Pyrex-Surprise Manicotti - Hottest Culinary Couple in America

Nick and I were voted as "America's Hottest Culinary Couple" and therefore we got to travel to NYC to compete for the title and we had the opportunity to cook for the fabulous Gilles Marini, star of "Brothers and Sister's" as well as being extremely memorable in "Sex and the City" and who can forget "dancing with the stars" but none the less, we were able to cook for Gilles and we had a fabulous time. Below you'll find the delectable recipe we made and try it, it's awesome.

Ingredients:
For the Manicotti

- 6 manicotti
- 1 package shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 chicken breast
- 1/2 cup chick stock

For the Sauce:

- 2 cans PLAIN tomato sauce
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 5 garlic cloves
- oregano
- basil
- salt
- pepper
- crushed red pepper
- sugar
- olive oil
- Parmesan cheese

To Make:

Boil a med pot with water and boil the manicotti for 8 min. Salt the water. In the meantime, begin dicing the carrot, celery, onion and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil and saute, stirring frequently on med. heat.

To start the sauce, dice the remaining half an onion, red pepper and garlic and saute in 3 tbs. of olive oil until tender, about 6-7 min and then add the plain tomato sauce and stir immediately, turning to med. heat. Add some Parmesan cheese and a teaspoon of the following, basil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and oregano. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar.


In a small pan, drizzle olive oil and season the chicken breast with the following, salt, pepper, oregano, Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper. Cover and saute for 5 min on each side, adding a tablespoon of chicken broth. Remove chicken from stove, dice in cubes and add into the celery and carrot mixture.

Add Parmesan cheese into the carrot mixture and the chicken stock and stir cooking on high heat for another 3-4 min.

Drain the pasta and run water on for 1 second before setting aside.

Continue mixing the sauce to avoid sticking.

Pour carrot and celery mixture into a large bowl and add mozzarella cheese, mixing thoroughly. Add some salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste.

In a large glass dish, spread sauce into the bottom and begin stuffing the manicotti gently with a fork. Arrange neatly into the glass dish and top with sauce.

Bake on 375 for 5 min, if desired, it's not necessary.

Serve and ENJOY!!!

Rotini with Red Peppers and Parmesan

We all by now know that I LOVE Pasta (and I'm Italian so go figure) but anyways, I like to create and keep a collection of quick pasta dishes that just use what I have easily on hand in my fridge or pantry. That way, I feel confident that no matter what, when I get the urge for pasta, I know I can take 12 min tops to create the best dish. Check it out...


Ingredients:
- 1/4 pound tri-colored rotini
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- handful fresh basil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- salt
- pepper
- crushed red pepper
- olive oil

To Make:

Bring water to a boil and cook the pasta, about 8 min. in a med. pot. Salt the water. While the water is heating up, dice onion and red pepper and saute in olive oil in a med. pan for about 7 min, until soft and tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain pasta and using a large bowl, sprinkle olive oil in the bottom of the serving bowl and dump pasta into the bowl. Stir in the onion and pepper mixture and also the fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. Season with more salt and pepper and best of all top with crushed red pepper. Serve immediately and ENJOY!!

Whole Grilled Salmon

Looking for an EASY way to grill salmon? DONE. You can use frozen salmon or fresh, whichever is easier for you. Just make sure you have a grill and some simple ingredients and you'll be all set in just a few minutes!




Ingredients:

- One 1/2lb. salmon fillet (frozen or fresh, thawed and skin on)
- Stir Fry sauce
- Soy sauce
- Olive oil
- salt
- pepper

To Make:

Using a long plate that the salmon will fit onto, arrange salmon skin down and begin dressing it with 4 shakes of soy sauce, a 2 second pour of stir fry sauce, a 3 second pour of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Using sturdy tongs, flip the salmon once over and then back again so you mix all ingredients and everything mixes together.

Heat your grill to about 425 degrees and place the salmon skin side down first for 5 min. Close grill lid.

Using 2 large spatulas flip the salmon once over and cook for another 5 min. with the grill cover closed.

*Note: cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the salmon.

Remove from grill and serve immediately.

Easy Grilled Corn on the Cob

If your looking for the easiest way to make corn on the cob, without having to boil a huge pot of water and even without having to peel them ahead of time, then this will be the easiest thing you have ever done. Let your guests do the hard work! haha, kidding, but not really.





To Make:

Heat your grill as you normally would for any other grilling you will be doing.

Using un-peeled corn on the cob, remove any excess layers and being placing corn on the cob DIRECTLY onto the hot grill.

Let them cook between 10-20 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is and also how cooked you like your corn.

I prefer 15 min each side.

Once you remove from the grill, let them stand a few min. since they will be STEAMING hot.

Your guests or whomever is eating this delicious corn will have to do their own peeling, which saves you LOTS of time and trouble :-)

Sexy Chef does it again... COOKING IS FUN AND STRESS FREE!!

Kidney Bean Stew with Sticky Rice aka Red Beans 'n' Rice

This was the perfect dish for the first chilly day in September! Perfect to kick-off Fall with! This dish has enough spice and flavor to keep you wanting more. The rice in this dish is so easy and so delicious, it can't be beat.








Ingredients:

Rice:

- 1 cup whole grain white rice
- 2 cups water
- salt
- pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 diced onion

Kidney Bean Stew:

- 1 can dark-red kidney beans
- 1 can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
- 1 onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, diced
- salt
- pepper
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
- olive oil

To Make:

Pre-heat oven to 425.

In a food processor, blend together the can of tomato's with Italian seasoning.
In a medium pot, drizzle some olive oil and add diced onion and garlic and saute until tender on med. high heat, about 10 minutes.
Drain the top of the Kidney beans and add directly into the pot. Add in the tomato puree. Add remaining spices, mix together and reduce to medium heat and cover. Stir frequently while the rice is baking and reduce to med. low heat after 20 minutes.

In a baking dish, add rice and raw onions. Using the same can that the tomatoes were in, fill twice with water and add into the baking dish with rice. Add olive oil and all remaining spices. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until rice is sticky and not overcooked.

Once the rice is ready, remove from the stove and stir together.

To plate, in a deep bowl place 1-2 large scoops of sticky rice and top with 2 scoops of kidney bean stew. Serve immediatly and ENJOY!

Homemade Potato and Carrot Gnocchi

Gnocchi's are probably one of my MOST favorite Italian foods. For a while, I'd been buying pre-made gnocchi's, which were okay because I seasoned them with deliciousness, however I got inspired to make my own gnocchi's after looking at the enormous bag of flower that seems to be growing in my kitchen. My grandmom would be proud :-)



Ingredients:

- 4 medium baking potatoes
- 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 cup flower
- Salt
- Olive Oil
- Parmesean Cheese
- Freshly chopped basil

To Make:

In a medium pan, fill with 1/4 cup salted water and add sliced carrots. Simmer for about 15 mintues, covered until they are soft and tender.

Peel the potatoes and pierce all over with a fork. Place in the microwave and cook for 10 mintues. Turn them over and cook for another 5 minutes.

Heat your oven to 400 degrees and place potatoes in a shallow pan with 1/4 cup salted water and bake for another 15 mintues.

In a food processor, blend carrots with water and potatoes (without water). Add extra salt. Puree until completely smooth. This mixture should be sticky.

In a large bowl, sprinkle some of the flower down first and then begin adding the potato puree. Continue adding the rest of the flower and mix together. Add more flower if needed. This should still be sticky but not unmanageable.

Roll a large sheet of parchment paper and dust with extra flower. Begin rolling out the dough making long strips about 1/2 inch thick. With a sharp knife, slice about 3/4 inch off the strip and set aside. Repeat this process until all are finished.

In a medium pot, bring salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi's one at a time, gently dropping them into the boiling water. Once the gnocchi's rise to the top, let them cook about 1-2 minutes more and then with a slotted spoon, gently scoop out and place directly into a large pasta bowl already drizzled with olive oil.

Repeat this about three times until all gnocchi's are finished. After each layer that you place in the pasta bowl, drizzle a little olive oil over top.

Once all gnocchi's are gently placed in pasta bowl, sprinkle parmesean cheese over top and add salt and pepper. Mix together.

Chop fresh basil and srinkle generously overtop.

Serve immediatly. YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kicked-Up Pasta Salad

Since summer is not officially over yet, there is still time for a GREAT pasta salad! This weekend, my mom said she was so sick of her "traditional pasta salad" so I said, "I'll make you MY pasta salad." My pasta salad is not only fun and delicious it's very simple and easy to make. I say it's "Kicked-Up" because I make sure that it has a BITE to it :-) Between the garlic, fresh onion, green pepper and crushed red pepper flakes, this is DEFINITELY a fabulous dish.




Ingredients:

- 1 pound of tri-colored rotini
- 1 large green pepper - diced
- 1/2 large sweet onion - diced
- 4 large carrots -shredded
- 6 cloves of fresh garlic - minced
- 1 bag frozen broccoli
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 3/4 container of Italian salad dressing
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive Oil
- Crushed red pepper
- Handful of fresh basil, chopped

To Make:

In a large pot, boil water and cook pasta according to the package. It should always be al-dente.

In the meantime, take a saute pan and drizzle some olive oil in the bottom. Remove all stems from broccoli and saute the broccoli until they are tender, about 8-10 minutes on med-high heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir every few minutes.
-The reason we cook the broccoli for this dish rather than add fresh raw broccoli is because this makes it much easier to eat. Imagine crunching on fresh raw broccoli in your pasta salad... it's difficult to eat.

Do not over-cook the broccoli, you want it firm and tender not soft and mushy.

In the meantime, begin dicing the onion, garlic and green pepper and shred the carrots.

In an extra large bowl, add the diced and shredded veggies in the bottom. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. When your pasta is finished cooking, drain and add immediatly into the bowl. Add salt, pepper and olive oil onto the top of your pasta and begin mixing in with the other veggies in the bottom.

Add in the broccoli and mix together. Add the Italian dressing and crushed red pepper and more salt and pepper if needed.

At this point your dish will be hot. Let the entire dish cool off before adding the basil and parmesan cheese. About 20 min.

Stir in the fresh basil and parmesan cheese and mix until all ingredients are equal througout.

Store in the refrigerator until your ready to serve.

ENJOY! (serves about 8-12 people)

Gourmet Hot dogs & Veggie Burgers

It happens to us all, we are hungry but don't feel like making a HUGE dinner... or even spending more than 5 minutes cooking. Solution, hot dogs and or veggie burgers. I'll show/tell you how to EASILY make them gourmet.

Ingredients:

- 2 of your favorite hotdogs or one of your favorite veggie burgers
- Large steak rolls
- Hot Sauce
- 1/2 sweet onion, sliced longways
- 1/2 green pepper, sliced thin and longways
- 1 tomato
- Any other type of dressing or condiement you enjoy
- Any type of cheese you choose if you want to add it

To Make:

In a large pan, begin sauteing your hot dog or veggie burger. While your sauteing those, add in your onions and green peppers. You may want/need to drizzle some olive oil to cook the onions and peppers.

While those are sauteing away, toast the steak rolls and slice the tomato. Next, begin assembling your condiments.

Remove hot dogs, veggie burgers, onions and peppers from the stove.

Slice the hot dogs down the middle so you can easily spread them out on the roll. Slice the veggie burger down the middle so you can easily arrange it on the roll.

Pile the green pepper, onion and tomato onto the roll along. Add hot sauce or any other condiment you choose.

DINNER IS DONE!!! Literally this should take you no more than 5 minutes!!!!

Savor and enjoy!

Hybrid Veggie Medley

As you know by now, I love experimenting with cabbage... so when I was coming up with a great vegetable side dish, I thought, why not use more cabbage? So I created this delicious vegetable medley that not only looks great but the taste just explodes in your mouth.





Ingredients:

- 1 cup purple cabbage - chopped longways
- 1 cup green cabbage - chopped longways
- 1/2 sweet onion, - chopped longways
- 1 carrot, sliced in circles
- 2 cups of frozen peas
- soy sauce
- salt
- pepper
- crushed red pepper
- olive oil

To Make:

In a large pan, drizzle some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add in onions, carrots and cabbage. Lightly sprinkle salt on top and toss around the pan to coat everything. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring every so often.

Add in frozen peas. Lightly sprinkle more salt on top, give a quick drizzle of olive oil and put about 1/4 cup of soy sauce over everything. Stir together and let cook for another 3-5 minutes, until the peas are tender.

Grind fresh black pepper overtop and lightly sprinkle some crushed red pepper over veggies and mix throughout.

Serve immediatly. (Serves 2-3 people)
DELICIOUS!

VOTE FOR LIZ AND NICK - AMERICA'S HOTTEST CULINARY COUPLE

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HOW EXCITING!!! NICK AND I HAVE BEEN SELECTED AS A TOP 10 SEMI - FINALIST IN THE PYREX AMERICA'S HOTTEST CULINARY COUPLE !!!!

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