Easter is another one of those amazing holidays where you get together with you family and enjoy a delicious meal and quality time together. Southern Living encourages you to “Celebrate Easter with one of our creative and delicious menus. You will find all your favorite Easter recipes included in this selection, from glazed hams, deviled eggs, and pretty green salads. If you are hosting a formal Easter Sunday dinner, we have the perfect lineup of tasty dishes that will impress your guests. Or choose a hearty breakfast casserole, break out the champagne flutes, and gather family and friends for a mid-morning brunch.”
So as you can tell, you can’t go wrong with any of the recipes they are sharing with us for Easter 2018 in this article.
Spring is in the air! It’s time to open those windows and enjoy the beautiful fresh air while you whip up something delicious in the kitchen. The New York times was so excited about spring they decided to share 14 of their best spring recipes, which you can find here, as a part of their Editor’s Collection online this month.
Out of the 14 amazing recipes they shared, we were particularly drawn to the Fettuccine with Asparagus and Smoke Salmon. Not only is this recipe creamy and delicious especially when used with fresh asparagus, but it only takes 35 minutes to cook!
INGREDIENTS
½pound fresh asparagus, medium thickness
Salt
1tablespoon butter
½tablespoon minced shallots
1cup heavy cream
4ounces smoked salmon sliced 1/4-inch thick
Freshly ground black pepper
1teaspoon fresh lemon juice
9 to 10ounces fresh green fettuccine noodles
2tablespoons minced fresh dill
PREPARATION
Snap off the ends of the asparagus where they break naturally and peel the stalks. Cut the asparagus on a slant to pieces about an inch long.
Steam the asparagus until they are just barely tender and still bright green, about three minutes. Rinse under cold water, drain well on paper towels and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
While the water is coming to a boil, melt the butter in a large heavy skillet. Add the shallots and saute until soft but not brown. Stir in the cream and simmer about five minutes, until the cream has thickened somewhat.
Cut the salmon into slivers, add it to the cream and remove the skillet from the heat. Season with pepper and lemon juice. Add the asparagus.
When the pot of water is boiling, add the fettuccine, stir it once or twice, then cook two to three minutes after the water has returned to a boil. Drain well.
Briefly reheat the sauce. Transfer the fettuccine to a warm serving bowl, pour the sauce over it and toss. Sprinkle with dill and serve.
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, Food Network has released 36 hearty St. Patrick’s Day foods that you won’t want to miss out on. From Irish Soda Bread to Shepherd’s Pie Potato Bowls you will not want to miss out on these recipes. Not only are they great to cook for friends and family on this beautiful St. Patrick’s Day but who wouldn’t want a delicious beef stew any other day of the year!? For now, though, we will share the infamous corn beef and cabbage recipe as given by The Food Network. We definitely tip our Irish hats off to this recipe.
Ingredients
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons whole coriander
1 1/2 tablespoons whole mustard seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 1/2 tablespoons whole allspice
4 sprigs fresh marjoram
4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) brisket
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, halved
6 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 head celery including leaves, coarsely chopped
1 head garlic, halved
3 sprigs fresh marjoram
1 small cabbage cut into 6 to 8 wedges
Herbed Root Vegetables, recipe follows
Directions
For the brine:
Combine all the brine ingredients, except the brisket, in a large non-reactive bowl. Add the brisket (you may have to cut it into 2 pieces) and rub the spice mix into the meat. Pour cold water over until the meat is covered. Weight the brisket down with a small plate so that it is completely submerged; cover and refrigerate. The meat can be brined overnight or as long as 10 days. The longer the brining the more pickled the meat.
Heat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, marjoram, and bay leaves and cook until starting to soften, about 10 minutes. Remove the meat from the brine and rinse it well. Set the meat on top of the vegetables and add water to just cover the meat. Bring to a boil skimming any foam that surfaces. Reduce the heat to a simmer, place the lid on the pot, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the cabbage pieces, cover, and put it into the oven; cook for 3 hours.
Remove the meat, cover it with foil, and let it rest for 20 minutes. Cut the fat off the corned beef, slice the meat against the grain, and serve it in shallow bowls with the cabbage wedges, some cooking liquid, and the Herbed Root Vegetables.
Herbed Root Vegetables:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound new potatoes, scrubbed
1 pound baby carrots, trimmed and scrubbed
1 pound baby turnips, trimmed and scrubbed
1 pound baby parsnips, trimmed and scrubbed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Herb Butter:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup mixed chopped fresh herbs like thyme, mint, chives, parsley, or chervil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the olive oil and butter into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and toss to coat them well with the fat; season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the Herb Butter by combining the soft butter and herbs together; season with some salt and pepper.
To serve, spread some Herb Butter in the bottom of a bowl. Add the hot vegetables and dot with more Herb Butter. Moisten with some of the cooking liquid and serve.
If you are on the lookout for some quick fix salads, Southern Living has these 24 quick fixes that are sure to satisfy all of your healthy cravings. The one that really stood out to us was this skillet steak and wilted kale salad. So not only is it on the healthy side, but you get some delicious red meat as well- not to mention it only takes twenty minutes to make and serves up to 4 people!
Ingredients
1 bunch kale, stems removed
2 (3/4-inch-thick) beef strip steaks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425°. Chop kale. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper. Cook steaks in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 3 minutes on each side. Place on a wire rack in a jelly-roll pan, and bake 6 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, wipe skillet clean, and melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender.
Step 3
Remove steaks from oven, and loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Add kale to onion mixture, and cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until kale is wilted. Stir in vinegar and honey; season with salt and pepper. Serve with sliced steak.
Southern Living recently featured this article that discusses all their best barbeque side dishes which just so happens to go along perfectly with this spring time weather that we have been experiencing here in Louisiana over the past few days. So, make sure to take a look at all the side dish recipes they have to offer and pick out which one you are going to cook this Sunday with your BBQ.
Ingredients
3 pounds baby red potatoes, cut in half
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar*
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
How to Make It
Step 1
Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Place potatoes in a single layer in center of a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring up foil sides over potatoes; double fold top and side edges to seal, making 1 large packet.
Step 2
Grill potatoes, in foil packet, covered with grill lid, 15 minutes on each side. Remove packet from grill. Carefully open packet, using tongs, and let potatoes cool 5 minutes.
Step 3
Whisk together mayonnaise and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add potatoes, tossing gently to coat. Stir in onion, blue cheese, and bacon.
Step 4
*Balsamic vinegar may be substituted but will darken the color of the dressing.
There are no words to describe these amazing lasagna rolls. Although, they do take some time to prepare and cook. It is all worth the wait once you sit down and enjoy them. Not to mention this is something everyone can enjoy- even though its filled with spinach, the melted ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese make it as though you can’t even taste the greens. Be sure to give this hearty recipe a try and let us know what sides you added- you could try anything from salad, to garlic bread or cucumbers and tomatoes tossed in vinegar.
For more information on cooking time, nutritional information and to watch a video on how to cook the meal click here.
Ingredients
Sauce:
Lasagna:
Directions
To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.
Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.
Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread a large spoonful (about 3 tablespoons worth) of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamel sauce in the dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.
