And I am back in the game...

The circuit board in my old camera was fried, so they gave me a brand new replacement camera. YAY!!!

Gnocchi with Bacon and Peas in a Cream Sauce

All I could think about the other day was how I was so sick of the ideal that you need to eat 'light and healthy' during the summer. Not that I don't eat light and healthy most of the time, and not to say that I don't enjoy taking advantage of the plethora of fresh fruits and veggies that are available during the summer, but all I know is this dish (which is SOOO not light and healthy) hit the spot the other day. Hope it helps satisfy a craving for someone else out there...

Gnocchi with Bacon and Peas in a Cream Sauce

Ingredients
1 package pre-made gnocchi
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion
2 large cloves garlic
3 strips of bacon or pancetta
¼ cup chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup of frozen peas
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Prep some of the ingredients: Peel and dice the onions into medium sized pieces. Mince the garlic and cut the bacon into 1" to 1-½" strips. Thaw the peas anyway you like and grate the Parmesan.


2. Heat up a large pot of salted water for cooking the gnocchi. Don't add the gnocchi quite yet, but get the water boiling so it is ready to go.


3. Heat your saute pan over medium-high heat to get it hot. Add the oil and butter to the pan; when the butter is melted and hot, add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue sautéing for another minute.


4. Add the bacon (or pancetta) and cook for 3 – 4 minutes until the bacon doesn’t have that white fatty look any more. You don’t want the bacon crisp, just cooked through. Pancetta will take slightly less time to cook than bacon.


5. Add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, stirring up any of the bacon bits that may be sticking to the pan. Add the cream and then the peas. Simmer for 3 – 4 minutes and you will notice the sauce start to thicken.


6. Right after you add the cream, add the gnocchi to the boiling water. They will only take a few minutes to cook and will float to the top of the water when they are ready. Drain and set aside.


7. Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the Parmesan cheese and nutmeg and stir until the cheese is melted. Add the drained gnocchi and stir gently to coat the gnocchi with sauce.


8. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Seared Rockfish with Lemon Cream Sauce

INGREDIENTS
4 lemons, juiced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup olive oil
4 8-ounce rock fish fillets
salt
pepper
garlic powder
rosemary
1 cup softened butter

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare the lemon sauce by combining the lemon juice, wine and cream in a saucepan and simmer on medium heat until reduced by half.
2. When the sauce has thickened, slowly whisk in the butter
3. Season fish with garlic powder, rosemary, salt and pepper.
4. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute fish until golden brown.
5. Serve with sauce drizzled over the fish.

Golden Mushroom Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 - 2 pounds boneless pork chops
garlic powder
salt
pepper
Campbell's Golden Mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced

3 potatoes sliced into wedges

1 cup baby carrots

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on both sides. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add in pork chops and cook until no longer pink, about 7 minutes on each side depending on pork chop thickness.
3. Remove pork chops. Add in remaining 1 tablespoon oil, mushrooms, potatoes, carrots and garlic to the skillet. Sauté about 5-8 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and potatoes have started to brown.

4. In a bowl mix together the water and golden mushroom soup.

5. Arrange pork chops in a large baking dish. Surround the pork chops with the vegetables, and then pour the soup over the top. Place in the oven and cook 20-30 minutes.

Cedar Plank Cajun Salmon

INGREDIENTS
1 cedar plank
1 ½ pounds salmon fillets
Cajun seasoning

DIRECTIONS
1. Soak cedar plank in salted water for 2 hours. Make sure the plank is completely submerged, placing something heavy on it will help.
2. Season the salmon with Cajun seasoning on both sides.
3. Heat grill to medium-high heat. Place the plank on the hot grill and leave it until there is a smell of smoke, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the plank over and place the fish on top. Cover the grill and cook until the fish is cooked to desired doneness, about 10 to 15 minutes. Check the plank occasionally. If the edges start to catch fire, mist with water, or move the plank to a cooler part of the grill.

Pictures

Ok, so I have found out what is wrong with my camera, have to go buy a new cord that plugs into my computer. So until then, you are stuck with crappy cell phone pictures. Sorry, I warned you. I don't have a fancy iphone like some people I know.

Garlicy Shrimp Fusilli

1/2 pound peeled & de-veined shrimp
4 Tbsp olive oil
8 Cloves garlic chopped
1 Large shallot sliced thin
1 cup white wine
1/2 lemon juiced
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 Tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
pinch salt
pinch red pepper flakes
3 Cups dry fusilli (cooked per box directions)
Fresh shredded Parmesan to top.

Place oil in pan over low heat. Add in shrimp and cook slowly on low heat until pink throughout. You want the oil to infuse with the shrimp flavor. Remove shrimp and add garlic and shallots. Cook over low until garlic softens. Start your pasta now. Add remaining ingredients (reserving Parmesan) to pan with garlic and shallot. Bring heat to high and let boil. Reduce heat to medium high and allow sauce to thicken and reduce. Once pasta is done add in about 1/2 cup of pasta water and boil sauce again. Strain pasta and pour it into pan. Toss to combine making sure all pasta is coated with sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan.

If you want to kick up the flavor add in 1 tbsp of unsalted butter when you add pasta sauce. This will gloss your sauce and make it that much richer. I did not add it last night because I wanted a lighter more spring like sauce.

Pointer: This pasta is great for kids. Reserve some pasta and coat with butter and Parmesan to make a great dinner for your kids.