New Orleans Style Corn and Crab Bisque

Grant and I in NOLA

Well, school has started, Parker's in PSR, I've started my new job at the winery, and life is crazy.  We've been doing a lot of quick fixes and leftovers, but when I have cooked, I made sure to snap pics of it all.

While Grant was stationed in FL this summer and I went to visit him, and we were lucky enough to spend a night n New Orleans.  While we were there, went out for an amazing dinner in the French Quarters.  We had all the classic NOLA style food, ettoufe, jambalaya, oysters on the half shell, and then crab and corn bisque.  The bisque was delicious!  I told Grant when we got home, I would try and make something similar.

Crab and Corn Bisque

1 tbsp evoo

2 tbsp butter

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

3 tbsp flour

1 cup veggie stock

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup whole milk

3 cups frozen corn kernels

1 container of crab meat

 

In a stock pot, add the butter an evoo until butter in melted.  Add all the veggies and cook until translucent.  Add the salt, pepper, and Old Bay.  Then add the flour to make a rue.  Pour in both the chicken and veggie stock and cook about 10 mins.  Pour the milk in and stir a few mins.  Add the corn and cook until soft, then add the crab and cook until heated through.

 

I served this with a multi grain baguette and all the boys loved it.  Next time I think I will use celery salt instead of the celery just for texture.

Happy Birthday Papa!!!

My parents in FL with the boys this summer.
 

Friday night was my Dad's birthday, so I of course had my parents over for dinner.  As I've stated before, I love to cook, but I have to say, my favorite person to cook for is my Dad.  He enjoys the food so much every time, plus, with my parents being empty Nester's, my Mom just doesn't cook very often.

For his 66th birthday, I decided to try to incorporate all of his favorite foods into a meal.  I made BBQ chicken thighs (his favorite cut of chicken) coated in a dry rub and basted in a pumpkin beer bbq sauce, sweet corn risotto (he loves both corn and risotto, so I decided to combine them together), and a zucchini and squash augratin (this I just added in as an ode to the end of summer).

BBQ Chicken Thighs

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs coated in a dry rub for at least 3 hrs (recipe to follow)
BBQ basting sauce (recipe to follow)

Grant went ahead and threw these on the grill for me, so I can not take full credit, but they were delicious!

dry rub
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp ground garlic
1 tsp ground onion
dash of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

BBQ basting sauce
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's original bbq sauce
1/2 bottle pumpkin beer
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey


Sweet Corn Risotto

1 box of chicken stock
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 cup dry white wine
2-3 spins of the pan of evoo
1/2 stick room temp butter, sliced into pads
1/2 cup parm cheese
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of Herbs de Provence
pinch of white sugar
1 cup of frozen sweet corn kernels

For some reason, people find risotto to be intimidating, but it just takes patients and time, I suggest pouring yourself a glass of the wine you are using to cook it to enjoy while it cooks!

In a medium size pan, heat the chicken stock at medium heat.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, then add the onion.  Do not brown, just cook until it is clear, season with salt and pepper, then add 2 pad of butter and the rice.  Cook the rice and make sure it is fully coated (this will take a few mins).  Deglaze the pan with the wine, and once it has cooked out, add a ladle of the warm chicken stock.  Stir and cook until it has dissolved, and continue until the rice is to the correct texture (cooked through, but still firm).  Add more salt and pepper, herbs de provence, and sugar.  Then add the corn and remaining butter and cheese.  Once it is cooked through, it is ready to serve!

Zucchini and Squash Augratin

I saw Paula Dean do a zucchini and squash casserole and thought I could turn it to a healthy augratin!

3 zucchini's, sliced and halved
3 summer squash, sliced and halved
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup low fat plain Greek yogurt
lots of sharp shredded cheddar
garlic powder
salt and pepper
a few spins of the pan of evoo


In a large skillet, heat the evoo at med heat.  Add the onion and cook until translucent.  Add the squash and zucchini and cook until tender and season with a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  In a casserole dish, add the squash/onion mixture, yogurt, and a few hand fulls of cheese, and a dash more of the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Top with more cheese, then bake at 350 for about 20 mins.

Dad's bday dinner!
 

Finally Back! Date Night Dinner In!

Grant and I having a date night out in San Destin, FL

Well folks, my laptop is still down and out, but I decided to hijack Grants so I can post about what we had for dinner Saturday.

We are HUGE fans of having date night in dinners.  With 3 boys, we can not always get a sitter, but that doesn't mean we can't have a nice dinner in...

Bone in Strip Steak with Blue Cheese Butter

2 bone in strip steaks (marinated over night, recipe to follow)
blue cheese butter (recipe to follow)

These steaks are so quick and easy to make!  Heat the grill (we prefer charcoal) and grill 3 mins on each side for a nice med rare.  Make sure to let rest at least 5 mins once removed from the grill and cover with foil.

steak marinade

worcestershire sauce
large clove of garlic, grated
kosher salt
coarse ground black pepper
onion powder
evoo

I mix everything but the evoo together, then slowly stream it in while whisking until it is just right!

Blue Cheese Butter

1 stick unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 blue cheese
parsley
salt and pepper

I just mix this all in my food processor and then refrigerate at least 30 mins.  Top the steaks when you remove them from the grill while they rest.

Artichokes with Hollindaise Sauce

2 artichokes (steamed about 45 mins)
3 egg yolks
1 tbsp water
juice of a lemon
1 stick of very soft butter
dash of cayenne pepper
salt to taste
pepper to taste

mix the yolks, water and lemon juice in a small sauce pan until thick and pale.  Place the pan over a low heat and whisk very aggressively, occasionally removing from the heat to not allow the eggs to scramble.  Once the yolks have become thick and smooth, remove from heat.  Add the butter by spoon fulls, whisking constantly.  Once it has formed the desired thickness, season with the cayenne, salt and pepper.  Serve on the side of the artichokes to dip.  (recipe from Julia Child)

First Family Dinner Home!!!

We missed you Daddy!

While Grant was gone, every night we spoke on phone he told me about the frozen dinners he was making (well, except the nights he went out to eat).  I was lucky to go and visit him, and while I was there I did my best with 2 burners and a microwave (I even pulled off Lobster Risotto one night!), but I promised him some good home cooking when he got home.  When talking to him yesterday on the, he said he was really looking forward to family dinners, sitting at the kitchen table, talking with the boy, etc, so for his first night home I decided to make your classic family dinner, Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans.

Lobster Risotto I made in FL

Of course I can't make just the basics though, lol!  It will be turkey meat loaf, a rosemary gravy, cream cheese mashed potatoes, and green beans with a balsamic glaze.

Turkey Meat Loaf:

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 cup of chopped onion (yellow or white)
1 clove of garlic, grated
evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
salt and pepper
splash of chicken stock
tsp of tomato paste
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
tsp dijon mustard
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
generous amount Worcester Sauce

Heat a skillet on med heat.  Add a decent drizzle of evoo, then toss in the onion, stir about a min, then the garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme.  Cook until the onions are translucent, then add the mustard, chicken stock, tomato paste, and a generous amount of Worcester (I LOVE THIS FLAVOR!)  Mix this all together, then remove from heat and allow to cool.

Combine the onion mix with egg, turkey, and cheese, then form into a loaf.  Cook at 350 for about 45 mins.  Allow to rest before slicing and serving.

Rosemary Gravy

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
sprig of fresh rosemary
salt and pepper
1 cup chicken stock
splash of pinot noir

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over med heat. While butter is melting, chop the rosemary, then add it to the butter and cook down about 5 mins.  Add the flour to make a "rue".  Deglaze the pan with the splash of wine, making sure to get all the scrapings from the side.  Add the chicken stock and stir until gravy is a smooth consistency.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes

1 lb russet potatoes peeled, cut, and cooked
about a cup of milk
2 blocks of low fat cream cheese (room temp)
1/2 stick of butter
tsp garlic powder
seasoned salt and pepper


In a large mixing bowl, mix the potatoes on med high speed, slowly mix in the milk until the right texture (that is totally up to you, some prefer thick taters, some thin or whipped, I like mine in the middle).  Chop the cream cheese and add a few cubes at a time.  Follow with the butter, using the same method.  Once it is blended, add the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Once fully mixed, transfer to buttered casserole dish and bake at 350 for about 20 mins.

Green Beans with Balsamic Glaze

I decided to go easy on these!

1 bag or frozen french style green beans
evoo
Trader Joe's Balsamic Glaze
salt and pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

Heat a large skillet on med heat, drizzle evoo 2 times around the pan, add the green beans and cook trough.  Remove to a serving plate, drizzle glaze, and season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle parm cheese and you are good to go!

finished dinner!
 

Pull up a Chair to Dinner with the Cutshall's!

Welcome to our home!  My name is Elisabeth, this is my husband, Grant, and my 3 boys, Parker, Tate, and Drew.  We are so glad you will be joining us for dinner!

from left to right: Me and Grant
Parker, Drew, and Tate

Basically, my plan for this blog is to share what I make for dinner every night. I love to cook and I am looking forward to sharing it with all of my readers.  I will share photo's and recipes of our meals as well.  For the most part, I love making up my own recipes, but when I do "borrow" a recipe, I will always site who it was from.  Also, when I occasionally go out to eat, I will share that as well.

For tonight's dinner, we will actually be having pizza, lol!  Grant has been in FL for the past 2 month with a commitment with the United States Navy and the boys and I will be picking him up this evening, ergo, Pizza Night!  So...I thought I would share my lunch!

I woke up feeling like I was coming down with a cold.  When I'm feeling under the weather, I crave comfort food, my favorite being grilled cheese and tomato soup!  I of course couldn't have just your basic grilled cheese though, so here was what I made:

Grilled Cheese

2 slices of multi grain bread
2 tbsp REAL butter (room temp)
2 tbsp of vegan mayo
1 tbsp low fat cream cheese (room temp)
2 tbsp sharp cheddar, shredded
5 large basil leaves, chiffionaded (fancy word for chopped)

heat a skillet at med low heat.  In a small bowl, mix the butter and mayo, then spread onto 1 side of both bread slices.  Add the cream cheese to the remaining butter/mayo mixture and spread on the other side of bread.  Sprinkle the cheddar on one slice of the cream cheese mix, and the basil on the other slice, the marry the cream cheese sides together.  Place in the warm skillet, mayo/butter side out, and cook for about 3-5mins (until golden brown), flip and repeat on the other side.  Let cool, then slice in half. 

I served this with canned tomato soup, because, as I said prior, I'm not feeling so great.  I used skim milk to make the soup, then seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper, then topped it with flat leaf Italian parsley and basil.