices and tomatoes and continue cooking 10 minutes. Add in pasta, chicken and salt and pepper and toss. Serve with freshly grated parmesan as desired.
Slow Roasted Tomato Bruschetta
2 pounds tomatoes, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 baguette, cut into thin slices
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine first 6 ingredients on a large baking sheet. Roast for an hour. Remove and turn on broiler to 400 degrees. Top tomato mixture on baguette slices then broil for 2-3 minutes, until bread is toasted. Serve.
Italian Artichoke Salad
6 ounces spinach leaves
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 cup green olives
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Parmesan cheese, grated
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss- enjoy!
I was browsing through Everyday with Rachael Ray and saw a fun recipe for Sausage and Zucchini Rice on my way out of work and decided to try my hand at it. I mixed things up a bit but this was a really satisfying meal.
Sausage and Veggie Rice Toss
1 pound spicy Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red onion, diced
1 cup corn kernels
2 zucchini, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup smoked gouda
3 cups prepared rice
Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Cook sausage about 7 to 8 minutes, breaking up as it cooks. Remove from heat and set aside. Cook garlic and onion for about 3 minutes. Add corn and zucchini and cook another 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in shredded gouda, rice and sausage and cook one minute. Serve.
I love to chop things by hand, but I also love getting to pull out my food processor for some tasty homemade pesto, which I substituted for sauce on the pizza.
Chicken, Artichoke and Pesto Pizza
1 refrigerated thin pizza crust
1/3 cup oregano pesto (recipe below)
2 cup cooked chicken breast
2 cups artichoke hearts, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup pitted olives
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll pizza dough out on a large baking sheet and spread pesto over crust (add extra oil as needed). Top with remaining ingredients and bake 15 to 20 minutes until cheese has melted and crust is browning. Serve!
Oregano Pesto
1/4 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
2 cloves roasted garlic
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper ot taste
3/4 cup fresh oregano
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
Combine pine nuts and garlic in the food processor. Add parmesan and salt and pepper and pulse again. Mix in oregano and spinach leaves. With processor on, stream in olive oil.
How come stuffing something seems to automatically make it taste better? Maybe because it almost guarantees a cheesy surprise, or because it shows that you put in a bit more effort than usual to stuff each 
individual item. I made this meal after driving home from Houston last weekend, so I had 3 hours to concoct my stuffed pepper recipe. The Spanish flavors and cheese made it filling and full of flavor.
Pan Seared Grouper
1 1/2 pounds grouper fillets (or other white fish)
2 tablespoons Creole seasoning1 tablespoon vegetable oil2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, halved, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Heat a cast iron skillet on medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Rub grouper fillets with Creole seasoning and oil. Cook around 3 minutes on each side and remove from heat. Combine remaining ingredients and top grouper.
Stuffed Peppers
5 bell peppers, stems removed and seeded
2 cups prepared rice
1 tablespoon olive oil3 cloves garlic
1/2 red onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can green chiles
1 cup colby jack cheese, plus additional for sprinkling
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus additional for sprinkling
Heat oil in a large skillet. Saute garlic and onion about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and chiles and simmer about 10 minutes. Stir in rice, cheese and cilantro. Stuff each pepper and then sprinkle with rexra cheese and cilantro. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes.
Crab Wontons
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok on medium high heat. Saute garlic and onion for 2 minutes. Add in peppers and carrots and cook another 2 or 3 minutes. Add peas and broccoli and cook another minute. Stir in rice and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Make a well in the middle of the skillet and pour in egg, letting cook for 2 minutes. Stir together and add soy sauce. Enjoy!
Place shrimp in a large bowl. Combine 1/4 cup oil and remaining ingredients and toss with shrimp. Let marinate in the fridge for 2 hours. Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and warm remaining 1/4 cup oil. Saute shrimp about 4 minutes until curling. Serve immediately. 
