Cheesy Garlic Bread

I love when I make something amazing without even meaning to. This garlic bread. WOW. 

We were having an italian feast last weekend while skiing up in Vermont and staying at my friend's Joanna and Will's house. (Check out the post here). I wanted to make some garlic bread and decided to just throw something together with ingredients we had in the house. It came out gooood!

My go to secret ingredient for garlic bread is actually sugar. I sprinkle a little over the top right before putting it in the oven. A family friend taught me this trick a long time ago and boy does the sugar enhance all the other flavors of the bread. 

Try it out and I bet you will love it! 

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 baguette
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
• Parmesan cheese
• Shredded white cheddar cheese - I used a block with chives in it because we had it at the house
• Fresh parsley
• Olive oil
• Sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.

Cut the baguette in half.

If your butter has not softened enough place it in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until it is soft enough to whip with a fork.

Mince the garlic and mix it in with the softened butter. Spread on the baguette.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the butter.

Shred the cheddar cheese and cover the baguette with it. 

Rough chop the parsley and sprinkle over the cheddar. Drizzle olive oil over the top.

Last, sprinkle sugar over the bread. Bake covered on 350 for 10 to 15 minutes until warmed through. Once warmed, turn the broiler on high. Uncover the bread and broil until the cheese is melty and slightly browned.

Before

After :)

President's Day Weekend - SkiEsta 2012!

I know. I have been slacking at getting posts up here. It's been a busy few weeks for sure!

Last weekend we took our annual trip (we call it SkiEsta) to our friends Joanna and Will's house in Vermont. They have the most beautiful house and are just a short ride to Okemo mountain. This time there was a group of 12 of us and we had a great weekend full of skiing, eating and drinking. 

Here are a few snapshots from the weekend and I will follow up with a recipe for BOMB garlic bread shortly. Enjoy!

Picture of the house courtesy of my friend Andrea :)

One of our amazing hosts getting ready to carve the turkey

Thanksgiving dinner in February :)

Just being silly

Morning bloody mary's before skiing!

Hitting the slopes!

Everyone MUST eat at least 1 waffle from Waffle Cabin in their lifetime.
OH. MY. GOD.

Joanna and Will...our amazing hosts for the 2nd year in a row :)

Back home making an italian feast...yum yum yum!

Checking on the marinara sauce...Secret ingredient - Cinnamon!
Trust me. You won't be sorry you did.

Turkey meatballs grilling away

Cheesy garlic bread

The spread

Almond Encrusted Salmon with Beurre Blanc Sauce

Move over Legal Seafoods. 

You got some competition in the Almond Encrusted Salmon with Beurre Blanc sauce category.

This is one of my favorite meals on the menu at Legal. Luckily it is so easy to make at home I don't need to go out to a restaurant every time I want to have it for dinner!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• 3/4lb to 1 lb of salmon
• 1 egg
• Sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon of minced shallot
• 1/4 cup of white wine
• 5 tablespoons of butter (keep this butter in the fridge until you need it - it has to be cold)
• Olive oil
• Salt

Pre heat the oven to 375 F.

I cut my salmon in half because it is easier to work with. Season with salt.

Crack an egg into a bowl and add a few tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. Dip the salmon in the wash.

Next press the salmon in the almonds so they stick to the egg wash.

Heat an oven proof skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Place the salmon in almond side down.

Cook almond side down for 2 to 3 minutes until the almonds are browned. Mine were cooked too long and burned. Typical.

Place the salmon in the oven for 7 to 9 minutes until it is cooked though.


Now time to make the Beurre Blanc (butter) sauce.


Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of minced shallot.

Add 1/4 cup of white wine. Let it reduce by half.

Stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter into the sauce 1 tablespoon at a time. I just swirled mine in with a fork until melted. You need to constantly swirl so the sauce thickens.

     **The butter must be really cold in order for the sauce to come out right. Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.**

Pour the sauce over the cooked salmon. I served mine over rice pilaf with a side of asparagus. 

Oh, and a big glass of white wine. I mean it was already out from using it to cook...

Perfectly Cooked Asparagus

I love asparagus and I love how easy it is to make.

 

That's pretty much it :)

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 bunch of fresh asparagus
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 400 F.

Drizzle a little olive oil (approx. 1/4 teaspoon),  a squeeze of lemon juice, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper over the asparagus. Use your hands and toss the asparagus around to coat.

Roast in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes until they are bright green in color and still slightly crunchy.

Voila!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I have been slacking over here...pretty bad. A few weeks ago I could have used the holiday's as an excuse but now it's early February...soooo all I'll say is that it has been one of the nicest winters we've had (barely any snow!) and my friends and I have been out and about almost every weekend. Therefore, no time to stay home and cook.


And yes, I know it is not fall anymore but I just really wanted butternut squash soup ok?


:)

Now that I have spent all my money on drinks and having fun it's time to get back into the swing of things. Gym. Eating healthy. Saving money. 

I give it one week. Hah.

Also, I'm in deep depression over the Patriot's loss in the Super Bowl. I have been avoiding the TV so I don't have to see recaps or even worse, happy NY Giants Fans celebrating. UGHHH. Worst.

I had yesterday off from work (thinking I would be celebrating a Patriot's win) but instead I ended up getting sick and really doing a whole lot of nothing. I needed to take one more sick day today so decided I could at least start with the "eating healthy" part of my goal.  Here we go....

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• 4lb butternut squash
• 2 14.5 oz cans of chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons of honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of minced ginger
• 8 tablespoons of heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F.

Cut the squash in half and scoop out all of the seeds and fibers.

Drizzle on olive oil and fresh cracked pepper.

And here is where I got side tracked and stopped taking pictures. Typical.

Roast the squash for 45-60 mins (depending on the size of the squash). When the squash can be easily pierced with a fork is is good to go!

Scoop the insides out into a large soup pot. Add the chicken stock, honey and ginger. Bring to a simmer. 

If you have an immersion blender then you are in luck - puree all the ingredients right in the soup pot. If not, just use a food processor or a blender and pour back in the soup pot when finished.

Once pureed, add the heavy cream and salt and pepper to taste. 

Bring back to a low simmer and you are all done!