The Cooking Files

Cheesy Rutabage casserole

2010-12-30T18:37:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-1 large or 2 smallish Rutabagas
-1 Tbsp. sugar
-5 Tbsp. butter
-2 good sized green onions or 4 skinny ones (I used 5), finely chopped
-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
-2 c. whole milk
-1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
-salt and pepper, to taste
-1/2 c. breadcrumbs
-1 Tbsp. butter, melted

Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 400°F.

-Peel the rutabaga and make sure to cut any dark or brown spots out. After washing it, dice the rutabaga up into cube or bite sized pieces. In a medium to large pot, cover the rutabaga with cold water, add the sugar (takes the bitter completely out of the rutabaga) and bring to a boil. Boil for about 20 minutes or until soft, then drain and set aside.

-Melt 5 Tbsp. of butter in a sauce pan (or rinse the pot you used to boil the rutabaga and use it) and saute' the green onions until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and stir until all the lumps are gone. Slowly add the milk, whisking as you pour, and whisk until the sauce starts to thicken. Toss in the cheddar and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper (taste as you do). Set aside.

-Lightly butter or spray (non-stick spray) a 2 qt. casserole dish. Dump the rutabaga in and pour the cheese sauce over to cover. Mix the breadcrumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over the top.

-Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes (20 minutes if you'd like it a bit firmer).

This. Was. Soooo. Tasty! It's a wonderfully creamy dish that's just so good on those cool winter nights! I've just recently started cooking rutabagas after reading about the health benefits of this root vegetable. I'll admit I was terrified we'd all hate it but so far, we've really liked the taste. My first time I didn't add the sugar to the boiling water so there was a slight bitter taste, but we still enjoyed it. Mike commented in surprise that there was no bitter taste at all tonight. Yay!

When I make this again I'm going to cut the breadcrumbs down to about 1/4 cup as I thought 1/2 cup was just too much. Babygirl helped me make this and had seconds. Definitely will go into rotation as long as we can find rutabagas. Mike has even offered to plant some in our garden next year. I'm thrilled we like this vegetable as it's just so good for you and can be used in place of potatoes. Total score!

Left over Turkey spread

2010-12-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-3 cups turkey, chopped
-1/2 large red onion, diced (or 1 medium)
-1/4 head red cabbage, shredded
-1/2 cup diced celery (I used more)
-1/2 cup mayo
-salt, pepper and dill weed to taste

Directions:

-Toss everything together in one bowl until well mixed.

This is a chunky spread that really shows off the flavor of each ingredient well. I made this to eat on sandwiches of sliced french bread but I'd eat this with crackers or even chips. If chunky isn't your thing you could always pulverize it in your food processor to make it more spreadable. If my bell peppers were fresh (froze much of the ones we harvested from our garden) I'd have added diced green pepper as well.

Babygirl said it's pretty good but she's not a big fan of onion. Mike didn't have a problem with it and commented on how good it was. I'm sure my boys would love it as well. If I can get them over here before they go to work, I'll give them a sandwich and see what they think. Will edit this if they come over.

Cucumber soup

2010-09-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

-4 green bell peppers, topped, seeded, membranes removed and diced
-2 cayenne peppers, topped, seeded, membranes removed and diced
-1 serrano pepper, topped, seeded and diced
-1 medium red onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
-1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
-1 Tbsp lemon juice (gonna leave this out next time)
-8 cups diced cucumber (peeled and seeded)
-4 cups low sodium chicken broth
-1 tsp kosher salt
-1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
-oregano (I didn't measure this)
-1 cup plain yogurt
-1/2 cup sour cream
-toasted pine nuts (optional)
-parmesan cheese (optional)
-chives

Directions:

-Heat the olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium high heat until melted together. Add diced peppers and saute' for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onions and garlic and continue to saute' for 4 more minutes. Sprinkle a tsp of kosher salt over the veg during the last couple minutes and give it a good stir.

-Add lemon juice, stir, cooking about 1 minute. Next add the diced cucumber, broth, salt, pepper and oregano. Bring this to a simmering boil and then reduce heat to simmer (low). Cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Transfer about half of the soup to your blender and puree' until smooth. Take care during this step as the soup is VERY hot! Pour pureed soup into serving bowl. Repeat until all soup has been pureed.

-Right before serving stir in the yogurt and sour cream. Top with optional toppings (once in individual bowls). Can be served warm or as a cold soup. To serve cold, store soup (minus toppings) in the refrigerated for 2-4 hours.

-Easily serves 5.

Everyone but one of my sons really liked this soup. My one son who didn't complained about the lemon juice over powering the soup, something I agreed with. What surprised me the most is that my daughter, the pickiest person I've ever met, had seconds of this soup. I also thought the soup was a little hot (spicy) for my liking but I'd chopped the peppers and cucumbers a couple days before making the soup. I guess the peppers had time to 'heat it up' or something as they sat in my fridge. Had I been able to make it the night I started (family emergency held this off for a couple of days) I doubt it would have been as hot. Still, I enjoyed the soup and look forward to making it again.

Oh, and I don't remember where I found this recipe online but I tweaked it, adding all the peppers, oregano, sour cream, cheese and pine nuts. The peppers, onion, chives and cucumbers came from our garden and I had to find a use for them.

Taco Soup

2010-01-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-2 lbs ground beef, lean
-1 large onion, diced
-1 can pinto beans (I used dried, cooked ahead of time)
-1 can whole kernel corn, drained (I used a 16oz bag I had in the freezer)
-1 can stewed Mexican style tomatoes (I used Italian style)
-1 can Rotel (tomatoes and green chilies)
-1 pkg taco seasoning mix
-1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (the dry mix)
-2 1/2 cups water or more, depending
-shredded cheddar (optional)

Directions:

Crumble the ground beef into a pan, add the onions and cook until beef is browned. Drain off excess fat. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour (more is ok). Top each bowl of soup with a bit of shredded cheddar. Serve with cornbread or tortilla chips.

I didn't expect to like this because of the taco seasoning mix, but I did. I didn't love it like my family did but it was a good soup and I'll make it again. The cornbread I used came from a packet mix and just wasn't that good. I think we're too used to eating my homemade cornbread though so maybe that was it. I doubled this recipe when I made it and we enjoyed the leftovers a couple of days later.

Tuscan Chickpea Soup

2010-01-18T06:36:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-2 Tbsp vegetable oil (I'm out of olive)
-2 cups diced onion, fine
-8 cloves garlic, minced
-4 cups water
-1 tsp dried oregano (recipe called for rosemary, 1/4 tsp dried)
-3/4 tsp kosher salt
-1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
-3 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained (I used a bag of dried, cooked in just plain water)
-1 can Italian diced tomatoes
-2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
-6 Tbsp shredded Parmesan

Directions:

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sauteing for 10 minutes. Stir in the water, taking care to scrap the bottom of the pan. Add oregano, salt, pepper, chickpeas and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.

Place 2 cups of soup in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour the puree into a bowl and repeat until all of the soup has been pureed. Pour the pureed soup back into the dutch oven. Stir in the vinegar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Ladle into serving bowls and top each bowl with 1 Tbsp of the Parmesan. Serve.

I served this with sliced oranges that I'd peeled. I was oh so very hesitant about eating this soup as, to be honest, I think chickpeas stink when cooking. Once the vinegar was added, however, this soup smelled wonderful! One bowl filled me up but my boys had seconds and we all agreed this was a good soup. I won't say it's great, but it was good. Will definitely make this again but I think next time I'll use 2 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken broth instead of the 4 cups of water. Baby spinach would also be a good addition, added the last minute or two of cooking.

Creamy Tomato Soup

2010-01-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-6 Tbsp butter, melted
-1 medium onion, diced
-46 oz tomato juice
-2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
-1 Tbsp chicken base
-3 Tbsp sugar
-1 tsp dried basil
-1 Tbsp dried oregano (I won't lie. I used way more than just 1 Tbsp ... 3 maybe)
-1/2 tsp salt
-freshly ground black pepper, to taste
-1 cup chicken broth (low sodium)
-1 cup heavy whipping cream
-dried parsley, to taste

Directions:

Saute the onion in butter until translucent. Add tomato juice, tomatoes, chicken base, sugar, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir enough to mix the chicken base through-out. Bring to a near boil (bubbly around the edges) and then remove from heat. Add parsley, chicken broth and cream, stirring well to heat through.

Serve.

I sliced up a small loaf of french bread that had been cut open, brushed with melted butter and topped with chives and shredded parmesan (and then broiled until nice and brown around the edges). Mike, my husband, has NEVER ever liked tomato soup and, to be honest, the thought of being forced to eat it can bring out a bit of ill-will, so to speak. He just flat doesn't like the stuff! This, however, he ate two bowls of and left overs the next day. I kid you not. He'd never had homemade tomato soup before and said if the canned version could taste like this, he'd eat it. The kids and I loved it as well.

I imagine you could serve this with a variety of toppings if you so desired, such as a bit of sour cream or sliced provolone melted on top (in each bowl) or even small baked cheesy crackers. I can't wait to make this again!

Ham, Navy Bean and Spinach soup

2010-01-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-1 large onion, diced
-8 oz cooked ham, diced (I used about 16 ounces)
-2 Tbsp olive oil (I used vegetable)
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-3 cups chicken broth (I used 6 cups, low-salt)
-1 can whole tomatoes, chopped (I used a big can of crushed)
-1 can stewed tomatoes (I used 2 cans Italian tomatoes)
-2 cans navy beans or other white beans, drained and rinsed (I used a small bag of dried navy beans, prepared them earlier)
-1 tsp dried parsley flakes (I think I forgot this)
-1 tsp dried basil (I used 2 tsp)
-1/2 tsp dried Italian seasonings or oregano (I used a palmful of dried oregano from our garden, crushed)
-6 to 8 oz baby spinach, coarsely chopped (I used 8 oz, hand torn)
-salt and pepper, to taste
-sliced Havarti cheese to garnish with (optional but oh so good)

Directions:

-In a large pot (dutch oven or larger) saute the onion and ham in the oil over medium heat until onions are softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute longer. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, beans and seasonings. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 5 minutes (doesn't hurt to simmer this longer). Add the spinach the last minute of cooking. You want it wilted but not over cooked. Salt and pepper to taste.

This was our New Year's dinner. Mike and the boys loved it and ate seconds. Me? I don't like ham, at all, so I'm unsure why I thought I would like this soup. I think it would flat rock with chicken in place of the ham. OR, sausage ... like, cheddar worst without the cheddar. This soup is hearty enough for that, easily. They liked this so much they asked me to put it into rotation, so I will. (with a different meat) Shredded Parmesan on top of this soup would also be a great addition! I served this along side cornbread. The cornbread failed however but it was a packet mix and not homemade. I think we may be too used to homemade cornbread to ever go back to the packet stuff.

Oh, and I would have used olive oil (extra virgin) but mine went rancid. Nasty stuff!

Cheesy Penne and Broccoli

2009-06-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

-12 oz penne pasta (I used organic whole wheat penne with milled flax seed)
-2 heads worth of broccoli florets
-4 oz Velvetta, cut into small squares (I used 2%)
-1 bell pepper, chopped
-1 medium red onion, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1 Tbsp unsalted butter
-sprinkle of salt (optional)

Directions:

-Cook the pasta according to directions. A minute before it's done, add the broccoli. Drain well and set aside.

-While cooking the pasta, melt butter in a frying pan and saute the peppers, onions and garlic until onions are translucent and tender. Can add a sprinkling of salt if you like while sauteing the veg.

-Put the pasta and broccoli back in the pot and add the cheese. Stir until melted and mixed well. Add the sauted veg and give it a good stir.

-Serves 6.

This is a great switch on mac-n-cheese. My daughter picked out the broccoli, peppers and onions (that she could see) and gave them to Mike. Then she picked out a few pieces of broccoli that were well coated with cheese and ate them. Go figure! Still, the rest of us loved this and it's very quick and easy to make! It was especially nice since the broccoli came out of our garden.

Chicken Salad

2009-06-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

-6 cups cooked chicken (boneless/skinless), diced
-1 cup celery, diced
-4 Tbsp purple onion, minced
-3 spring onions, finely chopped (including the green)
-1 cup mayo
-4 tsp lemon juice
-3 Tbsp dill relish
-2 tsp greek seasoning
-salt, to taste
-freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
-Combine all ingredients until well mixed. Can process in a food processor or mix by hand.

This is good as is on leaves of lettuce or between bread as a sandwich. I honestly thought this would last a week of sandwiches for lunch but was seriously mistaken. My brood couldn't get enough of it and when I went to make a sandwich the next day, discovered it was GONE! My "brood" consists of three sons, 22, 18 and 16 as well as my husband, daughter and myself. The oldest lives up the street but I'd given him some for him and his fiance' ... he came back for more, lol.

I just can't tell you how good and fresh tasting this is! I started with a whole chicken and boiled it until it was done, the meat separating from the bone. Once I'd skinned and deboned the chicken, I diced all the meat to get my six cups worth. The dill relish I used was some I'd made from our cucumbers last year and, best I remember, it had garlic in it. That said, when I make dill relish this year, I'm going to omit the garlic. It was super good in this recipe though.

Oh, and I also made this using turkey and it was ok. Everyone loved it but me, but I can't stand the taste of turkey. In the turkey one I halved the recipe and added 1/3 cup of shredded parmesan as well as a Tbsp of country brown mustard. I also went a little heavy on the lemon juice.

Toasted French Bread Slices

2009-06-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
-Fresh french bread, sliced just shy an inch thick (mine were 3/4" - 8 slices)
-Canola oil spray
-Generous Tbsp *unsalted butter, melted
-3 Tbsp dried chopped chives (guessing as I didn't measure)
-Grated Parmesan

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 400°F.

-Mix the chives in the melted butter until well coated and the butter is absorbed.

-Lightly spray one side of each slice of bread with the canola spray.

-Using a pastry brush, spread the buttered chives on the bread. You could use a table knife but I like using the brush as I can 'pat it into' the top of the bread so to speak.

-Lightly sprinkle each slice with grated parmesan.

-Toast (bake) for 5-8 minutes. Mine were toasty crunchy on the outside and warm and tender on the inside.

I made this to accompany steaks and asparagus done on the grill. This smells devine and tasted so good, I'm not sure I'll make french bread toast any other way now. Normally I use more butter and several different kinds of cheese (with no chives) but I had to use what was on hand for this meal. Sometimes it's good to branch out (or, as it were, run short on ingredients) and do something different. Definitely a winner in our house!

* I always buy unsalted real butter. It works great in this as the parmesan has plenty of salty taste.

Chili

2008-02-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

- 3 lbs lean ground chuck

- 1 1/2 lb ground sirloin

- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

- 3 medium onions, chopped

- 7 cloves garlic, minced

- 12 oz tomato paste

- 12 oz water (use tomato paste can)

- 2 cans Italian tomatoes (no salt added)

- 1 can Rotel (tomatoes and green chilies)

- 4 cans cannelloni beans, rinsed (can use great northern beans instead)

- 1 Tbsp. ground cumin

- 1 Tbsp. chili powder

- 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp dried oregano

- 2 tsp dried basil

- pepper to taste

Optionals:

- low fat/lite sour cream

- shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

- In a large stock pot over medium heat, brown the ground chuck and sirloin in the olive oil until no longer red/pink. Drain grease once done and put meat back into the pot.

- Add the remaining ingredients (but NOT the sour cream and cheese) and give it all a good stir. Simmer over low heat for 3 hours, stirring only occassionally.

- Serve with a sprinkling of cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

This was my very first attempt at making chili. Usually in our house Mike is the chili maker and he does a wonderful job! He uses a recipe in his head though, one that changes according to what's on hand at the time he's about to make it. So I set off on a hunt for a good chili recipe and found literally TONS of them out there. So I narrowed it down to a few and decided I liked bits and pieces of several. This is the result of my combination. I was surprised at how good it was and my kids argued over which one liked it best. (my 10 year old ... aka miss picky ... and my 20 year old to be specific) The only thing they didn't like about this chili was that I put half of it up to freeze so we can have it again once Mike is home. It's very filling and outside of mincing the garlic and chopping the onions, practically makes itself. Very simple and perfect for a cold day!

Creamy Hot Cocoa

2008-01-31T06:10:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-1 cup unsweetened cocoa
-1 1/2 cups sugar
-3 pinches of salt
-1 cup boiling water
-10 1/2 cups milk
-2 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
-1 1/2 cups half and half

Directions:

-Combine the cocoa, sugar and salt in a saucepan.

-Blend in the boiling water.

-Bring to a soft boil while stirring.

-Simmer and stir for an additional 2 minutes. Take care not to scortch the bottom.

-Gently stir in the milk and heat until very hot over low heat (simmer works fine).

-Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

-Divide between mugs (12 smallish or 6 larger). Add cream to the mugs before serving as it helps to cool the cocoa enough to drink it without burning your tongue.

-Serves 6-12, depending on mug size.

From the rafters with a megaphone, I could not possibly express just how wonderful this hot cocoa is!! It's my absolute favorite of all the cocoa recipes I've tried. Although it's perfect just the way it is, and ohhhhh so creamy good, I'm going to add a dash of cinnamon the next time I make this as, for me, it feels like a good addition. When we make this we use a mix of 1% and fat free milk as that's what we keep on hand. Also, I never have half and half so we use heavy cream instead. Before trying this recipe I bought hot cocoa from my local Casey's. Theirs is super good and so addictive!! I don't know if I can drink their's again after trying this recipe. It's that good!

Crockpot Pork Chops and Apples

2008-01-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

- 2 cans French Onion Soup
- 1 small can mushrooms
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
- 1 tsp. dried thyme bits
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 8 boneless pork chops (3/4 inches thick preferred)
- 4 large Granny Smith applies, peeled, cored and sliced

Directions:

-Mix the soup, mushrooms, water, sugar, Worchestershire, thyme and oregano in your crockpot.

-Add porkchops and apples slices.

-Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

This is a wonderfully filling and flavorful! It's extremely simple to make and a crowd pleaser at that. I use Campbell's French Onion soup (in the can). That's a staple in our house as you can add it to so many different dishes such as roasts, chicken dishes... even vegetable medleys. When I make this I double it to have left overs. My oldest, Bear, usually grabs them and takes them to work for lunches before we can eat them again. I've served this many a supper and it's a favorite here. Hope you enjoy!

Dill chicken wrap

2007-08-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

-Whole wheat tortilla wrap
-Grilled chicken breast, cut in small pieces
-half a dill pickle, diced
-Shredded monteray jack cheese

Directions:

-Cut the wrap in half.

-Sprinkle cheese on each half. Top with chicken pieces and dill.

-Fold in half and enjoy.

Granola

2007-08-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

-2 cups slivered almonds

-2 cups chopped walnuts

-2 cups chopped pecans

-1 cups flax seeds

-1 cup sunflower seeds

-1 cup chopped pistachios

-60 packets of Splenda

-2 tsp. ground cinnamon

-2 tsp. vanilla flavoring

-1 and 1/2 sticks butter, melted

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350°F.

-Mix nuts and seeds in a large bowl.

-Add Splenda, cinnamon and vanilla, mixing well to coat.

-Drizzle with the butter.

-Pour mixture in cookie sheets and bake for about 22 minutes, shaking pan twice (every 10 minutes).

-Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container.

I used Alteen, a generic brand of Splenda (costs less and found at Wal-Mart). My family eats this up so fast I have to hide some of it to make it last longer. The original recipe called for a cup of coconut flakes to be added in, but I left it out on purpose. Not a coconut fan here for the most part. I added the cup of chopped pistachios as I didn't have enough sunflower seeds on hand to make it a full 2 cups of sunflower seeds. I think I'll continue to make it this way, if I don't add oats next time. Think oats would be a great addition. You can eat this plain or with milk as cereal.

Throw together helper

2007-06-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

-1 pound ground beef
-2 good shakes Worchestershire sauce
-1 1/2 Tbsp. greek seasoning
-1 box (13.75 oz) whole wheat pasta
-1 can italian diced tomatoes
-1 can cream of chicken soup
-handful of shredded cheese

Directions:

-Brown ground beef in pan with worchestershire sauce and greek seasoning.

-Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 8 minutes.

-After draining pasta, add the tomatoes and soup, stirring well.

-Add beef and cheese, stirring until cheese is melted.

-Serves 6.

This was a quick (late) throw together supper. I don't believe I've left anything out. My daughter liked this so much she's requested that I fix it every single night from here on out. Had I had any chicken broth on hand, I would have used a little of it instead of the soup but it's actually very good this way. Beats any hamburger helper (box mix) I've ever made hands down.

Low Carb Lasagne

2007-06-21T06:58:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

-1 pound ground beef
-1 chubb sausage
-1 c. diced red onion
-1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced longways
-1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced longways
-1 tsp. dried oregano
-3 good shakes of Worchestershire sauce
-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/4 freshly ground pepper
-6 large portobello mushroom caps
-16 oz. ricotta cheese
-1 medium egg
-lots of shredded mozzarella cheese
-big can spaghetti sauce

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350° F.

-Brown ground beef and sausage in frying pan with red onions and bell peppers, worchestershire sauce, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

-Scrape the gills out of the mushroom caps gently. Discard gills.

-Beat the egg into the ricotta cheese until mixed well.

-Spread a small amount of spaghetti sauce in a 9X13" baking dish to prevent sticking.

-Generously pack each mushroom cap with ricotta and egg mixture and place in baking dish.

-Top ricotta with a handful of mozzarella.

-Top mozzarella with the meat mixture.

-Top meat with another handful of mozzarella.

-Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over and in between each cap.

-Lightly sprinkle with mozzarella and bake at 350° F for 35 minutes or until done.

-Serves 6.

I love this recipe! The only problem I had with it was this. My daughter (she's 10) doesn't like mushrooms. I told her we were having lasagna but left out the bit about the mushrooms being in it. She devoured this, stopping after each bite to tell me how good it was or how much she loved it. Right before she was to eat her last bite, I decided (because I'm an idiot) to tell her it had mushrooms in it. She has refused to eat it since then as....she hates mushrooms. My husband likes it but says it's not as good as the boys made out. I think he's just missing his carbs but it could be a preference thing. My 14 year old son has taken such a liking to this he now helps with the prep for it without me asking. It's that good.

A Good Low Carb Pizza

2007-06-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Crust:
-1 1/2 c. soy flour
-3 medium eggs, slightly beaten
-3/4 c. heavy cream
-1/3 c. club soda
-1 tsp. salt

Sauce:
-1 Tbsp. olive oil
-1/8 c. finely diced red onion
-1 tsp. minced garlic
-3 large roma tomatoes, diced
-8 oz can tomato sauce (no sugar added)
-1/4 tsp.garlic powder
-1/2 tsp. dried oregano
-1/2 tsp. dried basil
-1/8 tsp. kosher salt
-1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Toppings:
-8 oz. pepperoni slices
-1/2 c. sliced red bell pepper
-1/2 c. sliced green bell pepper
-1/2 c. chopped red onion
-2 sliced portobello mushroom caps
-1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
-24 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- Dash of dried oregano

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 375° F.

Crust:
-Spray 2 pizza pans (12 inch) with a nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray.
-In a medium bowl stir together soy flour, eggs, heavy cream, club soda and salt until it resembles a thick pancake batter.
-Spread the batter as thin and evenly possible over the pizza pans.
-Bake crusts for about 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown and firm.
-Set crusts aside.

-Turn oven up to 400° F.

Sauce: (start the sauce while crusts are baking)
-Over medium heat in a saucepan, heat the olive oil.
-Saute the onions and minced garlic until softened and translucent.
-Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
-Simmer for 3 minutes.

-In a separate sauce pan, heat the olive oil.
-Saute the chopped red onion, red and green bell peppers and the portobello mushroom caps until just softened.

Put it all together:
-Spread the sauce over the crusts.
-Sprinkle half the mozzarella cheese over sauce.
- Top the cheese with pepperoni slices, onions, bell pepper and mushrooms.
-Sprinkle remaining mozzarella over pizzas.
-Sprinkle dash of oregano over cheese.

-Cook pizzas 10-12 minutes or until cheese melts and starts to brown.

-Each pizza makes 8 slices.

In my quest for us to eat better, healthier foods I came across this recipe. I've tweaked it to suit us (as above) and I have to say it's surprisingly good. I can't give up pizza (lots of bad carbs) so finding a better substitute was a must for me. You could also top this pizza with ham, hamburger, other vegetables... very customizable. Above is the way I make it. I was worried the kids wouldn't like the crust at all but they not only like it, they've requested I make this a few times now. The last time I made this I used a huge cookie sheet (with sides) instead of 2 round pizza pans. Works just as good.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

2007-03-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

- 1 loaf of french bread, (14-16oz), cut into 1 inch cubes
- 8oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces (can use light/low fat)
- 1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 12 large eggs
- 2 cups milk (lowfat works great)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

-Butter (or spray) a 9"X13" pan.

-Put half of the bread cubes in the pan.

-Layer the cream cheese on top of bread cubes evenly.

-Layer the blueberries over the cream cheese.

-Layer the remaining bread cubes over the blueberries and set aside.

-In a large bowl, mix eggs with milk, syrup and cinnamon. Beat well.

-Pour egg mixture over bread cubes and cover with foil.

-Keep in refridgerator overnight.

-Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for 30 minutes while covered with foil.

-Remove foil and bake an additional 30 minutes or until lightly brown and center is firm.

-Can be served with maple syrup, powdered sugar, or as is.

-Serves 12.

Served 'as is' is my personal preference as I don't generally like anything sweet for breakfast. This dish isn't overly sweet tasting. The kids *love* it! Although I think it tastes great as well, I love the ease of it the most. Fixing it the night before is a god-send in my house as our mornings are hectic. I make my own french bread for this the day before. Italian or Hawaiin bread would work just fine with this as well. Extremely simple to make and a definate crowd pleaser. This would also be wonderful to serve for overnight guests. Oh, and medium eggs in place of large work just as good, in my opinion.

Rotisserie Chicken Salad

2007-03-01T12:59:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-4-5 lb whole chicken

-1 1/2 tsp sea salt
-1 1/2 tsp onion powder
-2 tsp greek seasonings
-1 tsp pepper
-1 tsp oregano
-1 good shake Worchestershire sauce
-Extra virgin olive oil

-kitchen string
-rotisserie oven
-meat thermometer

-head of Romaine lettuce
-3 carrots,
-medium green pepper
-4 soft boiled eggs (yolk skin should be yellow, not green)
-1/2 cup shredded parmesan
-1/2 cup shredded cheddar
-1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
-1/2 tsp greek seasoning

-salad dressing of choice (optional)

Directions:

-Preheat your rotisserie oven to 400°F.

-Wash the chicken inside and out with cold water. Let sit in a strainer until seasonings are ready.

-Mix together salt, onion powder, greek seasonings, pepper, oregano and worchestershire sauce in a small bowl.

-Rub seasonings all over the chicken, paying special attention to the inside cavity. If you can get them under the skin that would be even better.

-Lightly drizzle olive oil over the outside of the chicken.

-Tie the legs and wings close to the chicken with kitchen string.

-Run the rotisserie rod through the chicken, making sure to clamp tightly in meaty sections such as the breast. Carefully place the chicken into your rotisserie oven.

-Roast for 2 hours or until your meat thermometer reads at least 170°F. (some say 180°F)

-Remove chicken from oven and allow to cool enough so you can debone it.

-Rinse lettuce, carrots and green pepper. (shake lettuce 'dry')

-Tear lettuce into bite sized pieces and put them in a large bowl.

-Slice carrots and green pepper (be sure to remove seeds and white inners from the pepper) and add them to the lettuce.

-Peel and dice boiled eggs, then add to lettuce.

-Add cheeses and poultry seasoning to lettuce. Set aside.

-Remove skin from chicken and discard.

-Debone chicken paying special attention to the back and breast areas. Discard bones.

-Chunk the chicken meat left and add to salad.

-Mix well to make sure the seasonings coat everything.

-Serve with dressing, if used.

-Serves at least 8.

You can bypass the roasting of the chicken by buying one already roasted at a store such as Wal-Mart. This makes a really good week night supper and really doesn't take too long to make. We ate this for supper a few nights ago and then finished the left overs off for lunch the next day. Mike and the kids are asking me to go ahead and do the other chicken I have in the freezer as they *loved* it! I didn't get the seasonings under the chicken skin when I made this but will when I do the next one. I found the chicken to be a tad bland BUT I should note that I'm a smoker. They thought it was wonderful.

Pork Chops with Spinach and Tomato Salad

2007-02-07T08:49:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-4 center loin cut pork chops
-1 tsp. dried oregano
-2 tsp. dry onion powder
-Salt and pepper to taste
-good shake of Worchestershire sauce
-extra virgin olive oil

-1 bag spinach leaves
-1 lb. cherry tomatoes, halved
-1/4 cups grated parmesan
-2 tsp. lemon juice, fresh preferably

Directions:

-Warm olive oil in frying pan, just enough to coat the bottom.

-Place pork chops in pan and sprinkle with oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper. Dash the worchestershire sauce over chops and fry over medium high heat until browned, flipping over after the bottom side turns white.

-Remove chops to a platter. Make a tent with foil to keep them warm while you prepare the salad.

-Put the halved cherry tomatoes in frying pan and cook until wilted. Remove from heat.

-Wash the spinach with cool water. Shake excess water off.

-Add the tomatoes, parmesan and lemon juice to the spinach. Mix well to coat.

-Serve salad over or to the side of the pork chops.

-Serves 4.

This is super quick to make and although my husband loved it, the rest of us didn't. We did eat it but didn't enjoy it at all. If I try this again I will most likely add seasonings to the salad, such as poultry seasoning (not sure why but that makes a difference) or greek seasoning, probably a tsp of whichever one I choose. Also, cucumbers and or green pepper strips would be good in the salad.

Cheesy Beef Nacho Dip

2007-02-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-2 lbs. ground beef
-1 can Campbell's French Onion Soup
-1 can Rotel
-1 can Campbell's Southwest Style Pepper Jack soup
-16 oz Velveeta cheese, cut up in 1 inch cubes
-2 healthy shakes of Worchestershire sauce
-16 oz. sour cream
-White corn chips, yellow if you prefer

Directions:

-Brown the ground beef in a crock pot on high, or on the stove top (in a frying pan) if you're pushed for time.

-Add to the ground beef (in your crock pot) the soups, rotel, cheese and worchestershire sauce. Let this cook on high, covered, for a couple of hours. Stir occassionally to help mix the cheese in better.

-Add sour cream and stir well.

-Serve with corn chips.

This is how I fixed it yesterday. In the past, I've used cream cheese instead of sour cream, fresh tomatoes and chili peppers, green peppers and onions sauted with the ground beef.... this recipe is so customizable the possibilities are endless! It's always a hit as well. My Oldest is away at college and had to work last night to boot. He called to see who was winning the Super Bowl and asked if I'd made 'my nachos'. When I said yes, I thought I heard him whimper. They're that good!

One thing to note... if you add the sour cream too early this won't be as thick as it should be. Should it turn out too thin, a little cornstarch to thicken it should do the trick.

Another thing to note... you can cook this over 4-5 hour period on low. The important thing is getting the ground beef browned.

Italian Loaf Rustica

2007-01-07T13:17:00.000-08:00

Italian Loaf Rustica, originally uploaded by n0name28.

Ingredients:

Filling-
-1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
-8 oz. cuved mozzerlla cheese
-7 oz. jar mild roasted red peppers, drained OR
1 1/4 cups chopped red bell pepper

Bread-
-1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
-1/2 cup whole wheat flour
-1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
-1 Tbsp.sugar
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1 pkg. fast acting dry yeast
-2 tsp. margarine, softened
-1 egg, beaten
-2 to 3 tsp. sesame seeds, optional

Directions:

-If sausage comes in casing, remove casing and break it up.

-In large skillet, brown sausage, onion and garlic. If using bell peppers, brown these with the sausage mix. Drain and set aside.

-Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off.

-In large bowl combine 1/2 cup all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal sugar, salt and yeast. Blend well.

-Stir in water and margarine. Mix well.

-Stir in remaining 1 cup all purpose flour to form a stiff batter. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.

-Grease a 9 or 10 inch springform pan.

-Stir down dough. Spread about 2/3 of the dough in bottom of pan, going up 2 inches of the sides of the pan.

-Add cheese to the peppers and meat mixture. Spoon mixture over dough.

-Gently pull dough from sides onto meat mixture.

-Drop remaining dough by tablespoonfuls over the filling, OR you can roll it out, like a pie crust, and cover the top. With the back of a buttered spoon, carefully spread the dough to cover entire top. The top will appear rough.

-Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a cloth towel. Let rise in warm place (80-85°F) until light, about 20-30 minutes.

-Heat oven to 400°F.

-Brush top of dough with beaten egg and, if using, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

-Bake at 400°F for 25-35 minutes or until bread pulls away from sides of pan and edges are a deep golden brown.

-Cool 5 minutes. Loosen edges with knife, remove sides of the pan.

-To serve, cut into wedges.

I love baking bread and when I first saw this recipe, I knew I just had to try it. I use plain old chubb sausage for this and have made it both by the 'dropping spoonfuls of dough on top' and 'rolling the remaining dough out like a pie crust' methods. Both are equally appealing in looks and tastes. When I serve this I always make a cheesy pizza dipping sauce (it's different everytime depending on what's in my pantry/fridge) and we literally feast! It's delicious, filling and absolutely perfect on a fall or winter evening.

Oldest has helped me make this a few times as he wants to be able to make it once he lives on his own. It's that good!!

Crock Pot Roast with Sour Cream Gravy

2007-01-02T19:30:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-3 lbs. chuck or pot roast
-2 Tbsp. flour
-1 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
-1 Tbsp. oil
-1/4 cup water
-1 Tbsp. vinegar
-1 tsp. dill weed
-5 small potatoes
-5 carrots, chopped
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1 large onion, chopped
-1 Tbsp. flour
-1 cup sour cream (low fat works fine)
-1 tsp. dill seed

Directions:

-Coat roast with flour, salt and pepper. Brown in oil in skillet.

-Place roast in crockpot. Add water and vinegar. Sprinkle dill weed over the roast before adding potatoes, carrots, onion and 1/2 tsp. salt.

-Cook on low for 10-12 hours OR high for 6 hours.

-Make gravy: Mix 3 Tbsp. drippings (from roast) with flour. (mixing over heat)

-Measure the rest of the drippings and add enough water to make 1 cup. Add to flour mixture and heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

-Add sour cream and dill seed. Heat to boiling before removing from heat.

-Serve gravy over sliced roast.

Holy cow! This is such a delicious and flavorful fall-apart roast! I always use sea salt on the meat (lower sodium?) and a low fat sour cream for the gravy. I've tried making this using larger roasts and more veggies to try and have leftovers but there never seems to be any left. It's a big hit at my house with all of us. Since the crock pot does most of the work, it's also very easy to make.

Cinnamon Biscuits

2007-01-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

-2 cups sifted All-Purpose flour
-1 Tbsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp baking soda
-1/4 cup vegetable oil
-3/4 cup buttermilk
-8 Tbsp. butter, softened (a whole stick)
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-1 tsp. cinnamon

-1 cup milk, optional

Directions:

-Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Mix well. Stir in the buttermilk until just blended.

-Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Roll the dough into a 15 X 8 inch rectangle.

-Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9 inch round baking pan, lightly. (A spray oil works just as good as butter or crisco)

-Spread the butter over the dough.

-Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, mixing well. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the buttered dough.

-Roll up the dough into a jelly roll type log. Pinch the seam to seal.

-Cut the roll into 1 1/2 inch slices. Place the slices, cut side up, in the baking pan.

-Bake until lightly browned, about 15-20 minutes.

-Pour milk over the top if desired and serve.

-Serves 6.

Oh the memories! These wonderfully fragrant biscuits are very simple to make and are perfect for breakfast, an evening 'movie watching' event or just anytime. I haven't made these in a long while as I lost my recipe card. We used to have them once a week in the evenings when watching tv. My kids preferred a dollop of vanilla ice cream over them but would eat them up without the ice cream. Now that I've found this recipe again, they are definately going back into rotation for us.