Tag: Chives

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

 This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayWithChobani #CollectiveBias

I come from an Irish family, so mashed potatoes are a very important part of every large family meal. If it was socially acceptable, I’d fill my plate just with mashed potatoes and gravy at holiday meals.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are quite a staple in my life, so I now find myself to be a bit of a mashed potato connoisseur. I like mine super creamy, but don’t necessarily want them loaded with butter to achieve that creaminess.

I personally like to add in Chobani® Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt. Not only does it deliver the creaminess I am looking for, but it is high in protein (44% of your daily value to be exact) and is low in fat. The yogurt contains no artificial flavors or sweeteners and is only made with natural ingredients that are not genetically modified.

Chobani® Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt is a simple and tasty substitute for any recipes that use sour cream, mayonnaise, or oil, making it a super versatile product. I almost always have a quart in my fridge for smoothies, baking, and creamy dressings.

This recipe is definitely a favorite of mine. It uses minimal ingredients and is really simple to make! You can also snazz it up however you’d like! I picked up all of my ingredients at Walmart; you can find Chobani with the other yogurts in the Dairy section.

 

Ingredients: makes 4 servings. multiply as needed

Main Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup Chobani® Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt
  • 1/3 cup milk (I used 1%)

Additional Ingredients:

  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Horseradish cheddar cheese, for garnish
  • 1/4 cup chives, finely chopped, for garnish

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Beer and Cheddar Soup with Grilled Polska Kielbasa

Messaging below is intended for ages 21+ and is intended to be enjoyed responsibly, in moderation. This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #OktoberOnTheFarm #CollectiveBias

I’m celebrating Oktoberfest a bit late on my blog, but the weather has just starting feeling fall-like this week! Oktoberfest is a 16-day festival held in Munich, Germany at the end of September/beginning of October that is famously known for its beer drinking and accompanying eats.

 

When I think of Oktoberfest, I immediately imagine beer, pretzels, and yummy wursts (or sausages). One of my favorite sausages (although it’s not German) is Kielbasa, especially when grilled.

 

 

Hillshire Farm® Polska Kielbasa is made with beef, pork, and turkey with a blend of natural spices to really bring the flavor. I wanted to play off of the smoky flavor as well as pay tribute to Oktoberfest with a Beer and Cheddar Soup to pair with the Grilled Polska Kielbasa. I found Hillshire Farm Polska Kielbasa in my local Walmart.

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
  • 12 oz Oktoberfest beer
  • 1 1/2 cups half and half
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon smoked hot sauce (can also use liquid smoke)
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • 12 oz extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 Hillshire Farm® Polska Kielbasa
  • the juice of 1 lemon, optional
  • olive oil for drizzling, optional
  • chives, finely chopped, for garnish

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Spinach-Chive Potato Bites with Kerrygold Cheese and Butter

You can always find the signature gold wrapping with green logo in my fridge. Kerrygold is my go-to butter brand for when butter quality is key. My favorite way to use it though is just on a slice of toasted Rosemary Olive Oil Bread, yum!

The Kerrygold brand is a line of all-natural, grass-fed cheeses and butters crafted at dairy farms throughout Ireland. The hormone-free cheese and butters are available around the world but still come from milk supplied from independent dairy farmers within the Emerald Isle. My relatives in Ireland actually own some dairy farms so this concept is pretty close to my heart.

Needless to say, I was so excited to make a recipe using both Kerrygold Butter and Cheese. Through Cooking Light Bloggers’ Connection, I was sent coupons to buy and use some yummy Kerrygold products. I decided to adapt a recipe from the Kerrygold website.

Ingredients:

Potatoes:

  • 15 small yellow, white or red potatoes (about 2 pounds)
  • 1/2 package (3.5 ounces) Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese, shredded, divided
  • 2 tablespoons Kerrygold Garlic and Herb Butter
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Filling:

  • 1 tablespoon Kerrygold Garlic and Herb Butter
  • 1 cup spinach leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped

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Bacon, Tomato, and Arugula (BLT) Pizza

I haven’t made a pizza recipe on here in a while (since October! Wow!) so it’s about time I rectified that! I honestly would not have typically chosen this recipe from my latest Cooking Light magazine, but my boyfriend spotted it on the cover and put in a special request. He typically eats whatever I decide to make without complaint, so I figured I could make something out of my typical repertoire just this once 🙂

This BLT Pizza is pretty self explanatory: pizza with bacon, “lettuce” (arugula), roasted tomatoes, and even a mayo base. It does take some time to make though (~1 hour) so either plan accordingly on a weeknight or save this recipe for a weekend!

This is also the first time I used a pizza stone (very exciting, I know). I’ve apparently had this little guy for a while but completely forgot about it! If you don’t have a pizza stone, just use a large cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ripe tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated
  • 4 center-cut bacon slices, cut in half
  • 10 ounce fresh pizza dough
  • 1 tablespoon cornmeal (if needed)
  • 2 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup baby arugula

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Open-Faced Salmon and Avocado BLTs

Salmon, avocado, and bacon… what’s not to love? This recipe is perfect for nights that you just need to whip something up quickly with little effort. Although I will warn you, it’s not exactly an easy meal to eat. It can get quite messy because it is open-faced!

 

Ingredients:

  • 4 (1-ounce) slices diagonally cut ciabatta or rustic Italian bread
  • 4 center-cut bacon slices
  • 4 (4-ounce) sustainable salmon fillets, skinned (about 3/4 inch thick)
  • 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives, divided
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 4 Bibb (Boston, butterhead) lettuce leaves
  • 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices tomato, halved
  • 1/2 peeled ripe avocado, cut into 8 slices
  • 4 lemon wedges

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Pappardelle Pasta with Snap Peas

 

Last Sunday, my boyfriend ran in the ODDyssey Half Marathon. So the Friday before, I wanted to make a pasta dish for him to “carb load,” but I didn’t want to give him our normal protein-heavy meat sauce.

 

 

This recipe from Food Network was a perfect choice! It uses fresh veggies and herbs to deliver the flavor instead of meat and tomatoes.

 

 

Ingredients:

  • Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 bunch scallions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup of chopped scallions)
  • 1/2 pound sugar snap peas, roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
  • 1 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 bunch fresh chives, thinly sliced (about 3 tablespoons)
  • 1/2 pound dry pappardelle pasta
  • 3/4 cup crumbled ricotta salata
  • ground pepper, to taste

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Spice Roasted Salmon

So sorry for the lack of posts! I just moved and finally dug out my pots and pans, spices, and pantry items and am ready to get cooking again! Because unpacking is still taking up most of my nights, expect a few quick recipe posts in the coming days. I thought I’d get started with my favorite meal: salmon! This recipe for Spice Roasted Salmon takes just fifteen minutes!

This recipe from Cooking Light is so simple but packs a ton of flavor. The salmon is sprinkled with garam masala, a spice mixture commonly used in Indian cooking. The ingredients can vary, but typically include ground pepper, cumin, cloves, and cardamom. There is a slight heat to garam masala, so the salmon is topped off with a cooling yogurt mixture.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 4 (6-ounce) sustainable salmon fillets
  • 3/4 teaspoon garam masala
  • 5/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/3 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  • 2 tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges

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Seared Scallops with a Champagne Vanilla Butter Sauce

Cooking for your Valentine on February 14th and looking for something really different and fun? This recipe from Emeril Lagasse is perfect for a romantic dinner. I really wasn’t sure what to expect with Vanilla and Scallops, but it highlights the sweetness of scallops nicely.  I paired this with a champagne risotto based on a recipe from Giada de Laurentiis to make this recipe for Seared Scallops with a Champagne Vanilla Butter Sauce.

Ingredients:

For the risotto:

  • 2 thin slices prosciutto
  • 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3/4 cup Arborio rice
  • 3/4 cup Champagne
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Scallops:

  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 1 cup dry brut Champagne
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup (1 sticks), cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces, plus 1 tablespoon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground  pepper
  • 10 jumbo sea scallops, cleaned
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

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Seared Scallops and Steak with Manhattan Sauce

I tend to make dinner based on what I’m in the mood for and my boyfriend just has to at least pretend to enjoy it. That involves a lot of fish, pasta, and rice which I’m sure can get a bit boring. So I thought it might be nice if I finally made some steak. But, naturally, I still included some scallops, because I’m still the one cooking! This recipe for Seared Scallops and Steak with Manhattan Sauce from Rachael Ray is simple, quick, but absolutely delicious. It’s a perfect date night meal.

Ingredients (serves 2):

  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling, plus 1 tablespoon
  • 2 New York Strip Steaks
  • 4 large diver sea scallops
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 large shallot, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/3 cup sweet vermouth
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 pound asparagus spears, trimmed
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon chives

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Summer Lemon-Vegetable Risotto

As I hear rumblings of all things pumpkin just around the corner (yay!), I realized that my days of beautiful, fresh vegetables are numbered (boo). Which means I needed a recipe that used some of summer’s best. This risotto recipe from Cooking Light fit the bill: Asparagus, Sugar Snap Peas, Zucchini, Yellow Squash.. mmm.
Ingredients:
  • 8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half
  • 5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 (8-ounce) zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 1 (8-ounce) yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 4 3/4 cups organic vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
  • 1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
  • 1/4 cup beer (I used a pilsner)
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

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Vichyssoise (Cold Leek & Potato Soup)

I figured it was about time I posted another Julia Child recipe. I have to admit, the past two weeks recipes intimidated me quite a bit, so I didn’t even make them. Although I have to say, Coq au Vin is not even close to being a weeknight friendly meal. Vichyssoise, or cold leek and potato soup, is more my speed. I’m pretty “skilled” at throwing things into a pot and letting time do the work. This isn’t a meal you can make and eat within one night, unless you have the luxury of beginning your meal much earlier in the day. I cooked this one night, chilled it overnight, and served it for dinner the next night. The original recipe is quite simple. I added crumbled bacon on top because, well, what isn’t better with bacon?
Ingredients: (I didn’t want a ton of soup sitting around so I scaled the recipe down. This makes about 2 hearty bowls)
  • 4 cups of chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian)
  • 2 cups of sliced leeks, white part only
  • 2 cups of peeled and chopped potatoes
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 piece of cooked bacon, crumbled
  • Chives, for garnish
Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.

Continue reading Vichyssoise (Cold Leek & Potato Soup)

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