Creamy Onion Beef Sandwiches

I have been busy lately and haven't had much time to do a lot of cooking, but I found this quick sandwich is a great way to treat yourself without taking a lot of time.




Get your broiler pre-heated and lets gather some ingredients.




I used a regular deli roll, you can use whatever bread you like.




You need some delicious horseradish.




The recipe calls for sour cream but I had some creme fraiche so I used that instead. If you have never used this, it is like a mix between sour cream and cream cheese. So, essentially, it is creamy deliciousness.




Some onion soup mix or your favorite seasoning mix. I used Penzey's Fox Point seasoning.




Some cheese.




And some beef.




Stack the meat and cheese on the bottom of the roll and get it on the broiler pan and let it broil for 2-4 minutes. While that cooks, make the spread.




Combine your sour cream, horseradish, and your seasoning...




Give it a stir!




Spread it on the bread and wait for the bottom half.




Stick the two halves together and you are ready to eat! Serve it with some chips or veggies. This is a quick, but hot meal that will fill you up and get you out of the kitchen in a hurry.

Pasta with Sausage, Mustard and Caramelized Onions

I love pasta and I have recently discovered how versatile and useful sausage can be. I purchased a grill pack recently because of the amazing price and ended up with 4 pork sausages. I have used them all and will definitely add that to my shopping list from now on. The following recipe serves 2 and is from Nigel Slaters Real Fast Food cookbook.








Get some water boiling and lets gather some ingredients.




I am using regular onion instead of my usual favorite, shallots.




Slice up the sausage and the onion.




Measure out some chicken broth.




You need a pasta of your choosing, I am using bowtie pasta.




You also need some whole grain mustard.




I have beautiful parsley from my Aerogarden. Now we have everything so lets get cooking.




Fry up the sausage for about five minutes. You want it just browned.




Throw in the onions and get them covered with the oil and pork fat. yum.




Drop the pasta in the water and throw the lid on your onions and sausage. Let that stuff go for about 15 minutes. Check the onions to see if they need a drop or 2 more of oil as they cook.




When the onions look like this, you are ready to add the broth.




Scrape up all the good stuff from the bottom of the pan.




When you use fresh herbs, you always want to add them last so you don't cook all of their flavor out. Add in the parsley and the mustard and give it a good stir. Stir in the pasta as well and you are ready to eat!




This was so simple and so delicious. You could substitute chicken if you are not a sausage fan or if you just don't eat pork.

Catfish in a Fresh Herb and Lime Crust

Fish is so good for you and this recipe is so easy to prepare. You can have this as a weekday meal after a hard day because its a no-brainer. I used my gorgeous fresh herbs from my Aerogarden but dried herbs would work fine too. I generally use half of the amount called for if I am replacing fresh with dried herbs in a recipe.








Lets gather some ingredients and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.




Some beautiful Dill.




Some Thyme.




Strip the Dill and Thyme off the stalks and give it a rough mince.




You need some bread crumbs. These come from the Italian Deli in the little town in PA where I grew up. My sister got me these because she is the best.




Pour the bread crumbs in with the herbs and mix it up. Add some salt as well.




You need some lime juice and the zest of the lime.




I used one of my favorite gadgets, my MicroPlane grater, to zest the lime. The zest goes into the bread crumb mixture.




Rinse your fish and pat it dry. I used catfish but you can use any mild white fish you can get your hands on.




Press the fish into the herb mixture. Let it hang for a minute so we can make the sauce.




Grab your butter.




Melt it in a pan and add the juice of the lime you just zested.




Put the fish on a baking tray and pour the sauce over it. Pop it in the oven for 6-10 minutes.




Serve it up with your favorite side dish. I chose some rice and quinoa. The fish has such a fresh and bright flavor, and it only took a few minutes to prepare.

Have a great weekend everyone and thanks again for stopping by and reading.

Chicken Marsala with Garlic Rice and Quinoa

Tonight I am sharing a popular Italian dish that is so easy to make at home. I always order this when I am out and I was so glad to find an easy recipe to recreate it at home.








The recipe comes from Nigel Slater's cook book, Real Fast Food. This book has a lot of recipes for 2 servings so I really like it. Lets gather some ingredients.




Next time, I will use REAL Marsala, not this store brand junk. The sauce was good, but could have been better and this was the culprit!




Flour for dredging the chicken.




The chicken. An actual breast this time, not a thigh for once.




Heavy Cream.




Real Butter.




My side dish! This stuff was delicious and cooked in 90 seconds in the microwave.




This is another recipe where you get to smash up some food. Use a mallet, a rolling pin or a heavy pan to flatten the chicken.




It is so fun and a great way to relieve stress!




Pour out the glass of wine so you have it ready.




Once your chicken is flattened, dredge it in the flower and put it in the pan with some (a lot) of melted butter.




Brown it on both sides for about 3 minutes then remove it from the pan and put it in some foil to stay warm.




Add in the wine and scrape up all the yummy chicken pieces from the bottom. Also do not pay attention to my dirty stove top.




When half of the marsala is gone, stir in the cream. Don't forget to also season with a little salt and pepper.




Add the chicken back in to the pan and cook for about another minute.




Plate with your side dish and pour the delicious sauce over the chicken. You can also add mushrooms to the sauce if you'd like as I have seen Chicken Marsala served that way many times. I enjoyed this and its a great weeknight meal that looks like it took a lot longer than it does.

Smoked Salmon Pasta with Scotch

While my hubby is the farthest thing from a "foodie", there is one thing his palate really appreciates, single malt scotch. He contributed some from his collection to my recipe.



INGREDIENTS (2 servings)

* 1/4 (16 ounce) package dry penne pasta
* 3/4 teaspoon olive oil
* 1/4 medium onion, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup fish stock
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 2-1/4 teaspoons Scotch whiskey
* 2 ounces chopped smoked salmon
* 1/2 cup heavy cream
* freshly ground black pepper to taste
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese for topping
* 1/4 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place penne pasta in the pot, cook 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Pour in the fish stock and white wine, and cook until reduced by 1/2.
3. Remove the skillet from heat, and pour in the Scotch whisky. Using a long match, carefully ignite the Scotch. Once the flame had subsided, return the skillet to medium heat, and mix in the salmon. Stir in the cream, and bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to cook and stir until thickened.
4. In a large bowl, toss the cooked penne pasta with the salmon mixture. Season with pepper, and top with Parmesan cheese and parsley to serve.

This recipe does involve lighting alcohol on fire, so be sure to clear out the kids and dogs and have a lid on hand just in case! If you don't happen to have a large collection of fine scotch available, I am sure a little regular old whiskey would work and taste just as good. (just don't tell my hubby that!)

Put some water on to boil for your pasta and lets gather up some ingredients.




I didn't have fish stock so I just added some fish sauce to chicken broth. You also need some white wine.




Some onion diced up.




Delicious smoked salmon. I can eat this stuff like candy.




Some parsley from my Aerogarden.




Heavy cream.




Some Glenmorangie Scotch. This isn't a super expensive Scotch, the hubby did take the time to help me pick one that he thought would be good for the recipe. Even though he has never had smoked salmon and he doesn't eat pasta. It is the thought that counts!




Pour it out into a separate container, then pour a finger for your generous hubby who sacrificed for your culinary pursuits. Get the pasta in the water and get it cooked before you move on so you can give your total attention to the sauce.




Lets get started with the onions over medium high heat. Cook them for 3-5 minutes until they are softened.




Pour in the wine and the stock and let it simmer until it reduces by half.

Now we get to burn up some scotch! This technique is called 'flambe' and is traditionally used as a dramatic visual in the cooking process but the scotch in this meal does add a smoky flavor that is a subtle taste you can't quite place but really creates a nice complexity. One thing that is very important about this technique is you want to remove the pan from the heat for safety.




I put it on a trivet away from the stovetop. Pour in the scotch and light it up!




Since my serving was for one, the flame was not very impressive but you can see it there if you look closely.




The hubby even stopped by to see the excitement. Once the flame is out, put the pan back on the stove.




Add in the cream and the smoked salmon over medium heat.




Bring it to a boil and let it thicken.




Stir in the pasta and get it warmed through. I used egg noodles instead of penne because that is what I had.




Garnish with the parsley and some parmesan cheese and enjoy. The sauce was amazingly good. I will definitely be making this again as I certainly have plenty of Scotch from which to choose.

One more thing before I go, I have added labels to my post which appear on the side bar now. If you are looking for pasta dishes or something vegetarian, just click the label and it will bring up all the recipes that apply. I think it is very useful and interesting to see what all I have made so far as I approach one year of food blogging.

Thank you all for reading and spending a few minutes a day dining with me. I appreciate you all.

Coconut Rice with Spicy Tomato Sauce

Is it getting chilly where you are? Need something to add a little heat to your life? This is the perfect vegetarian dish to fill you up and warm you up.








I cut this recipe by 1/3. Lets gather some ingredients.




For the spicy tomato sauce you will need some brown sugar, diced tomatoes, chiles or sambal, lime and some garlic. You will also need shallots, but they were not able to make the photo, they were busy being a pain in the butt to peel.




For the rice you need rice and coconut milk. Doesn't get easier than that.




Lets get cooking. get the rice and the coconut milk in a pan over high heat. Now we can concentrate on the sauce.




mince up some garlic.




Here are our shallots all peeled and quartered.




Add some peanut oil to a pan and get it going over medium-high heat.




I used Sambal Oelek instead of regular chiles. This stuff is spiiicy, so be careful if you are not used to spicy foods.




Stir it in the pan with the shallots and garlic. The recipe wants you to add it later but I put it in first to really infuse the flavor in the shallots.




After 3-4 minutes zest the lime into the pan.




Add the tomatoes, lime juice and brown sugar to the pan and give it a stir. Cover and reduce heat to low, simmer for about 20 minutes. Your rice should be boiling too so drop that down to a simmer and pour yourself a TALL glass of water for this meal.




See you guys in 20!




This was spicy and so flavorful. I loved the subtle flavor of the rice with the bold and spicy flavor of the tomato sauce. This sauce would be delicious over chicken as well, but this vegetarian dish is filling enough as it is.

Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

Back when I first started this blog in December of 2007 I made a Tomato soup that was very good. But I am extremely excited that I have been able to greatly improve upon that effort with two very key ingredients that I will discuss in this post.




Here is the simple recipe from www.allrecipes.com Lets start gathering some ingredients.




Shallots, back to these wonderful little guys. My local stores have been out of them for a while which makes me very sad!




Some real butter.




Canned tomatoes, because the fresh ones I get here taste like nothing.




some chicken broth and heavy cream.




Secret ingredient number 1, Pine Nuts. I am a fan of the Roma Tomato Basil soup at Nordstrom's and someone once told me the secret ingredient are these little guys. I think they are on to something because they add such a unique flavor to the soup. The soup I made last year was good, but this just made it even better. I am all about taking something good and doing that extra little something that makes you go, WOW.

Now it is time for secret ingredient number two...




No, it is not an alien spacecraft, it is an Aerogarden. I am not endorsing this product as part of any ad campaign or getting any benefits in any way from talking about this little wonder. I am simply talking about it because I LOVE it. I live in the desert, do not like dirt and I cook for one person. These 3 things combined mean that, 1. I cannot grow my own herbs outside or inside in dirt because I am extremely negligent to my plants and I am a terrible plant Mommy. 2. If I use fresh herbs I buy them, use them once, forget they are in the fridge and they die. Again, the bad plant Mommy thing. So when I got this thing I had unnaturally high hopes for it, and in just 7 weeks it has exceeded my wildest dreams...


I have fresh herbs growing like a JUNGLE in my husband's 'dude room'. The kitchen was a bit too hot for them, so he agreed to give up space in his 'man cave' for my little project. I am telling you, this is gardening for goofs, cultivation for cretins, horticulture for half-wits...ok I think you get it. This thing is fool-proof and claims I will have herbs for 4 weeks at least. To say I am excited is an understatement. That is why this thing is secret ingredient 2...








Because it provided me with this gorgeous and delicious basil. It makes all the difference in this soup. The Holiday Season is coming up and I am betting you may be able to find an Aerogarden on sale, I think it is totally worth it.

Ok, back to cooking!




Get your shallots in the butter and add some olive oil as well.




Once the shallots have softened add in the tomatoes and basil.




Add in your pine nuts and broth and give it a stir. Don't forget to season with some salt and pepper as well. Reduce the heat and let this simmer for at least 15 minutes.




After you let it simmer for a while it is time to blend it up. I have a hand held immersion blender, but you can use a regular blender also, just be careful as the soup is hot!




I love my hand held blender and it is perfect for stuff like this. As you can see the soup already looks creamy, this is from the pine nuts. You can actually skip the cream if you want and just eat it like this, but I sure do like cream.




So once it is a texture you are happy with, put it back on the stove and let it heat through, then stir in your cream.




I can't believe how much difference the fresh basil made. I had always been curious about the Aerogardens but I am a believer now.

Thanks for all the great comments and don't forget to follow me on Twitter.

Sesame Broccoli Pasta

I love the flavor of sesame. I like the seeds toasted, sesame seed oil and sesame seed paste called 'Tahini'. This recipe features Tahini, which is now available in the ethnic food aisle of most grocery stores. If you cannot get tahini a natural peanut butter would also taste good in this recipe.








First thing, get some water boiling and then we can gather and prep our ingredients.




You need some garlic and ginger. I keep ginger in the freezer wrapped in foil and then inside of a bag. I find it is actually easier to peel and grate when it is still a bit frozen.




You need some broccoli and a lime.




The tahini, some coconut milk, and some cumin seeds.




You need some pasta, I chose penne but you can use whatever kind you like.




You also need some peanut oil, some soy sauce and delicious sesame oil.




Chop your broccoli.




grate your garlic and ginger into a small dish and set aside. I actually just used my kitchen scissors to cut up the ginger.




mix the coconut milk, tahini, soy sauce and sesame oil together.




This sauce is so tasty. The tahini has a bold almost tangy flavor that goes so well with the saltiness of the soy sauce.




Lets cook. Get your pasta in the boiling water and get some oil in a skillet.




Cook the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds in the oil over low-medium for 3-4 minutes.




Add in the broccoli and some water and turn the heat up a bit. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes.




Add in the sauce after the broccoli is cooked to your liking. Let it simmer for just a minute while stirring.




Add in your cooked pasta and give it a toss.




Serve with some lime wedges and enjoy!! Once again, thank you all for the wonderful comments and emails. I appreciate everyone who visits my blog. I have a twitter account, follow me! @diningalone

Easy Portobello Pizzas

This recipe is so simple you have to wonder, why didn't I think of that? If you did already, you are a step ahead of me! This is so easy and so good I guarantee success. How can I guarantee it? I used the hubby-meter. He tried it, and he even admitted that it was 'not that bad'. He didn't eat the meal with me, but there is hope that the next time I make it, he may.




The first thing to do is preheat your oven to 400 degrees, I used my toaster oven and it turned out great. Now we can gather our ingredients.




Mushroom caps.




Cheese.




Jarred pizza sauce. If you make your own, all the better.




I use a spoon to scoop out all the membrane on the under side of the mushroom cap and I cut off the excess stem.




You are left with something that looks like this. Put it on a foil lined cookie sheet and pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes. Take them out of the oven and crank it up to Broil.




Now you can get your pizza toppings. I am using some amazing fresh basil from my Aerogarden.




And some onions. I used my mezzaluna to chop up the toppings. Once those are in order it is time to assemble.




Spread some sauce on the mushrooms, as much or as little as you would like.




Add some cheese and your toppings. The hubby was having some nachos with black olives so I snagged a few of those for one of my mini-pizzas. Put the pizzas in the oven on broil for about 3 minutes, keep an eye on them. When they look melty and delicious, pull them out and enjoy.




The mushroom 'crust' is so tasty you will not miss the carb filled traditional crust at all. I will be making these a lot in the future with different toppings and sauces.

I'd like to thank all of you guys again for the wonderful comments and emails I have been getting lately. I would also like to thank all of you that click the "stumble it" button to help others find their way to my site. I appreciate each and every one of you who spend a few minutes of your day reading this blog and making sure I don't have to Dine Alone.

Chicken and Asparagus in White Wine Sauce

If you are looking for a quick weekday meal that is easy and light, look no further. This chicken meal comes from Cooking Light magazine.




I buy a lot of cooking magazines from the library or used book stores. Most times I read them and don't really feel the need to hang on to them anymore, unless there are a ton of recipes in them that I want to try. Instead I cut out the recipes I like and glue them into a notebook. I then recycle the magazine instead of hanging on to it.

Lets gather up some ingredients!



You need flour and chicken broth.




Some white wine. You may need to open the wine and pour a glass to be sure that it tastes good enough to be included in your dish. You may need to finish the whole glass to be absolutely certain.




Butter.




Pour your flour into a shallow dish.




garlic, you want to mince this up.




I am still loving the green bags, my asparagus stayed fresh for so much longer than it would have in a normal produce bag.




If you are not used to working with asparagus, you want to trim off the bottom ends as they can be tough and woody. To trim the ends just grab one spear and snap the end off, wherever it naturally breaks is a good indicator as to where to cut the rest of your asparagus.




You need a chicken breast. Stick it between some plastic wrap and grab something to smack the heck out of it with. You can use a rolling pin, a heavy pan or a mallet. Pound it until it is about 1/4 inch thick.




It is a great stress reliever to smack the chicken flat. Make sure you season it with some salt and pepper.

Now that you have your ingredients we can start to cook.




Melt the butter in a pan.




Dredge the seasoned chicken in the flour and shake off any excess.




Get it in the pan and cook it for 3 minutes.




Flip it and cook it on the other side for 3 minutes.




Take it out of the pan and put some foil over it to keep it hot.




Pour in the broth, the wine and the minced garlic. Scrape all the good chicken bits off the bottom of the pan and let that cook for about 2 minutes.




While it cooks grab some fresh lemon juice.




Sprinkle in some parsley and set that aside.




Get your asparagus in the pan with the broth and wine. Pop the lid on and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Remove the asparagus and stir in the lemon juice and parsley. Plate everything and pour the sauce over it.




This was fast and easy and so tasty. The chicken stayed very juicy because it was pounded so thin so it did not need to cook for long. The sauce was great and the whole meal gets a bright flavor from the lemon juice.

Thai Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk

I have never had curry chicken before, so I figured it was definitely time that I try it. I have really enjoyed cooking with coconut milk lately and recommend you give it a try, perhaps by making this recipe.




The recipe is for 4 servings, but I cut it in half. Lets get our ingredients and get started.




You need some chicken breast, boneless and skinless is easiest, but you can also chop up some thigh meat if you have some.




Some Red Curry paste. I can get this at my local grocery store so I think you may be able to as well.




I even saw fish sauce at my local grocery store. It really excites me when I see more diversity in the grocery stores.




Lemon.




Coconut milk. I try to find the lite kind as the full fat is rather high in calories and fat.




I served the curried chicken over some brown rice.




Remove the excess fat from the chicken and cut it into small strips.




Chop up some onion and pepper. Use whatever pepper variety you like, I happened to have green on hand already.




I added the fish sauce, lemon juice and lemon zest right into the measuring cup with the coconut milk and set it aside. Now that everything is prepped we can start to cook. Making sure you have everything ready to go before you actually put anything on the stove really makes a difference because you are not running around or hurrying once you get started.




Heat up some oil in a pan.




Spoon out some of the delicious curry paste. You may want to taste a tiny bit before you commit to adding a lot to see how hot it is for your palate.




Once you are comfortable with the amount, throw it in the oil. Stir that around for half a minute.




Add in the chicken and get it coated with the curry and brown it for about 3 more minutes.




Add in the onion and pepper and let that cook for a minute.




Then stir in the coconut milk with the seasonings. Add some salt and pepper at this point as well. Bring it to a boil and let it cook for about 5-7 minutes and you are ready to plate.




I garnished with a little bit of fresh mint from my Aerogarden. I recently picked one up and I will be doing a full review of it soon but a sneak preview is, I love it. I don't know how my chicken curry compares to the real deal but this was really good and really easy. You could make this with tofu or fake chicken and you would not be missing much as the curry flavor and the coconut milk are so rich.