Mashed Peas

No, we haven't started eating baby food, but this would be a great recipe for an older baby, one that has started to eat yogurt and cheese. This recipe is great comfort food, however. I saw Nigella make it one evening when I was watching my store of dvr'd cooking shows. I like Nigella (although sometimes her drama gets a little old), and she is one of the few TV chefs whose recipes I actually use. There is only one of her recipes that I didn't like and it was the fault of the hard cider I used to make it (at least I think it was).

Last week Faith and I found ourselves alone for Friday night supper, with the menfolk out for Friday night football. We decided to cook these mashed peas for ourselves to go along with salmon patties and oven fried potatoes. They were really, really good and both of us were sad that we only had one serving (the recipe is really written for one person, but is very doable for more than one, and I have rewritten it for serving to a family (and using the whole bag of frozen peas). I omitted the mint in the recipe because I only had fresh (in the garden) and, frankly, I was too lazy to head out and cut some (that's pretty lazy isn't it?). I also used Greek yogurt because creme fraiche is not available to me.

This recipe would be great with almost any meat, but I imagine it would be fantastic with some braised beef or lamb. Yum.

Note: you do need a food processor for this recipe.

Mashed Peas

2 cloves garlic

salt

12 oz. bag frozen peas

3 -4 T. creme fraiche (or Greek yogurt or sour cream)

3 - 4 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. dried mint

Fill a medium pan with cold water and throw in the whole cloves of garlic. Bring to the boil and then add salt and the peas. Cook until tender, drain, and put into a food processor, or blender, and add the creme fraiche, cheese, and dried mint. Puree the peas until "knobbly" (roughly mashed with a little texture remaining) and check the seasoning, adding salt if you need to. Serve immediately or spoon back into the pan to keep warm (they get cool pretty fast).

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Source: modified from Nigella Lawson

Asparagus Risotto

I am linking up with Pam and Sarah again, for Making it Count.

As Sarah mentioned in her post, the Internet is a great place to go to find recipes. I would hate to be a cookbook publisher these days, because, frankly, I almost never go to a cookbook for a recipe anymore.

I have mentioned several times already that I am doing a trial of wheat-free eating, just to see if I feel better -- fewer aches and pains and more energy. Unfortunately I have not seen (felt) any results yet, so it's a little frustrating to keep it up. But, I'll give it a couple more weeks before I hang it up. I think, as of today, I am going to go oat-free as well.

There is nothing like giving up a main staple in my diet to get me up off my rump and hunting for new recipes. I find it especially hard at breakfast to find an alternative, but dinner, too. I really rely on good homemade bread to supplement our meals around here.

Besides potatoes, especially mashed, there are a couple of side dishes my family really enjoys -- polenta and risotto. We usually eat polenta with sauce, but risotto is good with grilled summer food. Actually I could eat it as a main dish, but my guys are meat-eaters, so it's relegated to a side dish. This week I had a hankerin' for some asparagus, so I looked for a basic risotto recipe that contained asparagus. This recipe was really, really good. In fact, after I added it to the menu and bought the ingredients, I had a risotto dish for dinner at a local Italian restaurant when I went out with a friend. It was a risotto with roast chicken, carmelized onions, and broccolini. It was good, but this risotto from Simply Recipes was waaay better. I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it was so good.  I was planning to add frozen green peas to it as well, but when one kid started making noises about the asparagus, I decided I better not push my luck. At least the asparagus pieces were large enough to pick out. The only change I made was to substitute red onion and two cloves of garlic for the shallots because the grocer was out of shallots.

And by the way, except for cutting the onion and asparagus, my 10-year-old daughter made this dish. If she can do it, you can do it!

Asparagus Risotto

4-6 side servings

2 T. unsalted butter, divided

1/2 cup chopped shallots (or 1/2 cup chopped red onion and two minced garlic cloves)

1 cup arborio rice

1/4 cup dry white wine 

About 4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut in 2-inch pieces

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

(If cooking gluten-free, use gluten-free stock.)

In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon butter on medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for a minute or two, until translucent. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring until nicely coated.

While the shallots are cooking, bring the stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

Add the wine to the rice. Slowly stir, allowing the rice to absorb the wine. Once the wine is almost completely absorbed, add 1/2 cup of hot stock to the rice. Continue to stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, adding more stock in 1/2 cup increments. Stir often to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 20-25 minutes. 

With the last ladle of stock, add the asparagus. Turn off the heat.

Note the stock amount given is approximate. You may need a little more or less. If you end up needing more stock and you find yourself without, just use water.

Gently stir in the Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

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Lidia's Polenta

During the hot summer months I don't often make a dish that requires a long, slow simmer on the stove. Not only does a long, slow simmer heat up the kitchen, but those heavier meals are often too heavy for hot weather (even when the house is air conditioned). Occasionally, however, a simple meal like polenta and sauce is a nice dish to enjoy on a rainy summer day -- one like this recipe for Lidia's Polenta.

Polenta is a simple dish to prepare, and paired with a really good jarred pasta sauce (or some homemade sauce you stashed in the freezer) and some sauteed Italian sausages, a tasty treat even for a summer evening.

On the evening we ate this meal, I browned some fresh Italian sausages in some olive oil in a large skillet, opened a jar of Tyler Florence's Vodka sauce, poured it over the sausages and simmered them for a half hour or so. Then I sliced the sausages and served them, with the sauce,  over a spoonful of this wonderful polenta, with Parmesan cheese. Simple and delicious (and inexpensive).

I omit the bay leaves when I make it, but other than that, I make it as written.

Lidia's Basic Polenta

2 c. milk

2 c. water

1 T. unsalted butter

1 bay leaf (optional)

2 T. coarse salt (I start with less until I taste it)

1 1/2 c. coarse yellow cornmeal (or polenta if you can find it labeled as such)

In medium saucepan, combine milk, water, butter, bay leaf and salt. Heat to simmer over medium flame. Slowly sift cornmeal into pan through fingers of one hand, stirring constantly until polenta is smooth and thick and pulls away from sides of pan when stirred, about 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf.

Source: Lidia Bastianich

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

It's not often that I come across a vegetable recipe that my family raves about. Most nights I have to nag my kids, "Eat your vegetable or your guts will rot out." They laugh, and eat one kernel of corn, and then I deny dessert, and then they come back when I am tired and eat cold cereal. It's an endless battle.

But these green beans...these green beans...they won! They made them eat green beans. Yey!

I am trying not to make them every week because I think they might catch on to my tactic, but they are so very good I want to eat them every week.

The recipe came from Abby at Confabulation in the Kitchen and I made them just as written (except I doubled the sauce). I was a little confused by the ingredient "chili sauce." I was pretty sure Abby didn't mean Heinz Chili Sauce, and so I used Sriracha. I think you could also use Asian Sweet Chili Sauce (also Tabasco makes a new sweet Asian hot sauce) -- it might be better for little guys because the Sriracha is pretty spicy.

Sweet and Spicy Green Beans

serves 4-6 side servings

3/4 pound fresh or frozen green beans
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T. soy sauce
1 t. chili sauce
1 t. honey
2 t. olive oil


Bring large pot of water to a boil. Steam beans 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine garlic, soy sauce, chili sauce and honey.

Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add beans and saute, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour sauce over beans and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until liquid is mostly cooked away (if you double the sauce you will have liquid left). Serve hot.

Crash Hot Potatoes

This recipe was really the impetus for me to get on Pinterest. I couldn't believe I was missing such good stuff. Just kidding, but really, I did cave after trying these potatoes. Charlotte pinned them and blogged about them, but they came from Pioneer Woman who apparently got them from Jill Dupleix. We've already tried them three times and they are so yummy. Potatoes, oil, salt and pepper. We tried the rosemary, but they don't need rosemary. They are so easy and so delicious. You must try them!

You can go click over to Ree's to see the blow-by-blow pics if you want, but these are so easy, you don't need to.

I don't measure the oil (which probably means I am using more, but it's olive oil, so it's all good). I just drizzle straight from the bottle. And I use 2.5 pounds of potatoes which is more than 12. I tried the recipe with Idaho potatoes and they are not as good. Go figure.

  

 Crash Hot Potatoes

12 whole new potatoes (or other small round potatoes)

3 Tablespoons olive oil 

kosher salt to taste

 back pepper to taste

rosemary (optional)

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.
Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Bonefish Grill Salad

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For my birthday this year my mom took me out to dinner. What a treat -- just the two of us with no children or husband to interrupt our conversation. ;-)

But besides having uninterrupted time together we also had a wonderful meal. She took me to the Bonefish Grill, which, as you can imagine, specializes in fish. In our area, the Bonefish Grill is a rather quiet and darkened restaurant, conducive to adult conversation. It was a pleasant experience. But even though my mother and I both ordered fish from the menu (and both dishes were very good) what I remember most is the delicious house salad my mom ordered. I actually did not order salad, but I had a few bites of hers, and nibbled some of the blue cheese crumbles from the edge of her plate, and it was delicious. I was still thinking of that salad several weeks later and decided to try my hand at home. It was a wonderful copy, even though I actually did not even use the same salad ingredients. The Bonefish house salad is a plate of greens topped with hearts of palm and tomatoes, and sprinkled generously with kalamata olives and blue cheese crumbles. It's dressed with a light and yummy citrus herb vinaigrette. I did not go hunting for fresh hearts of palm (I can't even imagine I would have found them) but I tossed my greens with some red cabbage, red onion, pumpkin seeds and blue cheese squares, and a version of the Bonefish dressing that was awesome. I would eat this salad any day as it was light and refreshing and would go well with any meal.

My version is below. The dressing is really the only thing that is truly authentic. If you want to copy the salad exactly, see the above content for the ingredients as it is served in the restaurant.

My Own House Salad with Bonefish House Dressing

serves 4

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4 cups mixed greens, washed and cut

1/2 cup finely sliced red cabbage

3 thin slices red onion, quartered

1/4 cup roasted hulled pumpkins seeds (pepitas) -- sliced and roasted or candied almonds, pecans or walnuts would also be good

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles (I buy jars of small squares of blue cheese in olive oil and spices -- delicious)

Dressing:
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
3 T. water
2 T. white wine vinegar
1 t. minced garlic
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 t. lime juice
2 t. orange juice
2 t. minced fresh parsley
1/2 t. dried basil
1/4 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Place ingredients in a glass jar (mason style -- or other glass container that has a lid) and cover. Shake jar vigorously for a minute.
Remove lid and heat mixture in microwave on high for about 30-45 seconds (so that sugar will dissolve).Remove from microwave and let cool a minute or two. Replace lid and shake until mixture is well-combined.

Cover and chill for 1 hour before serving.

Place all salad ingredients in a bowl (do not add pepitas or blue cheese until ready to serve). Toss with chilled dressing and serve.

Asian Pasta Salad

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This recipe for pasta salad is one I have been eating and enjoying for years. A good friend made it for us once, probably almost 20 years ago, and I remember calling her at least twice for the recipe. Of course, I lost it twice as well, but it's easy enough that you really don't even need a recipe if you remember the basic ingredients. There is really nothing particularly Asian in it, but the flavors go so well with Asian food I always make it with some yummy Asian marinated meat on the grill. Mostly what you taste in the dish are the wonderful fresh vegetables -- they go so well together. I usually put the cashews in a dish on the side, not only because I have a nut-allergic child, but also because the cashews get soggy in the leftovers, which are otherwise wonderful. There is no vinegar in this recipe, so don't think you're missing something. ;-)

This pasta salad is best served at room temperature, so if you make it far enough in advance that you don't want it sitting out for hours, remember to remove it from the refrigerator at least an hour before serving time -- more if it is thoroughly chilled. There is no dairy in it and nothing that will spoil even if left out for several hours. I wouldn't go more than three.

Asian Pasta Salad

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1 lb. rotini pasta

3/4 cup yellow bell pepper, sliced thin and in bite-size lengths

3/4 cup red bell pepper, sliced thin and in bite-size lengths

1 cup sugar snap or snow peas, washed and string removed, halved

1/2 medium red onion, quartered and sliced thin

1/2 to 3/4 cup mild oil -- mild olive, canola or peanut

4 cloves garlic crushed

salt to taste

1 cups cashew pieces or whole cashews, salted

Cook pasta to al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain but do not rinse. Drizzle with a small amount of oil (a few tablespoons) to keep it from sticking and let sit to cool, tossing occasionally.

Meanwhile, add garlic to remaining oil and cook to simmering in the microwave (or over the stove). Do not cook the garlic, you just want to infuse the oil with the flavor and lose a little bit of that raw garlic flavor. When oil has simmered for about 10 seconds remove from microwave and let cool.

When pasta cools to just a little warmer than room temp add oil and toss. You can start with a half cup and add more if it seems dry. Or save some of the oil and add it just before serving if you have a long hang time. Add peppers, onions and peas and toss. Salt to taste and let sit at room temp until ready to serve. Serve with cashews.

Source: my friend Gina

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Summer Bulgur Salad

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This is the kind of food that I could eat all summer long, every single day. Simple food, simple and healthy ingredients. I love bulgur, and it's high and fiber and low in fat. It cooks quickly and adds a nutty flavor and great texture to this sunny salad -- bright with lemon, parsley and mint, tomato and cucumber. Yum.

Summer Bulgur Salad

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2 cups bulgur, cooked according to directions
zest of one lemon
juice of one lemon or 1/4 cup
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup sliced green onions
4 diced Roma tomatoes
1 cup peeled and chopped cucumbers (more or less to taste -- I probably used 1/2 English cucumber and didn't measure)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cook bulgur according to package directions. When done cooking, dump in a large bowl.

While the bulgur cooks, mix lemon juice, minced garlic, and olive oil. 

Add dressing to cooked bulgur and zest lemon directly into bulgur.

When bulgur has cooled somewhat -- almost to room temp., add parsley, mint, onions, tomatoes and  cucumber. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and serve at room temp.

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Summer Supper #1

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After my recent post about summer cooking I decided to take a look at the dishes I prepare in the summer, and find a way to make over the dishes we enjoy, making them simple to prepare on these hot summer days. I will share with you all the (successful) meals I makeover and hopefully we'll all have a cool, laborless summer of good eats.

It's just the first week of June and already the temps are in the mid 90s, so I not only don't feel like cooking, but I hardly feel like eating. I had a recipe for a Balsamic Steak I wanted to try, however, and I chose some other simple sides that made a quick and yummy meal. I altered the steak recipe to throw it on the grill and added a simple salad and Camp Potatoes for a yummy, super simple supper . Everything that is cooked goes on the grill and it took no longer than five minutes to prep any item.

Though I have listed exact ingredients and preparation methods, these are such simple recipes they can be enjoyed the way you like them. Add some other veggies to the salad if you like, or some Blue Cheese sprinkles for a little extra tang, or some croutons for crunch. And add whatever spices you like to the potatoes -- paprika is nice and mild, cayenne gives them a nice kick, or thyme is wonderful to go with some grilled chicken.

The skirt steak is a very tender cut -- I really prefer it over flank, but my grocer only had flat iron when I was there -- also a really great tender cut.

Balsamic Steak and Salad with Camp Potatoes

serves 4-6

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Steak:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

 1 T. Worcestershire sauce

 2 t. dark brown sugar

 1 garlic clove, minced

 1-2 pound skirt steak (I used a 1.5 pound flat iron)

 1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

 

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak, turning to coat; seal and marinate at room temperature 25 minutes, turning once (or for several hours in the fridge). Remove steak from bag; discard marinade.

Preheat grill. Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Add steak to grill and turn down to medium low; cook 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from pan and cover with foil; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across the grain into thin slices and serve next to or on top of salad.

Salad:

2 heads romaine lettuce, cut and washed

several thin slices red onion, quartered

2 Roma tomatoes washed and halved and sliced thinly

Dressing
1 clove garlic, minced
½ t. kosher salt
3 T. white balsamic vinegar
3 T. olive oil oil
1/8 t. black pepper

Place lettuce, tomatoes and onion in a salad bowl.
Mix all dressing ingredients in a jar.
Shake for a minute to completely blend. Toss salad just before serving.

Camp Potatoes 

serves 4-6

4 to 5 large Idaho potatoes, washed and sliced thin

1/4 red or Vidalia onion, sliced thin and quartered

salt and pepper

vegetable oil

several teaspoons of melted butter (optional)

sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)

Preheat grill.

Spread a large sheet of aluminum foil on your work space (or smaller sheets for individual servings).

Drizzle with a teaspoon or so of oil.

Place a layer of potatoes (about half) on foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with half the onions and the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the remaining onions. Drizzle with several teaspoons of oil. Fold up top and sides of foil to make a sealed packet.

Place on grill and cook on low for 40 to 50 minutes. Check potatoes to see if they are fork tender (the ones on the bottom will get a lot of color, but that's o.k.)

Remove from packet (or serve from the packet for really easy clean up). Taste and add salt or pepper as needed. Drizzle with melted butter and/or cheese for extra yum.

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Nigella's Meatloaf and Noodles Romanoff

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I'm always on the lookout for a great meatloaf recipe. I think I have lamented before that my children are not big fans of meatloaf. One of the boys really enjoys my Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy, but another has decided he does not like mushrooms and can't quite get past them to eat the meatloaf. Picky kid.

Anyway, I saw this recipe in Nigella Lawson's Nigella Kitchen and was intrigued by the recipe, mostly because of the eggs that are enclosed inside the meatloaf. It reminded me of our family's favorite Chicken Pot Pie with the hard boiled eggs. Also, completely topped with bacon -- who can resist? I wouldn't serve it regularly with all that bacon on top -- not very healthy -- but it's definitely worthy of a once in a while treat.

A few notes on the recipe -- I used butter to cook the onions instead of the duck fat offered as a choice. A few days later I saw Jamie Oliver cook with duck fat and he has me convinced that it would well be worth it once in a while to use it, though I'm not certain I could even find it at the store. I did not use 4 onions, but one large which was probably close to a pound. Also -- I had no intention of making gravy so I used the bread slice trick (seen at the Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy recipe) to soak up the fat.

Also, on the Noodles Romanoff -- simple, simple recipe, but the kids loved it so much I decided to post the recipe.You can probably use a teaspoon of dried chives if you don't have fresh, but you won't get the same exact flavor.  If you don't have chives in the garden, or even just in a bed outside the back door, definitely pick up a plant. In no time at all you'll have plenty of chives (in fact, you might want to put your plant in a pot because they take over the garden).

Nigella's Meatloaf

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4 eggs (only boil three)

4 onions, 1 pound

5 T. duck fat or butter

1 t. kosher salt or 1/2 t. table salt

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 pounds ground beef, preferably organic

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

10 ounces (approx. 20 slices) bacon

1 large roasting pan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and then boil 3 of the eggs for 7 minutes. Refresh them in cold water.

Peel and chop the onions, and heat the duck fat in a thick-bottomed frying pan. Cook the onions gently sprinkled with the salt, for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the onions are golden and catching in the fat. Remove to a bowl to cool.

Put the Worcestershire sauce and ground beef into a bowl, and when the onion mixture is not hot to the touch, add to the bowl and work everything together with your hands.

Add the remaining raw egg and mix again before finally adding the breadcrumbs.

Divide the mixture into 2, and in the pan, make the bottom half of the meatloaf by patting half the beef mixture into a flattish ovoid shape approximately 9 inches long. Peel and place the 3 hard-boiled eggs in a row down the middle of the meatloaf.

 

Shape the remaining mound over the top of the eggs and pat into a solid loaf shape. Compress the meatloaf to get rid of any holes, but don't overwork it.

 

Cover the meatloaf with slices of bacon, as if it were a terrine, tucking the bacon ends underneath the meatloaf as best you can to avoid its curling up as it cooks.

 

Bake for 1 hour, until the juices run clear and once it's out of the oven let the meatloaf rest for 15 minutes. This should make it easier to slice. When slicing, do it generously, so everyone gets some egg. Pour meat juices over as you serve or do what you will gravy-wise. 

 

Noodles Romanoff

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8 ounces wide egg noodles

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whipped cream cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup or more half & half or cream

1 T. chopped fresh chives

1 t. salt

1/8 t. ground black pepper

1 clove crushed garlic

2 T. butter

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

In a large pot with boiling salted water cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain. 

In the noodle pot, mix together the sour cream, cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan cheese, chives, salt, ground black pepper, and garlic. Add a few tablespoons of half & half or cream. Heat on low and stir to a smooth texture.

Stir in butter or margarine to hot egg noodles. Stir into sour cream mixture. Add more cream as necessary to get a creamy texture.

Arrange noodles on warm platter and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

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Fried Cabbage

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I love cabbage. I know some people don't like the smell of it cooking, and some folks don't like the after-affects (my husband has a problem with cabbage for this reason), but I love the taste, and it's nutritious and cheap. As a result, I am always on the lookout for new ways to serve cabbage as a side dish. This recipe could not have been easier, with a total of four ingredients. And with one of those ingredients being bacon -- yum. I bet you could add a couple of tablespoons of cider vinegar mixed 2:1 with sugar at the very end and get a great sweet sour cabbage. I'll try that next time and let you know what I think. In the meantime, try it plain and simple with bacon and I bet you'll love it. I think St. Patrick's Day would be a great time to give it a go.

Note: I used half a head of cabbage and it easily served six. If your crowd really loves cabbage go for the whole head.

Fried Cabbage

serves 6

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4  bacon slices

1  large head fresh cabbage, coarsely chopped (or a half for smaller portions)

1 t.salt

1 t.  pepper

Cook bacon in a large skillet 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon.

Add cabbage to hot drippings in skillet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté cabbage over medium-high heat 10 to 12 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle with bacon.

Serving suggestion: Especially yummy with some Beer-Braised Bratwurst  (grilled or not) and mashed potatoes

Source: myrecipes.com

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Mushroom Barley Pilaf

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I am always looking for new side dishes, something besides potatoes. We seem to eat a lot of potatoes around here, and it gets old, at least for me. I love grains -- can't think of one I don't love, so I try to find new things to do with them. The night that I made the Maple and Soy Glazed Steak (below) I made this Mushroom Barley Pilaf. It was wonderful -- beefy favor with the enhancement of baby portabella mushrooms, Mmmm. The kids were just o.k. with it, but they are not the grain lovers that I am (they'd rather have potatoes!), but my husband loved it as much as I did.

Mushroom Barley Pilaf

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1  (14 1/4-ounce) can low-salt beef broth

1 T. Worcestershire sauce 

1/4 t. salt 

1/4 t. pepper 

1  cup  uncooked quick-cooking barley

1  (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms 

3/4  cup  chopped onion

1/2  cup  finely chopped celery (about 1 rib)

Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Add barley; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.

Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add mushrooms, onion, and celery; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring often. Stir into cooked barley.

Source: myrecipes.com

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Warmer Kartoffelsalat-- aka German Potato Salad

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I've been making this recipe for German Potato Salad for a couple years now and I thought it was about time to share. I think I had been married for at least 20 years before I ever tried to make German Potato Salad, even though my husband had been telling me -- for 20 years -- that he loves it. I guess I thought it was a tough dish to make, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Such a simple recipe, and unlike cold potato salad, can be made kind of at the last minute -- a plus for those cooks who tend to forget to plan ahead.

The flavors in German Potato Salad are very, um, German (duh!). Snappy with vinegar and onion, and  flavorful from the bacon, to me it is the ultimate comfort food Yum. I make it extra saucy, so you may want reserve some of your sauce, stir in your potatoes and taste to see if you want all the dressing on yours.

German Potato Salad

serves 6

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5 to 6 medium red potatoes, cut in a large dice

6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into bite-size strips

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup plus 2 T. white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 T. chopped fresh parsley (or 1 t. dried)

Place the potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until easily pierced with a fork. Drain, and set aside.

 Place the bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until browned and crisp, stirring often. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside. 

Add onion to the bacon grease, and cook over medium heat until browned. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring, then add the potatoes and parsley. Crumble in half of the bacon. Heat through, then transfer to a serving dish. Crumble the remaining bacon over the top, and serve warm.

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President Reagan's Macaroni and Cheese

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A few weeks ago, just before the mid-term elections, a girlfriend gave me a cookbook that was published by Mike DeWine's campaign office. DeWine is a former U.S. senator and was running recently (and won the election) for  attorney general for the state of Ohio. The cookbook is just a small one, but is filled with family favorites, and I found more than a few I'd like to try. They are just, for the most part, good homey recipes.

This one caught my eye because it was my favorite president's recipe. I tried it a few weeks ago for a Friday night supper and my family looooved it. I have tried about a million and one recipes for macaroni and cheese and have never found one that was just perfect. I think I can stop trying now. And the best part -- it could hardly be easier. No white sauce necessary, just mix the ingredients and pour over cooked macaroni. I used the sharp cheddar called for in the recipe for a really tangy flavor, but I imagine this recipe could be made with almost any combination of cheeses (but I think you need to stick to sharp cheddar in order to call it President Reagan's Macaroni and Cheese!).

This is good, old-fashioned comfort food at its best. It was great as a main dish, and super for meatless Fridays.

President Reagan's Macaroni and Cheese

8 oz. macaroni, boiled to al dente and drained

1 t. butter

1 egg, beaten

3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 t. dry mustard

1 t. salt

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a buttered casserole dish, pour macaroni.

Toss with butter, egg and 2 1/2 cups cheddar.

In a small bowl, whisk milk with salt and powdered mustard.

Pour milk over macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle with remaining half cup cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes until custard is set.

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Source: Fran DeWine's Family Favorites

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Thanksgiving Postmortem

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I've been up a few hours this morning stressing the next big food event -- our 25/50 party tomorrow, but for a moment I want to talk about Thanksgiving.

I hope that you had an enjoyable one.

I hope that you were able to truly appreciate your family, or friends, whomever you decided to spend your holiday.

I hope you gave thanks to Our Father who makes all things possible.

About the food: I hope your turkey was moist and tasty. Mine most definitely was. It was also done early, God bless him. And because I roasted it breast side down again, it was perfectly cooked, soooo moist and very tasty. I will never roast a bird right side up again. Ever.

Alright then, good gravy. My mom is in charge of gravy, usually because gravy needs attention, and when you're trying to get eight other dishes on the table, you can't babysit gravy. The gravy was yummy (it always is) due to yummy drippings. I place 14 oz of turkey broth and 14 oz of vegetable broth in the bottom of the pan when the turkey goes in the oven, along with a quartered onion. I stuff the cavity with celery and a quartered onion. I baste the turkey with the broth that the giblets and neck cook in (which starts as salted water but after cooking for several hours it's very rich broth). That all adds up to tasty drippings, and that's gravy! We also use whatever broth is left in the giblets pan. This year I purchased one of these

and I must say it made gravy-making infinitely simpler. The only thing bad about this model (Norpro) is it is glass and feels fairly fragile (thin glass). I would probably get a plastic one if (when) this one breaks. It was simple to get the right ratio of broth to melted fat -- you only need a little of the latter for good gravy. And in case you're wondering, it only takes a minute for the fat to separate. We also add the minced giblets and minced neck meat to the gravy, in case you're wondering. Giblets...mmmm.

Stuffing: Grandma Ruth's stuffing made with chorizo was a huge hit. Huge.  I can see that there maybe a circumstance in the future when I would make it the traditional way, but I don't know that my brother will come to Thanksgiving dinner again if I don't make the Thanksgiving stuffing with chorizo. I also made some homemade bread for the stuffing instead of sandwich bread and that probably contributed to the overall yumminess of the dish. I am reposting the recipe below. It went very well with the Jalapeno Bacon Corn, which was zippy but not overly so. Recipe also below. Sorry, no pics.


Everything else I made was the same as in other years, but it was all good and all went very well together. Yum!

Grandma Ruth's Sausage Stuffing (Kicked-up version)

1 med. onion, finely chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped finely
6 T. butter
1/3 pound fresh chorizo (that was two links for me)
10 twigs fresh parsley, chopped fine
dried bread cubes (see note)
¾ T. poultry seasoning
2 t. salt
¼ t. pepper
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups water (or more to make moist stuffing)

Saute onion and celery in butter until slightly cooked but crispy.
Toss parsley, sausage, bread cubes,
poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
Combine eggs and water.
Lightly toss with bread mixture.
Stuffs a 13 pound turkey.
Or place in a greased casserole dish
and bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 to 60 minutes until completely done
(see thermometer note above).

NOTE: slowly bake 25 bread slices at 300 degrees F.
until dry and lightly browned, turning once. Slice into 1" cubes.

Jalapeno Bacon Corn
6 slices bacon

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced finely
3 (1#) bags frozen corn
3 T. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat until crisp.
Remove the bacon from the pan. Add jalapeno peppers and saute until tender.
Add butter to the pan and melt. Add the corn and cook until corn is hot.
Crumble bacon into corn.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

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Scalloped Potatoes and Ham -- revisited

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Oh boy. Did you think I went on vacation? Boy, I wish I had. But no, I'm still here, just busy, busy. The good news is our school work is done for the week, and the laundry is caught up, which is why I haven't had time to blog. But, it's Friday and I have time for a food post. I have decided to revisit Scalloped Potatoes and Ham, a perennial favorite in my house. As soon as the weather turns even just a little cool, I crave this dish. It is so homey -- it fills the kitchen with good smells and the anticipation of a nice hot, rib-stickin' supper is such a good feeling. This dish goes into the oven for a few hours, so you can sit back and know that dinner is done, get the dishes washed up and relax.

I posted an almost identical recipe for this dish three years ago (wow! I can't believe it's been that long) but the last time I made it the kids griped about the onions. Oy vey! Such picky people. This time when I made it, I diced the onions finely and sauteed them with the butter when I prepared the white sauce. The onions got nice and soft and virtually disappeared among the potatoes and ham. But their flavor was there and it was yummy! I never grow tired of this dish and it's always a favorite with company (with or without the ham) so I do hope you enjoy it too. It makes wonderful leftovers for lunch or breakfast too, so don't waste a bite. God bless.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham (revisited)
serves 6-8

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8 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly (about 1/8 " -- I use the 4 mm disc on the processor)
1 medium onion, diced finely
4 T. butter
4 T. flour
3/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
3 c. milk
1 ham steak, trimmed and cubed in bite-size pieces

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 x 13 pan (or a large round -- just make sure it's big enough to hold all of your potatoes and the liquid).

Place half potatoes in dish. Salt and pepper. Top with all of the ham (if using a round, start with a quarter of the potatoes and a third of the ham). Top with remaining potatoes. Salt and pepper (or if using a round dish, another quarter of the potatoes and a third of the ham). (If using a round, repeat with one quarter of the potatoes, the last of the ham and repeat with the remaining potatoes. Just remember to salt and pepper each potato layer.)

Meanwhile (that means get this part going while you are arranging potatoes!), melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook for three to five minutes or so, over medium heat, until onions are soft, but not brown. Add flour and whisk. Add salt and pepper and cook until bubbly. Stir in milk and whisk.
Cook over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens, stirring constantly. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Pour sauce over potatoes. Bake at 350 for 2 hours, until potatoes are tender.


Serve with steamed green peas and cornbread, or a winter fruit salad.


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Saturday Night Vidalia Onion

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This recipe's popularity in my house never fails to make me laugh. These children, who complain about little bits of onion in so many dishes, fight over big chunks of sweet and savory onion to eat with their ground steak burgers. Go figure!

This recipe is from Paula Deen, and I always prepare them with ground steak burgers. They make what is, in essence, a burger without a bun, a special treat. Granted the meat is usually a cut higher than hamburger, like ground sirloin, but really the onion is what makes it special. A bite of burger with a bit of onion -- YUM! It's also just as easy as can be -- a few minutes of prep and about an hour cooking and you're done. You can make these on the grill, and they are delish if the grill gets them a little charred on the inside, but I don't usually want to babysit the grill for that long, so I mostly use the oven. If you don't want to make five onions, just remember one tablespoon butter and one boullion cube (or one teaspoon beef base) for each onion.

Saturday Night Vidalia Onion
serves five

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5 large Vidalia onions or comparable sweet onion
5 beef bouillon cubes (or 5 t. beef base)
5 tablespoons butter
pepper, to taste

Prepare a fire in a charcoal grill (or preheat oven to 350 degrees F).

Trim a slice from the top of each onion, and peel the onion without cutting off the root end. With a potato peeler, cut a small cone-shaped section from the center of the onion. Cut the onions into quarters from the top down, stopping within a half inch of the root end.

Place a bouillon cube (or beef base) in the center, slip slivers of butter in between the sections and sprinkle with pepper. Wrap each onion in a double thickness of heavy-duty foil.

Place the foil-wrapped onions directly onto the hot coals and cook for 45 minutes, turning every so often. These can also be baked in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes. Serve in individual bowls because the onions produce a lot of broth, which tastes like French onion soup.

Source: modified from the Food Network

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Roasted Garlic Potatoes

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O.k., o.k., I know I said I'm not a big fan over at Pioneer Woman Cooks, and here I am posting the second recipe from there in a matter of just a few weeks. I guess I just don't check in there often enough, or maybe I just got lucky with these two recipes. I guess I shouldn't judge unfairly. ;-)

My family looooved these potatoes. I actually thought they were pretty o.k., but my kids looooved them. So did my husband. So I guess they were better than I gave them credit for. They certainly were easy to make. I prepared them with some grilled steak burgers and Saturday Night Vidalia Onions (recipe to come) and there were yums all around the table -- even from my pickest eater, my college boy. I admit the onions and garlic sound like too much for one night -- but both had very mild flavors, so it was all good.

I altered the recipe only in the amount of garlic I used -- I just didn't think our stomachs could handle 5 heads. We're kind of touchy that way with garlic. One head was plenty -- I scattered them around instead of leaving them whole -- so I'll stick with one for the future. But, please use more if you like roasted garlic. Oh, I also used regular red potatoes instead of new (hence the changed name from Roasted Garlic & New Potatoes) -- I just diced them small enough to equal the size of a quartered new potato.

Roasted Garlic Potatoes
serves 6

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20 whole small to medium new potatoes (or about 6 to 8 medium to large red potatoes)
1 head garlic, unpeeled and separated (or more to taste)
1/3 cup olive oil (to 1/2 Cup)
1/3 cup dry white wine (to 1/2 Cup)
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Quarter new potatoes (or dice red potatoes in a 1-inch dice) and set on a large rimmed baking sheet. Separate head of garlic and arrange cloves throughout the potatoes. Drizzle olive oil over the garlic and all over potatoes; do the same with the wine.

Generously season the potatoes and garlic with salt and pepper. Toss potatoes to coat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes until nice and golden.

Source: Pioneer Woman Cooks

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Fried Green Tomatoes

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If you have never grown your own tomatoes, you might never have tasted the wonderful treat known as Fried Green Tomatoes (although you can get them at some restaurants south of the Mason Dixon line). When the summer growing season slows down around the end of September and the vines are full of green tomatoes, but the sun is not quite warm enough to turn them red, Fried Green Tomatoes are just what you want.

I recently found some at my Farmer's Market and snatched up three of them for these yummy treats. My husband loves Fried Green Tomatoes and he was so happy to see those big fat green tomatoes sitting on my cutting board. Fried Green Tomatoes are crispy and tangy, and the kids and I dipped them in some Ranch dressing, but my husband enjoyed them just as is. The recipe is modified from the one found at Simply Recipes. My tomatoes were extra large so I had to up the quantities of cornmeal and flour for my three tomatoes, so the quantities shown here are approximations. You may need more or less. I also used buttermilk instead of regular milk -- I highly recommend it.

Fried Green Tomatoes

serves 4-6 depending on size of tomatoes

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3 medium, firm green tomatoes
1/2 to 1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 to 1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs beaten with a few tablespoons water
1 cup cornmeal cornmeal
1/4 cup olive oil mixed with 1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
dash cayenne pepper

Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. Let tomato slices stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place flour mixed with cayenne pepper, buttermilk, eggs, and cornmeal in separate shallow dishes.

Heat half of the oil in a skillet on medium high heat.

Blot tomatoes dry with paper towels. Dip tomato slices in buttermilk, then flour, then eggs, then cornmeal.

Fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 4-6 minutes on each side or until brown.

As you cook the rest of the tomatoes, add oil as needed. Remove from oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep hot in a warm oven until ready to serve. Serve with cold Ranch dressing if desired.

Source: modified from Simply Recipes
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