Olive Garden Recipes!!!!

Overseas? Craving Olive Garden? Now you can make your very own with the authentic recipes! Of course you may have to make substitutions, omissions, or get creative with some of the preparation techniques... but these recipes are straight from the source. So enjoy creating your own Italian bistro in your home!

http://www.olivegarden.com/Recipes/

Recipes such as: Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:30 minutes
Serving Size:
Ingredients
4 each (4 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 cups flour, plus 1 tablespoon

1 Tbsp salt

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp Italian seasoning

1 lb fettuccine pasta, cooked according to package directions

5 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp garlic, chopped

1 red pepper, julienne cut

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 lb whole leaf spinach, stemmed

2 cups heavy cream

1 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

Procedures Modified:

MIX 1½ cups flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess.

HEAT 3 Tbsp oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken breasts 2 at a time over medium heat until golden brown and crisp (5-7 min), flip and cook other side. (Place cover for first 5 minutes on second side to seal in steam and cook through. Remove cover for last two minutes to help crisp up exterior.) Add more oil for each batch as necessary.

Place cooked Chicken breasts on paper towel lined plate to absorb extra grease and cover to keep warm.

HEAT 2 Tbsp oil in a sauce pan. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for approximately 1 minute. Stir in 1 Tbsp flour, wine, spinach and cream and bring to a boil. Sauce is done when spinach becomes wilted. Complete by stirring in parmesan cheese.

COAT cooked, drained pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese.




Enjoy! I know I will!!!
Ovenless Chef

Spotlight Blog: Beyond Kimchee

Hit the JACKPOT! Wanting to make Korean food but not sure where to take classes or who to ask to teach you? WEll, I have a solution. Teach yourself. From traditional to modern twist, make your favorite... or new favorite dishes today!

Using the recipes from this handy dandy, amazing, mouthwatering site, you can treat your family and friends to homemade Korean favorites... plus, you can season to taste! ;)
enJOY!
Beyond Kimchee

image courtesy beyondkimchee.com

Spotlight Blog: 519 Kitchen

I am lame. Yes. Let's just get that out there. I got back to the states and just plain neglected you all. But... I am back. I have a funny story actually.
SO we moved into our new place and as we got the kitchen stocked and ready to get cooking... and baking... I realized that only two of the burners on the stove top worked (And of course they are the smallest two). Then, as I went to bake my first loaf of bread, I made the horrifying discovery that only the bottom heating element works in my oven. Let's just say, I felt a little like I was back in a Korean kitchen and for a moment was discouraged. Of course, I then came to my senses and remembered that I am in fact, the ovenless chef and have been trying my best to rock out the ghetto electric range. :) Anyways, a month ago (shame) I posted an onion soup which is tasty and all, but not really a summer dish, and I am sure the heat and humidity are working their way into your kitchen by now... so I will be working on some summer friendly posts.
Until I get those up for you, please take a moment (AKA few hours/days) to browse through this blog that I found while in Korea. Melissa over at 519 Kitchen has been using Korean grocery staples to make her own foodie treats for some time now and has stock-piled great ideas for skillet and oven users alike. She also happens to have a few homemade doggie treats if you happen to have a furry friend at home in need. So please, check her out and leave a comment for her to encourage and thank her for sharing her experiments with fellow Korean Kitchens and ovenless chefs!!

http://519kitchen.blogspot.com/

Below are just a few of her dishes... go check out the site and get inspired for your next meal!!

Tomato, Basil and Pork Pasta



Spinach Pesto Pasta with Bell Pepper Fried Eggs



Skillet Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms and Hummus



images courtesy 519kitchen

Spotlight Blog: Restaurant Knockoffs... for homesick cravings

Chipotle Recipes

Olive Garden Recipes

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Buffalo Wild Wings Sauces

Carrabba's Italian Grill Recipes

Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich

Hard Rock Cafe Recipes

Chili's Recipes

T.G.I. Friday's Recipes

Macaroni Grill Recipes

There are a TON of copycat recipes out there! So the next time you get the hankering for your favorite restaurant foods, just try googling the restaurant's name followed by "recipes."

Here are a few more sites that have compiled lists of copycat recipes.

cdkitchen.com

topsecretrecipes.com

copykat.com

recipes.robbiehaf.com

***I have not tried these recipes, so if you try one of the recipes, please leave a comment including the link and a review for the readers! Thanks!***

Spotlight Blog: iHerb.com

I am sure you have seen me post recipes that contain captions saying "(nicedeli.com)." I have ordered from nicedeli and will order from them again and again, but have now stumbled upon another site for ordering homesick and hard to find goodies. Not only does iHerb provide a WIDE variety of western groceries, but you can also find toiletries, vitamins, home care products and baby goodies! I am pretty excited about this... especially with our own little one on the way! :) So whether you get with friends and create a large order, or skip the wait and order yourself... please let me know how you find thier services. I have one Korean comrade so far that has had success with this site and has fallen in love! (Mostly because she is vegan and this site offers a HUGE selection of vegan friendly snacks and meal options that you simply can not and probably will not find in Korea... at least not for a price anyone is willing to fork up! (This site ships to Korea, China, Japan and Mexico... for those who read this little blog outside the Land of the Morning Calm!)

Check it out when you have some time to drool over your keyboard, and be prepared to make a list! :)

http://www.iherb.com/

Ps...If you do order them from i-herb.com, use my friend's coupon code to get 5 bucks off your first order!
KOZ017

Spotlight Blog: Allrecipes

So, it is time for another spotlight blog. This site is my absolute all-time, go-to blog when I need a trustworthy recipe. Why? Because not only does each recipe get rated by users, but there are also comments on how each person modified the recipe or what they did or did not like about the original recipe posted. You can find pretty much any recipe you might want.
How I use all-recipes to my best advantage:
1. Type the recipe I am looking for in the search box.
2. When the results appear, I click the blue "rating" tab above the results. (this gives you the best rated recipes within your search category)
3. I read the first few reviews of each recipe, as well as the ingredients and make my choice based on what looks best for my tastebuds... I also tend to combine the best of a couple recipes.... but that is up to you and your willingness to experiment in the kitchen.
4. I put the recipe in my "recipe box" (as a free member) for future reference and write down any modifications I like from reviews or recipe combinations.
5. Then I get busy in the kitchen. :)

A few other neat features of Allrecipes is that you can search by ingredients... which means that if you have a can of corn, an onion and a leftover chicken breast that you need to use up soon, you simply enter in the ingredients in the spaces provided and see what you get. (then I would recommend hitting that "rating" tab again... just to make sure you are getting the best options!)
Allrecipes recently added a menu planning option as well, which plans out menus for you! (I think there is a small cost involved though, so you would have to check into that.)
And of course, if you sign up for free, you get a recipe box, which comes in handy if you find a few recipes you want to try later but don't have the time or energy to write out the recipes and find a place to store them. (If you don't want to sign up, you can also just hit the print button that is available on each recipe)
So go explore the wonderful world of allrecipes.com and enjoy!

~Ovenless Chef

Top Ten Posts

I thought it might be interesting to show the top ten posts of the past year. These are the posts with the most views, so perhaps you have already become aquainted with them... and if not, here's what you have missed! :)
(Starting with our most popular post)

1. Choc. Chip Cookies... ovenless style!
2. Brigadeiro: Brazilian caramel-like candies
3. Cheese Enchiladas
4. Steamy Dinner Rolls!
5. How to Use Your Steamer
6. Cheddar,Corn & Potato Chowder
7. Easy Cheesecake
8. Steamed Chocolate Cake...
9. Spinach Pesto Pasta
10. Pan Fried Calzones!


Happy Ovenless Cooking!

Spotlight Blog: foodgawker

For those who have not stumbled upon foodgawker yet... consider yourself forwarned, you may spend hours upon hours of "gawking" at this site and never even scratch the surface!

This site is the dumping grounds for all foodbloggers. You can find recipes for anything you could possibly want as well as providing you with a few new favorite food blogs. Each recipe is submited by a different foodie, which leads you to thier individual blogs. There are top dogs like howsweeteats, lovefromtheoven, and browneyedbaker. And then there are the lil' pups like, well... me. :)
You can create your own login to submit recipes and/or create a "favorites" list of recipes to try out in your own kitchen.

If you ever find a recipe that needs modification in order to work in your ovenless kitchen and don't have the time or patience to try it out yourself.... send it my way. I will see if I can work some of my steamerific powers on it, or create something new altogether using the same flavors!

Now go get lost in the abyss I like to call foodgawker.

Spotlight Blog: Homesick Texan

I don't typically post articles. I tend to stick with recipes and the occasional list of links for various holidays, but I decided I would let you in on the sites that inspire me. I can not guarantee this will be a weekly occurance, but it will happen often and hopefully I can glean from you as well. Please feel free to send me links with your favorite food blogs or sites at lindseylett@yahoo.com and title the e-mail "Spotlight Blog." Otherwise, your message will end up in my trash. Thanks!

This Spotlight Blog is near and dear to my heart. Living in Korea, you simply won't get much "Mexican Food." I realize most food labeled as such is really Tex-Mex and not authentic, but this site does it's best to incorporate both. As a native Texan... I miss this "type" of food the most. And while I can not make all the dishes posted on Homesick Texan due to ingredient restrictions, I make the most of it with what I CAN make and use substitutions as I deem necessary. :)
Please take a few minutes to browse the "Index" of recipes on the site and see if anything peaks your interest... that is if you enjoy "Mexican Food" or "Texas Food" in general. There are several native Texan dishes to enjoy and while they may need some alterations or omissions... it is worth a try!

http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/

P.S. There is a great little Mexican Restaurant in Masan that is worth the trip. It's name is "Mexico" and is run by a Korean Husband and Mexican Wife. They are both really sweet people and can speak Spanish, English or Korean... well at the least he can. If you are interested, let me know and I can post directions! :)

~The Ovenless Chef