Artichoke Gratinata (crowd pleasing veggie dish!)

Artichoke Gratinata (crowd pleasing veggie dish!)

Ok, throw me a bone here friends, this is another Giada Recipe I saw her whip up on Food Network.

I've been waiting for a chance to try this recipe - and Saturday night (same night of the goat cheese stuffed mushrooms) was the perfect night. I was sick of my usual Arugula Salad, or grilled veggies (to be honest I don't like many veggies so it gets hard to be creative) but this one is a true crowd pleaser. I made a few adjustments that I'll list below the regular recipe!!

What You'll Need:
*3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 1 garlic clove minced
* 1 lb frozen artichoke hearts, thawed & drained
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
* 3/4 teaspoons salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* 1/4 cup Marsala wine
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/3 cup plan bread crumbs
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese.

*(My modifications: I doubled the recipe to accommodate 6 as this recipe says it's for 4. Instead of sauteing everything in olive oil, I used my left over bacon grease that I had made for my stuffed mushrooms (naughty, I know.) I also used more like 3-4 minced garlic cloves and a little extra red pepper flake)

To Do:

* Preheat Oven to 450 degrees

* Warm olive oil (or bacon grease in my case) in a heavy bottom skillet (I used cast iron) over medium - high heat. Add the garlic & cook for 1 minute. Add the artichoke hearts, parsley, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook until the artichoke hearts are starting to brown a the edges around 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and wine and simmer 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a 2-4 quart baking dish.

* Melt the butter in the same skilled used to cook the artichoke mixture. In a small bowl mix the melted butter with bread crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and top the artichokes with the bread crumb mixture. Bake until top is golden around 10 minutes.

Serve With:
This is a great side for beef (I made bacon wrapped grilled filets); pork; meaty fish dishes or even chicken.

(apologies for not having a photo of the dish, I had too many balls in the air and next thing I knew it had been consumed! Everyone loved this dish - I feel it's a good crowd pleaser and even a kid friendly veggie dish! Give it a try and report back)

HAPPY EATING FRIENDS!!!
XOXO
THE WILSONS

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Scrumptious Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Bacon

Image by little blue hen via Flickr

Scrumptious Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Bacon

I originally came upon this recipe from a blog I read called BreezyMama. I made a couple of very minor modifications, such as adding more goat cheese and bacon than originally recommended, as well as some garlic. I will list the original recipe as well as my modifications below!

I served this as an appetizer at a dinner party Saturday night and they were gobbled up within minutes! The prep and bake time is NOTHING so if you need an easy but scrumptious appetizer this is for you!

You'll Need:
* 16 oz Mushroom Caps (the bigger the easier to stuff)
* 5.5 oz goat cheese
* 7 slices bacon
* 2 green onions

(Modification: I used about 7.5 oz of Goat Cheese; 8 -9 slices of applewood smoked bacon to add sweetness; 3-4 green onions (the white part has the most flavor), two-three cloves of garlic minced and browned in the bacon fat you have left
over)
Directions:
* Cook bacon in large skillet (save the grease to brown some garlic if you follow my modification)
* (optional) brown the garlic for a minute or so in the hot bacon grease)
* Wash & Cap 'Shrooms
* Dice green onions and bacon
* Mix the green onions, bacon, goat cheese (& garlic) in a bowl
* Stuff Shroom caps
* Spray a large baking sheet with Pam
* arrange stuffed shrooms on baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes or so until brown on top!

GO ON NOW AND EAT SOME GOAT CHEESE LOVE!
XOXO
THE WILSONS

EASY but Company Worthy Linguine with Arugula & Pecorino!

This is a recipe from Giada's cookbook "Everyday Pasta" which I am currently OBSESSED WITH.

This pasta is incredibly simple, but as is often the case, the most simple ingredients can create the best tasting food.

I sauteed some cubed chicken breast to add to this dish as I love a little protein in my pasta, but it is also fabulous on its own.

Linguine with Butter, Pecorino, Arugula and Black Pepper

(serves 6)

You'll Need:
* 1 lb of Linguine
* 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temp
* 1 & 1/4 cups of very finely grated Pecorino Roman cheese
*1&1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup coarsely chopped arugula
* Salt to taste
(if you want add shrimp or chicken sauteed in a pan)

To Do:

* Fill a large pot with water & add salt. Bring to a boil over high heat.
* Add the Linguine and cook until it is al dente - stir frequently - (following timing instructions on box)
* Drain when done, reserving 1&1/2 cups of the pasta water (THIS IS A GREAT TIP FOR OTHER PASTA DISHES TOO)
* Immediately toss the hot pasta in a large bowl with the butter to coat.
* Then gradually sprinkle in the cheese, pepper and enough of the reserved pasta water evenly over the linguine to moisten.
* Last, add the arugula and toss it all together!
* Add a little salt and pepper to taste
* I also added a handful of cheese bread twists, but you can decorate as you wish!

SERVE IT UP!

ENJOY!
Wilsons' Eating Tour has missed you all!
Thank you for your patience as we have been in the process of a cross country relocation.

WE HAVE SOME GREAT STUFF COMING YOUR WAY!

EAT UP,
XOXOXO
THE WILSONS

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Finally, PERFECT BROWN RICE At Home!

Image via Wikipedia

Finally, PERFECT BROWN RICE At Home!

Most of us that have tried to make a nice fluffy and moist brown rice at home have crashed and burned. It's dry or the texture is bleckh, not right.

I was making my at home favorite brown rice salad the other night (basically a chopped Romaine salad with onions, red pepper, some type of protein and brown rice with a nice dressing)
and this time I wanted the rice to be fluffy, moist, and tasty.

I did a search on line and it turns out a few folks have saved me lots of time and heartache to perfect this lovely grain!

I used a recipe from Pinch My Salt that they modified from Saveur.com and I have to say it WORKED LIKE A CHARM!!! We ate every single bite, and it was truly the brown rice that made the dish.

Without further adieu:

The PERFECT BROWN RICE at Home!

Ingredients:
*Brown Rice
*Water - at least four cups of water for every cup of rice
*Salt to taste.

To Do:
*Rinse rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds & swirl the rice around in your hand.
*Bring water to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
*When water is boiling, add the rice, stir it once
(I also salted my water)
*Turn heat to a medium boil and leave rice uncovered for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
*After 30 minutes, pour the rice into a strainer over the sink.
*Let the rice drain out the water for 10 seconds then return it to the pot and set aside OFF OF THE HEAT.
*Immediately over the pot with a tight fitting lid and set aside to allow the rice to steam for 10 minutes.
*After 10 minutes, uncover rice, fluff with a for, season to taste.

ENJOY
EAT HEALTHY, EAT LOTS
THE WILSONS!

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Thanksgiving Recipes!

Hi W.E.T Readers!:

It's the BEST time of year. Time for family, friends and holiday festivities which all leads to ONE THING. FOOD. Food, More food, and naps.

We have posted a fantastic recipe on Truffle Butter Roasted Turkey (from Ina Garten) as well as some of our famous Family Side Dishes, as well as a ton of other ideas we found trolling the Food Network websites!

We have posted all these recipes on our other blog, Conquer The Monkey, so this time, go there to check them out!!!

We would love to hear about YOUR FAMOUS FAMILY RECIPES!!!

Gobble Gobble,
THE WILSONS

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Champagne Chicken

Champagne Chicken!

I was in a pinch for dinner last week and hadn't gone to the Market - having been way too busy! I assessed my fridge and freezer. I had some raw chicken strips and I was going to make a homemade marinade, but I had nothing with acid - no lemons - nothing.

So, I pulled out my one of my favorite Salad dressings -- Girard's Champagne Salad Dressing -- that I have loved since college. I wasn't sure if this would work as a Marinade so I did a quick Google search and sure enough, the Girard's website they recommended using the dressing as a Marinade.

To Do:
* Marinade the Chicken in the dressing for a couple hours.

* Heat a saute pan to medium/medium high, drizzled a bit of good Extra Virgin Olive Oil and saute the chicken until it is golden brown all over. (about 4-5 minutes per side depending - just monitor closely)

HOW EASY IS THAT - AND it tastes much fancier than it obviously is. You could EASILY use this to serve for company because it tastes rich and complicated. The Chicken was tender & had a nice tang, slight bit of spice, and really just was one of the most delicious and easy pieces of chicken we've had in a very longtime.

Serve It With:
* Porcini Mushroom Risotto
* Green Salad with a light but creamy dressing

Let us know if you try this and what you think! If you haven't had Girard's you gotta try it. It makes a great salad dressing for a special occasion too - especially if you don't have time to make something from scratch!

Do what you do, eat what you like!
-The Wilsons

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Vanilla & Cinnamon Coffee

Vanilla & Cinnamon Coffee
mmmmmmmmm ;)

DELIGHTFUL & Healthy Way to Kick Start your Morning!!!
This is simple & perhaps I'm the last one to know the secret, but I have to share in the event you haven't tried this fabulous at home breakfast concoction!

Spruce up your morning jolt with a healthy dose of SWEETNESS!

Vanilla & Cinnamon Coffee
*Start with your favorite breakfast blend coffee

*Mix in a couple hefty teaspoons of cinnamon & sugar (pre-mixed) (OR Splenda)

*A dash or two of Light Vanilla Soy Milk (amount depends on your preference) (Silk brand Soy is my FAVORITE)

*Stir & enjoy this fantastic mix of sweet & creamy with the cinnamon spice

Seriously, I'm addicted. A (semi) healthy addiction, this I can live with.

Eat, Drink & Be Merry.

Share your favorite morning recipe with us so we can try it out!

Cheers, The Wilsons

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