Flavored Pumpkin Seeds

Last year, Dan, Mark, and Adrienne decided to carve pumpkins at our house in San Diego. Since they had TONS of seeds leftover, I decided to make seeds. This year, I wanted to recreate the seeds I made from last year, and make new ones!

My friend Lindsay and I decided to go to the pumpkin patch and buy HUGE pumpkins. Then, we de-seeded them. After cleaning the pumpkin, we washed the seeds to rid them of any goop.

Then, the real fun began. We raided her spice cabinet to come up with flavor profiles. We decided to do some sweet, some spicy, and some savory. We seperated all our seeds into four bowls, and flavored them from there.

I wanted to re-create my seeds from last year, so I added garlic powder, onion powder, olive oil, and salt and pepper. I made sure that they stayed in the oven long enough so they were extra crunchy.

Then, we started on the other flavors. For the next batch, we added cinnamon, sugar, and apple pie spice to the bowl. We baked these until the sugar caramelized on the seeds.

After, we decided to go spicy! We added cayenne pepper and salt to the next batch and baked them. These were super spicy!

Lindsay and I weren't sure of what to do with the last bowl. Then, she had the genius idea of adding Parmesan cheese to the seeds! The salty-ness and cheesy-ness of the parmesan was the perfect compliment to the savory flavor of the seeds!



All of these seeds were SO ADDICTING! I couldn't stop eating them! YUM!!!

Skillet Steak Dinner

This week, I decided to experiment with steaks on my cast iron skillet. I wanted to make steakhouse-like steaks at home. I knew the perfect sides would be lemon-rosemary potatoes and steamed broccoli and cauliflower. 

I started by slicing the potatoes into thin pieces. I coated them with lemon juice, olive oil, and dried rosemary. Then, I placed them in a single layer, and baked them until golden brown in a 375 degree oven. I think these potatoes have become my new favorite way to make potatoes.

Then, I sliced the broccoli and cauliflower, placed them in the microwave with some water, and steamed. Simple and fast!

Then, I started on the steaks. First, I seasoned the steaks with salt, pepper, olive oil, and soy sauce. I heated my skillet and browned the steaks on both sides. Once browned, I placed them in the oven to finish cooking to everyone's liking.

After the steaks were finished, I used the juice in the pan to make a onion and mushroom topping. I started by heating the juices and adding the onions. Once browned, I tossed in the sliced mushrooms. Then, I de-glazed the pan with merlot. I let the sauce reduce down.

Overall, this meal was a success. Can't wait to try different toppings with steaks!

YUM!!

Broccoli and Cauliflower Quiche

For the Texas v. Oklahoma game, Greg suggested that I make a quiche. Adrienne and I made mini quiches last year, but I've never made a full-sized quiche. I started by purchasing a pre-made pie crust from Trader Joes and put it in my new le creuset skillet. (My pie pan is stored away so I decided to improvise).

Then, I steamed pieces of broccoli and cauliflower, and I sauteed onions. I spread these ingredients all over the pie crust. Then, I beat a dozen eggs, added milk, and then stirred in shredded cheddar cheese. I poured this mixture over the pie crust covered with the veggies.


Then, I baked at 375 for 45 minutes. It was at this point that I realized I forgot to bake the pie crust before adding the filling. Luckily the crust still turned out golden brown. I think my cast iron pan helped cook the crust while cooking the filling. I also realized that I forgot to add salt and pepper, so I quickly sprinkled it over the quiche as it was baking.  Even though some mistakes were made, it was delicious!  This quiche was super simple, and super delicious! YUM!!!

40 Clove Garlic Chicken

Even before purchasing my french oven, I saw Ina Garten make 40 Clove Garlic Chicken on her show. I've wanted to make it for a few years now. Last week, I saw the perfect opportunity! Instead of Ina's recipe, I decided to use Nigella Lawson's because it seemed a bit lighter.

I went to Trader Joe's and bought scallions, thyme, four heads of garlic, vermouth, par-baked bread, green beans, mushrooms, and a chicken that was already cut up. I started by browning the chicken in my french oven. Then, I removed the chicken,  and added the thyme and green onions to the oil in the oven. Then, I threw in half of the cloves of garlic, then added the chicken back in, and then topped with more garlic and thyme.  Then, I seasoned with salt and pepper. Then, I put the lid on, and the baked the french oven in a 350 degree oven for 1.5 hours.

While the chicken was cooking, I cleaned and cut the green beans and mushrooms.  I chose to cut the green beans and  mushrooms in half and to saute them together. The last time I made this side, I didn't boil the green beans first, so some came out really soggy and some were undercooked. I made sure to boil them so they were all even.

While the green beans were boiling, I cooked the mushrooms with olive oil.  I only let the green beans boil for a few minutes because I wanted them to stay crisp. After they were done boiling, I added the green beans to the browned mushrooms.

After the chicken was finished, I put the par-baked bread in the oven to crisp up. After 8 minutes,  I pulled the bread out, sliced it, and then plated the food. I made sure to scoop extra sauce on top of the chicken so that you could dip your bread in the sauce. When I put the chicken into the oven, there was only a bit of olive oil and two tablespoons of vermouth in the pan. When I pulled it out, all the juices had accumulated in the bottom of the pan. I couldn't believe how much sauce there was! YUM!

I had one happy Scott at the end of the meal.

Chicken Enchiladas

Last week, I made chicken enchiladas. I bought a rotisserie chicken from costco and shredded the chicken. I bought enchilada sauce, tortillas, cheese, canned tomatoes and beans from Trader Joe's. I forgot to take pictures until after we ate, so I apologize for the pictures of almost empty dishes.

I started the meal by making rice. I used 2 cups on long grain rice, toasted it, and then added canned tomatoes,  chicken broth, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili powder. I let it come to a boil, then covered it. It simmered for 20 minutes.

Then, I started on the beans. I heated a pan, sauteed garlic and jalapeno peppers in olive oil. Then, I drained two cans of beans and added them to the pan. Finally, I added two cans of chicken broth. It all reduced down and made super creamy beans!

Finally, I covered the pan and tortillas with enchilada sauce, and rolled them with the shredded chicken. Then, I topped the dish filled with enchiladas with cheese and olives. They went in the oven, and almost immediately into my belly.

Can you tell I was hungry when I made this meal?

Tortilla Soup

So Lindsay, Scott and I went to Solvang this past weekend. We got a rotisserie chicken, and I shredded the chicken to make two things. One was chicken enchiladas (which will be in future post), and the other was chicken salad. With the leftover bones, I made chicken stock. Then, I used that stock to make chicken tortilla soup! YUM!

For the soup, I sauteed celery, onions, and carrots. Then, I added the chicken broth. After, I added chicken, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, and pepper. The result was a hearty and healthy soup! Perfect for a chilly day.

Everything Chicken!

Last week, I was able to make my everything chicken. This is one of my favorite dishes. I love it because it's so easy and versatile. I've made it on the grill and in the oven, and it tastes great both ways! I start with chicken wings (but any part of the chicken will work). Then, I season it with chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Then, I drizzle the pieces with olive oil so they can crisp up when they cook!

For some variety, I tried my seasoning on pork chops. Then, I put those on the grill too. For a starch, we got the trader joe's garlic and herb pizza dough . We threw that on the grill to create bread! YUM!

Chicken Before

Pork Before 

Chicken after

Pizza Dough Bread