Day 15, Mission: Scallops, Shrimp, Brown rice & Asparagus, 350 recipes to go

Being stuck in Colorado, it's hard to find good seafood and sometimes we have no idea how to cook it. I have cooked a delicious meal of garlic shrimp and scallops with baked asparagus and brown rice. This delicious, healthy meal is easy to make and is one easy way to prepare seafood, even when you are land locked like myself.
Yields: 6 Servings
Total Time: 1 hour

# of Pans: 3
Ingredients:
1 large bundle of Asparagus
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 and 1/2 cup brown rice
3 Cups water
20 frozen Scallops
36 (approx) Large, Frozen Peeled, Pre-cooked Shrimp (thawed)
1/2 stick butter (melted)
1/2 Cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
4 Tablespoons white wine
Directions:
*Pre-heat your oven to 350'
*Wash your asparagus and cut about an inch off the bottom or each asparagus spear. (For a longer, more efficient method, hold each asparagus spear in your hand and bend until it snaps. Keep the top part ) *Lay your asparagus on a cookie sheet and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the spears and set aside

*In a sauce pan add in your rice and water and olive oil
*Bring your rice to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer for 45-50 minutes

*After the rice has been cooking for about a half an hour, mix together your melted butter, white wine, garlic and lemon juice

*Add to a large frying pan and bring to a low simmer
*Place your scallops on the frying pan and cook until just brown on one side, flip your scallops and cook until the other side is brown.

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 *Once both sides have browned, add in your thawed shrimp and allow to cook for about 3-5 minutes. *Transfer your scallop shrimp mixture to a large serving dish and top with a dash of lemon juice.

*Remove your asparagus from the oven and your rice from your stove and there you have it, a delicious seafood meal you can enjoy while being landlocked looking at your gorgeous Rocky Mountains.

Day 13, Mission: Pork Loin with Corn, Peas and Noodles, 352 recipes to go

One meat that tends to get a bad rep and is often looked at as hard to cook is Pork. One delicious way to eat pork us by buying a pork roast. You can get them at almost any grocery store and they often come in a wide variety of pre-seasoned flavors. This is a simple recipe you can use at home to get rid of some of those canned goods that have been sitting around and also create a simple, easy and delicious meal.
Yields: 6 Servings
Total Time: 45 minutes
# of Pans: 3
Ingredients:
1 large pork loin (pre-seasoned or not) (about 1.5-2lbs)
1 bag of your favorite pasta
1 can of peas
1 can of corn
1/2 Cup of your favorite seasoning (if your pork isn't already seasoned)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
*Turn on your grill to about a medium, meduim high setting and allow to heat up
*If your pork loin is not already seasoned, gently pour your favorite seasoning on your pork loin and rub in all over until the whole thing is coated in your seasoning
*Once your grill is heated up, place your pork loin in the center and cover

*Once your water is boiling, add your noodles and stir to avoid clumping
*After about 20 minutes, turn your pork loin over to cook the other side
*Fill up a large sauce pan with water and your olive oil and bring to a boil
*Once your water is boiling, add your noodles and stir to avoid clumping

*After about 5 minutes of your noodles cooking, you can begin to cook your corn and peas.
*Dump your peas into a sauce pan and your corn into a second sauce pan and bring to a low simmer

*Allow your peas and corn to cook for about 5 minutes, and your noodles should take about 8-10 minutes.
*Once your noodles are al dente, Drain and set aside, covered to keep the warmth in
*Make a slice in your pork loin, if the center is nice and white it is good to go.Slice your entire pork loin into 1/4"- 1/2" thick slices
*Serve your pork alongside your corn, peas and noodles
*Viola! A quick, simple delicious meal everyone in your family can enjoy!

Day 8, Mission: Date Night Alfredo Pasta with Asparagus, 357 recipes to go

This weekend my boyfriend and I were on our own for dinner. All we had was pasta, but we didn't want to use traditional canned tomato pasta sauce. He came up with the idea to make Alfredo sauce. It's way easier than you may think. So i thought I'd share it with all of you.
Yields: 2 servings
Total Time:20 minutes
# of Pans: 3
Ingredients:
1/2 of a bag of Egg Noodles ( 2 servings worth according to the bag)
2 Sausage links (any flavor will do)
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Cup whipping Cream
2 pinches Nutmeg
1 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1 Clove Garlic minced
Directions:
*Turn on your oven to "broil"
*Fill a large sauce pan 2/3 full with water, a dash of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and bring to a boil

*Add in your pasta, and stir

*Meanwhile, place your sausage links in your ovens broiler

*In a separate small sauce pan, start by melting your butter

*Add in your cream and bring to a low simmer for 5 minutes

*After about 3 minutes, check on your sausages and flip them over
*After 5 minutes, add in your garlic, nutmeg and cheese to your butter/cream mixture

*Continue to cook on low until your cheese is all melted
*Once your pasta is al dente, drain and place back in a covered sauce pan
*Once your sausages are fully cooked, slice or dice them
*Place your sausages and your now done alfredo sauce over the noodles and stir

*Serve with a topping of fresh parmesean cheese and a dash of parsley

There you have it, a cheap quick and easy dinner for you and your sweetheart :)

Day 7, Mission: Chicken Enchiladas Suizas, 358 recipes to go

For some reason I've been craving Mexican food latley, and I think it's time I acted upon my craving. I found out my boyfriend loves enchiladas suizas, which I decided would be a perfect meal. Enchiladas are defined as a corn tortilla rolled around some type of stuffing and covered in some type of delicious sauce. Sounds pretty simple right? And it is. I chose to make Chicken Enchiladas because I have chicken on hand, but you could substitute the chicken in this recipe for steak, ground beef, ground turkey, pork, mushrooms and quite frankly what ever you damn well feel like :) but for Chicken the recipe is as follows:
Yields:  Servings
Total Time: 1 hour

# of Pans: 3

Ingredients:
6 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 Whole yellow onion, chopped
1 Red bell pepper, chopped
1 Yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Cups Monterrey Jack Cheese (set aside 1 1/2 for topping)
1 4oz can of diced green chilies
1 cup Sour Cream
1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
12 Flour tortillas
1 Cup fresh cilantro diced
2 Serrano Chilies (optional) diced w/o seeds
Directions:
*Fill a large saucepan with water and a dash of salt. Bring to a boil
*Add your 6 chicken breasts, cover and let cook for 15-20minutes

*Once fully cooked, drain your chicken breasts and set aside to allow to cool
*Preheat your oven to 350' and grease a 9X13" baking dish
*Once your chicken has cooled, peel it apart to create shredded chicken

*Add your oil or butter to a medium sized skillet and bring to a medium heat.
*Add in your diced green chilies, diced red pepper, diced yellow pepper, diced Serranos, diced garlic and diced onion. Cook until peppers and onions become soft.

*Add your onions, peppers and chilies to a large boil. Add in your cumin, 1 1/2 C. Monterrey jack cheese,  cilantro and chicken and mix well.

*Lay down 6 tortillas on the bottom of your baking dish
 *Top those tortillas with your chicken, onion, cheese ect. mixture

*Top your chicken mixture with your remaining 6 corn tortillas

*In a small bowl, mix your sour cream and chicken broth until smooth and well mixed.
*Pour this mixture to smother all of your corn tortillas, sprinkle with remaining cheese

*Place your baking dish on the middle rack of the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and sauce begins to bubble.
*Once your enchiladas are finished cooking, remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
*Scoop out your enchiladas and serve with lettuce, salsa, tomatoes...whatever you are in the mood for.
Add 1 margarita, 1 pinata and 6 sombreros and you have yourself your own Mexican fiesta, Ole!

MMM Good till the last drop!

Day 3, Mission: Shredded Pork Eggs Benedict, 362 recipes to go

I spend this last weekend house-sitting in Denver, which meant no computer or camera. So what I decided to do this weekend was highlight some meals I had at some Denver weekends and how you can make them at home. The first and most delicious thing I had this weekend was breakfast at Snooze in downtown Denver. http://www.snoozeeatery.com/  Along with delicious Blueberry Pancakes, Caprese Bene, Corned Beef Hash, S'mores French Toast and much much more, they have a dish I have yet to seen elsewhere...the Backyard BBQ Benny. This delicious dish is described as "Our housemade corn bread topped with slow-cooked Niman RanchBBQ Beef, poached eggs, smoked cheddar hollandaise and diced pickles."  And let me tell you, this dish was amazingly delicious. So I typed up my version on how you can make this breakfast delight in your own kitchen.
Yields: 1 serving
Total Time: 30 minutes

# of Pans: 3
Ingredients:
1 Cup left over shredded pork, or pre-cooked shredded beef from the grocery store (found in the refrigerator section by the hot dogs)
2 Eggs
For Cornbread:
1 Cup Cornmeal
1 Cup flour
1/4 Cup sugar
1 Pinch of Salt
1 Egg
1 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Canola Oil
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
For Hollandaise Sauce:
1 Pack McCormicks (or any brand) Hollandaise Sauce Mix **the following ingredients may vary depending on the brand of hollandaise sauce you choose to use**
1/2 Sitck Butter (1/4 Cup)
1 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Cheese

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 400' and grease a 8"or 9" Square baking pan with butter or canola oil
*In a medium sized bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.
*Once dry ingredients are mixed, add the milk, canola oil and egg and whisk until all ingredients are mixed well.
*Pour batter into you 8" or 9" baking pan and place on the center rack of your oven. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
*Now you can start to prepare your poached eggs. Fill a shallow sauce pan with water, and bring to a boil.
*When you have about 10 minutes left for the cornbread, melt your 1/2 stick of butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium low heat.
*Once your butter has melted, stir in your cup water and the whole packet of sauce mix. Whisk until smooth and cook on medium heat until your sauce comes to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, add in your 1/4 cup cheese and let simmer for one minute or cheese is completely melted. MAKE SURE YOU STIR YOUR SAUCE OCCASIONALLY!

*Now back to your poached eggs...once the water has begun to boil, turn down the heat to a low simmer. Crack open your egg into a small dish and gently drop the egg into the boiling water.
*With a spoon, nudge the egg whites closer to the yolk to form a more unified shape.

*Turn off the heat, cover and let sit for four minutes.
*Now you can microwave your leftover pulled pork for about a minute.
*During this time, remove Cornbread from oven and allow to cool

*While your eggs are cooking, you can slice your cornbread. Take one slice, cut it in half hot dog style and place on your plate. Next, set your warmed up left over shredded pork on top of your cornbread.
*Once your eggs are finished cooking, remove them from the saucepan with a large spoon and place them gently on top of your shredded beef. Pour the hollandaise sauce over everything and prepare your taste buds for pure bliss!!! To check out the original meal, head to Snooze in Denver or Fort Collins, Colorado.