Simple Paella recipe: a family favorite

I have rarely shared any recipes on this blog and part of me want to keep this one a secret because it is so good! :) It is definitely one of my top 3 home cooked meal and it appears often in our dinner rotation.... Bonus factor it is all done in one pan! Here's my simple version of the paella:

Ingredients:

3.5 to 4 cups chicken broth

5 oz or a good handful of small cherry tomatoes, halved

4 tablespoons of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 medium-size onion, minced

1 tablespoon of minced fresh garlic

1 tablespoon of tomato paste (I use this kind)

1 large pinch of saffron

2 teaspoon of smoked or sweet paprika

2 cups of short-grain white rice

10 oz. large shrimp, cleaned, tail off

3 precooked andouille sausages, sliced (I use this kind)

1/ Heat oven to 450º. Put tomatoes in a bowl, sprinkle with a good amount of salt and pepper, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toss gently to coat. Set aside

2/ Put remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in a large ovenproof skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, saffron and paprika, and cook 1 minute more. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is shiny, another minute or two. In the meantime, warm up your chicken stock in the microwave.

3/Remove pan from heat and carefully add 3.5 cups of warm stock. Stir in shrimp and sliced sausages.

4/ Put tomatoes on top of rice and drizzle with juices that accumulated in the bowl. Transfer pan to a 450º oven and bake, undisturbed for 20 minutes. Check to see if the rice is dry and just tender. If not, return pan to the oven for another 5 minutes. If rice looks too dry at some point but isn't quite tender yet, add a small amount of broth. When rice is ready, turn off oven and let it sit for 5 or so minutes.

Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this! 

(Adapted from an ancient Family Circle magazine recipe)

10 on the 10th

I decided to join Shimelle again for this fun monthly practice of listing 10 Things on the 10th of the month and since it seems to be the time of a year when a lot of us are looking into cooking more, I chose to share ten tried recipes from Pinterest and let you know what I think about them!

In no particular order:

1. Chicken Cashew Lettuce Wraps
First thing I noticed was that all the ingredients were "common" ones, meaning things I know I can find at my grocery store = bonus point. It has very nice flavors and it is a keeper (meaning I will make it again). I might add red bell pepper in the mix and crunchy rice noodles into the wraps.

2. Lazy Sunday casserole
This is as delicious as it looks and sounds! I never cook fennel bulbs but it is so good in this you have to include one! My only modification was to cut down the balsamic vinegar in half (to 2 TB instead of 4) and it was much better that way. Also, allow quite some time for the cooking (that's why it is good for Sundays!)

3. Lasagna Soup
Another keeper! This is so good especially for the upcoming chilly months. I used a different kind of pasta (Barilla's Cellentani) and they work just as well but definitely go for fire-roasted tomatoes. Big success all around at the dinner table!

4. Rattlesnake sliders
No snake included but the kids love the name and they taste very good too! If you don't know where to find andouille, I use the Johnsonville New Orleans brand sausages available in regular stores. They are precooked so I just chop them before adding with the ground chicken.

5. Slow-Cooker White Bean soup with Andouille and Collards
...and speaking of andouille, here is another great recipe for cold evenings and the only times I ever buy collards! Bonus points because it cooks in the slow-cooker and makes a hearty stew that feeds my hungry and growing boys! Delicious the next day too!

6. Penne Frittata with Basil and Ricotta
Great for a quick dinner or a brunch. I added canadian bacon the second time. Also, I never buy whole milk so I just mix a little whipping cream with the non-fat milk I normally purchase. Serve with a fresh and big loaf of bread!

7. Chicken Curry in slow cooker
I cut this recipe in half for our family of four and I serve it with rice. I made the mistake of using light coconut milk the first time. Don't, it makes for a thicker and creamier sauce if you use the regular kind. I accompany it with naan bread from Trader Joe's. Yum!

8. Four ingredients Nutella brownies
I had to include sweets in this line up and I always have everything on hand to make those! My recommendations would be to be careful not to overcook them (which I did the first time) and to add chocolate chips in the mix :)

9. Chicken and Black Bean Green Enchilada Rice Bake
Not everything we try from Pinterest is a success. We did not like this one. The combination was a little too weird for us and we all agreed that we much prefer eating green chile enchiladas instead.

10. Buttermilk pancakes
I know it is a classic but I included it because we no longer buy pancake mix thanks to this super easy recipe. We substitute about 1/3 of the white flour for whole wheat = more flavor and better for you :)

Feel free to follow my Pinterest "Bon Appetit" board. I usually leave comments under the recipes we like (and end up deleting the ones we don't!) ~ And let's eat!!!

PS: All images belong to the recipes linked to their original blog underneath them

A summer favorite...

...is this simple recipe that I just posted on the Transparent Touches blog where I am hosting for the next two weeks (so you might see me here a little less!). It can be made year-round but, to me, it is best savored during the summer.

Ingredients:

- a bunch of fresh basil

- fresh mozzarella balls (I used 1 1/2 Ovoline from Trader Joe's)

- the best tasting tomatoes you can find (4/5)

- salt and fresh ground black pepper

- olive oil

- balsamic vinegar

1. Slice the tomatoes and place them in a single layer on a big plate.

2. Slice the mozzarella balls as thin as you can (doesn't have to be perfect and it most likely won't be) and place them on top of the tomatoes.

3. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the whole plate making sure that there's at least a few drops on each slice. Add salt and fresh black pepper to taste.

4. Finally, snip basil leaves directly on top (using kitchen shears) across the plate. The last step is optional but it makes the dish even more enjoyable on a hot day: place the plate in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving, with a baguette of course!

PS: I am super excited to have my "10 Favorites" mini album featured today on the Ella Publishing's blog as Liz's Loves for June! Make sure to also check out the other fabulous selections!

Busy, busy... and Key Lime pie!

EDITED: I have now added the recipe at the bottom of this post!

Quick update as I have been busy creating pages and a mini album with my TTT kit and have nothing to share with you (yet). But I will share my secret to a good (and super easy) key lime pie which I made tonight. I have had simply the best key lime pies in Key West, Florida (where I took the photo above) and have found after that trip, and thanks to my brother in law, that Nellie and Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice is THE best ingredient to make a good key lime pie. Not all grocery stores carry it but once you find it, the rest is really easy, just follow the recipe on the back of the bottle! And don't forget to add the whipped cream!

J'ai été assez occupée à créer des pages et un mini avec mon kit de TTT ces derniers jours et je n'ai rien à vous montrer...pour l'instant... mais je peux vous donner mon secret pour réussir une bonne tarte au citron vert ("Key Lime pie") comme je viens de faire ce soir. J'ai dégusté les meilleures tartes au citron vert à Key West en Floride (où j'ai pris la photo çi-dessus) et j'ai découvert depuis ce voyage que Nellie and Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice était le meilleur ingrédient pour faire une tarte presque aussi bonne que là-bas. Il n'est pas toujours facile à trouver en magasin mais quand vous l'avez, le reste est simple: il suffit de suivre la recette au dos de la bouteille! Sans oublier de rajouter la chantilly!

Recipe (from the back of the bottle):

One - 9"graham cracker pie shell

One - 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk

3 - egg yolks

1/2 cup - Nellie and Joe's Key West key lime juice

Blend until smooth. Pour filling into pie shell and bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Allow to stand 10 minutes before refrigerating. Just before serving top with freshly whipped cream and garnish with lime slices.