Site Change

Hello Friends and Fellow Bloggers,

I decided to change my blog to burnttoastandtrufflejam.com. I really liked some of the features of the wordpress.org software over wordpress.com. That being said, please stop by my new location and follow if you’d like.

Thanks!

Christina

Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup

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As the weather starts to lighten up, so has our food preferences. Salads actually sound appealing and I am not a big salad fan. In order to get my soup fix for the week, I went with this lentil soup recipe. It sounded tasty and not bulky. The recipe calls for different lentils, I had … Continue reading →

Morel Mushrooms with Linguine

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It is morel season ladies and gentlemen. Finally! These elongated  earthy, spongy mushrooms are likely to be my favorite type. My husband is not surprised as they are also some of the most expensive. Apparently I have high-end taste buds. I picked up a very small bag’s worth at Pike Place Market last weekend and wanted to use … Continue reading →

Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Onions

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  Lunch time may be the only time of the day I feel uninspired to cook. I am rather picky, liking mainly warm foods including sandwiches. In the past I have tried to take the traditional turkey sandwich or pbj to work, only to find myself across the street for takeout instead. Though I now … Continue reading →

Grilled Pork Chops with Rhubard Mostarda

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For 2 years now I have been committed to receiving a CSA box of fruits and vegetables every other week from Terra Organics.  I love it! Locally grown produce that I get to pick online and then have delivered straight to my door. Not only do I feel good knowing that I support my local community, it has … Continue reading →

Slow-cooked Blackbean & Chicken Tacos

I have made crock pot chicken tacos a few times, tweaking as I go along. This time I decided to take the recipe I normally use and add black beans along with fresh onion, garlic and extra seasoning. Great results. There is nothing like coming home to the smell of a ready-made dinner. May this recipe lighten the load for your next dinner!

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

Serves – 8 people

1-2 Envelopes Taco Seasoning ( we have this in bulk, I used around a 1/3 cup)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (more tender than breast meat)
1 16-ounce jar Salsa (I used Kroger’s Simple Truth Mild Organic Salsa)
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 an onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves coaresly chopped

Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. You do not need to add any water to the taco seasoning. My crockpot always cooks a little faster than normally suggested. Since I forgot to pull out chicken ahead of time, I put it in frozen and added some cooking time. Cook on low for 5 hours and keep on warm til ready to serve. With fresh chicken, I would have done 4 hours and then warm until served. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas and any of your favorite fixings. We simply used shredded cheese, black olives and green onion.  This is very versatile and can be used for enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, quesadillas, etc. Any leftover chicken can then be used for tortilla soup (make it the next day or freeze the chicken to use at a later time).

Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Shrimp & Corn Chowder

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This recipe has become a regular guest in our house. Sweet and creamy without being heavy, we have already served it at a few large gatherings. I bought a Cooking Light Cookbook at Goodwill about a year ago and decided to make crab and corn chowder for some comfort. While at the closest grocery store, I realized they did … Continue reading →

20 Minute Mediterranian Salmon Bowl

After a day of working in the yard, I made salmon served on top of fettuccine with roasted bell peppers and wilted spinach. The dish was quick to prepare because you get a little help from ingredients such as roasted bell peppers in a jar and pre-made balsamic salad dressing. I do think you could use some balsamic vinegar, oo and fresh herbs instead of the dressing but haven’t gotten there yet. Next time! It was a worthy effort. Light and refreshing flavors. Enjoy!

Ingredients

8 oz fettuccine
1 tbs olive oil
1 lb boneless salmon (cut into a few large pieces after cooking)
salt and pepper
6 cups fresh baby spinach (may seem like a lot but it shrink when wilted)
1/2 cup bottled roasted red or yellow sweet peppers
1/2 cup reduced-calorie balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

Directions

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, brush 1 tablespoon olive oil on salmon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat an extra-large skillet over medium heat; add salmon. Cook 8 to 12 minutes or until salmon flakes, turning once. Remove salmon; cover and keep warm. Add spinach, sweet peppers, and remaining oil to skillet. Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Drain pasta; add to skillet. Add dressing; toss
to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Divide spinach-pasta mixture among four bowls. Top with salmon. Serves 4.

Adapted from BHG

Overnight Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Usually weekend mornings are perfect for scrambling eggs with loads of veggies or whipping up fluffy pancakes. As fun as that may be, sometimes weekend mornings are made purely for sleeping in and letting the crockpot cook for you. I’ve been meaning to try this apple cinnamon oatmeal for some time and always forget to put it together the night before. Finally, I remembered! Knowing that my man loves apples, this was a sure way to get him to eat oatmeal for a change. Success! Though not as sweet as originally envisioned, it has a lot of flavor and natural sweetness from the fruit. I tend to like things lightly sweetened and so this was perfect for me. If you have a real sweet touth, add more brown sugar. Also, my crockpot tends to cook things much faster than a lot of recipes suggest. I usually cook set my cook time for a few hours less and let it finish cooking on the warm setting, keeps food from drying out.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

2 sliced apples
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups of oatmeal
4 cups of water

2 sliced apples, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon in the bottom of the crock pot. Pour 2 cups of oatmeal and 4 cups of water on top. Do NOT stir. Cook overnight for 8 – 9 hours on low. (I did 6 hours on low and it auto switched to warm for another 2 hours). Yum!

Recipe found on a pin from Pinterest

Halibut with Tarragon Beurre Blanc and Snap Pea Saute

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  Saturday was quite the day. Though not motivated for it, Will and pushed through on our garden project determined to make some progress. We headed out into the miserably cold and rainy weather with rain gear on and shovels in hand. An hour or so into the work, we gave up in defeat. I … Continue reading →