Orange Rosemary Fish en papillote

Published on December 11, 2014December 10, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Orange Rosemary Fish en papillote

Ingredients:
-⅓ cup orange preserves
– 1 cup white wine
– ⅓ cup water
– 4-5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
– 1 orange, peeled & sliced into wedges
– 3 large fish fillets*, cut in half
– Salt & Pepper
– Rotisserie twine
– Parchment paper
*T.W.O. used rockfish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350⁰F.
2. Season fish with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Combine orange preserves, wine, water, 2-3 springs of rosemary and ½ of the orange slices in a sauté or sauce pan over medium heat and stir.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half. Meanwhile, cut 3 large squares of parchment paper.
5. Place the fish (2 halves/paper) onto the parchment paper. Add a spring of rosemary and 1-2 slices of oranges. Baste the fish with the orange glaze. Wrap the fish up in the parchment paper and secure with rotisserie twine. Repeat process for the 2 other filets.
6. Place the fish into the oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Plate and serve while hot!

Guinness Pot Roast

Published on December 9, 2014December 6, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Pot Roast…doesn’t sound that exciting, but it can be when you add Guinness to the ingredients and slow cook it for a couple hours! T.W.O. made this dish for the UCLA vs USC game a couple weeks back. Go Bruins! Check out how to make this easy and one-pot recipe.

Guinness Pot Roast

Ingredients:
– 1 medium size boneless pot roast
– 3 14.9 oz cans Guinness (the extra one in the pack is for you!)
– 1 16 oz can pepperoncini
– 4 cups water
– 2 packages Lipton Onion Soup Mix
– Montreal Steak Seasoning

Directions:
1. Season the pot roast with Montreal Steak Seasoning on both sides.
2. In a large pot, sear each side of the roast for 6-8 minutes on medium-high heat.
3. Once the roast is seared, add the onion soup mix, 3 cans Guinness, water and peperoncinis.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook for 3 hours and watch the liquid level. If it starts to get low, add more water or Guinness.
5. After a couple of hours of cooking, turn heat off and serve with your favorite dish. Mashed potatoes would be highly suggested!

Cheers,

Tuscan Kale Soup

Published on December 4, 2014November 30, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Tuscan Kale Soup

Ingredients:
– 1 Tablespoon olive oil
– 1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced
– 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
– 1 (32 oz) box low-sodium chicken broth or homemade broth*
– 4-5 cups kale, chopped and packed
– 2 (14.5 oz) cans fire roasted canned tomatoes
– 1 (14.5 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
– 1 – 1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced

Directions:
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 4 minutes.
2. Add broth, kale, tomatoes and carrots and cover. Cook about 10 minutes.
3. Add beans and cook on low for 30 minutes.
4. Serve hot.

* Homemade broth – we hard boiled a chicken carcass for 45 minutes with bay leaves, celery, sweet onions, garlic cloves, salt pepper and 8 cups of water. Reduce heat to low and cook for up to 3 hours.

Thanksgiving Recap

Published on December 2, 2014December 2, 2014 by T.W.O.3 Comments

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays since it’s always filled with family, friends, great food and adventures. This year we also had amazing weather, so we got to go to the beach and take advantage of the outdoors. Here are some photos that capture our fun 5 days at home with our family. (Video trailer included at the bottom)

VIDEO HERE

Crunchy Pumpkin Cranberry Granola

Published on October 28, 2014October 27, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

Greek yogurt and fruit is a very common breakfast for T.W.O. But lately, this dish has been missing something- crunch! So since it is Fall (even though the weather doesn’t feel like it in California!), we decided to add some Fall flavor to granola! This recipe is so simple and yet so flavorful! The best part about it too is that it is healthy, gluten free and full of nutrients to help start your morning off right. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Crunchy Pumpkin Cranberry Granola

Ingredients:
– 3 cups rolled oats
– 2 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1 tsp ground allspice
– 1 tsp ground nutmeg
– ½ tsp ground ginger
– ½ cup pure maple syrup (or agave/honey)
– ½ cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
– ½ cup applesauce, unsweetened
– 2 Tbsp brown sugar
– 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
– 1 cup dried cranberries
– ½ cup pumpkin seeds (optional)

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients (oats through ginger) and set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine the next 5 ingredients (maple syrup through vanilla) with a whisk.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. With a spatula, combine thoroughly before folding in the dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds.
5. Spread evenly on the baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Cool completely before storing.

Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Hatch Chile Sauce

Published on October 7, 2014October 1, 2014 by T.W.O.2 Comments

Taco Tuesday? How about Enchilada Tuesday!?!? Yes! Hatch chilies are in season, so T.W.O. decided to make a homemade enchilada sauce. And boy did we turn up the heat! Hatch chilies compliment the chicken and pepper jack cheese nicely. Grab your apron and lets start cooking!

Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Hatch Chile Sauce

Ingredients:
– 1 ¼ pounds hatch chilies (poblano chiles also work)
– 3 Tablespoons olive oil
– 8 cloves garlic, chopped
– 2 teaspoon salt
– 1 teaspoon ground pepper
– 3 ¾ cups reduce-sodium chicken broth
– 10 corn tortillas
– 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, shredded
– 3 cups shredded cooked chicken*
– 4 Tablspoons cilantro, chopped
– 1 cup crimini mushrooms, diced
For garnish:
– 1 avocado
– sour cream
– cilantro
– lime
*T.W.O. shredded a whole rotisserie chicken

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to a broil. Make sure the racks are positioned in the middle of the oven.
2. Places the hatch chilies on a baking sheet lines with foil and broil for about 15 minutes, turning them halfway through.
3. Remove from the oven and reduce heat of the oven to 400°. Once the chilies are cooled, pull the skins off and remove the steams and seeds.
4. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chilies and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes and then add 1 ¼ cups chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let reduce for 10 minutes.
5. Place the chile mixture into a blender and blend on low until the mixture starts to look like a pesto. Set aside.
6. In a bowl mix together the shredded chicken, mushroom and cilantro. Set aside.
7. Using the same skillet, add 2 ½ cups chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Dip each tortilla in the hot broth to moisten and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 9 tortillas.
8. Add 2 teaspoons of cheese to each tortilla and the chicken and mushroom mixture.
9. Roll them up and place in a 9×13 baking dish, seam side down.
10. Pour the chile sauce over the enchiladas, leaving the edges exposed. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
11. Bake in the middle rack for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Once melted, turn the oven to broil and cook until the cheese is brown.
12. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes. Serve and garnish with cilantro, avocado, lime and anything else your heart desires!

Cheers,

Arugula Salad with Sliced Green Apples

Published on October 2, 2014September 28, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

T.W.O. created this Arugula Salad to complement their surf and turf dinner. It’s a simple recipe that includes green apples and shaved parmesan reggiano cheese with a homemade lemon dijon vinaigrette.

Arugula Salad with Sliced Green Apples

Ingredients:

– 6 cups arugula
– ¼ cup lemon juice
– ¼ cup white vinegar
– 4 Tablespoons olive oil
– 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
– 2 green apples, diced
– 1 cup shaved parmesan reggiano cheese
– 2 teaspoon garlic powder
– Salt
– Pepper

Directions:
1.Add the arugula to a bowl. Thinly slice the green apple and add to the lettuce. Top with shaved parmesan.
2.For the dressing: mix the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed well.
3.Once the dressing is done, add to the salad mixture. Toss and serve!

Shrimp Cocktail

Published on September 30, 2014September 30, 2014 by T.W.O.Leave a comment

For the month of September, T.W.O. decided to think outside the box and serve non-cheese appetizers. It wasn’t hard to come up with ideas and we can’t wait to keep sharing them in future posts! In this post, T.W.O. created a shrimp cocktail for some special guests. It’s an easy, light dish that everyone (seafood lovers) can enjoy. No recipe required, its just all about the prep and showcase. Here are a couple tips for your next shrimp cocktail.

1. Find a good shrimp cocktail mix. T.W.O. purchased Marinade Bay Products – Seafood Cocktail Sauce at Whole Foods.

2. Make sure to put the shrimp cocktail on ice – it will keep the shrimp cold during your happy hour.

3. Lemon slices add color and a tasty flavor to the dish. Organic meyer lemons are our favorite.

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Published on September 25, 2014September 24, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

Summer is over, but that doesn’t mean you have to change your menu completely! Here in Southern California the weather is still warm, so T.W.O. decided to whip up the Mediterranean quinoa salad. It’s easy, refreshing and easy for those weeknight meals!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:
– 1 cup quinoa
– 2 cups chicken broth
– 2 cups chopped mini heirloom tomatoes
– 1 cup Persian cucumbers, quartered
– 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
– 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
– 1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
– 1/2 cup feta cheese
– 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
– 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
– 4 Tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
– Salt
– Pepper

Directions:
1. Cook quinoa as directed using the chicken broth instead of water.
2. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, olive oil and balsamic. Season with salt and pepper. Let marinate for 5-10 minutes. Add the mint.
3. Once the quinoa is done cooking, remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Add to the vegetable combination and mix well. Top with feta and lemon juice and you have yourself a European salad!!

Kale Chips

Published on September 23, 2014September 23, 2014 by T.W.O.1 Comment

Here is another recipe to add to our cheese-less appetizer idea book – – – salty kale chips! With only four ingredients, this small dish is a great nibble for your guests while they wait for dinner to be served!

Kale Chips

Ingredients:
– 1 head lacinato kale
– 2 Tablespoons blood orange infused olive oil
– 4 Tablespoon fig infused balsamic
– 2 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 315 degrees.
2. Wash and dry the kale. Chop kale into large chunks. Put in a bowl to toss.
3. Add olive oil, balsamic and salt to the kale and toss.
4. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes depending on your oven. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.