Creamy Spinach & Chicken Alfredo Sauce

Posted on October 4, 2009 by mrsh

So if you read my previous post, you know I still had this giant baby spinach leaf bag from COSTCO. So I checked my fridge again too see what else I can make with Spinach…

I found my favorite COSTCO pre-grilled Chicken, Milk & Heavy Cream, Linguine Pasta, shredded Pecorino Romano cheese from the brunch, a bag of salad, English Cucumber, Red Onion, Cherry Tomato, a bag of Tuna, OJ… The ingredients are almost identical to the brunch Frittata… but I decided to cook “Creamy Spinach & Chicken Alfredo Sauce with Linguine Pasta and the garden salad with Tuna dressing”

Ingredients
Creamy Spinach & Chicken Alfredo
1. 2 Large Eggs
2. 1 Cup Milk (Any kind of Milk but Soy…)
3. 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
4. 3 Cloves Garlic Chopped

5. COSTCO Pre-Grilled Chicken 1/2 Bag Diced

6. 4 Cups of Baby Leaf Spinach Chopped

7. 1 Cup Shredded Pecorino Romano Cheese

8. 1 Tsp White Pepper (The color of sauce is white so prefer White Pepper for this Recipe)

9 A box of Linguine

10. 2 ~ 3 Tbs Olive Oil

Side Salad
1. A bag of lettuce (Any kind)
2. 1/2 English Cucumber Julienned
3. 8 ~ 10 Cherry Tomato Quartered
4. For the dressing, 1/4 finely chopped red onion

5. 2 Tbs of Tuna

6. 2 ~ 3 Tbs of OJ

7. 1/2 Cup of Olive Oil (extra virgin)

8. 1/4 Balsamic Vinegar

9. Salt & Pepper to taste

Direction
Creamy Spinach & Chicken Alfredo Sauce
1. Cook a box of Linguine per the instruction on the box and set a side. (Al Dente please!)
2. In the medium size pot with the high heat, add about 3 Tbs of Olive Oil, chopped Garlic and sauteed together till Garlic will become fragrant.
3. Add chopped Spinach and diced pre-grilled Chicken to the pot and sauteed together till Spinach become 1/2 of the volume.

4. Meanwhile, in the medium size bowl, add 2 large Eggs, Milk, Heavy Cream, shredded Pecorino Romano cheese, White Pepper and whisk together well and set aside.

5. Lower the stove temp to medium-low, and pour the Egg Cream mixture to the sauteed Spinach and Chicken. Mix well till the egg cream mixture will become the consistency of “Sauce (Coat the spoon)”

6. Add cooked Linguine to the Creamy Spinach Chicken Alfredo sauce and mix well together.

Easy Garden Salad
1. Mix diced Red Onion, Tuna, OJ, Balsamic Vinegar, Salt & Pepper in the small bowl. Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil to this mixture and mix well. There we go, easy dressing!

2. Set the bag of lettuce to the salad bowl, place julienned English Cucumber and Quartered Cherry Tomato on top of the lettuce. Easy Garden Salad!

This Creamy Alfredo Linguine was very rich but tasty dish. You need to do some running after the meal though. Calorie is no joke. But the side Garden Salad makes me feel a little better (You know the vegetables make you feel eating well)

Our desert was a bowl of Ice Cream… No wonder we won’t lose weight lately…

Happy Eating!
Mrs. H

Brunch Frittata

Posted on October 4, 2009 by mrsh

Saturday 10/03, we woke up kind late like 10am, we were not hungry so we just had a cup of coffee… Aroung 11:30am, I was getting hungry and checked the fridge, we still had this giant bag of baby leaf spinach that about to get bad… We had some eggs, seasoned turkey ham, a small red pepper from our garden, some red onion, and a block of Pecorino Romano cheese from COSTCO… so I said myself, let’s make a Frittata!!

Ingredients
1. 3 eggs
2. About 3 Cups of baby leaf spinach

3. 1/4 Red Onion Chopped
4. 1/4 Red Pepper Chopped
5. 1/2 Shredded Pecorino Romano Cheese

6. 1/4 Cup of Milk (Any Milk, we only drink and use Whole Milk)
7. 1/4 Cup of Heavy Cream
8. Seasoned Turkey Ham (Any Lunch Meat can be substituted but we like this Turkey Lunch Meat from COSTCO)

9. Some Salt & Pepper

10. 1 tsp of Garlic Paste
11. 2 Tbs of Olive Oil

For super easy Salad
1. 6 ~ 8 Cherry Tomato Quartered (From our Garden!)
2. 1/2 English Cucumber Sliced

3. Your Favorite Dressing (We used some Greek Yogurt & Italian Dressing Mix Together)

Direction
1. Set the Oven to 350F.
2. In the medium size bowl, add 3 large eggs, 1/4 cup of Milk, 1/4 cup of Heavy Cream, and 1/4 of shredded Pecorino Romano Cheese and mixed together, set aside.

3. In the large non stick skillet, put olive oil and garlic paste in the medium heat, add diced red onion, diced red pepper, and chopped spinach sauteed together until Spinach will become almost 1/2 of the volume…

4. Added diced Seasoned Turkey Ham to the veggie mixture and sauteed together for another 2 ~ 3 minutes.

5. To this sauteed Veggie & Turkey, pour the egg & milk cream & cheese mixture and cook about 3 minutes on the stove top. And added the rest of Shredded Pecorino Romano Cheese on top. And into the oven for 10 ~ 15 minutes.

6. While the egg mixture is in the oven, make quick salad. You can use any of your favorite salad dressing. We used the left over Greek Yogurt & Italian Dressing mix together as dressing.
7. Sliced English Cucumber & quartered Cherry Tomato are added to the dressing, and mixed well. And here we go, easy salad!

8. After 10 ~ 15 minutes, check the Frittata to see the egg mixture was cooked all the way. Change the oven temperature to broiler High. Watch very carefully once you changed the oven temperature to broiler, it’ll colored the top of egg mixture golden brown but cannot be burned…
9. Carefully removed the skillet from the oven and served this frittata while it’s still warm with the easy salad!

This was a perfect brunch for us. It took about 40 minutes from start to finish, including the cleaning cutting board, bowls, and knives (you can do cleaning while the egg mixture is in the oven!) The Pecorino Romano cheese has this distinct tangy taste. If you don’t like this cheese, you can substitute with Mozzarella Cheese probably… You can substitute any of the ingredients and make your own Frittata!

Happy Cooking & Eating! (I still have 1/2 of the baby leaf spinach…)
Mrs. H

H’s Seafood Cake with Creamy Mustard Sauce

Posted on September 23, 2009 by mrsh

I was reading a cooking magazine and I found this beautiful Crab Cake recipe. But Crab meat is expensive, and here in CO, almost impossible to find the good seafood… So I was wondering what can I do to make Crab Cake like meal without Crab meat…

So I was checking my pantry and I saw the cans of Salmon that I bought at COSTCO… almost 6 months ago… I did not know what to do with this cans of Salmon, but now I know EXACTLY what I am going to do with this to make a Crab Cake like meal without Crab meat!

Here is my recipe for the day “H’s Seafood Cake with Creamy Mustard Sauce”

Ingredients
For the Creamy Mustard Sauce
1. 1/3 Cup of Sour Cream
2. 1 Tps of Real Mayo
3. 1 Tbs of Stone Ground Mustard
4. 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
5. About 3 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

For the Seafood Cake
1. 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2. 1.4 cup finely chopped celery
3. 1/4 cup chopped Spinach
4. About 10 ounce peeled and deveined medium shrimp chopped
5. 1 can (6oz) of Pink Salmon
6. 1/3 Cup Grated Fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

7. 2 Large Eggs
8. Panko (Japanese Breadcrumbs)

Instruction

Make Creamy Mustard Sauce

1. Combine sour cream, chopped parsley, stone ground mustard, mayo, ground pepper, and a pinch of salt
2. Mix well and set a side
3. This is the Creamy Mustard Sauce!

Let’s make Seafood Cake

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium to high heat and add 1 to 2 Tbs of Olive oil to the skillet.
2. When the oil looks ready, add chopped red onion, celery, and pinch of salt and cook about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
3. Combine chopped shrimp and a can of pink salmon in a large bowl.

4. Stir in cooked red onion and celery, chopped spinach, grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1/2 Black Pepper, 2 Large Eggs, and 1 Tsp of Dry Rosemary. Stir gently.
5. Add Panko (Japanese Breadcrumbs) to the mixture and stir gently more.
6. Divide the mixture into 6 to 8 portion and flatten to 1/2 inch thick patties.
7. Heat the skillet over medium to high heat. Add 2 Tbs of olive oil to the pan, and once the oil is heated, add patties to the skillet.

8. Cook about 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Carefully tun over and cook another 3 to 5 minuets or until done.
9. Serve with the Creamy Mustard Sauce.

So, I have to say this was one of the most delicious things I tasted that I cooked. The mustard sauce was tangy and just right balance to the seafood cakes shrimp sweetness. Dry Rosemary helped to erase the distinct smell of the can of Pink Salmon and added the fragrance to the seafood cake. Parmigiano-Reggiano created the cheesy crispy crust to the Seafood Cake and added the just right amount of saltiness. You may already noticed, I did not put any salt to the Seafood Cake!

I will try to make this again with fresh Rosemary instead of Dry next time. And maybe added fresh thyme as well. But over all, this dish was a SUCCESS!!

Happy Wednesday~!

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Posted on September 21, 2009 by mrsh

Today is Monday. I came home a little later than usual 6:30pm. It is cold outside with rain and wind… What will be a perfect dinner for day like this… oh and has to be quick, because my husband is still hungry…

So here is what I made for tonight’s dinner…

Ingredients

1. Chopped Celery (3 ~ 4 sticks)
2. 1/4 Medium Size Finley Chopped Onion
3. Half bag of the Grilled Chicken Strips by COSTCO (Great Time Saver and taste great!!)

COSTCO Grilled Chicken Strips

4. 1/2 Cup of Mayo
5. 1 tsp of Salt
6. 1 tsp of While Pepper
7. 2 Slices of Pepper Jack Cheese by Sargento

Sargent Pepper Jack Cheese

8. 2 Slices of Honey Wheat Bread by Great Harvest Bread Company

Great Harvest Bread Company

Instruction for 2 Sandwich

1. Chop Celery finley
2. Chop Onion finley
3. Chop Grilled Chicken Roughly
4. Mix 1, 2, and 3 in a bowl with Mayo, Salt, and White Pepper
5. Put mixture of 4 on the Honey Wheat Bread slice, and put a slice of cheese a top of the mixture
6. Put 5 in a toaster and toast until the cheese will melt and cover the Chicken Salad on the slice of bread

Let me tell you, COSTCO Grilled Chicken Strip is such a time saver. Especially like today, I certainly do not want to start chopping a piece of raw chicken on the cutting board after 6:30pm… I usually have this Grilled Chicken in my fridge and freezer as the back up plan for my dinner.

Zach likes Sargento’s Pepper Jack Cheese. It is spicy and tangy at the same time. I have to say, the Pepper Jack Cheese was not the perfect cheese for my Chicken Salad Sandwich. I’ll try Swiss or Provolone on my Chicken Salad Sandwich next time.

I will highly recommend to go get your bread at Great Harvest Bread Company. This is a franchise bread company through out the Nation. There is one store few blocks from our house. Every two weeks, we go there to get Wheat Bread and other treats! This time, we tried their Honey Wheat Bread and it is hardy and delicious! I enjoy the texture of their bread and much lower calories.

I don’t have a final sandwich picture because we both ate them right away and forgot to take a picture…
I need to train myself to take a picture of food before eating from now on…

Happy Monday Everyone!

H’s Beef Stew

Posted on September 20, 2009 by mrsh

Tonight, I am testing my new Recipe “H’s Beef Stew”.
Why “H”? Well, because it’s my Recipe. There is many tweaking I did from my usual Beef Stew. Hope that this will work…

Ingredients:

1.   2 Tsp Olive Oil (extra virgin for me)
2. 13 ~ 15 Minced Garlic (Yes, this is a MUST)
3. 2lb Beef Stew Beef (Got it from COSTCO, pre-cut for about 2-inch cube)
4. 1 Tsp Slat & Pepper (Prefer freshly ground black pepper)
5.   About 1 Cup of Port Wine
6.   About 2 Cups of Chopped Carrot (2 Medium Carrot)
7. About 1 Cups of Chopped Celery
8. About 1 1/2 Cups of Chopped Onion (1.5 Medium Onion)
9. 1/2 Beef Broth/Stock (Store bought, if you prefer, use less sodium)
10. 1 Tbs Tomato Paste (I like the one in the tube)
11. 1 Tbs Worcester Sauce
12. 1 tsp Dry Rose Mary
13. 1 tsp Dry Thyme
14. 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced Tomatos
15. 2 Dry Bay Leaf
16. 4 Cups of Uncooked Egg Noodle (If you like other starch, change this to rice, pasta, or etc)

Direction:

1. Preheat the Oven to 300F
2. Heat oil (low heat) in a medium size Dutch Oven (I used Le Creuset Dutch Oven)
3. Add Minced Garlic, cook until garlic is fregrant. Remove garlic from the Dutch Oven, and set a side.

4. Heat the Dutch Oven to Medium Heat, add beef to the pan with salt & pepper. Cook about 5 ~ 7 minuets, browning well on every side of the meat. After that, remove the meat from the pan.
5. Add Carrots, Celery, and Onion to the pan, cook about 5 minuets, and remove from the pan.
6. Add wine to the pan to loosen brown bits by scraping with the wooden spoon. Add garlic, beef, and vegetables (Carrots, Celery, and Onion) back to the pan, and add 1 Tbs of Tomato Paste, 1 Tbs Worcester Sauce, 1 tsp of Dry Rosemary, 1 tsp of Dry Thyme, 1 can dices Tomato, and mix all ingredients well. Add 2 Dry Bay Leaf.

7. Cover the dutch oven and bake at 300F for 2 & 1/2 hours or until beef becomes tender.
8. Before serving, make sure to discard the Bay Leaf.
9. Serve over the Cooked Egg Noodle. (Or whatever the starch you like)

So here is the stew right after coming out from the oven…

The stew tasted good, but I think I prefer the Rice over the Egg Noodle. I will try different kind of wine, and adding mushroom to the beef stew. But over all, this was successful recipe

Zach is still hungry

everything one man can eat, and then write about

Category Archives: Recipes

Creamy Spinach & Chicken Alfredo Sauce

Brunch Frittata

H’s Seafood Cake with Creamy Mustard Sauce

Chicken Salad Sandwich

H’s Beef Stew