Happy Monday all! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Ryan and I did. Quite wonderful actually as we spent the last week in sunny San Diego. We had a blast. We attempted to get tan at the beach and we got knocked around by some waves. We ate good food and enjoyed even better company. All in all it was a great vacation that came to an end all to quickly. And sometime between when the plane landed yesterday and I the time I got up this morning I had to go grocery shopping and make dinner. Needless to say it was a light supper for us that all started with this arugula walnut pesto.

Most of you have probably tried basil pesto and this is essentially the same concept only a couple of differences. Instead of basil I use arugula and instead of pine nuts I use walnuts. Other than that the ingredients and process for making this pesto is exactly the same but the taste will be quite a bit different. Where basil is sweet, arugula is peppery and it brings a nice bite to this classic.

Makes about 1 cup

You will need:

• 2 cups baby arugula
• 1/2 cup shelled walnuts
• 1/2 cup romano cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup olive oil

1. Combine arugula, walnuts, cheese and kosher salt in the food processor. Turn processor on.
2. With the processor, running slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.
3. Serve.

Store in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap. Press the plastic wrap down on the top to prevent the pesto from oxidizing. Use within a few days.

Enjoy!

Yum. Yum and Yum..and yum and yum and yum and yuuummm. Really that is all that came to mind when I was trying to figure out how to describe the dinner that I just had. Yes, that is right, I am writing this literally minutes after I finished eating it. It is so good that I couldn’t wait to share it with you all. The steak is so tender. The seasoning just right. And the avocado sauce? Well that is absolutely to die for.

After I prepare dinner and plate it for pictures, Ryan’s job begins. He painstakingly makes sure that each and every picture captures the essence of the meal well. He makes sure that the food looks just right and the lighting is perfect. When he was taking pictures of this recipe however, he seemed to have a little bit of trouble. He said he couldn’t get it just right and that was the reason that half of the steak was gone before we sat down to dinner. As much as I love him, I’m pretty sure that was a ruse so that he could eat a bit more . But oh well, what’s a girl to do?

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 1/2 pounds flat iron steak
• 1 avocado, skin and pit removed, diced
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• juice from 1 lime

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Rub all over the steak.
2. Preheat grill to medium heat.
3. Place remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
4. Cook steak about 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer to a plate and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
5. Slice steak and spoon avocado sauce over the top. Serve.

Enjoy!

Before the blog my chicken wing world was dark. Well bright red is more like it. I thought the only kind of chicken wings were those slathered in a neon red spicy butter sauce and dunked in ranch (never blue cheese for me). But since I began blogging and experimenting with various recipes, my chicken wing world has brightened. So far I have tried Sweet Thai Chili Wings, Cajun Chicken Wings, Garlic Pepper Chicken Wings and now these Spiced Chicken Wings with Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce. With all this experimenting I think I might change my name from Des to “Chicken wing Queen.” Whaddya think?

Like a couple of my other chicken wing recipes, these wings are baked. The difference this time is that I decided to use a combination of plain dry and panko bread crumbs for a coating. The mixture made for a crispy wing without having to fry them, which make these quite a bit healthier than your regular fried butter sauce slathered chicken wing. Not that those aren’t good of course ;-)

Along with my chicken wing world expansion, my chicken wing dip world has also grown. While ranch might be good with these, I wanted to add a little kick so I made a quick chipotle dipping sauce. It was so good I may have dunked my finger in it a couple of times once I ran out of wings.

Serves 2 – 4

You will need:

• 1 1/2 pound chicken wings, cut at the joint and tips trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Rinse and pat dry the chicken wings.
2. In a bowl combine garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt and olive oil in a bowl. Sprinkle over the chicken wings and toss to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
3. After the wings have marinated, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. Mix panko and plain dry bread crumbs in a bowl. Press marinated wings into the bread crumbs to coat completely.
5. Place on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Turn and bake for 20 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bread crumbs are golden brown. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.
6. While chicken wings are baking, combine mayonnaise, chipotle peppers, lime juice, vinegar and kosher salt in a food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Serve.

Enjoy!

Garlic lovers listen up. This stuff has your name written all over it. There are not 1, not 2 , not 5, not 6 but 8 cloves of garlic in this dip. Oh and potato lovers listen up too because I’ve got a little surprise for you. There are potatoes in it too. Yep you heard er…read me. Potatoes and garlic. Really how could you go wrong?

I recently had this at a local Mediterranean restaurant and was mighty surprised by the fact that it is made very similar to aioli. The result is a little thicker almost paste like dip but still full of garlicky goodness.  And like aioli this dish is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle but alas, I find that a food processor is much, much easier. But if you need to work on your arm muscles for upcoming swimsuit season, by all means give the traditional route a shot.

Makes about 2 cups

You will need:

• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• 3/4 – 1 cup olive oil

1. Place potatoes in a pot with enough water to just cover them. Boil until fork tender. Drain. Allow to cool.
2. Run cooled potatoes through a food mill or ricer.
3. In a food processor combine potatoes, garlic, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Turn food processor on and process until smooth.
4. With food processor running, slowly drizzle in 3/4 cup of olive oil in a steady stream until mixture emulsifies. Check for consistency. If you would like a little creamier, turn on food processor and slowly drizzle in remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil.
5. Season to taste with salt.
6. Serve with veggies or pita bread.

Be sure to check back later this week, I am going to show you one heck of a fish dish that uses this recipe. It was seriously one of the best fish dishes I’ve had in a long time and its easy to boot.

Enjoy!

With Cinco de Mayo a couple of days away I thought I’d take the opportunity to share a recipe that would make a great addition to any excuse to drink excessive amounts of Corona Cinco de Mayo party. If you like spicy food and guacamole then this is the best of both worlds. Creamy avocado is mixed with spicy, smoky chipotle peppers and a little adobo sauce for an extra kick.

Since Ryan and I are such huge fans of spicy food, I’ve been trying to find a way to spice up guacamole for a little while. I tried adding a regular jalapeno but it just didn’t add the flavor I was looking for. Chipotle on the other hand, added the heat and a nice smoky flavor to the guacamole that made it really quite addicting. I would be lying if I told you that Ryan and I didn’t eat the entire batch in one sitting.

Makes 2 cups

You will need:

• 2 large avocados
• 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped small
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• kosher salt to taste

1. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pit. Scoop the flesh of the avocado into a bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork, until mostly smooth.
2. Mix in remaining ingredients. Chill for 30 minutes to give the flavors a chance to meld.

If you prefer a non-spicy version of guacamole check out this recipe.

Enjoy!

We had some company coming over the other day and I wanted to make a quick dip to put out as a snack before dinner. This dip fit the bill perfectly. I was able to prepare it about an hour before everyone arrived which gave it just enough time to let the flavors of the cream cheese, mayonnaise, carrots, red bell pepper, garlic, green onions and dill mingle and create one heck of a scrumptious appetizer.

I actually got the idea for this dip when I was perusing the cheese section at the grocery store. They had a section of spreadable dips and I saw one titled Veggie Dip Spread. I looked at the ingredients and aside from a few ..ehem..preservatives, I thought this would be really easy to make at home. I grabbed some red pepper, green onions, carrots and cream cheese and I was good to go. Don’t like those ingredients? Try subbing some of your favorite veggies, just be sure you can dice them small.

Serves 6

You will need:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
• 1 red bell pepper, diced small
• 1 carrot, diced small
• 2 green onions, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Use a hand held mixer to whip together cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth.
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and allow to refrigerate for 1 hour.
3. Serve.

You can serve this with any kind of cracker or veggie that you like. I personally served it with Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil Triscuits and everyone loved it. Enjoy!

With Easter this weekend, I thought I would share one of my favorite salad recipes to go along side your holiday ham and mashed potatoes. This is the salad that my mom used to pull out on all of our special occasions and even on those regular dinners that she just wanted to make special. And how could it not make it special with spinach, eggs, bacon, green onions, mushrooms and warm bacon dressing.

My favorite part of this salad has always been the dressing. It is super easy to make and I love the smoky bacon flavor that the dressing brings to the salad. One thing that I learned from making this salad quite a few times is the key is to pour the dressing over the salad just before serving. That way the spinach slightly wilts but not too much.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 5 slices bacon, diced into 1 inch pieces
• 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
• 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
• 5 crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 green onions, diced
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• pinch of sugar
• kosher salt

1. In a skillet cook the bacon until browned. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings.
2. While bacon is cooking combine spinach, eggs, mushrooms and green onions in a salad bowl. After bacon has cooked, sprinkle over salad.
3. To make the dressing: keep bacon drippings on low heat, stir in lemon juice and sugar. Continue cooking for 2 minutes.
4. Just before serving pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Sprinkle with kosher salt if desired.
5. Serve.

Enjoy!

If you don’t know, edamame are scrumptious little devils. I usually get the privilege to eat them at sushi restaurants. They are usually steamed and sprinkled with kosher salt. I could seriously eat them all day. And as good as they are on their own, they are also wonderful in this Asian twist on traditional hummus with edamame, garlic, lemon juice, tahini and oil.

You can usually find edamame in the frozen vegetable section at the grocery store. They are sold in their pods or shelled. When I am simply eating them as a snack I prefer to eat the pods but when I want to add them to things, like this hummus, I really to recommend buying the shelled variety. It makes things a whole lot easier.

Serves 4 as an appetizer

You will need:

• 1 1/2 cup shelled edamame cooked according to package directions and cooled
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons tahnini
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt to taste

1. Combine first six ingredients in a food processor and process until well blended. With food processor running, slowly drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Taste test for salt and consistency. If you would like it a little smoother, return lid to food processor and turn on then slowly drizzle remaining olive oil.
2. Season to taste with salt. Serve.

Enjoy!

You didn’t think that I could get through Valentine’s day without, yet again, indulging in my love affair with mozzarella did you? No, no that would not do at all.  When trying to figure a way to sneak it into the meal, I realized that a salad would be the perfect way so today I am sharing this Mozzarella and Prosciutto Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette. I love this salad because its quick, its easy and light. But at the same time, the creamy mozzarella, salty prosciutto and tangy tomato vinaigrette make this salad taste like it was made for a special occasion.

I am fortunate enough to find all kinds of fresh mozzarella at my local grocery store.  There are the large mozzarella balls, the smaller bocconcini and the even smaller ciliegine. All are equally good and creamy, but for this recipe I decided to use ciliegine mozzarella. Ciliegine mozzarella is fresh mozzarella that is in the shape of cherry tomatoes. I can usually find them in the deli section. If you are having a hard time finding them substitute a large fresh mozzarella ball cut into bite size pieces.

Serves 2

You will need:

• 3 cups spring salad mix
• 15 ciliegine mozzarella, cut in half
• 3 slices prosciutto ham torn into pieces
• Tomato vinaigrette (recipe follows)
• fresh cracked black pepper

1. Combine spring salad mix, mozzarella and prosciutto in a salad bowl.
2. Drizzle tomato vinaigrette over the top. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper.
3. Serve.

Tomato Vinaigrette

Makes 1 cup

• 1/2 cup whole cherry tomatoes
• 1 /4 cup sherry vinegar
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt

1. Combine cherry tomatoes, vinegar, garlic and dijon mustard in a food processor. Process until well blended.
2. With food processor on, slowly pour olive oil in in a steady stream until mixture emulsifies.
3. Transfer to a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

When Ryan and I are enjoying a celebration dinner, whether at home or at a restaurant, we enjoy taking our time and we really go all out. To us that means starting the meal with an appetizer. A little something that we can nibble on while we chat over our cocktails or while finish up cooking dinner together. This artichoke tapenade made with artichoke hearts, garlic, capers, kalamata olives, lemon juice and olive oil is always a good choice. Spread on crackers its a flavorful, elegant appetizer perfect to share with your sweetie during your at-home Valentine’s Day celebration.

You have probably heard of  an olive tapenade. If you haven’t, traditionally it is a puree of olives, capers and olive oil. They are common as dips for bread or as spreads on sandwiches. Personally, I have always enjoyed tapenades. I love their tangy, salty flavor although at times they can be a bit briny. It is because of this that when I set out to make one on my own I decide to shake things up a bit by using less olives and adding a can of artichoke hearts to the mix. The result was a smooth, flavorful dip that Ryan and I could not get enough of.

Makes 1/2 cup

You will need:

• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
• 7 pitted kalamata olives
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon non-pareil capers
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Place artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, garlic, capers and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until mixture is chopped fine.
2. Remove lid add in olive oil. Pulse a couple more times until well combined.
3. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
4. Serve with crackers or crusty french bread.

Enjoy!