Easter at the Jacksons + Recipes

This past Easter weekend was exciting for J and I because we were the hosts this year. It was our first big holiday gathering that we led and it was quite successful. :)

The recipe was all J's idea, and a good one. It's actually adapted from a dinner he made me in the latter half of 2008 as a surprise when I came home from a shift at Starbucks (see below). He had adapted it from Rachel Ray (the fish and gnocchi). We also made the veggie and salad.

Yummy!

So without further ado...the recipes as made for Easter 2011:

• Salad with Fresh Veggies
• Baked Tilapia with Roasted Tomatoes
• Gnocchi with Tarragon and Chive Sauce
• Peas with Pearl Onions

Since I'm not trying to make this a 30 minute meal or anything I am going to break the recipe down and add the baked fish variation. :) We also added a simple spring greens salad, because J and I love our salads.

The link to Rachael Ray's Recipe.

 Baked Tilapia with Roasted Tomatoes

• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
• Salt and pepper
• 4 fillets halibut or sea bass (6 ounces each)

Preheat oven to 425. Spread tomatoes onto a cookie sheet and combine with garlic, shallot, 3 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. As Rachel Ray says "the tomatoes will burst" after 10 minutes. Continue cooking another 10-12 minutes to concentrate flavor. Remove from oven. Mash tomatoes roughly.

Turn oven temp down to 400. I prepared the tilapia fillets by placing them in a baking dish on top of aluminum foil. I used some oil and fresh lemon juice to lightly season and keep from sticking at all. bake the fillets for 20-25 minutes. Since I live at a funky altitude I used the aluminum foil as a cover first so that the fish didn't crisp in some areas while just finishing cooking in others. I uncovered with five minutes of time left. It worked, and the fish we perfect!

Serve with roasted tomatoes on top.

Gnocchi with Tarragon and Chive Sauce

• 2 packages fresh gnocchi
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 6 sprigs fresh tarragon, leaves stripped and chopped
• 3 tablespoons snipped chives

Place a large pot of water on the stove to come up to a boil. Add salt to boiling water and drop in gnocchi. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they begin to rise.
Melt the butter in a skillet over low heat and add herbs. Toss cooked, drained gnocchi with herb butter, salt and pepper.

Peas with Pearl Onions

I don't have exact amounts because if you buy the standard sized bag of everything it should be perfect.
I started with a large bag of frozen peas from the grocery (I think it's 10 servings or something) and then bought a bag of the fresh pearl onions. Preparation is easy: place them in boiling water for two minutes and then plunge in to an ice bath. Cut off the root end of the pearl onion and then squeeze them out! Combine prepared pearl onions and cooked peas. Salt and pepper to taste.

Beautiful elm tree seeds, still on the branch. Spring!

 

Picturesque Spring

 The last 48 hours in Colorado...snow and then color!

Roman Murder Mystery Dinner Party

J and I hosted a murder mystery dinner party this past weekend. It was set in ancient Rome. My goal was to find palatable recipes that echoed what would have been eaten during the period. Pork was very popular with the elite of the day, so that was the main dish. More details below!




Drinks:

• Wines (Sparkling wines, Merlots and Chiantis)
• Roman Holiday Cocktail (modified)

Roman Holiday Original Recipe:
Muddle together double shot Sambuca, half of a lime, four raspberries.
Shake with ice.
Pour into tall glass filled with ice. Add 6 oz. of tonic water.

Our modified recipe:
Muddle together shot of Sambuca, half of a lime, four raspberries.
Shake with ice.
Pour into tall glass filled with ice. Add 6 oz. of lemon-lime soda (we used 7-Up).

Our dining room, set for eight.  

Appetizers:

• Crusty bread with basil-balsamic-olive oil dip
• Appetizer plate with grapes, olives, and cheese (a very tasty jack cheese with leeks, button mushrooms, etc.)



Appetizers!

Dinner (special thanks to Kels for the pork loin and roasted veggies/fruits recipes):

• Salad with yellow and orange bell pepper, Parmesan and dressings (Italian, Raspberry Vinaigrette)
• Prosciutto wrapped pork loin with thyme and honey
• Roasted sweet potatoes and pears

Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Loin with Thyme and Honey Recipe:

2- 1.5 lb pork loins
1/2 lb. sliced prosciutto (about ten slices)
Fresh thyme
Honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse pork loins and pat dry. Trim excess fat.
Wrap pork loins with sliced prosciutto. Top with fresh thyme and drizzle honey over that.
Cook for 45 minutes in the oven, until prosciutto is crisping.
Let pork rest for a few minutes before cutting and serving!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Pears Recipe:

4 large sweet potatoes
6 pears
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut up sweet potatoes and pears in half inch strip pieces. You'll want to keep the pears and potatoes separate for now since they will cook at the same temperature but for different times.
Toss with olive oil to coat and salt and pepper to taste.
On a large roasting pan place the sweet potatoes. Cook for 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add pears to potatoes and roast an additional 10 minutes.

Dinner menu...

Dessert (unfortunately, no pictures...):

• Pecan Pie (totally store-bought)
• Nutella Fondue with pineapple, strawberry, banana, and potato chips

Nutella Fondue Recipe:

Jar of Nutella
Cream
Bananas, Strawberries, Pineapple, potato chips (This is what we used for our party, but you can use any other fruits, pretzels, angel food cake.)

In a small saucepan (or a fondue pot) add as much Nutella as desired. Add cream as desired and patiently stir together until heated and incorporated. I used about three or four parts Nutella to one part cream, making a thicker fondue sauce. As the Nutella heats with the cream it will become less thick. You can always add more cream for the consistency you'd like, but you can't always take it out!

Grown-Up Grilled Cheese Sandwich

 Grown-Up Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I was hoping to make this in a panini maker but due to missing grill plates I had to make this the old fashioned way: on the stove top. 

• butter
• olive oil
  
• red onion, sliced
• tomato, sliced thickly
• 2 slices multi-grain bread
  
• slices of your favorite grilled-cheese cheese! (We used American cheese.)

In a pan lightly saute tomato and onion in olive oil.

On a non-stick griddle, spread butter. Lay the slices of bread for both sides of the sandwich on the griddle and top each with cheese. Place the tomato and onion slices on the "bottom" side piece of sandwich. When cheese warms and begins to melt, place the "top" portion of bread on the piece with the tomatoes and onions. Voila!

Images of Spring