Perfection!

Kate Middleton is perfection in my mind.  She looks so stunning in this Orla Kiely dress.  I just love everything she wears and how she carries herself.  Just lovely!  Photo from People.com

Lemon Orzo with Asparagus and Tomatoes

When you mix all my favorite things together this is what you get:
Lemon
Orzo Pasta
Asparagus
Tomatoes
Cheese

This recipe is fantastic.  You can serve it warm or cold, but I would use it as a side.  I tried eating it as a main dish and it's not really enough.  It is super fantastic though.  I am so obsessed with lemons right now...probably since I now have a lemon tree in my back yard!  And I love the petite Orzo pasta as well.  The light dressing on the top was really nice.  Next time I think i'll top the salad with prosciutto.
The recipe comes from another great blog I found via Pinterest called A Big Mouthful Adventures In Food.

Below is the link to the blog:
Lemon Orzo Salad

Jalapeno Popper Pizza

Again another great recipe from Heather Christo.  I just love all the cream cheese and the heat from the Jalapeno and Shallot.  This was super easy to make.  I skipped making the dough based on time and used a premade dough and followed the cooking directions on the package, but wow this pizza is good!

Here is the link to Heather Christo's Jalapeno Popper Pizza:
Jalapeno Popper Pizza

Cheesy Chicken Ranch Lasanga

Finally the last post of the day.  This was super easy to make.  I found this recipe via Pinterest the the blog is super good.  Great fast ideas to feed kids (and husbands too)!

Click on link below for recipe:
Ranch Chicken Lasanga

Food Flop of the day

I don't really even want to talk about it, but after a full day of cooking of course there is going to be a flop.  It wasn't the cooks fault, but the meat just tasted like bologna...ick!  The best park was the sourdough bread!  I could eat that stuff all day every day!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Seems I have been making up for lost time and I have three more posts.  The first one was a request from my husband for his birthday.  One word: YUM!
The recipe is from a blog called Sweet Peas Kitchen (which I LOVE).  These brownies were so moist and yummy.  And of course super easy ;o)

Below is the link to the recipe:
Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Waffle Grilled Cheese, Strawberry Parfaits & Lemon Monkey Bread Breakfast!

Today starts day one of Pinterest recipes.  I am absoultely obsessed with Pinterest and have saved a ton of recipes to my board.  Now that we are finally settled in our new house I get a chance to try out some of these yummy recipes.

Since my husband's birthday falls during the week I decided to make him a birthday breakfast and dessert (see next post for details).  The Eggo with bacon and cheddar grilled cheese came from the Food Network Magazine in the insert recipe book.  We also had Greek yogurt with strawberries coated in orange zest and juice and some yummy lemon buscuits.
Now it wouldn't be Mrs. D's Kitchen if I didn't mess something up a little bit right?  For the biscuits I accidentally bought the wrong ones so had to do with some refrigerated ones.  I also didn't have enough time to roast the strawberries for the parfaits so had to do without that as well.  All in all it was a great filling breakfast!

Eggo Waffles with Bacon and Cheddar Cheese
Defrost two Eggo waffles and set aside.  Once defrosted coat with a little butter and place a few slices of bacon and cheese between the two Eggos.  Place in a pan and cook as you would a regular grilled cheese.  Enjoy

Citrus Roasted Strawberry Parfaits
This recipe came from a great new blog I found called Family Fresh Cooking.  This blog has great fresh recipes that are super easy to prepare.  See link below:
Citrus Roasted Strawberry Parfaits

Lemon Monkey Bread
This recipe came from a great blog called Baker Lady.  She has great simple recipes.  See link below to this recipe:
Lemon Monkey Bread

Jacks Prime Burgers & Shakes

Saturday night we decided to go out and celebrate my husband's upcoming 30th birthday!  We received a gift card from some great friends to Jacks Prime Burgers and Shakes and thought we'd check the place out since the reviews on Yelp were fantastic.  Oh my gosh this place is so good.  The burgers were cooked in such a way that we didn't feel overly stuffed when we walked out.  I had the Cheeseburger with regular fries and a mint chocolate chip shake :o)
The best way to describe these burgers is basically they are not greasy at all.  It tasted like burgers off the grill in the back yard.
The restaurant was like you basic burger joint on the inside with long booths and lots of people.  The one thing that was amazing was the projection screen playing Disney movies for all the kids.  It kept my son busy the whole time we were there!  I will definitely be going back to this place over and over and over.

Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts & Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

So apparently i'm such a good photographer that I accedently took a movie of these two dishes instead of a still picture.  The sad part is I had no idea until I was trying to upload the picture and couldn't find it.  You'll just have to trust me that these two dishes were sooo good.  Both came from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook and are super fast to make. 

Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients:
6 chicken breast halves
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded fontina or mozzarella cheese (I used both)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan Romano Cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
2 tablespoons melted butter
Directions:
Cut a hole/slit in the middle of each chicken breast and set aside.  In a bowl combine all the cheeses, basil, oregano and lemon-pepper seasoning.  Spoon in as much of the stuffing into each chicken breast as you can.  Place chicken in a baking dish and brush with the melted butter.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes.  Enjoy!

Brown Sugar-Glazed Carrots
Ingredients:
1 lb medium carrots, peeled
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Directions:
Cut carrots in half, both cross-wise and length-wise.  In a medium saucepan cook carrots in a small amount of boiling water, covered, for 8-10 minutes.  Drain and remove.  In the same sauce pan melt together the butter, brown sugar and a pinch of salt.  Add in the carrots and cook uncovered for about 2 minutes.  Enjoy!

Pasta with Asparagus and Squash in a Lemon Sauce

So this recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook and is very similar to another dish I made in the past...The dish was okay.  If I never made the Pasta with asparagus and melon in a lemon sauce I probably would have liked it more.  So it wasn't a food flop...it just didn't excite me.

Pasta with Asparagus and Squash in a Lemon Sauce
Ingredients:
Rotini Pasta
2 cups asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic
1 small squash cut into small pieces
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons lemon zest and the juice
Directions:
Cook pasta according to package, drain and set aside.  Cook asparagus, garlic and squash in 1 tablespoon melted butter in a sauce pan for about 2 minutes.  Transfer to bowl with cooked pasta.  Pour in the whipping cream with the lemon zest and juice and bring to a boil.  Boil for a few minutes while the sauce thickens and cooks down.  Pour over pasta and ENJOY!

Salmon - Veggie Bake

So easy!  And you don't have to worry about a side dish because of all the yummy veggies you cook the salmon with!  I just love the touch of orange in this dish along with the carrots and mushrooms.  Although i'm not an onion fan at all, the green onions added a sort of sweetness to the veggies.
This recipe came from the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book

Salmon-Veggie Bake
Ingredients:
1 lb Fresh Salmon Filets
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced green onions
2 teaspoons finely shredded orange peel (I used a zester)
2 teaspoons fresh oregano
4 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 medium oranges, thinly sliced
4 sprigs fresh oregano (optional)
Directions:
In a small saucepan cook carrots in boiling water (covered) for 2 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  In a large bowl combine carrots, mushrooms, green onions, orange peel, oregano, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Toss together.  Divide vegetables onto tin foil (one piece per salmon cut).  Place salmon on top of the veggies and top with orange slices and a sprig of oregano.  Fold the foil over the salmon making sure there are no holes (you will want to keep the steam inside the foil).  Bake on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (it took me 15 minutes longer in my oven).  Enjoy!

Baked Pasta with Tomatoes, Shitake Mushrooms and Proscuitto

And i'm back!  Well it's been over a month since my last post and even longer since my last recipe post.  We have settled into our new home on the west coast and are loving the weather!  The first dinner I made in my new kitchen is a great recipe from my mom.  It does take some work, but it's totally worth it in the end!

Baked Pasta with Tomatoes, Shitake Mushrooms and Prosciutto
Serves 8
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Cups finely chopped onions
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 lb shitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps sliced
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 Tablespoons flour
2 cups whole milk
2 (28oz) cans Italian tomatoes in juice, drained well and chopped
1/4 lb thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
1 cup finely grated Italian Fontina Cheese
1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
1 1/2 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
2/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 lb farfalle or penne pasta
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Directions:
Put rack in the middle 9of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.  Butter a 3-4 qt shallow baking dish.  Heat oil in large skillet and add onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, and cook stirring until onions are softened (about 6 minutes).  Add mushrooms, increase heat to moderate and cook stirring until mushrooms are tender (about 10 minutes).  Transfer to large bowl.  Melt 3 tablespoons butter in same skillet over moderate low heat.  Whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly for 3 minutes to create a roux.  Add milk in a slow stream, whisking constantly and simmer until thick (about 2 minutes).  Pour sauce over mushroom mixture.  Stir in tomatoes, prosciutto, Fontina, Gorgonzola, 1 1/4 cup Parmesan and parsley.
Cook Pasta in 6-9 qt pot of boiling salted water for about 5 minutes (pasta will not be tender).  Drain well.  Add pasta, salt, pepper to mushroom mixture and toss until well combined.  Transfer to buttered baking dish and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.  Dot the top with butter.
Bake until top is golden and pasta is tender (about  25-30 minutes).
ENJOY!