Sausage and Lentil Stew

I recently discovered a new food blog, Budget Bytes, and when I saw this recipe for Sausage and Lentil Stew, I wanted to make it immediately.

Sausage and Lentil Stew

Ingredients
1 pound Italian sausage
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups lentils, picked through and rinsed
6 cups chopped kale
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano

Directions
Cook sausage in a large pot over medium heat. Once sausage is cooked, add vegetables and garlic and cook until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add lentils, kale, chicken broth and spices. Bring pot to a boil. Cover and reduce heat; let simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are soft.

Amanda's Analysis:
Unfortunatly, I can now add dried oregano to the list of foods that upset my stomach. While I didn't feel well an hour after eating this, I did, however, really enjoy this stew! It had a nice spicy flavor and a heartiness from the sausage and lentils. I will definitely make this stew again, without the oregano of course! 6 spoons!

John's Jibba-Jabba:
Since Amanda could not stomach this stew, I ended up eating the leftovers of this dish for every meal for a solid week. This gave me plenty of opportunities to critique the dish. In the end, I found this dish to be an extremely tasty dish. It is an economical and healthy dish that has great depth of flavor. This lentil stew gets 6 spoons (and keep the oregano coming).

Outrageous Brownies

This is another recipe that I have made before but am just now getting around to blogging. This recipe from Ina Garten is my go to brownie recipe and never disappoints! I halved the recipe and baked in an 8-inch square baking dish.

Outrageous Brownies

Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound + 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 large eggs
3 Tablespoons instant coffee powder
2 Tablespoons vanilla
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour, divided
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups diced walnuts

Directions
Melt together butter, 1 pound chocolate chips and unsweetened chocolate on top of a double boiler. Cool slightly. Stir together eggs, instant coffee, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir together 1 cup flour, baking powder and salt. Add to cooled chocolate mixture. Toss walnuts and 12 ounces chocolate chips with 1/4 cup flour to coat. Then add to chocolate batter. Pour into greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Allow to cool and refrigerate before cutting.

Amanda's Analysis:
These brownies definitely lived up to their name, they were outrageous! The use of melted chocolate in stead of cocoa powder makes them so much richer. They are moist, rich, chocolaty and just plain delicious! I give these brownies 7 spoons!

John's Jibba-Jabba:
These brownies were fantastic, though I am not sure that they were outrageous. Outrageous is typically defined as passing reasonable bounds; intolerable or shocking. These brownies were exactly what I expected and not intolerable or shocking at all. That is exactly what I am looking for in my brownies. These guys get 7 spoons.

Onesie Cookies

John's cousin had a baby last Friday, so I whipped up these onesie cookies to send to the new parents. They had a boy and named him Magnus.

Congratulations to you guys, I can't wait to meet him!

Shrimp Scampi with Linguini

I have made this recipe before but realized the other day that I have never blogged it. It is a nice weekday meal because it is quick and can be made with ingredients that you usually have one hand. This recipe comes from Tyler Florence.

Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients
1 pound linguini
4 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 Tablespoons butter in 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic and red pepper flakes until soft, about 4 minutes. Season shrimp with salt and pepper; add to the pan and cook until pink, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Remove shrimp from pan; set aside and keep warm.

Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 Tablespoons butter. When butter has melted, return shrimp to the pan and add parsley; mix well. Add cooked pasta and toss to coat.

Amanda's Analysis:
This is a great version of a classic dish. The freshness of the lemon pairs well with the richness of the butter and oil. The teaspoon of red pepper flakes adds a good amount of heat, so if you don't like things spicey I would recommend using less. This was a quick meal to put together and was very tastey! I give it 6 spoons!

John's Jibba-Jabba:
This is a solid recipe that is a mainstay in our weeknight meal rotation. It does not require a lot of preperation and has nice fresh flavors. I give this classic 5 spoons.

Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers

I have had a few Spinach and Feta Turkey Burger recipes saved in my Google Reader for awhile now and finally got around to making them. I took ingredients from a couple recipes to come up with my final recipe.

Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers

Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup oats
2 egg whites
6 ounces cooked spinach
2/3 cup crumbled Feta cheese

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Form into 6 patties. Grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

Amanda's Analysis:
I loved these burgers! I am beginning to like turkey burgers more and more, and the addition of spinach and feta was a nice change of pace. The spinach added some color while the feta gave it a slight saltiness. I ate mine with a little mayo which added some creaminess. I might experiment with adding some more spices next time, but overall I thought these were great. I give them 6 spoons!

John's Jibba-Jabba:
I did not like these burgers. The feta and spinach took over the patty and created an unappealing texture. The point of a turkey burger is to be a healthy take on the classic taste/texture of a real burger. This burger failed in both aspects. I give this disappointing burger 3 spoons.