Weekly Menu

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Thanks to a lovely stomach bug that made its way through our house this week, I have several meals from last week's menu that were never prepared. I don't mind that they are showing up on this week's menu at all. I don't even have to shop for them.

I'm doubling a few of my meals this week for a family from church. The mother of the family is beginning chemotherapy for breast cancer and our church has a "Stone "Soup" ministry that organized to bring meals every day during her treatment. I'm taking over some meals that she can keep in her freezer in case she has a gaps in daily meals. I mention this because this is a great ministry, and I find that Catholic churches don't often organize like this. If your church has a ministry for helping families in need, consider volunteering. Often I just make double of what I'm already making, and it's so appreciated by the family in need. I think I'll bake some cookies and muffins for them to have in their freezer, too.


Saturday
Lunch: Turkey Club Sandwiches
Dinner: Boys' night out at the hockey game

Sunday
Lunch: Bacon Birds' Nests, Greek yogurt and granola
Dinner: Birthday and Superbowl party to attend

Monday
Lunch: pancakes
Dinner: Chicken Tacos, guacamole (found here), shredded cabbage, rice, Candlemas Crepes

Tuesday
Lunch: chicken soup
Dinner: Hearty Beef Stew, corn muffins

Wednesday
Lunch: Cheese Quesadillas
Dinner: Lettuce Wraps, fruit, Bread Pudding (I'll post this recipe)

Thursday
Lunch: Lunch pizzas
Dinner: Mom's chili, Pound Cake

Friday
Lunch: Macaroni and cheese
Dinner: Clam Chowder, Crusty bread

*Tried and true
* New to me


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Cheery

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Yes, I changed my colors. It's not your imagination. I think it was that cheery cup of soup below. Maybe I'll be like Sandra Lee and change my colors every week to match my food.

But, probably not.


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Chicken Soup with Stars

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Almost everyone in my house has had a bad stomach bug this week. I've discovered that's one way to save money on groceries! Our menu has been limited to oyster crackers, toast, dry rice Chex, chicken noodle soup (sans chicken), and some scrambled eggs for those who are on the way to recovery.

I, fortunately (knock on wood), haven't had the bug. I guess somebody had to stay well enough to run sick trays up and down the stairs.

It's pretty hard to cook when hardly anyone can eat, but I have one recipe that is great for all that ills you, whether it's a tender tummy or a sore throat and runny nose. Since there seems to be all sorts of lovely bugs going around, I thought I post this recipe because it's easy, inexpensive, and, possibly, you have all the ingredients on-hand. I usually use star-shaped pasta in this recipe, but you can use any small pasta, ABCs, acine de pepe, orzo or pastini.

Chicken Soup with Stars

1 med. onion, diced
2 t. vegetable oil
1½ cups carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup diced celery
48 oz. chicken stock
1 cup miniature star pasta, ABCs, or pastini
salt and pepper to taste


In a large stockpot, saute the onions in vegetable oil over medium heat
until soft and translucent.
Add the carrots, celery and chicken stock;
cover the pot and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat and add the pasta.
Stir and cover the pot for 20 minutes.
Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Makes 7 cups.


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Twinkie Tiramisu

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Whenever we have an Italian feast day on the calendar, I usually end up making biscotti or pizzelles for a dinner treat. There are a lot of Italian saints, however, and we're getting tired of biscotti and pizzelles (or maybe I'm just tired of making them).

This Saturday is the feast of St. John Bosco, and if everyone is well (some members of the family are suffering from a lovely stomach bug), I'm going to make a family favorite, albeit atypical, variety of a well-known Italian dessert -- Tiramisu. This recipe came from Walt Disney World where it is served at one of the Disney resorts.

The use of Twinkies instead of ladyfingers may be a big turnoff for you, but I find them to be very yummy. They are soft and soak up the coffee efficiently. Plus, there's that extra "whipped cream"! The mascarpone cheese is a little pricey, and if you don't want to sink that much into a dessert, use whipped cream cheese instead. I don't usually use the brandy because I'm serving children, but you be the judge of that.

I don't have a photo, but I'll be sure to take one on Saturday.

Twinkie Tiramisu

⅓ cup water

½ cup sugar
⅔ cup strongly brewed coffee
¼ cup Italian or domestic brandy (optional)
1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
⅓ cup sugar
2 t. vanilla
1 lb. mascarpone cheese, softened
12 Twinkies, sliced in half crosswise
cocoa powder

Combine water and sugar in saucepan.
Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve water.
Remove from heat, cool, and add coffee.
Whip cream with sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
Fold cream into softened mascarpone.
Place half the Twinkies in a layer in the bottom of
a shallow 2-quart baking or gratin dish.
Drizzle with half the coffee syrup and half the brandy, if desired..
Spread with half the mascarpone filling.
Repeat with remaining Twinkies, syrup, brandy, and mascarpone.
Smooth top with spatula.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours.
Just before serving. sprinkle lightly with cocoa.

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Tortilla Soup

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I created the recipe for this yummy variation on standard chicken soup after having a similar style at a local Mexican restaurant. I'm a sucker for a good soup, and even though this particular restaurant is a chain (which in my opinion don't generally get great marks for quality food), they had a good tortilla soup. Unlike some varieties of this soup at other chains, it is not creamy, nor even thickened. Just broth and veggies and chicken, with crisp tortilla strips thrown in just before serving -- the noodles for my chicken soup.

The heat is determined by the amount of juice you include from the Rotel tomatoes and chilies (as well as the heat of the variety you buy). I use mild or original, and I drain about half of the juice. I think my soup is pretty spicy (and so does six-year-old Peach), but my guys add Tabasco. Use your own heat preference to guide you -- but you might want to start out mild the first time you make it.

My bowl here is missing the cilantro because I forgot to buy fresh. I did, however, squeeze fresh lime in each bowl.

Tortilla Soup
serves 6 to 8

2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
2 clove garlic, crushed
lrg. can chicken broth
4 cups water
3 t. chicken soup base (or bouillon)
3 carrots, sliced
1 cooked chicken breast, deboned and diced
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes & green chilies
(drain off as much juice as you want -- remember more juice means more heat)
1/2 cup long grain rice
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
½ t. chili powder
salt to taste
¼ cup chopped cilantro
fresh lime wedges
baked tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips
(use less salt in soup if using chips)


In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat until hot.
Saute onion, celery and garlic in olive oil for several minutes, until tender.
Add broth, water, soup base and carrots.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add chicken, tomatoes with juice, and rice.
Cook until carrots are tender.
Add corn and beans.
Season with chili powder and salt, to taste,
Simmer for 15 minutes until rice is tender.
Ladle into bowls.
Top with cilantro, tortilla strips and a squeeze of lime juice.


Tortilla strips

6 to 8 flour tortillas (one medium for each person is about right)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice tortillas with a pizza cutter into noodle-width slices.
Place on a baking sheet, spreading out over entire sheet.
Bake for about 10 minutes until crisp and golden -- do not brown.


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Weekly Menu

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This past week I felt like we muddled through. Nothing exciting -- no feast days, no celebrations. It was pretty boring (although I had some happy customers on tortilla soup night and breakfast for dinner night). I'm going to try to liven it up a bit this week.

On Saturday night, we're having some company (Doug's parents and aunt and uncle) join us for deep dish pizza. Nothing exciting, but nice to share with family. We had a warm afternoon today (all of 51 degrees) and I got in the mood for a summer meal. I think we'll have a indoor picnic on Sunday evening, and maybe a movie. I'm trying one new recipe or two this week and still trying to pare down the grocery bill. Like Dori said, "keep swimming, keep swimming..."


Saturday
Lunch: Skyline chilitos
Dinner: Deep Dish pizza (pepperoni and sausage with mushroom, onions, whatever), tossed salad and vinaigrette (from this recipe), Sweet Potato Pie

Sunday
Brunch: Scrambled eggs with diced Ham, Cinnamon Raisin Bread
Dinner: Fried Chicken, Bacon and Onion Potato Salad, Baked Beans

Monday
Lunch: leftover pizza
Dinner: Dirty Rice, cornbread, fruit, Peppermint Bark (gotta get rid of these candy canes)

Tuesday
Lunch: pancakes
Dinner: Chicken Tacos, guacamole (found here), shredded cabbage, rice, Blueberry Smoothies (found here)

Wednesday
Lunch: ABC Soup
Dinner: Lettuce Wraps, fruit, Bread Pudding (I'll post this recipe)

Thursday
Lunch: Cheese quesadillas and fruit
Dinner: Mom's chili, Pound Cake

Friday
Lunch: Scrambled egg sandwiches
Dinner: Cornmeal Crusted Catfish, Scalloped Potatoes (no ham), cole slaw

* Tried and true
*New to me

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Darn Good

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Every girl (or mom) should have a cake recipe in her repertoire that she can whip up in little more than the time it takes to bake. My husband has never called and said he's bringing the boss home for dinner, but if your husband does, this is the kind of recipe you need. It's quick, it requires very few ingredients and no one will know it's not from scratch. It's not much to look at, but it's chocolaty and moist and makes my husband and kids go "yummmm." I made it the other night. I started it at five and frosted it as soon as we were done with dinner. It was slightly warm and so good.

This recipe may be part of the Cake Mix Doctor collection, but a friend gave me the recipe, so I'm not certain. I can never remember to buy mini chocolate chips and usually use regular. Sometimes they fall to the bottom (or the top when you flip it out of the pan), so I usually sprinkle them on top of the batter in the pan and and stir them slightly with a small spoon.

Darn Good Chocolate Cake

1 pkg. Devil's Food Cake
1 sml. package instant chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream*
½ cup warm water
½ cup vegetable oil*
1½ cups mini chocolate chips (semi-sweet)


Preheat oven.
Grease and flour bundt pan.
Mix cake mix, pudding, eggs, sour cream, warm water and oil in large bowl.
Blend with mixer on low speed for 1 minute.
Increase speed and beat 2 to 3 minutes.
Batter should be thick and well combined.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

* Use light sour cream and light-tasting olive oil for a slightly healthier version

~~~


Chocolate Fudge Icing

1 cup granulated sugar
5 T. butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place sugar, butter and milk in medium saucepan over med-high heat.
Stir until mixture comes to a boil, 3 to 4 minutes.
Still stirring, let mixture boil one minute, until sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat.
Stir in chocolate chips and whisk until chocolate is melted and icing is smooth.

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In Season

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We have been enjoying seasonal fruits lately -- plump red grapes, soft and juicy d'Anjou pears, and Clementine oranges. Eventually we'll get tired of eating the same old thing, but for now we are really enjoying the best of the season.

They also make a pretty centerpiece.



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Weekly Menu

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This week I would be content to exist on what is in the house, even if it meant eating cold cereal, peanut butter sandwiches or old ice cream for dinner. It's colder than blue blazes out and I don't look forward to heading to the grocery store. My husband, however, is not one to be content with cold cereal dinners, so I have to plan and shop. I may be able to sweet talk him, though, into driving me to the store and picking me up after. A chauffeur is better than nothing.

I have a few items in the freezer than I'm going to resurrect -- hopefully my family won't start a mutiny. I have a few new things to balance out to old resurrected meals, so I hope to not hear too many complaints (to which I usually give a lecture about being fortunate enough to not have to find one's dinner in a dumpster).

On Sunday, college boy is coming home for about 24 hours, and I think he'll like the flank steak recipe I am trying for dinner. I sincerely hope it tastes better than the slop he eats in the university commons (bad pizza every night).

I'm still watching my budget. Faith and I watched Kit Kittredge last night. The boys and Doug pretended not to be watching, but they were. If you don't have a young girl living in your house, you probably haven't seen it. It was good a good flick -- especially for an American Girl story. The reason I mention it here is because Kit's story takes place during the Depression and the story was a good reminder to me of how much we waste in our daily lives -- especially food. I want to make a better effort to use what we have and make do with less. It's fun to try new recipes and cook using new and tasty ingredients, but that should be done on a limited basis. We should mostly eat to live and not the other way around. And you can enjoy food that's less expensive too. It doesn't have to be tasteless or poor quality.

Saturday
Lunch: Skyline chili
Dinner: Deep Dish pizza -- I think one pepperoni and one ham and mushroom

Sunday
Lunch: grab a bite out
Dinner: Ponzu-Glazed Flank Steak, steamed rice and scallions, stir fried vegetables

Monday
Lunch: bagels and cream cheese
Dinner: Big Don subs, Minestrone

Tuesday
Lunch: tuna salad sandwiches or cheese quesadillas
Dinner: Cheese Ravioli and Marinara, bread, a steamed green vegetable

Wednesday
Lunch: Wendy's chili
Dinner: Tortilla Soup -- my own creation and I'll post the recipe

Thursday
Lunch: soup and crackers
Dinner: Bacon Eggs, Fried Potatoes, Upside Down Apple Muffins

Friday
Lunch: scrambled egg sandwiches
Dinner: Cajun Seafood Pasta, Salad, bread
This dish looks too decadent for a Friday abstinence day, but I have shrimp in my freezer and I've been craving the combination of Cajun and pasta. I will substitute some of the cream with half and half and cut out the scallops.


* Tried and true
* New to me

Marshmallows or Whipped Cream?

Is that the juvenile version of the age-old question, "shaken or stirred?"

In our house cocoa is most definitely topped with whipped cream, usually from a can. With a sprinkle of cocoa on top. How do you take yours, marshmallows or whipped cream?



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Salmon Nicoise Salad -- Budget Version

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I've been a poor blog host lately. Life has me so busy that while I'm cooking everyday, I just don't have time to write about it.

This recipe is for all my friends who are expecting babies. This recipe is loaded with lots of good baby nutrition -- especially Omega 3 (technically known as omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)). Omega 3 DHA is essential for brain development in unborn babies, but many women don't eat much fish when they are pregnant because of the warnings about Mercury. The FDA recommends women limit their fish intake to 12 ounces a week. Most women, however, don't even eat near 12 ounces a week.

This recipe is a winner because not only does it include healthy wild salmon, but using canned salmon essentially eliminates the risk of Mercury intake. According to the FDA, canned salmon, which, in the US, is all wild salmon, mostly from Alaska, has levels of Mercury that are not detectable.

And because this recipe uses canned salmon, it's cheap! Canned salmon is one of the least expensive, but most overlooked sources of Omega 3 DHA. A 4-ounce serving packs 2.2 grams of Omega 3 DHA, and as much calcium as a glass of milk. One Omega-3 egg contains 100 milligrams of Omega 3. You'd have to eat 22 of those pricey eggs to equal that 4-ounce serving of salmon. (Aren't I a wealth of information this morning?)

So, no excuses girls. It's healthy, cheap and delish! I could eat this salad anytime, but usually I serve it on Friday night. Some of the kids eat it, some have grilled cheese. The great thing is, even if they don't eat all of the ingredients, they can pick a few things that they like. I use the above-mentioned pricey Omega--3 eggs for the hard boiled eggs, so at least the kids who don't eat the salmon get a little bit.

Salmon Nicoise Salad
serves 4 adults

10 to 12 ounces canned salmon *
half a fresh lemon
6 Omega-3 eggs (or regular eggs), hard boiled, peeled and chilled
1 pound fresh green beans
1 can whole beets, chilled
1 - 2 pounds small red potatoes
1 head leaf lettuce (I often mix in some baby spinach for extra vitamins), washed and dried
1/4 cup Nicoise olives **


Dressing
3 T. white Balsamic vinegar ***
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 T. light tasting olive oil
2 t. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic crushed/minced
1/4 t. salt and 1/8 t. fresh cracked pepper



Several hours before serving, clean and trim beans.
Steam until tender, drain, and then dump in a bowl of ice water.
After cooling, drain and refrigerate until serving time.

Also, scrub potatoes and submerge in a pot of salted water.
Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.
Drain and refrigerate until chilled.

At serving time,
place all dressing ingredients in a small container with a screw-on,
or tight-fitting, lid.
Shake for about a minute until dressing is emulsified.

Place lettuce (and spinach, if desired) on a large platter.
In piles, place green beans on lettuce around the platter.
Place salmon in piles around platter on top of lettuce.
Squeeze lemon over piles of salmon.
Place potatoes and beets around platter.
Cut eggs in quarter and arrange on platter around other foods.
If using, place Nicoise olives around platter.

Drizzle entire salad with dressing, especially on potatoes, green beans and beets.
Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
Serve. (Especially good with a crusty French bread and unsalted butter. And a glass of Chardonnay, unless you're expecting and then you may have milk.)






* I use canned Sockeye salmon which you can buy canned (usually has bones) or in vacuum sealed packages (deboned).
If you buy canned, you will probably have to remove the bones and skin. Tiny bones are very soft and can be mixed in with the salmon (more calcium!).

**optional and I opt out because they are pricey and I am the only one who eats them

*** If you can't find white Balsamic (I can only find it at Trader Joe's) use white wine vinegar
and add a teaspoon or so sugar


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Weekly Menu

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Next week finds us almost in the middle of January, with snow on the ground and getting back in the swing of our daily schedule. I'm going to resume my attempt at keeping dinners simple and cheap. It's not so hard to do one or the other, but I'm not certain I can do both.

I asked for dinner suggestions from the kids and came up with one "basghetti" and one marinated chicken with roasted sweet potatoes. Giant Eagle has fresh split chicken breasts BOGO, so I'll stock up and debone a few for marinating and grilling. I'm not going to shovel a path in the snow to the grill, but I know Doug will.

Saturday
Lunch: Skyline chili
Dinner: Deep Dish Pizza, maybe a White Pizza

Sunday -- The Baptism of Our Lord
Brunch: Classic Crumb Cake, scrambled eggs
Dinner: Lidia's Chicken and Potatoes, green beans (Giant Eagle also has chicken thighs on sale and I have some Rosemary in the fridge that is still good), Christ's Diapers

Monday
Lunch: leftover pizza
Dinner: Split Pea Soup, Cornbread (thanks Cheryl)

Tuesday
Lunch: quesadillas
Dinner: "Basghetti," salad, garlic bread

Wednesday
Lunch: Wendy's chili
Dinner: Waffles and sausage links

Thursday
Lunch: chicken noodle soup
Dinner: Marinated Chicken, Roasted sweet potatoes, fruit

Friday
Lunch: Bagels and cream cheese
Dinner: Alaskan Salmon Croquettes, cole slaw, Scalloped Potatoes (no ham)

* Tried and true
* New to me

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Kid-Style Cheese Dip and A New Buckeye Plate

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On Monday night before the Ohio State verses Texas bowl game, the kids were bugging me for snacks. We had already had dinner, but the big game was starting and what's a big football game without the snacks? So, I rummaged through the pantry and came out with a bag of pretzels and a box of macaroni and cheese. You're probably thinking that's a pretty weird combo, and it's definitely not Fiesta-ish, but if you add a carton of sour cream to that combo you have a pretty yummy, kid-style pretzel dip.

When I was young, my mom made this chip dip, which we only ever ate with pretzels, that consisted of sour cream and grated American cheese. Maybe my mom created it because we didn't have a lot of money and it was what she had on-hand. I have no idea. But, it's really good stuff and my kids like it as much as I did when I was growing up. Hey, I still like it, and Doug does, too.

Just in case you're a Buckeye fan, I'm showing you my brand spankin' new Buckeye plate, too. My mom gave it to me for Christmas and I just had to get it out for the game. Even if the Bucks didn't win, we still love 'em.

Kid-Style Cheese Dip and Pretzels

1 box Kraft Macaroni and Cheese
(remove cheese envelope and reserve pasta for another use)
1 1/2 cups sour cream (light is o.k.)
bag thin pretzels

In a medium bowl, add envelope of cheese to sour cream.
Whisk until smooth (it may look grainy, but that's o.k.)
Refrigerate for an hour or more.
Whisk again before serving to break up any little bits of cheese.
Serve with pretzels.


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New Gadgets

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I went online to the Crate and Barrel website last week looking to buy some replacement glasses. I bought our everyday drinking glasses from Crate and Barrel years ago and have occasionally bought replacements for broken ones. I have been fortunate that they have always carried the same style. Until now. It looks like I can no longer find them, but I spent quite a bit of time on the website hunting.

Though I didn't find the glasses, I did find a few other things. Crate and Barrel has always been for me a near occasion of sin. There is one trick I use, however, that keeps me in line. I allow myself to only buy sale items (unless it's a really great regular price), and gadgets have to be dirt cheap. I also make a sincere effort to buy only those items that I really need. I know, I don't really need any gadgets, but you know what I mean. No junk just for the sake of buying.

I am really happy with a couple of my purchases and I thought I'd share the wealth with you, at least as much as I am able to share through the "interweb."

The best find, however, I can't even find at Crate and Barrel anymore, just one week later. Maybe I got the last one. In fact, it may be the last one in the entire world because I could only find one picture on the whole interweb. I found it at this one website, but it is five times what I paid at Crate and Barrel. In the five days since I've owned it I have used it to get blondies out of the pan (it's flexible so it bends under bar cookies), scraped roasted potatoes (it's very thin so it gets under them without tearing them apart), and lifted deep dish pizza out of the pan (again, it bends). I'm really sorry I couldn't share the wealth on that one. You would've loved it.

Another great find were these pot holders. They're really cute in person and they are $1.50! The way I go through potholders I should have ordered a dozen (limited quantity on these, so if you like 'em, buy 'em now).

I've always wanted one of these spoonulas, and while it wasn't dirt cheap, I bought one because I don't have any.

If you go through loads of rubber spatulas when you're cooking, grab a couple of these. It's just a standard rubber spatula with a wooden handle, but it's $1.95, and it's cute. It also takes up to 900 degree heat. They have a radish design for the same price.

My big purchase was a couple of these loaf dishes. What a great deal and that's a regular price. I have been looking at them at the grocery store and Target and they are usually priced higher for a cheaper model. This one is very heavy glass and should bake a nice loaf of bread.

I hope that I have not corrupted you with my finds, but just in case you're in the market, I just had to share!

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Weekly Menu

Well, as I said way back when, we lived off the fat of the land for quite a while. I had round steak in the freezer, as well as some chicken and a chuck roast. We also had lots of leftovers. I have a couple more days of dinner food left, but need to plan and make a trip to the grocery store.

I have a couple uncooked boneless chicken breasts left for tonight's dinner, a package of kosher hot dogs and sauerkraut for Tuesday, and leftover pot roast from last night to eat hot with gravy open faced on Wednesday. Thursday brings breakfast for dinner because I have both eggs and bacon, and then Friday is bringing some salmon I think. I need to plan it all out to see.

Monday -- Ohio State vs. Texas in the Fiesta Bowl
Lunch: leftovers, leftovers and more leftovers
Dinner: Chicken Chop Suey, Blondies

Tuesday
Lunch: Leftover pizza
Dinner: Hot dogs with sauerkraut and/or chili, Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese, veggies and dip

Wednesday
Lunch: Wendy's chili after Mass
Dinner: Hot Wet Beef Sandwiches, baked potatoes, buttered corn

Thursday
Lunch: sandwiches and chips
Dinner: Bacon eggs, French toast cups, fruit

Friday
Lunch: pancakes and fruit
Dinner: Nicoise Salad

* Tried and true
* New to me

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Bucatini and Fontina Cheese Sauce

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There is nothing like ten days of junk food to make you crave something good. Not that every meal has been junk food, but there's been a lot of junk thrown in to our diets (Christmas cookies for breakfast, chips and dip for lunch...) over the past few weeks. On Friday I wanted something simple, but rib-sticking, and, of course, meatless.

I remembered this sauce that I made almost a year ago and gave it another whirl. It is so good, and with a drizzle of marinara -- or a puddle in the middle as I did (just enough that when you start twirling the pasta the sauce turns pink) -- and a sprinkle of basil, it tasted healthy. A salad helped (although the garlic bread did not). This is such an easy recipe, I need to make it more often. It's yummy enough, and pretty enough though, to serve to company.

I would also like to try this recipe with some healthier pasta. I think the sauce is thick enough and tasty enough to hold up to those firmer and stronger-tasting pastas.

Fontina Cheese Sauce

5 T. unsalted butter, divided
2 T. chopped red onion
one clove garlic minced
8 ounces fontina cheese, cut in small cubes
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. Marinara sauce, hot
1 T. chopped fresh basil

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Add a pound of desired pasta, and cook until tender.
Once the pasta goes into the pot, start the sauce,
as you want the pasta to be done first.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add the onions and garlic, and cook for a few minutes, until tender.
Stir in the cream, and heat to almost a boil.
Gradually mix in the Fontina and Parmesan cheeses, being careful not to boil.
Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat immediately, or the sauce may clump.
Place pasta into serving dishes, and spoon the sauce over it.
Drizzle with a few tablespoons marinara.
Garnish with chopped fresh basil.

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New Year's Day Pumpkin Bread

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Anticipating a day and evening of cooking and dishes and loads of clean up (and I was right) for New Year's Eve, I baked a loaf of pumpkin bread the day before to have on New Year's Day morning before Mass. I have been thinking about this bread for about a year since Doug's Aunt Karen brought me a loaf. Unfortunately for me, I lost the secret recipe. Fortunately for you, I came up with a pretty close match all on my own.* The pumpkin bread is a standard moist, mildly spicy loaf. The frosting, however, is a real zinger. The sweet and buttery frosting is spiced up with 2 teaspoons of powdered ginger, and Wow! It is a spicy, sweet combination that I am addicted to. Some people don't like it that spicy, and if you're not fond of spicy stuff, bring the ginger down to 1 teaspoon. I think you'll get the same effect without the zing. Me? I like the zing!

Pumpkin Bread with Spicy Ginger Butter Frosting

2 cups flour
2 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. soda
1 t. ginger
½ t. nutmeg
½ t. salt
¼ t. cloves
1 cup pumpkin
⅓ cup buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease loaf pan. Mix dry ingredients.
Mix together pumpkin, buttermilk and vanilla.
Beat together butter and sugars until creamy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time.
Alternately beat in flour mixture and pumpkin mixture at low speed until blended.
Stir in nuts (optional).
Pour batter into pan. Bake for about 60 minutes (toothpick test).
Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.
Cool completely before frosting.


~~~~~~~~

3 T. butter, melted
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
2 t. powdered ginger
3 T. evaporated milk

Place melted butter in a medium bowl.
With a whisk or spoon, stir in powdered sugar, vanilla, and ginger.
Add evaporated milk and stir until smooth,
adding more milk if necessary to achieve a stiff, but spreadable, consistency.
Spread over the top of the cooled bread.

* The original recipe has minced crystallized ginger in the recipe -- probably about 1/2 cup. My kids don't like it (it's a texture thing) so I left it out.

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