Super Suppers

I just had the most quixotic encounter with the wacky chef at lakewood's super suppers. I had no idea this place even existed until we got a free coupon in the mail :) so I stopped by after work and picked up a fabulous King Ranch Chicken dish that's bubbling in my oven as I blog this - yay. Check it out - they're a national concept, so chances are there's one near you, too :)

Grapefuit Greatness

I don't know why, but I've been craving grapefruit every day for the last couple of weeks. I did a little reading online to make sure 1 to 2 a day is okay (it's actually not okay for people taking cholesterol-lowering drugs), but for me, it's all good and I love 'em - so juicy, crisp & refreshingly tart.

Women's Day has this to say about grapefruit:

"Whether sliced in half and sweetened with a sprinkle of sugar, squeezed for fresh juice or tossed in a salad, grapefruits are no ordinary citrus. Packed with nutrients including vitamin C, folic acid and potassium, grapefruit also contains naringin, a compound which accounts for the fruit’s characteristic bitter flavor and which is often used to assist in weight loss. Additionally, pink grapefruit is relatively rich in antioxidants, while ruby-red grapefruit also contains lycopene, the phytochemical that helps reduce artery damage. So what are you waiting for? Here are a few recipes that should make it easy to mix this nutritious winter fruit into your daily diet, from a delicious Shrimp Avocado and Grapefruit Salad to the sweet Blushing Grapefruit Cupcakes."

Here are some great grapefruit recipes:

• Ginger-Grapefruit Granita

• Shrimp, Avocado & Grapefruit Salad
  
  
• Blushing Grapefruit Cupcakes

• Pink Grapefruit Spritzers

• Grapefruit Salad with Citrus Dressing

• Jicama-Grapefruit Salad
  
  
• Chicken with Ruby Grapefruit and Cranberry Salsa
  
  
• Three Citrus Granitas
  
  
• Green Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Thanks Tonny, for bringing us Texas Ruby Reds from the Valley!

40 Clove Chicken & Sauteed Spaghetti Squash

Here's a yummy version of 40 Clove Chicken from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, and Herbed Spaghetti Squash with garlic, grape tomatoes & parmesean. We're 2 weeks away from our new house & kitchen, so more to come once we unpack. :)

Texas Caviar

Oh, Our Merry Mousse has been a sad little site since Jen & I created it last May! For starters, right after we started this online recipe collection, Troy & I moved back to Dallas after 2 years in Philly, and spent the majority of the summer traveling and enjoying other people's recipes, not our own :) AND, we've been living with my sweet parents since then while we rehab our new home, so all of our culinary gadgets, pots, pans, dishes, my very-much-missed-knives, and cookbooks have been in storage in New Jersey. Jen and her wonderful husband Hans moved to San Francisco in May, traveled, and planned an amazing wedding, and so I am hopeful 2009 will get us both back in the kitchen cooking again!

In the meantime, here's a simple Texas Caviar dish I kinda made up as I went for a game night with friends on New Year's. One must eat their black eyed peas for good luck on New Year's, right? :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cans rinsed & drained black eyed peas
• red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers diced
• 1/2 red onion diced
  
• 1/2 jar chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 6 pieces of crispy bacon crumbled
• 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese
• 2 Ts chopped cilantro
• 2 Ts chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 Ts balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Squeeze of lime
  
• Salt, pepper, garlic salt and red pepper flakes to taste

Preparation:

Dice/Chop all veggies. Prepare bacon and crumble. Fold veggies, bacon, and feta together. Whisk balsamic, olive oil and salt/pepper/red pepper flakes & garlic salt (to taste), and a squeeze of lime together and dress the salad. Serve with tortilla chips.

Roasted Butternut Squash

This post is way overdue - I made Michael Chiarello's Roasted Butternut Squash puree with a rosemary & sage brown butter for Thanksgiving (molasses & balsamic made it tangy).

Check out the video instruction & see what you think. We enjoyed these as a "sweet potato" substitute, but I'm a little slow to recommend changing traditional Thanksgiving tastes when people expect certain nostalgic flavors ("where are the marshmellows?") *try it and decide for yourself :)

Steak & Papas Fritas Salad

This salad came together while we were watching a Texas football game - Troy was making margaritas and so I thought a steak & papas fritas salad might be nice. We love grilling onions & peppers and I diced & seasoned potatoes and added them to the grill to get them crispy, as well. Any addition/deletion of veggies (mushrooms?) would be great... I recommend crumbling queso fresco atop, as well. *I didn't have any cilantro, but perhaps that would have been nice with a squeeze of fresh lime :)

Ingredients:

• Marinated, grilled & thinly sliced steak
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 small diced potato
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 4 ribs biased cut celery
  
• 1 cup queso fresco
• 5 cups mixed greens
• olive oil, fresh lime juice, balsamic, etc, or any vinaigrette of your choice
• kosher salt and fresh pepper
  

Preparation:

Marinate and prepare your steak as you wish - I use steak seasoning, balsamic vinegar and olive oil and grill the steaks to medium. (For fabulous steak preparation advice, see Jen's post.) Slice onion into thin crescent shapes and toss with diced potatoes, olive oil and steak seasoning. Grill veggies. Dice tomato, cut broccoli & celery. Toss veggies with mixed greens and queso fresco or feta cheese. (*Broccoli & celery happen to be what I had on hand, and I like to get as many veggies into us as possible, even if they don't always "go"... you can add or omit as you wish.) Add in warm grilled onions, diced crispy potatoes and toss. The flavors from the grilled onions and potatoes create enough of a "dressing" for the salad, but feel free to enhance with a squeeze of fresh lime juice or olive oil, or whatever vinaigrette you prefer.... Serve with grilled steak and a margarita!

Parmesan Pecan Encrusted Trout with Grilled Veggies & Sauteed Spinach

We love trout and this easy parmesan pecan encrusted version was really enjoyable with grilled zuchini, peppers, onions and sauteed spinach.

Ingredients:

• 4 trout fillets
• 1 cup lightly toasted pecans, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary leaves
• butter to dot the trout

• 3 zucchini
• 1/2 orange bell pepper
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
  
• 1 red onion
  
• 6 cups fresh spinach
• 1 clove minced garlic
• extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Heat oven to 375. Heat grill pan to medium high. Cut the zucchini, onion, and peppers in large chunks and toss in extra virgin olive oil, garlic salt and fresh pepper; set aside in a bowl. Mix pecans, bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, rosemary, salt & pepper in a shallow dish. Gently bread the trout filets in the bread mixture, pressing into the trout. On a foil-lined baking sheet, lay the trout skin side down and dot with butter. Begin grilling the veggies on the grill pan, allowing them to caramelize and get good color before tossing. Bake the trout at 375 for ~9 minutes or until flesh is white and flaky. While trout is the oven, saute garlic and spinach. Serve trout with veggies and spinach and enjoy.

Rustic Pasta

Wow it's been a long time since we've posted any recipes! Life is busy, but we all have to eat, right? Here's a quick rustic pasta dish we enjoyed recently, and the ingredients list below is very flexible, so use what you have :)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of linguini
  
• ~2 pints of grape tomatoes
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 sweet yellow onion
• 1 cup diced pancetta
  
• 6 cups fresh spinach
• 2 cups white wine
• extra virgin olive oil
  
• red pepper flakes
  
• kosher salt
  

Preparation:

Boil water for pasta; once boiling, salt well to season. In a saute pan, saute pancetta, diced yellow onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes to taste in a 1 Tbl extra virgin olive oil until onion is soft, being careful not to burn the garlic. Toss in diced grape tomatoes and cook for a couple minutes. Season with kosher salt. Add white wine and simmer. Cook pasta and once it's al dente, add pasta to the tomato sauce. Wilt in spinach and toss well. Serve with rustic bread and/or shaved parmesan.

Markee's Cream Cheese Cookies

My dear friend Markee passed along her cream cheese cookie dough recipe and I tried it recently with cinnamon, pecans & raisins. Markee's cookie dough recipe is simple & delicious, and she recommends adding various ingredients based on the season.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup real butter, room temp
• 1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temp
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 pinch of salt (*added by me)
• splash of vanilla (*added by me)
  
• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups of whatever suits you! (cinnamon, raisins & pecans pictured above)
  

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325. Cream butter and cream cheese. Add a pinch of salt. Add the sugar and beat for at least 3 minutes (that is key). Stir in flour by hand. Add 2 cups of "whatever" (for example, white chocolate chips, cranberries and macadamia nuts). Drop by teaspoons onto cookie sheet and bake for 15 min. Cool on wire racks.

Markee's suggestions:

For Fall: add cinnamon, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup pecans
For Christmas: add 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, 1/2 cup cranberries, 1 cup white choc. chips

For Summer: add lemon juice & lemon zest to the batter (not 2 cups of anything exactly) just some lemon juice and zest to taste. Then, drizzle with powdered sugar and lemon juice mixture.

*I just made these a second time with chopped up kitkats (1 cup, about 6 packages of mini-halloween sized) and 1 cup of milk chocolate chips... really yummy!

Hatch Chile Everything!

it's central market's hatch chile festival again! i look forward to this every summer, and this year we've enjoyed green chile everything! troy brought home some green chile salsa and a hatch pepper apple pie! the green chile apple pie was awesome - the chiles' heat was such a nice compliment with warm baked apples, cinnamon and bluebell vanilla ice cream... we love texas-based central market... they even have chocolate hatch pepper gelato right now, check it out :)

Basil & Mint Pesto Pasta

We love pesto in our house! Here's a quick and easy basil & mint pesto recipe i like to serve with spinach pasta or sautéed shrimp. I clipped the mint & basil from my pot on the back porch, nice to have for summer... we enjoyed the pesto over pasta with grilled steaks & a Wente Cabernet.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup fresh basil
• 3/4 cup fresh mint
• 1/3 cup pine nuts toasted
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
  

Preparation:

Boil water for spinach pasta. (I use fresh spinach pasta from the refrigerated section at the grocery store.) Salt pasta water & cook for a couple of minutes until al dente. In a food processor, pulse garlic, basil, mint and toasted pine nuts until fine. Slowly pulse in extra virgin olive oil until a paste-like consistency. Spoon mixture into bottom of a large bowl and gently fold in cheese. Salt & pepper to taste. Place hot pasta atop pesto mixture and gently toss, adding pasta water as necessary. *Sauté shrimp and toss in pesto for an alternative with protein.

Brown & White Walnut Bars

This bar cookie is similar to my dear friend Markee's - (*Her yummy recipe is with my coobooks in storage, so I concocted this one!) The idea is easy and I find it's nice to have quick bar cookie ideas on hand, plus it can be adapted several ways depending on what kind of goodies you happen to have; vary the toppings with coconut, toffee, peanut butter chips, slivered almonds, pecans, you name it.

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup walnuts

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325. In a mixer, combine cake mix, brown sugar, eggs, and softened butter. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish and spread batter to edges of dish, about 1" thick. Sprinkle walnuts, milk and white chocolate chips and gently press into batter. Bake at 325 (convection if possible) for ~30 minutes. *The mixture may still look a little soft in the middle, but go ahead and pull it out and allow it to cool completely. You want the bar cookies chewy, and they'll continue to firm up even after you pull them out of the oven. Cool & cut.

Cheddar Corn Dip

I came up with this cheddar corn dip while chatting with mom in the kitchen today. I think my Aunt Rosie was the genesis a couple years ago when she told me about a "cheddar dip" of sorts... With cheese, corn, green chilies, olives, cumin, cilantro & sour cream - how can you go wrong? :) I'm sure you could add or subtract veggies to your liking, but it's delicious as-is and works great with tortilla chips, crackers, or spread on toast points.

Ingredients:

• 2 large cans of corn
• 4 cups shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese
• 3 stalks celery, small dice
• 1 large jar of pimentos
• 1 small can of chopped green chilies
• ~20 black olives, small dice
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cracked pepper
• fresh cilantro to taste and garnish (about 2 Tbs, chopped)
• *1/2 cup crumbled bacon could be nice!
  

Preparation:

Mix it all together!

Avocado, Tomato & Feta Salad

It's fun to eat fresh veggies! And just about any combination of additional veggies would improve this simple recipe. As is, this quick summer salad is well-balanced with vitamins & nutrients, and essential fats. Creamy avocado satisfies a hungry tummy & makes for a wonderful rich dressing.

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe haas avocado, large dice
  
• 1 cup sliced grape tomatoes
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 cup small diced, gently blanched broccoli
• 4 oz. cubed feta cheese
  
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• juice of 1 lemon or lime
• *could also add black beans, fresh corn, sliced okra, red bell pepper, etc
  

Preparation:

Combine veggies in a bowl. in a smaller bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon/lime juice, salt & pepper to create a vinaigrette. Drizzle over veggies and gently toss so as not to break up the avocado too much. Gently toss in feta & enjoy! We also like this with cool cottage cheese.

Summer Chop Salad

Troy & I eat some version of a chop salad almost every day in the summer time (also coined my seattle salad from our summer in seattle last year). The idea is to combine fresh veggies, chicken, beans, feta, whatever's on hand, with a light lemony or really any kind of vinaigrette for a quick & savory salad, nice for lunch. Adaptations & variations are welcome :) This one came about after we grilled lemon Dijon chicken.

Ingredients:

• 1 grilled lemon dijon chicken breast, diced finely
  
• 4 red romaine lettuce leaves, chopped finely
  
• 1 cup of garbanzo beans
• 1/2 diced red onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced cucumber
  
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (roast red pepper works, too)
• 1/2 cup diced grape tomatoes
• 4 oz cubed feta cheese
  
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
• 1 minced clove of garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• *anything else you want to thrown in; would be nice with grilled focaccia bread!
  

Preparation:

This ones super easy - I simply combine the veggies/protein, etc in a bowl, then combine the vinaigrette in a smaller bowl and whisk with a fork until emulsified. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the chicken/veggies, etc. Sprinkle in the feta, lightly toss & enjoy with grilled focaccia bread.

Grilled Lemon Dijon Chicken

This chicken turned out nicely - tender & juicy, very flavorful, a true winner in our house. And what's even better, I used a leftover chicken breast the next day for my summer chop salad (recipe to come).

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs of Dijon mustard
• 2 Tbs of chopped red bell pepper
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the grill to medium. Combine the marinade ingredients and reserve 1/4 cup for basting. Marinate the chicken in the remaining marinade for 20 minutes. Place chicken breasts on the grill for 5 mins, baste with marinade and grill for ~3 more mins. Turn the chicken over and grill for 3 more mins, baste with extra marinade. Chicken is done when juices run clear or an internal thermometer reads 170 degrees. Save the leftovers for my summer chop salad :)

Mom's Whipped Chocolate Cream Cake

This cake is amazing - that's a big word for a cake, but seriously, it's super easy and the most moist & delicious chocolate cake recipe I've found to date. Try it out if you're a fan of chocolate & whipping cream :)

Ingredients:

• 1 moist chocolate cake mix
• 1 pint whipping cream (full fat)
• 1 cup of milk (full fat)
• 1 box of instant chocolate pudding

Preparation:

Preheat the oven and prepare the chocolate cake according to the cake mix's directions (*you'll likely need eggs, oil & water in addition to the ingredients above.) Pour the cake batter into 3 equally divided cake pans and bake for ~17 mins or until done. Allow the cakes to cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile, whip the cream, milk and pudding mix to soft peaks/whipped cream state. Ice the cakes & refrigerate. Serve chilled! This is a cream cake, so keep the leftovers in the fridge... the cake layers soak up the cream and get better & better :)

Roasted Summer Corn

We've loved being back in Texas with a patio & grill for dinner outside! We find ourselves grilling almost every night of the week. This corn is super easy and you just about can't get it wrong, no matter the variation... here's the idea:

Ingredients:

• long fresh ears of corn still in their husks
• extra virgin olive oil
• maple bbq rub (or any dried seasoning of your liking: garlic salt, chili pepper, red pepper flakes, steak seasoning, etc)
• fresh cracked pepper & kosher salt
• fresh lime

Preparation:

Heat an outside covered grill to medium (the temp I use to cook my bbq chicken, so it works for the corn, too). Peel back the corn husks and remove the corn silk. Rub olive oil on the corn and season liberally. Wrap the husks back around the corn and wrap in foil. Roast on the grill for ~5 mins turning once. *The corn effectively steams itself and doesn't need much time on the heat. To serve, peel back the husks, roll in butter & squeeze with lime. Enjoy!

Stephanie Inn Baked Halibut (also works with Salmon, swordfish or cod)

Enjoyed and learned at the Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach, OR, 6/7/2008.

Ingredients:

• canola oil
• halibut
• kosher salt & pepper
• lemon juice
• white wine

Preparation:

Heat canola oil in a “hot hot pan”, adding kosher salt and pepper.

Sear the side of the Halibut from which the skin was removed for a couple minutes.(sear one side and one side only)

With a spatula, lift the halibut (with seared side up) onto a lipped cookie sheet (or boat) containing a mixture of lemon juice, water and white wine. The mixture should be a depth of about 25% of the height of the fish.

Bake/poach in a convection oven at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes.

Grilled Turkey & Pickles

Grilled sandwiches are my favorite - nothing fancy, but so satisfying. I love the crunchy texture of the bread, the sweet caramelization that happens when you grill it good & hot. This sandwich is fast & easy and can be changed up a thousand different ways... I love it with scrambled eggs, peppers & creamy boursin, as well.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices whole wheat grainy bread, focaccia or other
  
• sliced turkey, rotisserie chicken, roast beef or any deli meat
• sliced smoked cheddar & provolone
  
• spinach leaves or a leafy green
• sliced tomatoes or roasted red pepper
  
• thinly sliced red onion
  
• mayonnaise or mustard to taste
• garlic salt, salt & pepper

Preparation:

Heat the grill pan or panini press to medium high and grill the sliced meat to warm up and caramelize. Assemble sandwich to liking and grill (and/or press & weight if using a grill pan) til toasty to your liking! *of course, a smidge of butter makes the bread toast up even better.