Potato Crusted Cod and Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos

On Sunday night, after a wonderful late lunch on the patio at Bouchee and wandering around the SOWA Open Market, B and I were completely wiped out.  We wanted to make something for dinner that was quick and easy but still tasty.  We looked through our freezer and decided to cook the frozen potato crusted cod that Sea Cuisine sent over for me to try out.

Since I had such a great experience with my previous Sea Cuisine frozen fish, I knew that the cod would be equally delicious.  The preparation for the fish was very simple and we put it on a cooking tray in the oven at 375 degrees for twenty-five minutes.

While the fish was cooking, we decided to make two simple sides to go with the fish.  The most obvious was a very basic salad with Olivia's Organics spring mix salad with a sliced vine-ripe tomato, sliced cucumbers, sliced avocado, and aged Cabot cheddar cheese.

While the salad was refreshing, we wanted to make something that didn't really go with the meal but we both really wanted to make.  We saw a recipe for cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers in the most recent issue of Everyday Food.  Our friend M makes something very similar as an appetizer for parties and we both really wanted to make it ourselves.  We went to Savenor's Market and picked up half a dozen jalapeno peppers.

After the peppers were washed, B sliced them in half and I de-seeded them.  We saved a few seeds aside to put in the cheese stuffing.  I shredded a generous quarter cup of the aged Cabot cheddar cheese.

I then added half a package of cream cheese and added the jalapeno seeds, fresh cracked black pepper and salt.  Using a small spoon, we delicately spooned the stuffing into the jalapenos.

B placed the jalapenos on the tray with the fish and broiled it for about ten minutes.  The end result was a very simple but surprisingly delicious dinner.  The cod was delightfully moist with a thick potato, cheddar and chive crust.  The crust was so flavorful that it didn't need any sauce.  While the salad was a light and refreshing side to the fish, the spicy jalapenos added a nice rich and cheesy goodness to the meal.

Better still, the meal made great leftovers the next day.  I added some canned tuna to the salad for lunch and we reheated the jalapenos for dinner, which added a delicious golden brown crust to the cheese.  Although the jalapenos were a strange addition to our meal, I know that I will definitely repeat it for an appetizer some time.

Have you ever seen a recipe that you had to try out right away? What was it?

Pasta Box Gift Set and Bobby Flay's Meatballs

For B's birthday, our good friends S & S gave him a wonderful gift box filled with delicious pappardelle noodles, two bottles of sauce and a matching set of kitchen pot holders.  They know how much B and I love to cook together so this was a perfect gift for us.

Although this gift box can last for awhile, we were eager to get into it and use the ingredients right away.  Since the preparation of the sauce and the pasta are pretty straightforward, we decided to make some meatballs to go with our dinner.  We decided to use a Bobby Flay recipe that we had previously used for a big family-style Italian dinner for my friends over New Years Eve weekend.  It had been a big hit and we hadn't made these meatballs since then.

First we put the tomato basil sauce on a very low simmer.  Because it tasted really flavorful, I opted not to add any sauteed garlic or onion to it like I usually do with bottled pasta sauce.  I did add a bit of crushed red pepper flakes and oregano to add a bit more spice to the sauce.

While the sauce was on a low simmer on the back burner, we got to work on the meatballs.  First, B minced and sauteed eight small cloves of garlic.  We doubled the amount called for in the recipe since we both really like garlic.

After the garlic was sauteed, B took it out of the pan and set it aside to cool.  While the garlic was cooling, we began to prep our other ingredients for the meatballs.  I whisked up two eggs.

I also got a generous quarter cup of bread crumbs and set it aside.  Normally I like to use Italian bread crumbs but we were all out and I stuck with just plain bread crumbs.

B also chopped up a few handfuls of flat Italian parsley.  We only needed a quarter cup and anything extra went into our pasta sauce.

Then came the fun part, mixing all of the ingredients together with 1/2 pound each of pork, veal and beef.

This resulted in a lot of delicious looking meatballs:

By this time, the sauce was sufficiently hot so when the meatballs were ready, we dropped the meatballs in the sauce to cook.  I also began boiling the water for the pasta with a little bit of salt.  When the water was ready, I dropped the pappardelle into the water.  I kept an eye on the pasta and giving it a stir from time to time.

I wanted to make a simple side salad to go along with our pasta, so I looked through our fridge to see what ingredients we had.  B picked up our go-to salad - Olivia's Organics Spring Mix.

I also chopped up one tomato we had left in the fridge and crumbled up pieces of the herb goat cheese that we had snacked on during the proposal picnic.

The salad looked really fresh and healthy and was a perfect side to our pasta.  We also made some simple garlic bread using a small baguette, garlic powder and butter but somehow that never made it into the photos!
I will say that our kitchen smelled so delicious with the aromas of the meatballs, garlic bread and the pasta sauce.

To go with our dinner, I poured two glasses of Kung Fu Girl Reisling.  Even though red wine would have been more appropriate, this was a leftover chilled bottle from B's birthday celebration and I wanted to put it to use!

I've tried this wine before from Best Cellars and I absolutely love the label.  Isn't it adorable?

But back to the meal - the pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente (if I do say so myself) and topped with the delicious tender meatballs.

Although the recipe recommends searing the meatballs first before adding it to the sauce, I actually like the meatball to be a bit softer with pasta so we opted to drop it right into the sauce.  I think you can really go either way with this depending on your preference.

We had so much leftovers that we both brought some pasta for lunch today and froze the rest of the meatballs for one of those lazy meals - to make pasta again or for meatball sandwiches.

Thanks to S & S for their amazing pasta box gift set and for inspiring us to make such a wonderful meal!

Bunless Blue Cheese Turkey Burgers

Normally, when I write about cooking food on this blog, it usually involves food that I've made in the kitchen by myself or with my boyfriend.  Although B's schedule is a bit more predictable, mine can be all over the place.  There are times when I'm home at 3 PM and other times when I don't return until 9 PM.  It is the nature of my job.  But since we love spending time together, B and I usually find a way to cook together when we can.  One of us will prep while the other will cook, etc.

Last night, I had every intention of helping B make dinner but a meeting I had after work for one of my volunteer groups ran way over time.  By the time I got home, he had not only prepped everything but actually started cooking and dinner was ready on the table minuted after I walked in the door.  B took photos of the cooking process because he thought I'd be walking in the door any minute to join in.  I felt bad since he made all of the effort so I thought I would post them anyway.

B made delicious turkey burgers using lean ground turkey, salt, cracked black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne and some leftover blue cheese.

He cooked the burgers in a pan with vegetable oil until there was a nice color on both sides.  But just to be safe, he also checked the temperature to make sure the turkey was cooked through.

B made a gorgeous side salad using Olivia's Organics Spring Mix and adding sliced carrots and cucumbers.

He also sliced up a beefsteak tomato to top off our turkey burgers.

I was a lucky girl to be able to sit down to a healthy meal made by my boyfriend without lifting a finger (although I did have dish duty that night)!  The turkey burgers were fantastic with a hint of blue cheese flavor and the cheese helped keep the burger really moist.  There is nothing worse than a really dry turkey burger.  I loved my bunless burger with the tomato alone and didn't need any condiments at all.

It is nice to have someone else who enjoys cooking as much as I do.  And although I love cooking with my boyfriend, I also love nights like last night where I got a night off from the kitchen.