Not a One Potter - Grilled Salmon

I had a very quick, easy, and healthy dinner this week.  Grilled salmon, baked potatoes, and roasted asparagus.  However, I have a confession... I put the baked potatoes in the microwave.  I'm so ashamed.  I needed dinner on the plate in about 10 minutes, so I didn't have time to do it the right way. The great thing about dinners like this is that you can cook them for just 1 or 2 people.

The asparagus was tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper and went into the oven set at 400 for about 10 minutes.  The potatoes were thrown in the microwave for about the same amount of time.  I put olive oil, salt, pepper, some Montreal spicy steak seasoning (I swear by the stuff), and lime juice on the salmon and cooked it on my grill pan for about 8-10 minutes.

I would've been really proud of myself for eating so healthy, but I cooked this after I left a bridal shower where I gorged myself on chips, salsa, guacamole, and cheese dip.  Because of that, I only ate about half of my dinner.  This was OK because the boy got to eat the other half of my potato, which pleased him and I had leftover salmon for the most perfect birthday lunch.

Crock Pot Gumbo

While I enjoy Cajun food, it's typically not something I cook too often.  My brother is the Cajun expert, so I usually enjoy it when he makes it and never have to put forth the effort myself.  But for some reason, a big pot of gumbo was sounding good to me last week.  Gumbo is a food of love and if I cooked gumbo for real on a weeknight, we'd be eating around 10pm and that just wasn't going to cut it.  So I ran to the store on my lunch break and decided to make a mediocre crock pot version.  It would still have gumbo ingredients and the same general feel, but without the hours of love a delicious, authentic pot would require.  If you're from Louisiana, do not judge me. I know this is not the real deal Holyfield, mmkay?

What you need:
-Chicken (I used 1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they were cheap)
-1 lb of sausage
-1/2 lb of shrimp
-Frozen okra
-Can of tomatoes
-Chopped onion, bell pepper, celery
-Chicken stock
-Flour
-Oil
-Seasoning (I used salt, pepper, cayenne, and Emeril's Essence)

I hope I remember what I did... Let's see...

First I made a dark brown roux using 1/3 cup of flour and 1/3 cup of oil.  Just put it in a sauce pan and stir and stir and stir some more until it gets the color you want it to be.

Next, I seasoned the chicken with some salt, pepper, Essence, and cayenne and put it into the crock pot.  I poured about 2 cups or so of chicken broth in and stirred in my roux.  Then I dumped in my chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery.

Next came the can of tomatoes, which I don't think goes in "real gumbo," but whatever.  I turned the crock pot on low and went back to work.  It simmered for probably 5 or 6 hours?

Once I was home from work and facebooked about how delicious the house smelled, I poured in the okra.  I also tasted for my seasonings and likely added more salt, pepper, Essence, and a lot more cayenne.  I like it spicy!

Then while the rice was cooking, I added the shrimp.  (I'd let the okra cook for about the last 45 minutes and the shrimp for about the last 20-30 minutes.)  Time to eat!

 

It wasn't as good as my brother's, but it totally worked for a quick weeknight meal!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Fall finally arrived in Atlanta and brought with it a little cold for yours truly.  When I feel the sore throat and sniffles coming, all I can think about is soup.  So I ran to the store after work, checked the items off my list, and made myself a gigantic pot of homemade chicken noodle soup (and cornbread, because I'm country and that's what we do and because the boy is a big fan).  It hit the spot for days.  When you're sick, there's nothing like it with a glass of OJ.

I use Emeril's recipe found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/simple-chicken-noodle-soup-recipe2/index.html A few things I do different:
-I use old-fashioned egg noodles instead of vermicelli
-I use a whole carton of sliced mushrooms
-I use way more than 1/2 cup of diced onions, carrots, and celery

Why?  I don't really know.  I have a whole onion, why not use it all? Then you bought whole bags of carrots and celery... why not use more of those too?  And before you know it, you have something that no longer resembles soup because you have too much "stuff" and not enough liquid.  So I always try to make more stock than it calls for and have an extra store-bought container on hand, just in case.  As a result, I still have soup in my fridge after having served and eaten approximately 25 bowls. :)  So, I'm sure if you followed Emeril's directions, you'd be just fine!  It's delicious even when you aren't sick.

My Brother's Spaghetti

I feel a little silly doing a post about spaghetti since it's something everyone already has a recipe for, but I think my spaghetti is particularly heavenly so I will share.  This is actually my brother's spaghetti recipe and I'm not sure where he got it from.  However, once I had his spaghetti and got his recipe, I've never looked back.  It's traditional, easy, and delicious.  What more can you ask for?

Ingredients:
-Olive oil
-1 large onion diced
-1 package of sliced white mushrooms
-A few cloves of chopped garlic
-Crushed red pepper flakes
-1 large can of diced tomatoes, drained
-1 large can of tomato sauce
-1 small can of tomato paste
-1 tablespoon of each: oregano, basil, thyme
-1 lb ground beef
-Fresh basil
-Pasta (duh)

In a large pot, saute the chopped onion in olive oil until they begin to sweat.  Season with salt and pepper as you do this.  Add in the mushrooms and saute until they begin to brown.  You may need more olive oil.  I usually add a bit more salt and pepper, seasoning each layer as I go.  Add in the garlic and as much crushed red pepper as you like-- I add a lot.  Saute for a minute or two, careful to not brown the garlic.  Next add in the diced tomatoes for a few minutes, then comes the can of sauce.  I like my sauce thick and meaty, so I add the whole small can of paste, but you might like to use a little less.  Once it starts to bubble, add one tablespoon of dried oregano, dried basil, and dried thyme.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as you see fit.  Reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes or so.

Once your sauce is simmering, brown your ground beef and get your (salted) spaghetti water boiling.  Add the drained ground beef to the sauce to simmer while you cook your pasta.  My brother and I prefer linguine pasta, but I used angel hair when I made it last night.  To finish it off, I toss in a bunch of chiffonade basil and serve atop the pasta with a little Parmesan and more crushed red pepper flakes.  I like it spicy! Of course a salad and garlic bread are also necessary.  Yum!