Rosemary & Garlic Infused Oil

THINGS YOU NEED

Vegetable Oil or Olive Oil

Rosemary Sprigs, washed and thoroughly dried

Garlic Cloves, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise

Cleaned and thoroughly dried glass bottles in various sizes shapes and designs

Stoppers; corks, wine bottle stoppers etc.

DIRECTIONS:

Process takes 1 week to infuse, keep that in mind when planning for your gift or for yourself.

1. In a glass bottle, place 1 Rosemary sprig and 1 half of garlic clove.
2. Using a funnel add oil until almost to the top so as not to overflow.
3. Add cork on top.
4. Place in a safe, cool environment for 1 week. Everyday swirl the bottle around to mix up the contents. Do not tip upside down it might leak.
5. After 1 week, dump oil into a bowl to remove Rosemary and garlic.
6. Replace back in bottle with stopper. 
7. Refrigerate for longevity. Lasts 2 weeks, if you opt to keep in rosemary and garlic, 1 week. 

You can change up the ingredients to your tastes. I use these two ingredients all the time so this is my favorite. This makes a nice gift for Grandparents, Parents, Bosses, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, Hostess Gift, & Housewarming. Use for making salad dressings, pan frying chicken, fish, shrimp, beef, pork, & lamb.

OTHER HERBS TO USE:

• Thyme
• Oregano
• Whole Dried Chili Peppers
• Dried Chili Pepper Flakes
• Fresh Sage Leaves (another fav!!)
• Lemon Peelings + zest
• Lime Peelings + zest
• Whole Peppercorns

When choosing herbs and combinations of them, (especially the spicy ones) make sure to start off with small quantities and add to it from there. As you can see in the original recipe I only use small quantities. Fresh herbs are very powerful and infuse the oil very well. 

This recipe is beign shared over at Foodie Friends Friday

Related articles

• Cranberry Rosemary Dip – EASY & QUICK (sweetheatchefs.com)
• Spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, rosemary and lemon zest (robin-ellis.net)

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Chipotle Ranch Sauce

Chipotle, Chipotle, Chipotle, do I have your attention? Ok, good! chipotle is my new favorite ingredient along with garlic. I try to add it to anything I can without my kids getting too angry. Here is my recipe…

INGREDIENTS

1 8 oz. canning jar with lid
1/3 cup low fat mayonnaise, no one will notice
1/2 cup low fat milk 2% or low fat sour cream, plain whole greek yogurt or buttermilk if you want a thicker sauce
1 large clove garlic or two small, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh dill 
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley 
1/2 tsp salt
1 chipotle pepper + 1 teaspoon of the adobo sauce (IF you like spicy, add more but taste test as you go so it isn’t TOO spicy!)
freshly cracked pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients to the canning jar, close lid tightly and SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE…SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE… SHAKE YOUR BOOTY! (Remember that song?) Chill for a good 30-40 minutes for best tasting results.

1000!!!

Thank you to everyone who has helped get us to the 1000 fan mark today. It has been a great ride so far and so much more to come. I love all our fans and followers and friends/family. Without you, there is no Sweet Heat

Chefs! We are just a mom and daughter doing what we like best, cooking and being together. I am so happy everyone enjoys our recipes and my awesome sense of humor, wait who slipped that in? LOL I hope there will be lots more to come with the next 1000 fans. YOU ALL ARE THE BEST!

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Berry Naughty Whip You Up

As adults we all need a little pick me up now and then. I love sweets and this is just the answer to that calling. If you have never tried the Pinaccle Whip Cream Vodka…you are in for a real treat. BE WARNED, this drink is addicting 😀

INGREDIENTS
1 Pint Fresh Strawberries (buy local folks if possible), washed, cleaned and halved
1/2 Pint Fresh Blueberries, washed
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 Vanilla bean, split and seeded
1 750 ml bottle of Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka

DIRECTIONS

1. On stove top, in a pot, bring water and sugar to boil. 
2. Add vanilla bean seeds and simmer for 10 minutes, this is a vanilla simple syrup. 
3. Remove from heat and let cool
4. In a food processor, combine 1 cup strawberries and 1/2 cup blueberries puree until smooth. 
5. When vanilla simple syrup is cool add  3 oz to the berries and give the food processor a whirl to mix.
6. Take a glass with ice (or frozen blueberries) and add 3 -4 oz of vodka and your berry mixture
7. Garnish with more blueberries or a strawberry on the rim of the glass

Light BLT Pasta

INGREDIENTS

1 pound short-cut pasta with lines ( i use the pasta made with veggies)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1/2 lb. thick-cut good quality bacon, cut up in bits
1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and halved lengthwise and sliced in 1/2″ rings
1 shallot, peeled, and sliced in rings
3-4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced ( I use microplane)
Black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup cooking sherry
1 pint cherry tomatoes
5 oz Philadelphia Cooking Creme, Italian Cheese and Herb flavor 1/3 less fat

 
DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta, salt cooking water and cook pasta to al dente.
2. Meanwhile, brown bacon in pan until crisp. Remove from the pan, drain on paper towel and reserve.
3. Using 1 T of bacon fat, add the leeks and garlic and season with pepper. Stir until softened, then add the tomato paste and stir until well combined and thick.
4. Add the cooking sherry and reduce sauce by half.
5. Add the tomatoes and put a lid on the pot. Let the tomatoes burst, about 8-10 minutes. **See picture on what to do while you are waiting for cherry tomatoes to cook**
6. Stir in the cheese and reduce heat to low stirring frequently until cheese is melted through.Reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water just before draining pasta, then drain and add the pasta to the sauce.
7. In a bowl add pasta and top with sauce, stir until well combined. If sauce is too thick add slowly reserved pasta water until desired consistency.
8. Add the bacon in and toss.
9. Serve in shallow bowls topped with left over cherry tomatoes and sprig of Rosemary.

Gorgeous bounty of tomatoes!

shallots

leeks and shallots

cooking sherry

tomatoes being added to vegetable mix

cover tomatoes and wait for them to burst open

enjoy a nice COLD drink while you wait for tomatoes

tomatoes after they burst

cheese added to pan

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia Salad & Poppy Seed Dressing

INGREDIENTS

2 – 3 oz tilapia fillets, de-boned
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1/4 c. bread crumbs (I make them myself)
1 c. flour
1/4 c cornmeal
1 egg, beaten
salt/pepper to taste
1 tsp. italian seasonings 
Fresh sage leaves, removed from stem and whole
4 garlic cloves, skin removed and whole
1 Stalk asparagus, trimmed and cleaned
1 lemon
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
4 c. baby butter leaf lettuce and baby spinach, washed

DIRECTIONS

1. In skillet drizzle 1-2 tbsp Olive Oil in pan, add 2 sage leaves and 2 garlic cloves.
2. Heat until fragrant, just a few minutes. Remove garlic from pan and add asparagus.
3. Cook asparagus until the desired tenderness is desired. I cook for approximately 5 minutes, tossing often in sage and garlic oil.
4. While cooking asparagus, you will lay out 3 bowls or trays. (1) for flour, (1) egg, (1) bread crumbs. In the container for the flour add; flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper. Container for the bread crumbs add; bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, italian seasoning. Container for egg; beaten egg.
5. Heat another skillet with 2 tbsp. olive oil. Add 2 sage leaves and 2 cloves garlic. Heat until fragrant and remove garlic cloves.
6. Battering the fish is as follows:  dip in flour mixture, dip in  egg wash, dip in bread crumb mixture then add to preheated skillet
7. Cook on medium heat until cooked thoroughly about 10 minutes total depending on thickness of fish, or until internal temperature reaches at least 150 degrees F.
8. Drain on paper towel to get rid of any excess oil (there won’t be hardly any) set aside until ready to top salad.
9. Meanwhile if asparagus is finished, drain on paper towel.
10. On a plate add 2 c. of salad mixture. Top with fish, asparagus, lemon wedge, poppy seeds.

Keep in mind I am doing this out of my head on this one, if the measurements are not exact, I apologize.

DRESSING INGREDIENTS
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
4 tbsp. sugar or honey
1-2 tsp. yellow mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon
dash of poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS

In bowl combine all ingredients and whisk together. Taste test to see if more vinegar, sugar or mustard is needed. Best if chilled for 30 minutes. Drizzle over salad as needed.

Summer Pearly Salad

When summer is here I immediately start thinking about what kind of un-cooking I can do. Here in California it gets pretty hot during the summers, so when it’s 108 degrees, the last thing I want to do is turn on my oven if I can avoid it. I am trying to think of new ways to make salads or cold pastas or pasta salads, which my kids will enjoy as well as myself so I am not making 2 dinners in 1 night. My kids are super picky and it is hard to get them to eat right (what kid isn’t right?!) 

I found that by using Acini De Pepe pasta, it doesn’t fill you up like larger pasta does. It is fun to cook with and the kids enjoy eating it because it is not the traditional spaghetti pasta and they like how it looks, they feel like they are eating something other than pasta salad. 

The next thing on my list of un-cooked food, is finding out what is in season. I love summer; all the best veggies and fruits are out. For me, I love tomatoes and basil and olive oil. I could eat that every day if my kids would too! At any rate, I decided to try a combo of these favs with the “cool” pasta salad idea and it turned out great! The only addition I made this time was adding a new fav of mine, KALAMATA olives. I have to admit, when I was a kid, putting the olives on my fingers and eating them was fun. At Thanksgiving and Christmas while my mom and I got the hours de vours plates together. But that is where my love of olives stopped. In fact as an adult, I never eat olives. Maybe on a pizza if that is what someone else orders, otherwise nope! This past month my aunt came for a visit and we went to a place that had olive tasting. (I’m thinking EEWW!) Turned out to be the best day ever! I came away with a new appreciation of olives and a new palate for them as well. (not to mention several jars for eating!) 

The next time I made my Pearly Salad, I included the olives and I was even more in love with this summer time dish than before.

Pineapple, Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives

I love creating food and letting the flavor mull around on my palate and deciding, what exactly do I taste in here, what could I do better next time, this is awesome! I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family has and you can really make it about you and your favorite summer time veggies that you love. Add some fresh zucchini matchsticks in there, or slice up some mushrooms, use extra sharp cheese in place of the feta cheese, add some browned pine nuts for a crunch on top. Go ahead, PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD, tell them I said it’s ok!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb Acini De Pepe Pasta 
1 bunch Basil, chiffonade
6 ounces Kalamata Olives pitted and chopped
5 Oz Feta Cheese, fresh or already chopped
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes quartered
1/4 cup Olive Oil
¼ cup Parmeseano Reggiano cheese, grated fine
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 whole pineapple
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp butter

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot bring water to a rolling boil then add a palm-full of salt, add pasta and cook as directed on package, shy 1-2 minutes or until Al Dente. Drain and let cool.
2. While pasta is cooling, get together the following in a separate large bowl; add olive oil, tomatoes, basil, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and toss ensuring an even coating on everything. If using, add fresh ground pepper and or salt. After the pasta has cooled, add pasta to the above mixture and combine until well mixed. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or you can eat as is if hungry! 
3. When serving, make sure to toss one more time as olive oil will settle on bottom, and garnish with additional basil and Parmeseano Reggiano cheese on top.
4. Remove peel from outside of pineapple and keep whole. Slice in whole round slices as shown. Take 4 rounds and place in sauté pan with ½ of butter. Top with ¼ of the brown sugar on each round, when pineapple begins to soften and brown flip over and add another ¼ of brown sugar. Continue to cook until bubbly and browned and caramelized. Continue with remaining pineapple slices. 
5. Serve salad on top of 1-2 pineapple slices.