Go bucks!!!

Scalloped Potato Bake

While Moe and I were in France, I discovered creme fraiche.  Although it is not the healthiest of foods (to say the least), it is amazing.  I made this recipe while we were staying in Provence France and Moe loved it.  I decided since I was serving fish, I'd offset in Moe's book and make this recipe for him.  It turned out perfect as he loved the fish and the potatoes!

Scalloped Potato Bake
Source:  Miss J Original
Serves: 4

2 Idaho potatoes, divided into 3 servings
4 ounces creme fraiche, divided into 3 servings
1/2 small onion, divided into 3 servings
1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, low fat, divided into 3 servings
2 tablespoons of half and half, fat free
salt and pepper to taste

Using a mandolin slicer (or a sharp knife) slice potatoes into thin rounds.  Dice onion into long slivers.  Chop parsley.  Coat a small baking dish with oil or cooking spray.  place two layers of potatoes at bottom of pan.  Layer creme fraiche, onions, and mozzarella.  Repeat so there are three layers of potatoes and three layers of cheese.  Pour half and half around the edges of the baking dish.  Top with salt and pepper to taste.  Bake for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender.  Once done, place under broiler for 1 minutes to make the top golden.  Sprinkle with parsley before serving. 

                                                Before                                                  After

Ratings:
Moe, 9.5 out of 10
Miss J, 9 out of 10

- Miss J

Pistachio Encrusted Rockfish

This dish was inspired by a pistachio encrusted tilapia that I ordered the night Moe surprised me and took me out to dinner for our anniversary this year.  It was one of the few seafood dishes that Moe actually enjoyed so I thought I'd try to recreate it for dinner tonight.  The only major change was the addition of a mustard cream sauce which I served drizzled on top of the fish.  It turned out wonderful.  Both Moe and I were part of the clean plate club tonight!

Pistachio Encrusted Rockfish
Source:  Miss J Original
Serves: 2 (with leftovers to spare)

7 oz of fresh cut rockfish
1 cup of pistachios
1 egg
1 tablespoon of fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
1 tablespoon of panko
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
1 tsp of butter
8-10 pieces of asparagus, rinsed

Mustard Cream Sauce
1 tablespoon of honey mustard
1/2 cup of half and half
1 tsp of flour
2 oz of cream cheese
pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove shells from pistachios and place in zip lock bag.  With a meat pounder, gently crush the pistachios.

Add panko to the pistachio mixture.  Coat baking dish with olive oil.  Crack egg in a bowl and mix.  Pour egg on a flat plate (or use a basting brush) and coat fish evenly with egg.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley.  Discard extra egg (which there will be a lot - you really only use about 1/4 of the egg).

On a new plate, pour pistachio mixture to fully coat the fish.  Carefully transfer fish to the baking dish.  Pour any remaining pistachio mixture on top of fish.  Place tiny slivers of butter on top of fish.

 Divide asparagus in half and place on either side of fish.  Bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes until fish is cooked. 

While fish is cooking, heat half and half in skillet. Sprinkle flour so that it does not clump in skillet.  Add cream cheese, honey mustard, and pepper to taste.  Continuously mix until creamy and smooth.  Remove from heat before serving.

Once fish is done, drizzle cream mixture on top of fish and serve immediately.

Ratings:
Moe, 9 out of 10
Miss J, 9 out of 10

- Miss J

Restaurant Review: Bristol Seafood Grill

Last week, I went out to dinner with my co-workers to a seafood restaurant in Creve Coeur.  I had eaten a HUGE lunch so wasn't very hungry.  I had heard from numerous people that the crab cakes were to die for so I decided to go with the appetizer portion with a side salad.  It was a perfect portion for my hunger level.  I also threw in an impromptu order of lobster bisque which was awesome, but unnecessary as I ended up taking home one crab cake for Moe.  Overall, I was impressed with this restaurant and plan to take Moe sometime when we are in the mood for some good seafood.  I would warn everyone that it is pricey, but the happy hour special at the bar was reasonably priced if you are interested in some house wine and appetizers. 

- Miss J

Bristols Seafood Grill Link

Baby greens salad with watercress, pine nuts, feta, and honey balsamic vinaigrette

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes (baked, not fried) served with creole remoulade and mango tarter sauce

Spinach, Pasta, and Chickpea Soup

Cool weather has finally arrived and as a result we have officially entered into "SOUP SEASON"!  I love soups so be prepared to be reading lots of recipes that involve my crock-pot, a stock pot, and/or a ladle.  This recipe was very light and was a good starter dish for my Quick Pastitsio that I served last night.  It reminded me of wedding soup but without the sausage.  The lemon was very subtle but added a nice smooth flavor to the soup. 

I forgot to take a picture before I served the soup so I had to take a picture of the picture.  Source:  Cooking Light Magazine, October 2011 (page 34)

Spinach, Pasta, and Chickpea Soup
Source:  Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, October 2011
Serves:  4

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves
2 thinly sliced green onions
4 cups of chicken stock (low sodium) - or vegetable stock if vegetarian
2 cups of water
1/3 cup of carrots, diced into cubes
3/4 cup of orzo (sun dried tomato, spinach, original blend)
1 tablespoon of graded lemon zest
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon of fresh oregano
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
salt and pepper
6 oz of fresh baby spinach
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Chop onions and garlic.

Heat large saucepan over high heat.  Add olive oil.  Add garlic and onions and saute for 1 minute.  Add onions to crock pot. In pan, saute carrot cubes until slightly softened.  Remove oregano from the stem and roughly chop. 

Add onion mixture, broth, water, oregano, and orzo to the crock-pot. 

Add all remaining ingredients together in the crock pot and cook on high for 2 hours. When orzo and carrots are soft, soup is done.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Reduce temperature to warm until ready to serve.  Serve with Parmesan cheese on top. 

Ratings
Moe, 8 out of 10
Miss J, 8 out of 10

- Miss J

Quick Pastitsio

I will be completely honest, I have never heard of the term "pastitsio". I googled it and it is a Greek and Mediterranean dish that is baked pasta that has ground beef and bechamel sauce. Since this is the first time I've come across this term, I felt obligated to make it. The Emmys are on tonight which I super excited about for two reasons. First, Jane Lynch is the host and I LOVE her. Second, we can actually watch this on our TV in our apartment since it is on one of the four stations we get from our bunny ears!!! We invited another couple over for dinner so I thought this would be a great dish to serve as I can assemble it ahead of time. I also am going to serve a spinach, orzo, and chickpea soup that I have been simmering in the crock pot all day.

Quick Pastitsio
Source: Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, October 2011
Serves 6


8 oz uncooked Rigatoni pasta
1/4 lb ground turkey (supposed to use beef but I had left over turkey in the fridge)
6 sun dried- tomato trader Joe meatballs (thawed)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 cups of skim milk
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup (6 oz) of cream cheese, softened and cubed
3/4 cup shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper


Preheat broiler.  Cook pasta according to package.  You want the pasta to be al dente so once done cooking run under cold water to stop the pasta from continuing to cook.  Heat olive oil and the skillet over medium heat.  Add ground chicken or turkey to the pan and saute for 5 minutes or until browned.  Remove from pan.  Add onions to pan and saute for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute stirring constantly so the garlic does not burn.  Add beef back into skillet and season with salt and pepper. 

Add flour and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.  Stir in milk, tomatoes, and cream cheese.  Mix until smooth.  Bring to a simmer.  Cook 2 minutes or until heated thoroughly. 

Stir in pasta. 

Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9 inch broiler safe baking dish, coated in cooking spray.  Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the top.  Broil for 4 minutes or until golden.  While pasta is in the oven, chop parsley.  A quick tip is to remove the leaves from the stem and then use scissors to chop the parsley.  

Sprinkle with parsley before serving.


Notes:  I made this earlier in the day.  Instead of broiling.  I heated the pasta dish up for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. I then put it under the broiler for 4 minutes before serving. 

Ratings
Moe, 9.1 out of 10
Miss J, 8 out of 10

- Miss J

2011 Saint Louis Art Fair

A few weekends ago, Moe and went to the Saint Louis Art Fair in Clayton.  Everyone had been ranting and raving about the event so I felt like we should check it out.  Upon arriving, we were blown away at the mere size of the event.  It was street after street of exhibits!  The art ranged from painting to pottery to street chalk to accessories.  Moe of course said he wouldn't "look at art" unless he had a beer in hand so we spent the first 20 minutes hunting down the Budweiser stand.  Of course after walking isles and isles of exhibits, we realized that we had walked past the beer stand twice.  Once the drinking began, the spending quickly followed.  I stressed about whether or not I should spend $80 on a pair of earrings so I ended up dragging Moe back to the stand for a total of three times.  The first two times I didn't have enough cash (as we spent too much on beer).  Melissa, the designer/owner, offered for me to take the earrings and then just mail her a check. I was in disbelief that she would let me do this. I had to buy it not just for the fact that I loved them, but because she was so nice.  As the fair was closing down, a piece of pottery caught my eye.  Again, I was a few beers deep and the spending frenzy had begun.  I had it purchased two minutes after spotting it on the stand.  I have no self control :)

- Miss J

There was an entire parking lot filled with pictures drawn out of chalk.  It was amazing. 

Purchase #1

http://www.etsy.com/shop/melissaschmidt

Purchase #2