Mascarpone and Strawberry Caprese

This meal was inspired by a Groupon that Matt bought. We went to a winery in Scottsdale and we had some appetizers. We ordered a Caprese Salad and Strawberry’s stuffed with Mascarpone cheese, both of these dishes were drizzled with the most amazing balsamic vinegar reduction. The chef had reduced some aged balsamic down to a syrup consistency and it was so delicious and sweet. So I recreated the dish by cutting some strawberry’s in half and filling them with mascarpone cheese which is like a cross between cream cheese and ricotta cheese, it’s very rich. Then I just cut up a large tomato and layered it with fresh mozzarella and basil. To make the reduced balsamic place a sauce pot over low heat and pour about a cup of balsamic in the pot. Then allow to simmer over low heat for about an hour and a half. The result is a rich and syrupy sauce that can be drizzled over just about anything.

Grilled Tri Tip Steak with Demi Glace

We wanted to grill some steaks the other night but I couldn’t find any great cuts of meat. So I saw this large 2.5 lb Tri Tip Roast. I have never cooked a Tri Tip before and I wasn’t sure what to expect. The final product was absolutely delicious. I am definitely a believer in slow cooking a roast on the grill, you get some great flavor you can’t get in the oven. I also wanted to make a Demi Glace sauce to serve over the meat. On the side we had a potato and mushroom gratin. I won’t include the gratin recipe since it didn’t turn out all that great. I will post another one later when I have a better version.


Grilled Tri Tip
2.5 lb Trip Tip Roast
2 T salt
2 T pepper
3 T garlic powder
1 T dried parsley

Rub oil and spice mix into the roast. Leave out for an hour to marinate and reach room temperature. Heat a gas grill to high (about 500 degrees) and make sure to thoroughly oil the grill. Sear each side of the roast for 3 – 5 mins being careful not to burn it. Turn off half the burners on the grill and place the roast on the cold side of the grill. Close the lid and keep the temp at 350 degrees. Cook for 30 mins on each side. Remove the roast from the grill when the internal temp reaches 130 degrees.

Demi Glace
4 cups reduced sodium beef broth
2 carrotts (cut into 6 pieces)
4 cloves garlic (each cut in half)
Handful of fresh parsley
½ cup red wine
6 T butter

Simmer broth and vegetables on low for 75 mins. Strain broth and remove vegetables. The broth should be greatly reduced at this point. Add ½ cup red wine to the broth reduction. Simmer for another 20 mins until further reduced. Turn off the heat and chop the butter up into small pieces. Stir the butter into the broth/wine reduction until melted and thoroughly combined with a whisk. Serve demi glace over any type of steak.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin and Caramelized Red Chard

This is my take on a stuffed pork chop. I just use stovetop stuffing and apples to stuff this pork tenderloin. Then I tie it up and bake in the oven. This time I served some red chard on the side which is delicious when sautéed and very healthy. It has more vitamins and minerals than spinach!


Pork Tenderloin
2 lb pork tenderloin
1 box stove top stuffing
2 granny smith apples
1 onion
6 fresh sage leaves chopped

Sauté the apples, onion, and sage until slightly softened. Combine with the prepared stovetop stuffing. Butterfly the pork tenderloin in half. Place the stuffing mix inside of the tenderloin close the sides and tie with kitchen twine. Bake the tenderloin at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 mins until the internal temp reads 160 degrees.

Caramelized Red Chard
1 bunch Red chard
1 Red onion

Caramelize the onion in EVOO for 10 minutes. Add chopped Red Chard (try to remove some of the hard spines) and cook for another 10 mins until thoroughly softened and caramelized.

Black Bean Soup

I decided to try this recipe out right after I got married. It was inspired by the black bean soup they serve at Tia Rosa. Matt was working there at the time and I wanted to recreate the recipe at home but I think my recipe is actually a lot better :) (mostly because of all the extra bacon I add). Eat your heart out Tia Rosa!


10 slices bacon finely chopped
1 ½ med onions chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 1/3 T ketchup
1 1/3 tspn Worcestershire
2/3 T chili powder
2/3 T cumin
1 tspn oregano
3 cans black beans drained
Salt and pepper
1 bunch cilantro (1 squashed cup)
Juice ½ lime

Put bacon in large pot and brown for about 5 mins. Add onion and cook about 5 more mins., stir in garlic and cook another minute. Add broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir in 2 cans of the beans whole and 1 can mashed. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and lime juice and cook another 5 mins. You can use an immersion blender to puree the soup a little more if you like a soupier consistency.

Wild Mushroom Beef Stew

This is a great recipe that can be made in the crock pot. In fact I found this in the recipe booklet that came in the box with the crock pot. That’s a great way to find excellent recipes. Always check the little booklets they give you with any kitchen appliances, you can find some really great stuff in there. Matt really loves this stew, he says it reminds him of “winter”.


2 lbs beef stew meat (cut in 1 in. cubes)
1/8 cup flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 clove garlic minced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp paprika
4 shitake mushrooms sliced (or more if you love mushrooms like me)
2 carrots sliced
2 med potatoes diced
1 onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped

Combine beef, flour, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag and shake to coat all the pieces of meat with flour. Pour seasoned beef in the crock pot. Add the remaining ingredients to the crock pot and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or high for 5 hours.

Balsamic Braised Brussel Sprouts

This is a really simple recipe and it makes Brussel Sprouts delicious.


1 lb brussel sprouts
1 red onion
5 slices of bacon
2 T EVOO
2 T Balsamic Vinegar

Chop up the bacon into small pieces then brown in a pan. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Add the onions and brussel sprouts to the bacon fat in the pan and caramelize over med/low heat for at least 10 mins (more if you have the patience). Once they are caramelized add the balsamic vinegar to the pan and sauté for a few more mins. Just before you take the mix out of the pan stir in the chopped bacon, then serve!

Baked Mac n Cheese

I made Baked Mac n Cheese for Matt right after we got married. He really didn’t like it and wouldn’t eat any of it. This was mainly because he was really picky at that time and wouldn’t eat anything “bad” for him. So 5 years later I decided to give it another try and this time he loved it! The recipe turned out really well and we both enjoyed the addition of chopped bacon to the traditional mac n cheese dish. Also I use panko bread crumbs instead of traditional for the topping since they have a little more crunch. I hope you enjoy this recipe and relive your childhood!


½ lb elbow macaroni
3 T butter
3 T flour
1 T powdered mustard
3 cups milk
½ cup onion finely chopped
1 bay leaf
½ tsp paprika
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
8 oz gruyere shredded
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup grated parmesan
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
10 slices bacon browned and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta 5 mins to al dente. In a separate pot melt the butter, whisk in flour and mustard. Keep the mixture moving for 5 mins and make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in milk, onion, paprika, and bay leaf. Simmer for 10 mins and remove the bay leaf. Stir in the cheddar and gruyere cheeses and melt. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in macaroni and chopped bacon. Pour mixture into 2 qt greased casserole dish. Mix the parmesan and breadcrumbs together and sprinkle over the top. Spray Pam over topping so that it browns in the oven. Bake at 350 for 30 mins and allow to sit 10 mins prior to serving.