New recipes from How Sweet It Is

Guess what? It is going to be a weekend in Portland so I hope to have some great new restaurants posts SOON! Stand by.

But, until then, read about my obsession with some of Jessica's recipes from How Sweet It Is. If you haven't been to her blog, then you are missing out. I warn you...once you start, you won't be able to stop. I could make EVERY recipe and last night, I made two - Sweet Potato Burgers with Avocado and Double Bean Burger Patty Melts.

My love for sweet potatoes is almost surpassing my love for anything inspired by caprese salad. Okay, so that might be an exaggeration, but I do love them. This recipe was so easy and the potato/avocado combination is divine. I did alter the recipe slightly, not because it needed it, but because I lacked the proper ingredients to make the cream. Instead, I made a simple rosemary, roasted garlic aioli:

Ingredients - Rosemary Roasted Garlic Aioli
1/4 c. mayo
1 tablespoon rosemary
4 cloves roasted garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Mash up the garlic cloves and then mix with mayo, rosemary, salt and pepper. Voila!

Now, the reason I also made the bean patties is because my other half doesn't drool over sweet potatoes like I do (he did end up liking the burgers though). The Double Bean Burger Patty Melts were fantastic except that I did something wrong and the ingredients didn't stick together very well. My recommendation - rinse and drain the beans properly. I think I had too much liquid from the canned beans, so I started off on the wrong foot. Not good. Yet, the flavor was still wonderful and the caramelized onions tasted great with the beans and cheese.

Since we had extra patties, I just decided to freeze them, just like we would with a traditional beef burger. They won't last long in there, I can assure you that.

Can't wait until next year...Feast Portland.

Dear Feast Portland,

I wish I could have met you and all of your friends.

Can't wait until next year...I will go broke before I miss out on such a great event.

Mark it on your calendars for next year...Portland's ultimate "foodie" event.

http://www.eatmagazine.ca/feast-portland-portland-puts-on-the-show-of-the-year/

@feastpdx

September 20, 21 & 22nd 2013.

via

What's for dinner? Well, what's in the pantry?

It was a typical, "what's for dinner?" kind of night and I wasn't in the mood for grocery shopping. The challenge: using the ingredients I already had in my pantry. A game that I don't play well. My inspiration was some chicken, mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce.

Naturally, that lead me to Chicken Parmesan! I made it on the fly and I didn't have to spend ten minutes looking up a recipe....it was so easy! Read and learn.

Recipe - Simple Chicken Parmesan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

You need:
Egg & milk (for the egg wash)
Mozzarella cheese
Marinara Sauce
Chicken breasts

Make your Parmesan crust:
Bread crumbs
Italian seasonings (oregano, parsley etc...)
Minced garlic
Salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese

Now, follow the steps:
Flatten chicken breasts, dredge each one in the egg wash and then cover with your homemade Parmesan crust.
Brown the chicken in a hot skillet with olive oil for about 2-3 minutes.
Place the crusted-chicken in a "bake safe" dish (like a glass baking dish or pan).
Cover with mozzarella cheese and top with marinara sauce.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.


Voila! Serve over noodles and you are good to go (add some delicious garlic bread if you have it)!

For next time, I might try to add some red pepper flakes. My recipe needs something else but I am not sure what. Might need to have a chat with good ol' Giada, the Italian expert herself.

What would you add to this recipe?