Sunday Brunch

My dear sister Carolyne came to visit me this weekend! (I feel so honored and blessed that she came to visit on MLK weekend) Since she is a college student that lives in downtown Atlanta, I wanted to make some dishes to save us both a little money. I made two dishes that were very simple beside a little prep work.

The Tomato Parmesan Soup and turned out amazing! Cody tried the soup before it was finished and kept repeating for the next "That soup is good" until we finally had a bowl for dinner.

Tomato Parmesan Soap:
2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes (I used salt free)
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 bay leaf (I choose to leave it out because I didn't have it on hand)

Combine all ingredients above in a crock pot and cook on low for 5-7 hours or until vegetables are tender. (I cooked mine for six hours)

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cups half and half, (warmed)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

In a large skillet, make a roux out of the flour and butter. Allow the butter to melt and combine with flour by stirring constantly with a whisk for 5 to 7 minutes. Add 1 cup of vegetable mixture to roux and stir until smooth. Add 3 more cups of vegetable mixture and stir until smooth. Pour all contents of the skillet into the crock pot. Add parmesan cheese, half and half,  salt and pepper. Continue to cook in the crock pot for 30 minutes on low.

source: http://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/2009/03/day-56-tomato-basil-parmesan-soup.html

The following day after church, I wanted to make something simple that everyone would enjoy. Why not a spiced up BLT. We ended up calling the sandwich california BLT with a fried egg.

3 slices of bacon
2 slices of tomato
1 piece of roman lettuce
2 pieces of toasted bread of choice (I used wheat)
1 smear of mayonnaise
1 fried egg
2 or 3 slices of avocado

Layer all ingredients between the two pieces of bread. I added a little salt and pepper. Cody added a slice of cheese and thought that ketchup would pair up nicely with it.  We served the soup and sandwich together.

source: http://pinterest.com/pin/47850814760479641/ via Chelsea Chiappé

Chocolate Chip Pie

Last night, Kevin and I went to a cookout and we offered to make dessert. The hostess said that her husband loves chocolate. I instantly thought of a pie that one of my roommates made when I was a student at UGA. Kevin actually made the dessert and he was amazed by how easy it was to make. Same ingredients as chocolate chips cookies just add a pie crust!

Chocolate Chip Pie
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup softened butter (1 1/2 sticks)
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
- 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
- 1 9 inch unbaked (unfrozen) pie crust

Beat eggs on high speed in large bowl until they become frothy. Beat in flour, granulated and brown sugar. Beat in butter. Stir in chocolate morsels and nuts. Pour into pie crust.

Bake at 325 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes or until a knife poke comes out clean.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Vegetables

My husband and I joke around about all of the recipes that I try. I guess you could say that he my guinea pig when it comes to taste testing (for which I am very thankful). If he enjoys the dish we put it on the "top ten list." If not, he thanks me for dinner and I do not prepare the dish again. 

One dish that has been placed on our top ten list is a roasted pork tenderloin and vegetables dish. Once you have all of the ingredients and veggies prepared the prep for this dish is a fast and easy. I have made this dish several times and it always turns out great! 

Roast Pork Tenderloin

- 1/2 tsp chili powder

- 1/2 tsp ground cumin

- 1/2 garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 tsp oil

- 1 (1 1/4 lb)  pork tenderloin

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and secure foil to the top of a large baking sheet. Spray with nonstick spray. Mix chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt and oil in a bowl. Rub the mixture onto the tenderloin and place it on one side of baking sheet.

Roasted Veggies

- 2 small bell peppers cut in 1 inch pieces. 

- 1 med. zucchini, sliced in 1 inch slices and then cut in half

- 1 red onion cut in 8 wedges

- 1/4 tsp pepper

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp oil

Place cut vegetables in large bowl. Pour pepper, salt, and oil over vegetables and mix. Then spread vegetables on the other side of baking sheet in single layer.

Roast 25 to 30 minutes. Turn vegetables twice and cook tenderloin until the meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Let meat rest for 5 minutes before serving.

I found this recipe in Woman's Day Magazine.  Check out their website for an entire month of recipes!

http://www.womansday.com/Recipes/Roast-Pork-Tenderloin-and-Vegetables

Olive, Artichoke, Eggplant Linguine

Two of my favorite ingredients are olives (of any kind) and artichokes (prepared any way). I saw this recipe and knew that I had to try it! Its a very light pasta dish. My husband said that it had a little bit of a fruity hint to it. Perfect for Spring!

Olive, Artichoke, Eggplant Linguine

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 chopped red onion

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

4 baby eggplants (quartered)

2 1/2 cups canned peeled tomatoes with juice

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 14 oz. can artichoke drained and halved

1 cup of pitted black olives

12 oz. linguini (I used angel hair pasta)

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil leaves (optional)

• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat.  
• Add onion, garlic cloves, lemon juice, and eggplant. Cook for 5 minutes or until eggplant is lightly brown. 
• Combine tomatoes with juice, sugar, and tomato paste and pour over the eggplant. Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. (I started to cook my pasta a couple of minutes before the next step) 
• Add artichokes and black olives to pan and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. 
• Drain and rinse pasta. Toss pasta with remaining olive oil.
• Toss the eggplant mixture with the pasta. Add salt and pepper to your taste. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. (I did not add the basil leaves but I sprinkled parmesan cheese on top once served)

                                                                           Enjoy!!

http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/nutrition/recipes/MainCourse/Linguine.aspx

Braised Balsamic Chicken

I made and served this dish within 25 minutes. We needed a quick meal tonight. Fortunately this recipe did not taste like I threw it together. Would definitely recommend to any family on the go!

Braised Balsamic Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 thinly sliced onion

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

Heat olive oil in pan. Season chicken with pepper and garlic powder. Brown chicken with onions. Pour tomatoes and vinegar over chicken and season with basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. Simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

I cut this recipe in half. I used the other half of the tomatoes to cooked green beans. It went perfect with the chicken! Enjoy!

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Braised-Balsamic-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Black Bean Burger

A couple of weeks ago I met one of my friend's girlfriend. I found that she has a love for food and children! If you don't know me well, those are two of my biggest passions! When I am not working with children I am usually in my kitchen cooking! :)

Well this new friend of mine introduced me to a couple of recipes. I tried her black bean burger recipe tonight. It is super simple and has a kick to it. I served mine with salsa on top and the flavors went great together!

Black Bean Burger
1 (14 oz) can black beans
1 small onion
2 gloves garlic crushed (or 1/4 teaspoon minced or powdered garlic)
2 teaspoons cajan seasoning
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 egg)

Place onion and garlic into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add drained black beans to processor. Transfer the black bean mixture to a mixing bowl and add cajan seasoning, bread crumbs, and egg substitute. Mix together and shape into 4 patties.

You can grill for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or boil 10-12 minutes on each side. If you choose to broil the burgers, line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

I hope that you enjoy! Easy, yummy, and fast clean up!!

Lemon and Parsley Tilapia

This dish was really easy to make and tasted divine! The tilapia was so light, flaky, and filled with flavor. If you have never eaten a lot of fish or do not like a "fishy fish." Tilapia is perfect choice!

Lemon and Parsley Tilapia

1 small lemon

4 tablespoons soften butter

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

3/4 teaspoon salt (I used less)

1/8  teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup chopped green onions with tops included

4 tilapia fillets  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Zest lemon and squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice (I used the juice of the entire lemon). In a bowl combine lemon zest, lemon juice, butter, parsley, salt, pepper, and chopped green onions.

Butter (I used olive oil) a 12x8 inch baking pan. Place fish in pan and pour the butter mixture over the fillets. Cook for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

(southernfood.about.com posted by Diana Rattray)