Tag: Recipes

 This recipe and photo is from Phoebebites.com

  With garden produce about to become readily available – this is a terrific spring summer dish fresh from you backyard.  It’s delicious!  I recommend using parmesan you have grated freshly yourself, rather than the powdery stuff you can buy in the grocery store.

Scalloped Tomatoes

Adapted from Ina Garten via the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network

•Olive oil, 2 tablespoons plus more for drizzling at the end

•Crusty bread, cut into 1/2-inch dice, 1 1/2 cups

•Tomatoes, 8 medium, cut into 1/2-inch dice

•Garlic, 2 cloves, minced

•Sugar, 1 tablespoon

•Salt, 1 teaspoon

•Pepper, 1/2 teaspoon

•Basil, julienned, 1/4 cup lightly packed

•Parmesan, grated, 1/2 cup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the oil. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for five minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are evenly browned.

Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. When the bread cubes are done, add the tomato mixture and continue to cook, stirring often, for five minutes. Off the heat, stir in the basil.

Pour the tomato mixture into a shallow baking dish (I used my ceramic pie dish). Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with some olive oil on top. Bake for 40 minutes or until top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly.

 There are lots of Potato Tart recipes out there…this is a Rachel Ray variation –  I found it in a local newspaper and I love it.

Potato Tart with Thyme and Manchego

Olive oil cooking spray
1 lb baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (the thinner, the better)
1/2 medium yellow onion, very thinly sliced
salt & pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
3 cups grated Manchego Cheese (Italian cheese not unlike Parmesan)
Diced green or red hot peppers like pickled Jalapenos (I used roasted red peppers )

Preheat oven to 425. spray glass pie plate with olive oil. ( I made a big batch for Easter family dinner using large pyrex)  Arrange single layer of potates over bottom of pie plate, edges slightly overlapping. Spray potatoes with olive oil. Place half of onion slices over potatoes, season with salt, pepper and 1/2 of thyme.

Top onions with 1 cup of spinach, spreading evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over spinach. Then second layer of potatoes over cheese, press down gently.  Spray potatoes with oil.  Repeat layering by topping the potatoes with remaining onions, seasonings, spinach, 1 cup of cheese and final layer of potatoes. Spray with oil, then top with remaining cheese and sliced peppers.

Bake 40 minutes or until edges are golden brown and potatoes are cooked through. Yum!

1 container cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 carton fresh small mozzarella cheese balls, drained

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1/3 cup basil, julienned

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

baguette-optional

1) In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and parsley, Set aside.

2) In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Pour over tomato

mixture. Toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

3) Just before serving the salad, stir in the chopped avocados. Serve salad with

slotted spoon and toasty bread.

4) Goes perfect with a glass of Pinot Grigio ; )  – Val
 
 

 I made two recipes that I found in the blogosphere yesterday, both were delicious –

Pasta with Turkey Sausage and Peppers – recipe found on tastypursuits.com

1/4 pound spaghetti (reserve 1/2 cup pasta water)  I had rotini on hand
4 turkey sausages, casings removed
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, sliced – I used shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced – I added more
1 red pepper, sliced into strips
1 green pepper, sliced into strips
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated (I used twice as much)

pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon butter
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain the spaghetti and reserve 1/2 cup of the water it was cooked in.

In a large pan, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium high heat. Add the turkey sausages and break them apart in the pan with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook until the meat is no longer raw and pink, approx. 3-4 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a small bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, approx. 3 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium. Add the red peppers, green peppers, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. Cook until they are tender, approx 5 — 7 minutes.

Add the sausage, parmesan cheese, parsley and pasta water. Mix well and cook for another 30 seconds — 1 minute to reheat the pasta water and sausage. Add salt to taste. Turn off the heat, and add the butter. Mix well then add the spaghetti and toss to combine.

2 ingredient Brownie Muffins everyone will love – 

This very simple 2-ingredient recipe is a Weight Watchers favorite, and it’s so moist and delicious  –

1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 can solid pack pumpkin (15 oz.)

Directions:
Mix the two ingredients together. Don’t add anything else that may be mentioned on the box, such as eggs, oil, or water. The mixture will be very thick and you will be tempted to add in other things to make the batter smoother. DO NOT DO THIS AS IT WILL RUIN EVERYTHING! Place batter into muffin tins (or mini muffin tins) lined with paper, or sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes 12 regular or 36 mini muffins.

Thank you Patricia of Butter Yum for this great muffin recipe –

  The manchild this morning getting ready for school –  I discussed my fears here with you about a transition from public school into private.  I’de like to take this opportunity to tell you how proud I am of this guy for accepting his lot in life as a private High School student who has to dress up every day.  He actually does a better job with his wardrobe ensembles than I ever did. And Thank You Lord for the invention of those no-iron dress shirts that just snap right out of the dryer and onto the hanger.  (thank you blog friends for that tip).

  Have a great day –

This recipe was given to me by my mother’s dear friend, Annette. She found it originally in the 1999 GOURMET magazine.    Absolutely delicious – dense, moist, full of flavor. 

Old-Fashioned Gingerbread with English Cream

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
a pinch ground cloves
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup unsulfured molasses
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup boiling-hot water
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 Tbls. fresh orange juice
English Cream – see below  (Fresh whipped cream is just as good)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 10 x 3 in. round or 9 in. square cake pan. Butter bottom of pan and line bottom of pan with wax paper, cut to fit and buttered on top side.

Into a bowl sift together flour, baking soda, spices, and a pinch salt. In a saucepan over low heat, melt butter with molasses.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together sugar and egg until thick and pale. Add butter mixture and beat until just combined. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add water, sour cream, and orange juice and beat 2 additional minutes.

Pour batter into cake pan and bake in middle of oven 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean and gingerbread has pulled away from side of pan. Cool gingerbread in pan on a rack and invert onto rack. Will keep in an airtight container at room temperature 3 days. Serve with English cream. Serves 10-12.

English Cream

1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup well-chilled heavy cream

Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. In a heavy saucepan bring milk to a simmer. In a bowl whisk together sugar and yolks and add hot milk in a stream, whisking. Pour mixture into saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it is thickened and digital thermometer registers 175 degrees. (Do not let boil). Immediately pour custard through a fine sieve into a metal bowl and set bowl in ice water. Stir in vanilla and cool custard completely. Custard may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.
Just before serving, in a clean bowl with an electric mixer beat cream until it holds stiff peaks and fold in custard. Makes about 2 cups.

Hilary of Crazy As A Loom  posted this recipe on her blog and it looked so good I made it last night and  was delighted with  it’s hearty texure,  awesome taste and ease in making.

 Perfect for taking the chill out of winter –

K’s Potato Leek Soup

3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced*
1 medium or large onion, chopped
6 – 8 russet potatoes, thinly sliced**
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (or enough to barely cover potatoes)
1 cup heavy cream
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

1) Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat then add onions and leeks. Cook, stirring, until onions are limp and just slightly brown.
2) Add sliced potatoes to saucepan then pour in enough chicken broth to just barely cover the potatoes. Continue cooking over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher, mash and stir potatoes until desired consistency is reached. As you mash the potatoes and the soup thickens, turn down heat and stir frequently with a large spoon to prevent scorching on the bottom.

3) Add one cup of heavy cream (or more if you desire) and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook 15 minutes more over low heat, stirring frequently, then remove from heat and serve.

Notes: *Make sure to clean leeks thoroughly and slice only the white and light green part of the leeks. **You don’t need to peel the potatoes as the peels add to the rustic texture of the soup. But make sure to scrub them thoroughly and remove any obvious blemishes before slicing. Although we always make it with chicken broth, this can easily become a vegetarian soup by simply using vegetable broth instead.

More Snow on the way….me and my big mouth.  *sigh*   I’ll just live in denial like my geranium here on the kitchen window sill.

 This recipe is an adaption of the one I found on Brenda of Cozy Little house’s blog – real easy, nutritious and  really delicious too.   I tweaked it just a bit, because I can’t leave well enough alone.  This is not my image,  I forgot to take a picture…which is practically sacrilegious.

Turkey Chili

1 lb. ground turkey – as lean as possible
1 large or two small cans Ro-Tel
 (I did not know what this was.  It’s basically diced tomatoes and peppers and can be found in the canned tomato section of the grocery store)
1 can creamed corn
1 can sweet corn
1 packet Ranch dressing (I used 1 and a half packets)
1 can Red Kidney Beans
1 can Dark Red Kidney Beans
1 can Texas Ranch-Style Baked Beans
1 can Northern Beans
Shredded carrot – as much as you want to add
Dash of Chili powder
Dash of Cumin
Salt & Pepper to taste, but I found it unnecessary

Use either a very large deep skillet or a large stock pot – brown ground turkey. When it’s no longer pink, throw in all remaining ingredients, cover and simmer on low for an hour.  It’s that easy.   Garnish with sour cream and shredded cheddar/Monterrey cheese.    Serves at least six.

P.S.  Per my personal trainer friend JOEY… this recipe is high in sodium, so if you are concerned about sodium intake, beware.  There are things you can do to reduce it, like using dried beans instead of canned, and low sodium canned corn, etc.  Ranch dressing packets are high in sodium, who knew?