Grilled Onions with Balsamic & Gorgonzola

Onions are one of those foods, either you like them or you don't. I don't think it goes so far, like cilantro, and is related to genetics, but I do think it is a pretty strong love/aversion. I happen to love them. These onions were the perfect accompaniment to grilled steaks. Everyone knows, steak and gorgonzola or blue cheese are a match made in heaven.

These were easy to make and a great side dish. They didn't take long to prepare, but had all of the makings for something fabulous. Reduced balsamic+gorgonzola+onion+grill= Perfection. Having these on the side meant no sauce was necessary for the steak, you could just enjoy a bite of this either before or after.
Source: inspired by, The Proud Italian Cook

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of Balsamic Vinegar
1 Large White Onion
1/4 cup of Gorgonzola Crumbles, or blue cheese
Vegetable Oil

Directions:
First, place the vinegar, in a small saucepan, on medium-low heat. Let reduce to 1/4 cup.

While that is reducing,cut your onion into 1/4 inch slices.

Pre-heat your grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates with vegetable oil. Grill the onions until they are starting to get translucent with grill marks. Cook, flipping occasionally, until they are at desired doneness. The more translucent, the softer they will be.

Remove from the grill, immediately divide the gorgonzola crumbles onto the onion slices. Drizzle with reduced balsamic.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,
The Barbee Housewife

Tuscan-Style Pork Tenderloin

This meal is perfect for company. It is one of those meals that will impress everyone at the table, even yourself. My favorite type of meal to prepare when guests come over is the type that it has to bake in the oven for at least 30 minutes, so I can spend that time setting up the appetizers and relaxing.

When I first saw this recipe, I was intrigued, but I wasn't sure about it. I showed it to Ethan and he wanted it on the meal plan, immediately. The next week, we had this meal, and it was so delicious. I am so happy he pushed it right onto the meal plan. The bread that this pork was cooked in was so perfect, it was crunchy from the olive oil you drizzle into it and had all of the flavors from the herbs. I loved that I didn't have to make a main entree and then bread for the side, it served as a two-in-one. I served this with the Blueberry-Gorgonzola Salad, some bacon-wrapped red potatoes, and of course a bottle of wine.
Source: Joanne Weir, via Once Upon a Plate

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons of Sage, chopped finely
2 teaspoons of Rosemary, chopped finely
1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper, freshly ground
2 cloves of Garlic, minced
Kosher Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
4 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 Pork Tenderloin, 1 lb.
4 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
1 loaf of French Bread
Kitchen Twine

Directions:
First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Next in a small bowl, or one cup measuring cup, combine the sage, rosemary, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Set aside. Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on your work space and spread the herb mixture on the paper.

Now, in a skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil has heated, sear the pork on all sides, until golden brown all over. Remove from the pan and place on the parchment paper; smear the dijon mustard all over the pork and roll it in the herbs.

Next, remove the inside of the bread to hollow out a hole, just big enough for the pork; leave the ends intact. Drizzle the inside of the bread with the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil; place the pork inside.

Wrap the pork tenderloin with kitchen twine, until it is secure. Place the bread with the pork in it on a baking sheet and bake for 25-35 minutes, until the pork reaches 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes; remove the string and slice.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,
The Barbee Housewife

Not Your Mama's Pimiento Cheese

I am a g.r.i.t.s.  For those of you who don't know what this mean, it is a girl raised in the south. I think being a g.r.i.t.s, I have had plenty of pimiento cheese sandwiches at bridal and baby showers, but also for an excellent lunch.

I have never made pimiento cheese myself, until now. I don't know if I will ever try a different recipe, who am I kidding? I have seen excellent variations out there with additions of jalapeño, yum, and kinds of other great things. For now, this recipe is my staple. It is called not your mama's pimiento cheese, because I have never had it with cream cheese in it and I think all other g.r.i.t.s out there would scoff at this addition. It is so delicious, give it a try, on a cracker, in a sandwich, on a spoon, however you want, you won't regret it.

Source: Plain Chicken

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup of Mayonnaise

1/2 cup of Sour Cream

1/4 teaspoon of Garlic Salt

2 cups of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese, shredded

1/2 cup of Pimientos, drained

Directions:

First, whip cream cheese until smooth. Whip in the mayonnaise, sour cream, and garlic salt, until well combined. 

Now, add the cheese and pimientos, whip until just combined. 

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,

The Barbee Housewife

Grilled Thai Sweet Potatoes

I have a serious love for carbohydrates, like in the sense that I would rather have an extra bite of a roll or potato instead of dessert at the end of a meal. Most people think I am crazy for it, it's okay if you do too. All of the desserts on this blog are made and eaten by my husband and I hardly ever have more than just a teeny bite, so I can report to you about it, and not just use his crazy descriptive words, remember this? 

Sweet potatoes are more healthy for you than white potatoes. It still doesn't mean you can eat a ton of them, but half of one at dinner is definitely better than a loaded russet potato. When I saw these, I was definitely intrigued, you marinate the potatoes in a dressing that is used for salads. You can make this dressing a few days ahead of time or before you make dinner, just keep it in the refrigerator. 

The recipe for the sweet thai dressing is for 3 cups and you only need one cup for this recipe, so you will have plenty leftover to use on salads! The dressing is quite spicy, but I think it pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the sweet potato. You may want to serve the remaining 1/3 of the dressing on the side for dipping or for putting as much or as little on as you want.

Source: Smells Like Home

Ingredients:

2 Sweet Potatoes, medium-size

1 cup of Sweet Thai Chili Dressing

Vegetable Oil

Ingredients for Sweet Thai Chili Dressing:

1 cup of Sweet Chili Sauce

1/2 cup of Rice Vinegar

1/2 cup of Coconut Milk

6 tablespoons of Light Brown Sugar

4 cloves of Garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon of Dried Ginger

3 tablespoons of Peanut Butter

1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce

Juice of 2 Limes

Directions:

First make the sweet thai chili dressing, whisk together all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and place over medium-heat until smooth. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 3-4 minutes. Let cool and place in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. 

Next, wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Poke a few holes in them with a fork and place them in the microwave on high for 2 minutes, turn them over and cook for another minute.

Now, let them cool and pour 2/3 cup of the thai sweet chili dressing in a 9x13 or 8x11 inch pan. 

Next, slice the sweet potatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Place in the pan with the dressing, flip them occasionally while the grill is heating up.

Now, pre-heat your grill. Oil the grates with vegetable oil. Grill the sweet potatoes for 6-8 minutes, flipping them halfway through. 

Serve with the remaining 1/3 cup of sweet thai chili dressing.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,

The Barbee Housewife

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

In order to curb our habits of eating out or ordering in, I try to plan some of our favorite foods to help prevent it from happening. We have pizza about once every two weeks and I love playing around with different toppings. This dinner comes together pretty quickly with the Quick-Rise Pizza Dough. It only takes about an hour to make and rise, while the dough is rising, I made a homemade alfredo sauce. I baked the chicken earlier that day, so it just needed to be sliced, you could also use a rotisserie chicken for this. 

This pizza had quite the kick from the red pepper flakes, so if you aren't a fan of spicy, I would recommend cutting it in half or out completely. We love spicy, so it wasn't a problem for us, I just wanted to give everyone else a fair warning! If you like spinach, broccoli, or grape tomatoes in your fettuccine chicken alfredo, it would be a great addition, just add a little bit! Not everyone I was serving liked all of those ingredients, so I just served a big side salad, where you could pick your own toppings! 

Source: The Food Network, The Neeley's

Ingredients:

1 Chicken Breast, boneless and skinless

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons of Butter

1 clove of Garlic, minced

1 teaspoon of Red Pepper Flakes

1 tablespoon of Flour, plus more for rolling out the dough

1 cup of Heavy Cream

1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 batch of Pizza Dough, homemade or store-bought

1 cup of Mozzarella, grated

Olive Oil, for brushing the crust

Directions:

First, pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the chicken breast with salt and pepper, liberally. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Place your pizza stone in the oven with the chicken baking. When chicken is done, remove from oven and set aside. Leave the stone in the oven.

While your chicken is baking, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds-1 minute. Add the flour and cook for 1 and half minutes, whisk in the cream. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened about 3 minutes. Stir in the parmesan cheese and season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside. 

Now, put some flour on your work space and roll out the dough to a 13 inch diameter. Carefully remove the stone from the oven and place the dough on top of the stone. Ladle the sauce on the dough leaving about 1/2 inch along the edges, top with chicken and mozzarella. Brush the edge of the crust with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Put the pizza stone back in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until crisp and golden.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,

The Barbee Housewife

Blueberry Mojito

Oh, mojitos and mint, which do I love more? I guess it would have to be mint, but I don't think I discovered my love for mint until after I tried a mojito. I spent my 21st birthday at the beach with my mom, aunt, and sister, we always have the best time down there. One of our favorite restaurants is known for there famous mojitos, ever since then, it is our drink of choice for the summer. 

When I saw this version of a mojito, I could not wait to try it. I have so many juicy, plump blueberries from another fabulous aunt's garden and I knew they would be perfect for this drink. This drink is absolutely superb. It has a tartness from the blueberries and a fresh bite from the mint. I loved every single drop. I highly recommend serving it in a mason jar, it is just so fun and the perfect size. This recipe makes enough for two mojitos, feel free to double, triple, quadruple, you know, if you wanted to make a pitcher!

Source: The Novice Chef

Ingredients:

1 cup of fresh Blueberries, plus more for garnish

4 oz. of Clear Rum

10 fresh Mint Leaves

2 teaspoons of Sugar

Juice of 2 Limes

6 oz. of Club Soda

Ice

Lime wedges, for garnish

Directions:

First, fill your glasses with ice and split the club soda into the two.

Next, in your shaker, add the mint leaves, sugar, and blueberries*. Use a muddler (or the end of a wooden spoon) to muddle well. Add the lime juice and rum; shake vigorously. 

Now, pour the drink from the shaker into the glasses, give it a gentle stir. Add more mint leaves, a lime wedge, more blueberries, or whatever you desire to garnish the glass. 

*This is the way I made these and they were perfect. If you are worried about the consistency, place the blueberries in a blender or food processor, then add them to the shaker with the lime juice and rum.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,

The Barbee Housewife

Low Country Boil Kabobs

I was born in Louisiana and lived there for the first part of my life. My dad was raised there and my parents met there, it will always hold a special place in my heart and my stomach. I am a ragin' cajun down to the bone. I think that is where my love for spicy food comes from. My dad can put on the best crawfish boil around, with his dad's famous recipe, and with my mom's help with her amazing french bread and mashed red potatoes that come from the boil. It is maybe one of my favorite meals or parties we have. I have not had any cajun food in quite some time and when I saw this recipe, I knew I would love it.

I was right. This kabobs have everything that I love about a crawfish boil, but in a milli-fraction of the time. My favorite part of these was the corn and Ethan's favorite was the sausage. This was a delicious meal that came together in no time! I served this with fresh sliced tomatoes covered in salt and pepper.
Source: Food Network, Paula Deen

Ingredients:
Skewers
6 Baby Red Potatoes or 3 Red Potatoes, cleaned and cut- divide the babies in half or the others into fourths
Kosher Salt
2 tablespoons of Crab Boil Seasoning, such as Old Bay
1 ear of Corn, shucked and cut into 1 inch rounds
Nonstick Spray
4 tablespoons of Butter
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons of Hot Sauce, Frank's or Louisiana Hot Sauce
1 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
10 large Shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 oz. fully cooked Beef Sausage
Lemon Wedges for serving


Directions:
First, if using wooden skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes prior to grilling.

Now, place the potatoes in a pot of water with a big pinch of kosher salt and 1 tablespoon of the crab boil seasoning. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let sit for 5 minutes, add the corn and let sit for 5-7 more minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain and let cool.

Next, coat your grill grates with nonstick spray and pre-heat your grill to medium-high heat.

Now, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When foaming, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds-1 minute. Stir in hot sauce and vinegar. Remove from the heat and divide in half and set aside.

Thread the skewers with potatoes, corn, sausage, and shrimp alternatively. Brush one half of the butter sauce on the shrimp and grill 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally.

Serve the skewers with lemon wedges and drizzle with the other half of the butter sauce.
Enjoy!

Happy Cooking,
The Barbee Housewife