Cuban-Style Grilled Salmon

This recipe is a must try if you like salmon!  It's from the summer issue of Food Network Magazine.

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
The juice of 1 lemon
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 large shallots, minced
1 t ground cumin
1 t cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
4 6oz center cut salmon filets

Preheat grill to medium high.  In a large bowl whisk all the ingredients (besides salmon).  Then marinate salmon in mixture for 15 mins at room temp.

Brush the grill with vegetable oil.  Grill salmon for 3-4 mins on each side.

For the full recipe complete with the side salad click HERE.  We also made the salad, but my husband wasn't fond of the hearts of palm.

Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad

I found some great pasta salad ideas in the new Food Network magazine and made this one tonight.  This is definately going to be made again in my house!


1 box cooked and cooled penne pasta
1 container of cherry tomatoes
1 English cucumber cut in bite-size pieces
1/2 container of feta cheese
1 grilled chicken breast cut in bite-size pieces
1/2 red onion diced


Creamy Parmesan Dressing:

1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
1 T lemon juice
1-2 garlic cloves minced
3/4 cup grated parmesan
salt/pepper

Whisk ingredients together, then combine with the rest of ingredients.

Kansas City Style Pork Ribs

 

Ingredients

• 2 slabs pork spare ribs, 3 pounds each
• Kansas City Barbeque Sauce, recipe follows

Dry Rub:

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Remove the thin white membrane off of the bone-side of the ribs. Mix together the brown sugar, dry mustard, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Massage the rub into the ribs and let sit for 1 hour or up to overnight.

If cooking on the grill, place the ribs meat-side down next to medium-hot coals that are about 225 degrees F. The indirect heat will cook them slower, making them tender. Allow to cook for 1 hour. Turn ribs every half hour and baste with the Kansas City Barbeque Sauce. Cook until the ribs are tender, about 3 to 4 hours.
If cooking indoors, place in a roasting pan with a rack. Slather the ribs with the Kansas City Barbeque Sauce and tent a piece of aluminum foil over them. In a preheated 350 degrees F. oven, place the ribs, basting with the sauce every 30 minutes and removing the foil for the last 30 minutes and cooking until fork tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Kansas City Barbeque Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (about 2/3 cup)small onion, finely diced
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup (2 (6-ounce) cans) tomato paste
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small sauce pot on medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the onion, cooking until translucent.

Add the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Add to sauce pan and let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Use to baste the pork spare ribs.
Yield: 3 cups

Recipe Courtesy of Food Network.

I had to share this with you!

HILARIOUS!!

Three Cheese Spaghetti Pie

This recipe is amazing!  It's definately a grown-up family favorite of ours.  The original recipe did not call for pepperoni, but it definately improves it even more!  I don't have a pic at this time, but next time I make it I will definately update this post.

 

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound spaghetti
• 9 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 16 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 16 kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 4 ounces fontina, grated
• 8 ounces feta, crumbled
• 8 ounces Parmesan, shredded
• 1 Pepperoni stick, cut into bite-size pieces
• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish
• Special Equipment: 10-inch cast iron skillet or nonstick ovenproof skillet

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously add salt and 3 tablespoons of oil and add the spaghetti. Bring back to a boil and cook for 11 to 13 minutes until the spaghetti is just tender. Drain into a colander and rinse under cold water. Return the spaghetti to the pot and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, kalamatas, 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down.* Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside.
Whisk the eggs and cream together in a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining teaspoon of salt, a few grinds of pepper, the red pepper flakes, basil, fontina, feta, 4 ounces of the Parmesan and the tomato mixture. Mix in the spaghetti and pepperoni.
Heat the remaining olive oil in the 10-inch skillet over high heat. Add the spaghetti mixture, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the center of the pie is set and the top is golden.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a spatula around the edges and underneath the pie to loosen. Place a large plate over the skillet and invert the pie onto the plate. Place another plate onto the pie and invert again. Let the pie set for an additional 10 minutes.
Slice the pie into 6 to 8 pieces and garnish with the remaining Parmesan and basil leaves before serving.

Recipe courtesy of Food Network.

Our Pigs Will Be Very Happy!

My special order came in today....I got a total of 94 boxes of Ronzoni Quick Cook pasta.

And 156 bags of Wacky Mac pasta.  The Ronzoni Quick Cook pasta is for our five little pigs, and the Wacky Mac pasta will be for our pasta salads for the next two years!  Haha, this is actually kindof funny, I have never bought this much before at one time, let alone do a special order!  I had my neice there to help me out, Thanks Molly!

So....Total Retail Cost: $450
Total cost after coupons/sales: $42!
 
I calculated $42/156 (Wacky Mac)  equals out to .28 a bag!  And wait, I have more coupons coming in the mail tomorrow.  Let's see if I have the energy to go get more pasta!

More Free Pasta....Guess who it will be feeding???

I used the overage from the "quick cook" pasta and a $2/$25 coupon

 to get a free gallon of milk as well!

We got our pigs today!

Last year we raised pigs for the first year ever, and we loved it!  Not only was the meat amazing, but they decreased our waste by eating all of our scraps (except meat products).  And, this is perfect timing with this pasta sale at Shaw's.  Last year I scored 46 boxes of whole grain pasta for free and we fed it to the pigs, this year I'm hoping to do a whole lot more!  Nothing like feeding your pigs for free!

Just to give you an idea about how small they are...that is my two year old son in the background.