Krista's Kitchen

Drunken Pineapple Upside-Down Pancakes

2012-03-29T21:09:00.001-04:00

My last post was just inside of the new year, nearly 3 months ago. I had good intentions to maintain this blog. I've cooked a number of meals in this space of time and taken my customary step-by-step pictures of the best of them, but unfortunately I have not found the energy to translate even one of those meals into a blog post.

I realize that when I made the announcement of my return to full-time teaching, back at the beginning of November, I wrote:

"With these upcoming changes on the horizon, I still plan to update here with new recipes. This isn't a goodbye (after 3 years of documenting my cooking adventures, I wouldn't dream of abandoning "Krista's Kitchen") but realistically, my posts will be less frequent while I adjust to my new job and a typical work schedule."

When I typed the words "less frequent", I anticipated that I would post once a week, maybe every two weeks at the worst. I never imagined that I would find myself staring at the computer screen at 9 pm every single school night, with pictures of meals taken and downloaded, and nothing left in me to edit those pictures and type up even a brief description about my latest kitchen adventure. Granted, I could've/should've posted on the weekends- but I was too busy doing all of the stuff that I used to do during the week when my work-from-home schedule provided the luxury of flexibility.

I guess that it has taken me longer than expected to adjust to a typical 9-5 or rather a 7- 3:30 schedule (Which usually turns into 4:30 because I am adapting to a whole new kind of teaching.) Plus, this time I am doing it with 2 children, and one of them has homework now! (When I left my last teaching position, I only had one toddler.) I know- Excuses, excuses....

I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for you working moms who "do it all", but that respect has certainly been elevated, now that I am living it.

All of that said, I love my job teaching "life skills" to incarcerated youth. It lends itself to a feeling that I am making a difference on a daily basis. Additionally, the "Type A" planner in me is being challenged (which is a good thing) because no two days are ever the same. I'm certainly never bored! Plus, the stories that I hear from my students truly inspire me to count my blessings. I am grateful for this life that I was delivered into, my parents who loved and supported me, and the family that I have built with my wonderful husband. Every Single. Day.

And now it is Spring Break for 2 WHOLE WEEKS! (My breaks are longer because I teach at a year-round school.) I decided to kick off this break by celebrating with a special breakfast.

I prepared these amazing pancakes on my first Spring Break Saturday morning. We usually head South for Spring Break to enjoy the beaches of Florida. However, this year, with the rise in fuel prices and the sheer need to just "catch up" around home, we decided to stick a little closer to home.

This recipe is perfect for a lazy Saturday "staycation" because it possessed the ability to take me to another place. It is involved and indulgent, compared to other pancake recipes I have prepared. With warm tropical flavors of pineapple, brown sugar, cinnamon, and dark rum- I may as well have been breakfasting on a beach patio with the taste of saltwater in the air and tradewinds in my hair.

This recipe begins by melting butter in a skillet with a cinnamon stick. I was just out of cinnamon sticks- I used the last one in a Faux Pho recipe (which I never got around to posting here...). I used some Pampered Chef Sweet Cinnamon Sprinkle instead, with a little bit of extra powdered cinnamon stirred in. (By the way, I used this same Pampered Chef Cinnamon blend to make the most easy, amazing cinnamon rolls for my family on Sunday morning. The recipe was on the back of the container).

Once the butter begins to brown, add fresh, 1/2" thick, pineapple slices...

Cook until light, golden brown, 4-5 minutes per side. Then add in dark rum and brown sugar.

Cook over medium-high heat until the juices are thick and syrupy.

Note: This recipe did not make enough syrup for all of the pancakes when cooked until the juices were perfect "syrup" consistency. Next time I will double or even triple the amount of pineapple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, and rum.

While the pineapple syrup simmered, I began making the pancake batter. While these pancakes were more dense than Martha Stewart's Buttermilk Pancakes, a personal favorite, they were incredibly rich and delicious, even without the "drunken" ring of pineapple and the decadent pineapple-rum sauce. This time, the dense texture was actually a welcome change.

My kiddos, who are not a fan of pineapple, still loved the pancakes. I just left out the fruit.

To make the pancakes, mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

Note: Because I was out of granulated sugar (which never happens!) I used the cinnamon-sugar that we usually reserve for sprinkling on toast. It made the pancakes extra-cinnamony...which in my opinion was not a bad thing. :)

Add the liquid ingredients: buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir until smooth.

Once the pancake batter was mixed, I returned my attention to the pineapple simmering in syrup on the stovetop. I removed the pineapple slices to a plate and poured the syrup into a serving pitcher.

To make the pancakes, heat a griddle or heavy skillet then brush with oil or spray with non-stick cooking spray. For pancakes, I prefer to use oil. Pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle. Cook for 2 minutes. Once little bubbles form on top of the pancake, top it with a pineapple ring.

Then flip!

Cook the pancake for another two minutes, until golden brown. The recipe calls for the pancakes to be transferred to a 325 degree oven for another 5 minutes to cook through. However, I found that mine were completely cooked when I removed them from the griddle.

Top with syrup and allow yourself to be transported to a place of sheer breakfast bliss....

Pineapple Upside-Down Cakes as seen in Bon Appetit Magazine March 2012

Makes eight 4" pancakes
Recipe by Moderne Barn in Armonk, NY

Ingredients

Pineapple
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 large pineapple, peeled, cut into eight 1/2" rounds, cored
3/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
Pancakes
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Preparation
Pineapple
Melt butter with cinnamon stick in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook until butter begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add pineapple slices; cook until light golden brown, 4–5 minutes per side. Remove skillet from heat; add rum and brown sugar. Cook over medium-high heat until juices are thick and syrupy. Transfer pineapple to a plate; let cool. Reserve syrup.
Pancakes
Preheat oven to 325°. Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Whisk first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add buttermilk and next 3 ingredients; whisk until smooth.
Heat a griddle or large heavy skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat with nonstick spray. Working in batches, pour batter by 1/4-cupfuls onto griddle. Cook each pan- cake until golden brown and bubbles form on top, about 2 minutes. Top each pancake with a pineapple ring. Flip; cook until pancake is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Place pancakes on prepared rack and bake in oven until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Rewarm reserved pineapple syrup. Divide pancakes among plates; drizzle with pineapple syrup.

Tip: To make perfect rings of fresh pineapple, slice in 1/2"-thick circles, then round off the edges and punch out the core with 3 3/4"- and 1 1/4"-diameter cookie cutters, respectively.

Nutritional Information
4 servings, 1 serving contains:
Calories (kcal) 375.0
%Calories from Fat 24.6
Fat (g) 10.2
Saturated Fat (g) 6.0
Cholesterol (mg) 71.6
Carbohydrates (g) 60.6
Dietary Fiber (g) 1.9
Total Sugars (g) 36.3
Net Carbs (g) 58.7
Protein (g) 7.1
Sodium (mg) 835.5

Wow, that felt good. It's nice to be posting again. Stay tuned for my next "staycation" post: Crab Cakes with a Spicy Remoulade Sauce.

I'm Back...With THE BEST CHEESEBALL!

2012-01-03T22:18:00.000-05:00

It's been about 2 months since my last post, so I guess that I should begin by saying, "Happy New Year!"

I spent part of the past 2 months away from home, living in a hotel Monday-Friday and training for my new job teaching in a correctional facility. Weekends were spent teaching cooking classes and travelling to THREE out-of-state family Christmases! Then I worked until December 23rd. It was a whirl-wind of a holiday season! Christmas day was the first full day that I was at home in over a month. It was so nice to spend the day with my little family; snuggling around the fire, playing games, and cooking their favorite foods. I missed my family so much during my time away- and I missed my kitchen too. It was nice to spend the day enjoying both.

I have spent the past week being a wife and mommy and catching up with friends, putting away the holiday decorations, cleaning, and organizing around here (It seems that after a month away nothing was where or how I left it.)- basically "re-claiming" my house before my Christmas break draws to a close. And now, as school clothes are laid out and backpacks and lunches are packed for the first day back after a lovely break, it is finally time for me to share a recipe with all of you.

I found this recipe for Four-Cheese Pimento Dip in the December 2010 edition of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I thought that it would make a nice mid-day snack on Christmas day between our big breakfast and the "fancy" candlelight Christmas dinner.

As I mixed up the ingredients late on Christmas Eve, I decided that the 5 cups of dip would make excellent cheese balls, and so I divided the mixture into 3 parts, formed it into balls, and chilled the balls until they were ready to be served.

Rolled in crisp bacon and chopped green onion, this cheese ball was a huge hit. We ate one on Christmas, I served the second at our New Year's Eve party, and no doubt we will polish off the final cheese ball at my daughter's 4th birthday party this weekend. These cheese balls are nice to keep in the fridge for an easy snack while entertaining holiday guests. And thinking ahead for next year, they'd make great gifts too!

Here's how it all came together:

First, I beat 3 oz. of cream cheese for 30 seconds.

Then I added in the other 3 cheeses: sharp cheddar, extra sharp white cheddar, and a good Swiss. The recipe called for Gruyere, but that's a little pricey...

Next, I added mayonnaise, diced pimentos, finely chopped onion and jalapeno, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper.

Beat until well combined.

I divided the cheese mixture into three portions. I dropped each portion onto a piece of plastic wrap, then formed them into a ball, using the plastic as a barrier so that my hands didn't get messy.

The wrapped cheese balls went into the fridge to chill.

Then I fried up some bacon.

And crumbled/chopped it into little bits.

I combined the bacon with some chopped green onion in a shallow dish...

Then rolled the cheese ball around to coat it.

To serve, I plopped the cheese ball into a bowl and arranged some crackers around it on a serving plate. We preferred butter crackers and wheat crackers (not pictured) as a way to transport this delicious 4-cheese concoction into our mouths.

Here's a closer look...

And that first delicious bite!

I think that the reason we enjoyed this cheese ball so much is because it combined elements from many of the cheese ball recipes that we enjoy. This one has it all...

Four-Cheese Pimiento Cheese Balls adapted from Better Homes and Gardens
Yield: 3 cheese balls

Start to Finish: 35 mins

Ingredients

1 3 ounce package cream cheese, softened
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded (2 cups)
4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded (1 cup)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 4 ounce jar diced pimientos, drained (or 2 2-oz jars)
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 small jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced*
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Optional Cheese ball toppings: crumbled crisp-cooked bacon, toasted pecans, chopped green onion
Dippers: celery sticks, carrot sticks, pita chips, and/or crackers

Directions
In bowl beat cream cheese 30 seconds. gradually beat in other cheeses. Beat in mayonnaise. Stir in pimientos, sweet pepper onion, jalapeno, Worcestershire, and cayenne. Divide the pimiento cheese into 3 portions. Transfer to plastic wrap and shape into balls. Chill. Roll in crumbled bacon and finely chopped green onions before serving. Serve with dippers.

From the Test Kitchen
•Tip *Hot chile peppers, such as jalapenos, contain oils that can burn your skin and eyes. When working with them, wear plastic or rubber gloves. If using bare hands, wash hands well with soap and water after working with the peppers.

Nutrition Facts (Four-Cheese Pimiento Dip)
Calories 220,Protein (gm) 8,Carbohydrate (gm) 3,Fat, total (gm) 20,Cholesterol (mg) 39,Saturated fat (gm) 8,Monosaturated fat (gm) 3,Polyunsaturated fat (gm) 6,Dietary Fiber, total (gm) 1,Sugar, total (gm) 1,Vitamin A (IU) 680,Vitamin C (mg) 9,Thiamin (mg) 0,Riboflavin (mg) 0,Niacin (mg) 0,Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 0,Folate (µg) 20,Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 0,Sodium (mg) 275,Potassium (mg) 165,Calcium (DV %) 242,Iron (DV %) 0,Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Easy Creole Shrimp and Sausage Stew

2011-11-06T23:25:00.001-05:00

Hello friends! I realize that my last post was over 2 weeks ago. It's not that I quit cooking. Far from it- I've been cooking (and baking) a TON of food lately...but mostly for other people. This fall has found me extremely busy with catering, teaching cooking classes, and a few other odd jobs that I have taken on. In addition to all of that, I've been preparing for my return to full-time employment, which means making arrangements for our children, filling out paperwork, and getting my household in order (if that's possible) for the days when I will no longer be home. One week from tomorrow I will begin 6 weeks of training for my new teaching assignment and after the holidays, I will return to the classroom as a high school teacher.

I'm sorry that I left some of you loyal readers hanging and I certainly appreciate those of you that have checked in with me to express your concern make sure that all is well.

With these upcoming changes on the horizon, I still plan to update here with new recipes. This isn't a goodbye (after 3 years of documenting my cooking adventures, I wouldn't dream of abandoning "Krista's Kitchen") but realistically, my posts will be less frequent while I adjust to my new job and a typical work schedule.

For now, I'd like to share one of the (delicious!) recipes I have prepared for my family recently. This Creole Shrimp and Sausage Stew came together quickly and totally hit the spot on a cool fall evening. Served with a crusty bread for sopping up the flavorful broth, on the night that we ate this for dinner, I thought it was just about the best thing I'd ever tasted. Sometimes a meal just "hits the spot", ya know?

I found this recipe in the "Super Fast" section of the September 2009 edition of Cooking Light magazine. Labelled a "20 Minute Dish" it fit the bill for my busy lifestyle as of late.

Doesn't it look delicious?

Here's the easy step-by-step:

To begin, just chop onion, green pepper, and smoked sausage.

Saute with a couple of cloves of minced garlic in a little oil until the green pepper is tender.

Add a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles and some broth. Bring it to a boil.

Now peel some shrimp. The original recipe called for 8 oz. of medium shrimp. I used WAY more than that! I had these beautiful jumbo tiger shrimp in my freezer. (They were left over from last Christmas and my grandma sent them with me to use up the last time I visited her.) This was the perfect way to use them up! I think I ended up adding about a pound and a half.

Add the shrimp to the stew and simmer, covered, until the shrimp are done. Then, stir in some freshly chopped parsley.

And, that's dinner!

Quick, delicious, and figure-friendly too! You can't beat that!

Creole Shrimp and Sausage Stew adapted from Cooking Light September 2009
YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
TOTAL:20 Minutes

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced turkey smoked sausage (about 6 ounces)
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained (such as Rotel)
8 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1 handful chopped fresh parsley
Preparation
1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add bell pepper, sausage, and garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until bell pepper is tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Stir in shrimp and beans; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 6 minutes or until shrimp are done. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nutritional Information
Amount per serving

Calories: 191
Fat: 6g
Saturated fat: 1.7g
Monounsaturated fat: 2.7g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1g
Protein: 21.3g
Carbohydrate: 13.2g
Fiber: 3.5g
Cholesterol: 97mg
Iron: 2.9mg
Sodium: 694mg
Calcium: 127mg

Notes: 1. I used 2-3 cloves of pressed fresh garlic rather than garlic from a jar. 2. I used "regular" smoked sausage rather than turkey. 3. I tripled the amount of shrimp. 4. The original recipe calls for a can of kidney beans. I omitted the beans because a)I didn't have any and b) I knew that my kiddos would pick them out anyhow.However, if you're in the market for a good source of dietary fiber, then toss in the beans!

Serving Suggestion: Serve with slices of a good, crusty bread for dipping/sopping.

Chicken Pot Pie...From Scratch!

2011-10-22T20:16:00.000-04:00

Three years ago, not long after I started this blog, I prepared an easy chicken pot pie recipe from Kraft foods. The recipe, found HERE, used frozen vegetables, condensed soup, processed cheese, and pre-made puff pastry. While I'm sure that many of my more health food conscious readers just shuddered at that description, I'm not going to lie, it was good. My family really liked it.

But, since that first chicken pot pie, I have wanted to try my hand at making one from scratch, with fresh ingredients. Last week, I finally got around to creating this comfort food classic.

It was worth the wait!

I decided to slow cook the chicken in my crock pot, which allowed for tender, juicy meat and also created a flavorful broth that I would use in the "gravy" for the pot pie filling.

In the morning, I dropped 1 whole cut-up chicken into the crockpot, seasoned it with salt and pepper, added celery, carrots, onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, a handful of fresh parsley,some poultry seasoning, and a bay leaf. Then I poured in enough water to cover everything. I set the crock pot on low and let it simmer the day away.

Here's what it looked like 5-6 hours later.

I separated out the vegetables and chicken and then I poured everything that was left in the crock pot through a strainer. From this, I ended up with 8 cups of homemade chicken broth. Since I only needed around two cups of broth for the pie filling, I froze the rest into 2 cup portions.

Before I continued on with the "chicken" part of this chicken pot pie, I decided to make the pastry as it needed to chill for 30 minutes before I would be able to roll it out.

I largely borrowed my pastry recipe from Ina Garten's chicken pot pie recipe. I just cut it in half, since her recipe is for 4 individual pies and I was just making 1 family-sized pot pie.

As with most pastry recipes, you combine the dry ingredients and then cut in the fat. This time, shortening and butter qualified as "fat". The shortening makes for a flakier crust and the butter gives it wonderful flavor. Tip: The shortening and butter should both be cold.

That way, you can obtain this crumbly texture as you mix the ingredients with a pastry cutter. All of those little chunks of fat give off steam as they bake in the crust, creating air pockets in the pastry and ideally making for a light, flaky crust.

Once the fat was cut into the flour mixture, I stirred in just enough ice-cold water to help the dough stick together.

Once the dough starts to come together, I put my hands in the bowl and knead it just until I can form it into a ball. You don't want to work the dough any more than you absolutely need to, because the more you work the dough, the stronger the gluten bonds in the flour become. Strong gluten bonds = tough pastry. Since we're going for tender and flaky here, just remember not to overwork the dough.

I divided the dough into 2 parts, one for the top crust and one for the bottom. Then I wrapped them up and put them into the fridge for at least 30 minutes while I prepared the filling for the pot pie.

To make the filling, I melted 1/3 cup of butter in a skillet, then I added some diced onion to saute.

Once the onion was tender, I stirred in 1/3 cup of flour until well combined.

Next in was the yummy homemade broth that I cooked up with the chicken in the crock pot. Stir or whisk as you add the broth, so that you don't get any lumps in the gravy. Cook over medium to medium high heat until the mixture starts to thicken.

Then add in some milk or cream. Return to a low boil.

Once the sauce was finished, I turned off the heat and just let the skillet sit on the burner to stay warm.

By the time I finished picking all of the chicken from the bone, I had a LOT of chicken!

I cut up about 2-1/2 cups for the pot pie, then I put the rest into freezer bags and froze it for a later shortcut to chicken and dumplings, soups, or casseroles.

I added the cut up chicken with the carrots and celery from the crock pot and some green beans (because my family refuses to eat peas) to the sauce to complete the filling. You definitely want to taste this mixture and season it before assembling the pie. Mine was a little bland upon my first taste. I needed to go to work on it with the salt and pepper!

Okay, so now everything is ready except for the pastry...

I rolled chilled dough ball #1 to fit my pie plate.

Then I pinched the edges (not my greatest talent, as you can see) and baked the crust at 425 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.

Once the shell was pre-baked, I poured in the filling.

And then I rolled out chilled dough ball #2 and topped the pie off. I realize that the placement of the top crust looks a little haphazard in this photograph. I'm calling it "rustic"...

Brush the top of the pastry with 1 beaten egg. Then cut a few slits around the top to let the filling vent.

Now....bake!

Look how perfectly golden brown this turned after 30 minutes in the oven! Oh, and look at that savory gravy oozing from the edges! Try not to drool....

Once the pot pie cools for a few minutes, then you're ready to slice...

And serve!

Hooray! While this one pot pie was quite a project from start to finish, I am so glad that I finally made a chicken pot pie completely from scratch! I could certainly taste the "homemade" difference and I felt accomplished as I served this up to my family for dinner.

Here's my recipe for Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

For the chicken and broth:

Add one whole cut-up chicken to your crock pot. Salt and pepper liberally. Toss in 4 peeled carrots, 3-4 stalks celery, one onion- peeled and quartered, a fistful of fresh parsley, 3 peeled cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning, and bay leaf. Cover with water. Cook on LOW until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender. Remove the chicken to a dish and pick from the bone. Reserve 2-1/2 cups of chicken. Package the rest and freeze for later. Reserve the carrots and celery for the pot pie filling. Strain the broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve 1-1/2 cups of broth for the pot pie filling. Package the remaining broth and freeze for use in future recipes.

For the pastry (adapted from Ina Garten's Chicken Pot Pie recipe)

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, diced
1/4-1/3 cup ice water
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Mix dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening and butter. Add in enough cold water to make the dough begin to stick together. Knead dough (in the bowl) until you can form the pastry into a ball. Divide dough in half. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the filling:

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4teaspoon pepper
1- 3/4 cups reserved chicken broth
1/2 cup milk, half & half, or cream
2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cups pre-cooked mixed vegetables (I used the carrots and celery from the crock pot and added some home-canned green beans)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425°F.
2. Roll out bottom pie crust to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place dough in pie plate. Cut off excess around the edges and crimp or pinch. Pre-bake shell for 8-10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.
4.Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan.
5. Roll out second crust. Top pie, then seal edge. Brush with beaten egg. Cut slits in several places in top crust. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning if needed. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Eggplant, Eggplant! Crostinis and Pitas.

2011-10-16T21:27:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! To those of you who are regular "Krista's Kitchen" readers, I want to apologize for my absence of over two weeks. Nothing too exciting going on, I've just been working more (scroll to the end of this post for upcoming cooking class dates), plus dealing with the seasonal "sickies" (as I type this I have one child on an antibiotic and inhaler and another on the couch with a stomach flu). Lately, at the end of the day, I've found myself un-inspired to try anything new and too tired to write about it even if I had bothered to try a new recipe. I'm going to try to do better this week. I'm thinking about easing back in with two fall favorites: chicken pot pie and a shrimp and sausage stew this week, so stay tuned!

My last post, back in September, was about Eggplant Parmesan. Well, my grandma sent still more eggplant last week. When my husband noticed that I was snapping pictures while preparing this dinner Thursday night, he pointed out, "Your last post was about eggplant."
"Yeeees," I answered. And your point is?
"And now you're writing about eggplant again?" It sounded like more of a judgement than an observation....

I made some crack about changing the focus of my blog to only eggplant recipes. "All Eggplant. All The Time. You better learn to like it, because we're going to be eating a whole lot more. I ordered a truck load just this morning...."

He was not amused. Neither were my children.

I thought that both of these recipes were good. The crostini was my favorite. Totally yummy. And while he is clearly not a fan of the eggplant, I'm pleased to announce that my husband liked it too. But our daughters politely asked for plain bread after taking the required one-bite-to-try-it. At least they weren't repulsed and gagging. They just gave me the "Ummm. No. No thank you." I'm counting this as a small victory.

I found the following two recipes in the August 2010 edition of Cooking Light magazine- one for each eggplant. While my family would have probably been better served with a pot of my homemade chicken noodle soup, it was really time for me to try something new. It has been too long. Below are the results of the only 2 new recipes that I have tried this month.

Both recipes used eggplant prepared the same way- grilled.

To prepare the eggplant for grilling, I sliced them into 1/2" slices. Then I placed the slices in a colander and sprinkled them with salt to draw out the moisture. Let them sit like this for 30 minutes to drain.

While the eggplant drained, I prepared my bread slices for the crostini recipe. I forgot to purchase a whole grain baguette (recommended by the recipe) on my big shopping trip this week, so I ran to the corner store for the bread before preparing the recipe. I could only find French bread. I opted to slice it and brush with olive oil.

Then I toasted the bread between my Pampered Chef Grill Pan and Grill Press.

It worked beautifully!

By the time the bread was all toasted, the eggplant was ready to go. I rinsed off the excess salt and then pressed out more of the moisture with paper towels.

Brush the eggplant with olive oil on both sides,

Then into the grill pan, until golden brown and soft.

While I had the grill pan fired up, I went ahead and grilled the red onion slices for our eggplant pitas.

Now for the sauces. Both the crostini and pitas had Greek yogurt based sauces that started out almost exactly the same. Each sauce called for 1/4 cup of non-fat Greek yogurt.

And freshly squeezed lemon juice.

I know that I've bragged about my Pampered Chef juicer here before, but it really is easy to use, and I love that it strains out the pulp and seeds.

Also into both sauces with the yogurt and lemon juice: garlic, salt, and pepper.

After this, the sauces differ. For the crostini recipe, one of the grilled eggplants is mixed into the sauce. I used my immersion blender, but a standard blender or food processor would work as well. I really enjoyed this "sauce". Really it is more of an eggplant hummus. It was delicious on the crostini, but I'd be happy to just dip in some pita chips and eat it as a snack.

The pita sauce received freshly chopped oregano.

As you can see, these two sauces that started out exactly the same yielded two very different finished products.

With all of the components for both recipes prepared, it was time for assembly.

I'll begin with the crostini, since it was my favorite.

Arrange bread slices on a serving platter.

Top with the eggplant hummus.

Toss some arugula, tomatoes, and fresh mint with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and a little salt and pepper.

Arrange the "salad" over the hummus and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Slices of fresh Parmesan would be wonderful here, but I just had the grated stuff from a can this week. Still good!

Let's zoom in...

Mmmm. I loved all of the flavors working together here.

Now for the super easy pita assembly.

Just spread some of the yogurt sauce in a pita.

Stuff with eggplant and onion slices.

Add in more of the arugula salad.

And tah-dah! Dinner. Or lunch.

I ate one pita for dinner, then wrapped one for lunch the next day. For the record, I liked it better the next day. Maybe because it's one of those recipes that just tastes better the next day or maybe because the next day, it wasn't in competition with that delicious crostini.

Here are the recipes:

Eggplant Crostini from August 2010 Cooking Light
Ingredients
1 (1-pound) eggplant
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
16 (1/2-ounce) slices multigrain baguette
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1/4 cup whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup arugula
1 cup red, orange, yellow, and green cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, torn
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved
Preparation
1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Slice eggplant into 1-inch-thick slices; brush both sides evenly with 1 tablespoon oil. Place eggplant in a single layer on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until eggplant is tender. Brush both sides of bread slices evenly with 2 tablespoons oil. Place bread slices in a single layer on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 1 minute on each side or until toasted.
3. Combine eggplant, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon juice, and next 3 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon eggplant mixture on each bread slice.
4. Combine arugula, tomatoes, and mint in a bowl. Drizzle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons juice and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Divide salad mixture evenly among bread slices; top evenly with cheese

Amount per serving
Calories: 175
Fat: 9.5g
Saturated fat: 2.1g
Monounsaturated fat: 5.3g
Polyunsaturated fat: 0.8g
Protein: 6.2g
Carbohydrate: 17.7g
Fiber: 5.9g
Cholesterol: 4mg
Iron: 1.2mg
Sodium: 330mg
Calcium: 195mg

Notes:
I used slices of French bread, toasted, in place of whole grain baguette. Also, I substituted the quartered cherry tomatoes with cut up Roma tomatoes.

Grilled Eggplant Pita Sandwiches with Yogurt-Garlic Spread from August 2010 Cooking Light
Ingredients
2 (1-pound) eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 cup plain reduced-fat Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 small red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Cooking spray
4 (6-inch) pitas, cut in half
2 cups arugula

Preparation
1. Place eggplant slices in a colander; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt. Toss well. Drain 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly; pat dry with paper towels.
2. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, yogurt, and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl.
3. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
4. Brush eggplant and onion slices with oil. Place eggplant and onion slices on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until vegetables are tender and lightly browned.
5. Fill each pita half with 1 1/2 tablespoons yogurt mixture, one quarter of eggplant slices, one quarter of onion slices, and 1/4 cup arugula.

Amount per serving
Calories: 311
Fat: 8.2g
Saturated fat: 1.6g
Monounsaturated fat: 5g
Polyunsaturated fat: 1.2g
Protein: 12.7g
Carbohydrate: 50.6g
Fiber: 9.2g
Cholesterol: 1.7mg
Iron: 3.5mg
Sodium: 697mg
Calcium: 117mg

Notes: I doubled the "salad" recipe from the crostini recipe and used it in place of plain arugula in these sandwiches. Enjoy!
________________________________________

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that I've been busy with work lately...

If you're reading this from Northern Ohio or Northern Indiana you can see what I've been working on in person! There are 5 remaining stops on the Krista's Kitchen Fall Cooking Class Tour and it's not too late to sign up! The remaining dates/locations:

Wednesday October 19th Dream Dinners at Home Strongsville, OH

Wednesday November 9th Tortellini alla Panna Strongsville, OH

Saturday December 3rd Canning Quick Bread (Holiday Gifts) Medina, OH

Thursday December 8th Company's Coming- Holiday Brunch Warsaw, IN

Saturday December 10th Gingerbread Cookies Nappanee, IN

To get more details and/or register for a class email me at krista@kristaskitchen.com

Oh, and if you're in these areas and are interested in booking a Pampered Chef party (click HERE to check out the benefits you receive from hosting a show) please email me at the same address.

I hope that you all have a wonderful week!

Eggplant Parmesan

2011-09-30T22:17:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I made Eggplant Parmesan for the first time. There are so many Eggplant Parmesan recipes out there that I was difficult for me to choose which one would yield the best finished product. Some recipes recommend peeling the eggplant, some leave the skin on. Sometimes the eggplant is fried before being baked into the casserole and sometimes it is not. And there are certainly a variety of ways to bread the eggplant, sauces to make, and cheeses to layer it with.

After reading a number of recipes, I shut my computer and just decided to come up with my own. What I ended up with is a fairly convenient, traditional version of Eggplant Parmesan. I'm so glad that I finally got around to making this dish. It was delicious!

I started with 2 small-ish eggplants.

Then, using a vegetable peeler, I removed the skin.

Naked lil' eggplants...

Sliced into 1/4 -1/2" thick slices.

Place the eggplants in a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. The salt will draw out the moisture in the eggplant. Let the eggplant sit for about 30 minutes.

Then place on paper towels.

To squeeze out any excess moisture, I topped the slices with another layer of paper towel and pressed with my grill press. A heavy skillet would work well for this too.

With the eggplant ready to go, I set up my frying station. I heated oil in a skillet and then filled 3 coating trays: the first with flour, the second with a mixture of egg and minced garlic, and the third with a combination of grated Parmesan and panko.

Each eggplant slice was dredged in flour,

dipped in egg,

and coated with panko and Parmesan.

Place the slices in the hot oil and fry until golden brown on each side. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Once the last batch of eggplant is fried, pour a jar of prepared spaghetti sauce right into the drippings in the skillet. I also added in some Italian seasoning. Stir and heat through.

Now the only thing left to do was assemble the casserole. I started by spreading about 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.

Arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce.

Top with Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Then repeat the layers. Finish by topping with the remainder of the sauce and a a sprinkle of cheese.

I baked mine for about 20 minutes, until it was bubbly around the edges and the cheese on top was melted.

Fresh basil adds the perfect finish for this cheesy, flavorful dish.

Definitely delicious!

Again, I failed to write down the recipe while I was cooking. Now it's been weeks since I made this and I can not remember the exact amounts of the ingredients used. I did my best to come close based on the pictures above. Here's the recipe:

Eggplant Parmesan

1 large or 2 small, firm eggplants
salt
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
oil for frying
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Italian seasoning
2 cups shredded mozzarella
fresh basil, chopped

For the eggplant:
Peel the eggplant and slice into 1/4- 1/2 inch disks. Salt eggplant and let stand for 30 minutes for excess moisture to drain. Press dry between paper towels. Pour flour in a shallow dish. In a second shallow dish, whisk together egg and garlic. In a third dish, mix panko and parmesan. Dredge the eggplant in flour, then dip in the egg mixture, and finally coat with the parmesan/panko mixture. Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Fry eggplant in batches until golden brown on each side. Remove to drain on paper towels.

For the sauce:

Sprinkle the drippings in the skillet with Italian seasoning. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and heat through.

To assemble:

Spread 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange half of the eggplant over the sauce. Top with 1/4 cup of parmesan and 1 cup of mozzarella. Arrange remaining eggplant on top of the cheese. Pour on the remainder of the sauce. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheeses.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh basil.

Cheesesteak Pizza

2011-09-26T16:01:00.000-04:00

I arrived home late tonight after being away all weekend, so no meal plan yet! I know that I'm behind with many of my posts, so while the meal plan comes together, I thought that I'd share this delicious cheesesteak pizza that I made a few weeks ago.

It's been a while since I've tried a non-traditional pizza in my kitchen. I've been thinking of merging two of my husband's favorites: cheesesteak and pizza for some time now. This short-cut recipe is what I came up with.

I say "short cut" because I used a pre-made pizza crust and pre-sliced steak.

I began by frying up the steak slices in a skillet until cooked through and slightly browned.

Remove the steak slices from the skillet and drain on paper towels.

Then add onions and peppers to the already hot skillet and cook until tender. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, to taste.

I love mushrooms, so I threw in some of those too. Stir fry for a few more minutes, until the mushrooms are tender. Remove the veggie mixture from the skillet.

With the pizza toppings ready, start making the creamy cheese sauce. Keep the skillet hot and toss in a couple of tablespoons of butter.

Add a 2-3 cloves of garlic to the butter. Stir around the heated skillet until fragrant.

Then stir in a couple tablespoons of flour, until combined with the butter and garlic.

Now stir in some milk or half and half. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened.

Now stir in 1/2 cup of shredded provolone, mozzarella, or an Italian cheese blend.

Pre-bake a pizza crust.

Then, spread on the sauce.

Top with the chopped steak.

And the veggies.

Finish it off with another layer of cheese.

Put it into the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted.

Slice it up....

and enjoy!

Now, for a moment of truth: I made this recipe a few weeks ago and I failed to write exact amounts or instructions as I was making it. The following is the recipe for Cheesesteak Pizza as I can best remember it. At least I had the pictures to remind me, so I think it's pretty close. : )

Cheesesteak Pizza

3-5 steak slices, such as Steak Ums

1 onion, thinly sliced

1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk or half and half

2-1/2 cups shredded cheese such as provolone, mozzarella, or Italian blend

salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Cook steak slices according to package directions. Remove from skillet, drain on paper towels. Add onions and peppers to the skillet. Saute until tender-crisp. Stir in sliced mushrooms. Cook 2-3 minutes longer. Remove to a plate or bowl.

For Sauce: Add butter to skillet. Heat until melted. Add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds-1 minute. Stir in flour. Whisk in milk. Cook until slightly thickened. Stir in cheese until melted.

For crust: Oil baking sheet or stone. Press dough to fit. Pre-bake according to package directions.

Assemble pizza. Spread sauce over crust. Top with steak, onion, pepper, and mushrooms. Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake until cheese is melted.

7th Birthday Brownie Bliss and Some Party Details...

2011-09-19T23:16:00.004-04:00

As I sit down to type this post, it's nearly 10 pm EST. I just realized that exactly 7 years ago at this time I was laying in a hospital bed, clad in a flimsy gown and hooked to all sorts of monitors. Our daughter is the first grandchild on both sides of our family, so both sets of our parents had made the trip to the hospital and were camped out in the waiting room. I'd just received the blessed epidural and a calm had fallen over the delivery room. I was propped up on pillows, watching Sunday night football with my husband and I was too excited to " just rest" as the nurse had advised me.

I knew that life would never be the same, but I really had no idea what lie ahead: Colic. Sooo many sleepless nights (I should have taken that nurse's advise and rested!). First smile. First tooth. First words. First steps. The first time our daughter slept through the night consistently (Unfortunately in that order...as you read this post you will see that sleep is not high on my daughter's list of priorities). First day of school. The first time my daughter read a book all on her own. Her first solo bike ride on two wheels. And now...the first slumber party.

It's been a whirlwind. Our dynamic daughter is an amazing kid, so full of life and joy. She's tireless, except when I am trying to wake her for school in the morning. Ugh.

Parenthood has made me appreciate "the little things" more. Tonight I counted for her as she hoola-hooped to 100. It was quite an accomplishment! I'm looking forward to experiencing a lifetime of firsts with my children. It's certainly never boring!

When I asked my soon-to-be 7 year old daughter what she wanted to do for her birthday this year she all but screamed, "SLUMBER PARTY!" Her other two requests for the night were pizza and brownies (She despises cake, or rather the frosting that accompanies birthday cake. Weirdo.)

We ordered pizzas, and I purchased plenty of chips and popcorn for late night movie-watching junk food. My only food preparation responsibility for the party was brownies. With a fancy, theme-decorated cake out of the question, I focused my creativity on the brownies. Kids love brownies, but I didn't want to just serve our guests a boring, brown, square.

Inspiration struck when I found tie-dye themed plates at the party store. I had an "Ah-ha Moment": I would do a 60's theme with daisy-shaped brownies!

To prepare the brownies, I lined the baking dish with 2 layers of foil, then sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray.

Then I poured in the brownie batter. I have to admit that I "cheated" on the brownies. I used a boxed mix purchased at Aldi, then stirred in some chocolate chips to make them extra chocolaty. No apologies for the boxed mix. It made some delicious brownies.

After baking, I lifted the brownies from the pan and let them cool on the countertop before placing a flower shaped cookie cutter over the brownies and...

cutting them out.

After the brownies were cut, I transferred them to a sheet lined with waxed paper and sifted powdered sugar over the top.

With a final touch of yellow Reese's pieces pressed into the center of each "daisy" I was finished!

Now I only needed to set the table, strategically fling crepe paper from the rafters, and blow up some balloons to transform our dining room into "party central".

Here's a closer look at the table. Sparkly confetti strewn everywhere really spruced up the white space and made the tablescape appear festive.

My husband's parents were visiting this weekend for the occasion. They took our daughters out for the afternoon while I decorated.

The birthday girl was "psyched" when she returned home to the party scene I had created for her special night.

Now all we needed were guests! Here she is with her little sis and 4 "besties", getting ready to blow out all 7 candles on her brownie.

After dinner and dessert, I took the little ladies to the salon for a makeover. That is, I transformed our toy room into a salon.

You know all of those "free gift with purchase" deals and free samples that you get at department store make up counters? I'm not a hoarder, except for when it comes to this stuff. I have a whole drawer full of it. Most of it isn't even mine. My grandma, mom, and sisters send it to me. It makes for perfect play makeup!

I played make up artist for the girls...

while my mother-in-law took over the role of manicurist at the "Nail Salon".

Our make-shift salon was a huge hit!

As for the rest of the night? There was a game of flashlight tag in the lawn, a Barbie movie, a dance party, and then...lights out. The whole night went very smoothly except for the lights out part. At 12:30 I thought that the girls were all settled into their sleeping bags and getting ready to drift off. By 2:00 am I was issuing threats of separating them. At 3:30 am, my daughter was standing in front of me asking if it was morning yet because she was "bored". Really. BORED?! Go to sleep, child!!! Finally at 4:30 all was quiet and I abandoned my post on the sofa for my comfy bed. Only, I couldn't sleep. I was worried that one of the kiddos would wake up and need me. And so I laid wide awake with our bedroom door open, listening. At 8:00 am one of the girls came upstairs to tell me that she was hungry. I shuffled back downstairs to serve donuts with a smile on my face and a huge cup of coffee in my hand. Just 2 hours until the parents arrived to pick up their daughters....Please Lord, help the time pass quickly!

I'm still recovering. I think that I need at least two more years before I plan another slumber party. It makes me wonder: How did my mom do it? She survived 3 daughters and we all had slumber parties.

That must have sucked.

Thanks, mom!

Cream of Butternut Soup

2011-09-15T23:27:00.117-04:00

As promised in the meal plan, I served squash all week long. I even updated my spaghetti squash recipe and wrote about it in my weekly column for the Strongsville Patch. You can check out the article and the new and improved step-by-step pictures HERE. But somehow, it has taken me all week to get around to posting a single squash recipe on this blog.

Tonight, with my daughter's very first sleepover party on the agenda for tomorrow and the start of a nasty cold slowing me down, I have grounded myself to the couch on this fine, crisp, fall Friday night in order to share my Cream of Butternut Soup recipe with all of you and to rest up for tomorrow's birthday festivities. Wish me luck! : )

As is the case with many of my favorite foods, this one comes with a memory.

I lived in Dublin, Ohio for 9 months in 2004. My husband had been transferred there for work. It was summertime and I was 5 or 6 months pregnant with our first child when I moved. I say "I" instead of "we" because my husband had moved before I did. (Lucky him, missing out on my entire nauseous first trimester!) I stayed behind to pack up our household and finish teaching my students until the end of the school year.

I didn't know a single person in our new town and my husband worked long hours, so once I had unpacked, I explored the shops and restaurants of Dublin's pretty downtown. Oscar's Restaurant and their welcoming outdoor patio quickly caught my attention.

My mother-in-law came to visit soon after we settled in. I knew exactly where I wanted to take her for lunch. I can't remember anything else that we ordered at Oscar's on that lunch date, but their butternut squash soup (or was it a bisque?) left an impression on both of us. Smooth, creamy, and delicious- the soup was definitely a winner! We visited Oscar's and ordered this soup on a number of subsequent visits.

After my mother-in-law headed back to Indiana, I set out to re-create this recipe in my own kitchen. I can't remember where I initially found this recipe, but I've tweaked it over the years to make it my own. The following spring, I left Dublin with a beautiful 8 month old daughter and the ability to make my very own butternut soup. I've carried the recipe with me through moves to 3 states and I still look forward to it every fall.

Fast forward to the present. My mother-in-law is visiting this weekend for my daughter's 7th birthday. We're living in Ohio again. With an abundance of squash atop my kitchen counter, I can't think of a better way to commemorate the occasion than to cook a batch of the soup we fell in love with 7 years ago when that baby was still kicking against my tightly stretched tummy.

It feels like I have known this amazing little girl forever (maybe because she is my mini-me in both appearance and personality?) and at the same time, it feels like just yesterday that I held her in my arms for the very first time. Ahhh. Where did the time go!?

Look at me, all nostalgic on the eve of my daughter's 7th birthday party...

Okay, I've allowed myself a "moment", now it's time to put away the Kleenex and write about soup!

Here's how it came together.

I began with a Butternut Squash.

I like to cut it into more manageable portions by cutting off the neck, then slicing the round, lower portion in half.

Scoop out the seeds from the middle and discard.

Then, peel the tough skin from the flesh of the squash. Warning: this requires a sharp paring knife and a bit of persistence.

Here is the peeled squash.

Cut it up.

Now begin the base of the soup. Start by sauteing some onion and celery in butter or oil until tender.

Stir in all of the spices: Salt, pepper, tumeric, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bay leaf.

With all of those spices stirred in, your house will smell amazing! When I smell this soup simmering, I can't help but embrace the cooler fall temperatures. It makes the house seem so cozy!

Once the spices have heated up, stir in some chicken broth.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then add in the chopped squash and a few peeled, cubed, potatoes.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes until the squash and potatoes are tender.

If you've got an immersion blender, put it into the pot and start blending!

Otherwise you can transfer the soup in batches to a traditional blender or food processor.

Blend until smooth.

Finally, stir in sherry (for a punch!) and milk (for a creamier texture).

Serve with a baguette for sopping or homemade garlic croutons. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg or fresh parsley.

Cream of Butternut Soup

1 medium onion, diced
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth
1 tablespoon sugar
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg + more for garnish
1 (2-1/2 to 3 lb) butternut squash, cubed
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1-1/2 cups milk
2-4 tablespoons sherry

Saute onion and celery in butter. Stir in spices and heat through, then add broth. Bring to a boil. Add squash and potatoes. Return to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until squash and potatoes are tender. Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Remove bay leaf. Puree. Stir in milk and sherry. Heat through. Divide into serving bowls and garnish.

Notes: I used cooking sherry, versus regular sherry. I needed to use more. If using "real" sherry, add a lesser amount and then add more according to taste.

If the soup is too thick, thin with additional broth or milk. I've made this soup too thick in the past. It resembled baby food. Not good!

Don't be afraid to play around with the spices, adjusting the amounts until the flavor of the soup suits your personal taste.

Enjoy!

Squash is on the Menu! The Meal Plan 9/12-9/18

2011-09-11T23:48:00.000-04:00

My family is going on a squash diet this week.

In addition to the acorn squash that I picked from my garden on Friday, my youngest sister arrived for a weekend visit with bags of squash from our middle sister's enormous Indiana garden. Since I need to use it up, the focus of our meals this week will be some of my favorite squash recipes. I have acorn, butternut, spaghetti, yellow crookneck, and still more zucchini.

I haven't made a concrete plan yet. It will be a busy week. I'm preparing for my daughter's 7th birthday party and some out-of-town company. So, instead of daily meals and a grocery list, this week I have provided the links to some of my family's favorite squash recipes.

For Acorn Squash, we prefer it halved and filled with sausage, brown sugar, and spices.

Spaghetti Squash eats much like pasta, hence the name. I like to top mine with a fresh tomato sauce.

The crookneck squash is similar to zucchini and can complete many main dishes. However, one of my favorite recipes, "Squashed Squash" is a side dish that allows the crookneck to shine on it's own.

Zucchini is so versatile that I haven't yet decided what I will prepare with it this week. In THIS POST, I featured a number of delicious zucchini recipes. I may re-visit one of them or try something new.

I don't have a link for a Butternut Squash recipe...yet. Stay tuned this week, because I will be posting my favorite Cream of Butternut Soup recipe in addition to a non-squash recipe for Cheesesteak Pizza.

So that's the meal plan for this week. Sort of. I'll try to be better next week and return to my usual daily meal/grocery list format. I intended to post a more specific plan tonight, but The History Channel sucked me in. I couldn't take my eyes away from the horror and sadness on the screen long enough to commit to a recipe.

I don't know about you, but after re-living the tragedy of September 11th, 2001 through the 10 Year Anniversary coverage this weekend, I'm ready for an uplifting Monday.

One of my friends posted this on her Facebook page tonight:

"What are we doing in our daily lives to remember 9/11? Taking life for granted? Or soaking in every precious moment, telling family and friends we love them, and setting our priorities straight? Let's make this day more than about remembering where we were then - let's take a good look at where we are now."

I thought that it was good "food for thought". I remember the intensity of my emotions following 9/11. I was focused on all of the things that my friend listed above. I wish that I could say I have continued to do those things consistently over the last 10 years. While I will certainly "never forget", that intensity has waned over the years. My friend's post and everything that I watched this evening have served as a much needed reminder.

God Bless America and each and every one of you! I hope that you all have a wonderful week.

Drying Chili Peppers and My Basic Chili Recipe

2011-09-09T00:16:00.000-04:00

A couple of weekends ago my mom visited. She brought with her a bucket of hot red chili peppers from my grandma's garden. I decided to dry them. At first, I contemplated stringing them up to dry in my basement. That seemed like a lot of work, and with two curious young children and a puppy in this house, I thought that it also seemed like a potential danger.(Our puppy had already sampled a pepper the night they arrived. Lots of sneezing and retching followed. Not good!)

Then I remembered that months ago, my grandma had given me her food dehydrator. It was stashed in my basement under some boxes after our move last February. When I got the dehydrator, I had a whole list of things I wanted to try: fruit leather, beef jerky, yogurt... Instead we bought a new house, moved, and my list of potential dehydrating projects was pushed to the back burner. These peppers seemed to be the perfect reason to dust off this appliance.

After reading up on how to dry peppers in the dehydrator, I began by washing the peppers, then cutting off the tops. Note: if the peppers are spicy, I suggest that you wear rubber gloves while handling them.

I arranged the peppers on the trays that came with the dehydrator.

Then I set the dehydrator between 135 and 145 degrees and slid the trays into place.

I was concerned about the fumes that might result from drying the peppers indoors. Luckily, we have a covered utility porch on the back of our garage. I set the dehydrator on this porch to save my family from burning eyes and sneezes.

I consulted Scott Robert's Ultimate Guide to Drying Hot Peppers for direction on temperature setting and drying time. His recommendation was 8-12 hours. I'm not sure if it was my dehydrator or that the peppers had a high moisture content, but my peppers took much longer to dry. I think that these dried for 18-20 hours at 140 degrees. I wanted them nice and brittle so that I could grind some of them into powder.

Back in the kitchen, I removed the seeds from the dried peppers. They fall out pretty easily once the peppers are dry.

I collected all of the seeds and wrapped them up. I hope to plant some of them in my garden next year.

A few of the larger peppers didn't dry completely. They had the consistency of a sun-dried tomato. I bagged those too and planned to figure out what to do with them later. Unfortunately, when I checked them yesterday, they had turned moldy. I probably should've put them into the fridge....

The rest of the dry seeded peppers went into my electric coffee grinder. In batches, I ground them to a fine powder.

These chilies were super HOT!I decided to do a taste test with my chili powder against a couple of the other chili powders in my spice rack. I tried cayenne pepper and ancho chili pepper against my freshly ground hot chilies. The first two pepper powders packed some heat, but when I tested a few particles of my chili powder on my tongue, there was a 5-alarm reaction! My mouth was still burning at least 4 hours later.

A little of this chili powder will go a long way in spicing up recipes like my homemade chili.

I originally posted my chili recipe on this blog almost 3 years ago. This week, chili also happens to be the subject of the food column I write for a local news publication. After typing the article, I decided that it's time to re-visit that recipe here on Krista's Kitchen. So here goes....

From my article:

We’re barely past Labor Day, but the chill in the air and the looming gray clouds overhead this week make me realize that fall is just around the corner. All week I have been craving my favorite fall foods; dishes that call for apples and squash, hearty stews and comfort foods.

Yesterday, I whipped up a big pot of chili. Some people wouldn’t classify chili as comfort food, but to me, there’s nothing better than a steaming bowl of homemade chili with all of the fixings to warm me up at the end of a gloomy fall day.

There are many schools of thought when it comes to chili. Some feel that the spicier the chili is, the better it tastes, while others prefer a milder flavor. Some like it thick and some want it juicy. Some love the beans and some could do without. And there is a whole group of people who love their Chili Mac.

For the record, I am not from this pasta-loving sect of chili connoisseurs. Personally, I believe that macaroni is the quickest way to ruin a bowl of chili. In fact, I get a little annoyed when served chili-flavored pasta when I order a bowl of chili. If I wanted goulash, I’d ask for goulash. I want chili, darn it!

Now don’t you Chili Mac lovers get all offended. I’m just proving my point that chili is very much a personal preference kind of dish. Note: I do make an exception to the “no pasta in chili" rule when it comes to my beloved Cincinnati Chili.

Now that we have established that the perfect bowl of chili is different for each and every one of us, today I am providing my basic chili recipe. It’s not terribly spicy, with a hint of sweet. It is tame enough for a toddler, yet flavorful enough to be a crowd pleaser.

Although the basics of my chili always remain the same, it never turns out exactly the same way. I’m always slightly switching it up. Sometimes I pour in Spicy V8 in place of tomato juice. Sometimes I dump in a can of chopped green chilies or a jar of salsa. And sometimes I add taco seasoning along with the chili powder or sprinkle in different types of ground hot peppers. This basic chili recipe provides the opportunity to really make this dish your own!

The key to great chili is to taste as you go. Start with the basic recipe and then add in more salt, sugar and spices to suit your personal tastes. Just keep in mind that the flavors will meld and some spices will intensify as the chili simmers. I recommend waiting 15-30 minutes between each flavor-enhancing addition and tasting again before making adjustments to the recipe.

Here are the building blocks for my basic chili recipe: ground beef, onion, whole tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato juice, brown sugar, and of course, chili powder.

After browning the beef with the onion, stir in the spices. Then add the tomatoes and beans.

"Smoosh" the tomatoes as you stir them into the mix. Then heat the mixture to a sizzle.

Pour in the tomato juice and stir until combined. Heat the chili to a boil, then simmer for at least an hour. Taste and add seasonings as necessary while the chili cooks.

Serve with your favorite chili toppings.

To freeze the chili, cool to room temperature first. Then divide the chili into dinner portion freezer containers. A funnel is a good tool to avoid a mess.

I prefer plastic quart-sized freezer containers for freezing chili and soup. I was out of plastic containers this week, so I used quart-sized canning jars instead. Be sure to only use wide-mouth jars and allow plenty of head-space for expansion as the chili freezes or you will risk the frustration of broken jars.

Freezer bags also work well for preserving chili. Label all containers with the contents and date and then freeze immediately. Bags should be frozen flat and can be stacked later.

Here's the recipe:

Chili

2 lbs. Ground beef
1 medium or large onion, diced
salt and pepper

In a large pot, brown beef and onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Drain. Return to pot.

Add:
80 oz. of tomato juice or 1 ½ large cans (subject to how thick or fluid you prefer your chili)
29 oz. can of whole tomatoes
2- 15.5 oz. cans of kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4-1/3 c. chili powder

Add the spices and sugar to the hamburger mixture. Stir until combined and heat until sizzling. Then add the tomatoes. Crush them up a bit as you stir them into the beef. Dump in the beans and stir. Add the juice. Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least an hour before serving, adjusting the flavors to taste as the chili cooks.

My perfect bowl of chili is topped with a little shredded cheddar or American cheese, Fritos, and a dollop of sour cream. Once I've perfected the chili in the pot, it's all about the fixings!

This recipe makes enough for me to freeze half, serve the other half for dinner, and still put leftovers in the fridge for lunch the next day.

Build-Your-Own-Sub Night

2011-09-06T22:39:00.001-04:00

My family loves it when I plan for DIY dinners like build-your-own tacos or nachos, make-your-own pizza, baked potato bar, and now submarine sandwich assembly. I love it too, because all of the family members take an active role in dinner preparation and everyone gets exactly what they want- which means no complaints at the dinner table!

The preparation for this dinner is pretty simple. I just start cleaning out my refrigerator. I already had washed leaf lettuce and sliced tomatoes leftover from our weekend cookout. Plus I had a package of already fried turkey bacon, that I use for my oldest daughter's school lunches. (She loves bacon wraps with fresh spinach for lunch). After that I started pulling out cheese slices, cold cuts, and condiments.

With the ingredients at the ready, I called in the troops and assisted everyone as they tailored the subs to their tastes.

No need for a step-by-step or a recipe here, so instead I have a couple of pictures of the finished product.

This is the creation of my youngest daughter. She starts pre-school tomorrow!

And here's my super-stacked sub, made complete with a layer of those home-canned pickle slices that I put up last month. YUM!

Now that I've got my family to help with dinner, I just need to figure out how to make them clean up after...

My Lackadaisical Meal Plan 9/6- 9/11

2011-09-05T21:05:00.000-04:00

With this being a short week, I only needed to plan for 3 meals to feed my family. The choice of what to put on my meal plan was pretty easy since I wanted to find recipes that would utilize the produce I've accumulated from my garden.

So tomorrow, we'll make build-your-own subs, piled high with garden fresh lettuce and tomatoes.

On Wednesday, I'm cooking up a pot of chili. After today's cold, gloomy weather I'm craving big hearty bowl of chili with all of the "fixins". Plus, last week I dried a few pounds of chili peppers and ground most of them into powder. I'm excited to give my chili a flaming hot flavor boost with that homemade chili powder, and to show all of you how I dried those peppers.

Thursday, I've got my sights set on eggplant parmesan, since I still have the 3 eggplants that my grandma sent last week. I've never made eggplant parmesan, so I'm still searching for that perfect recipe.

On Friday, my youngest sister and her little ones are coming for a visit and we're going to a tailgate party before the high school football game.

On Saturday, we plan to attend the Cleveland Garlic Festival. I can't wait to report back here about this event. Should be fun!

And finally, on Sunday, we'll either have leftovers or I'll pull a meal from the freezer.

I know that this isn't my usual meal plan format. No grocery list this week, either. I think that I may have fried my brain on the 5 online teacher training modules and tests that I needed to complete today before the school board can approve me as a substitute teacher at their meeting tomorrow. Plus, my kiddos keep getting out of bed and I can't seem to finish typing a sentence before I have to "Super Nanny" them back upstairs. I'm having serious motivation problems tonight. Does that ever happen to you?

No worries though, I'm sure that tomorrow I'll be back to my usual chipper self and that the food this week is going to be delicious!

I hope that all of you had a wonderful long weekend!

Harvest Vegetable Tart

2011-09-01T23:58:00.002-04:00

When I found this Harvest Vegetable Tart in an old issue of Light & Tasty magazine, it looked so good and was so timely with all of the garden produce that was piling up on my kitchen counter that I couldn't NOT make it.

Note: This tart is NOT a quick weeknight dinner. It involves pastry making, chopping, sauteing, mixing, and baking. But it certainly is yummy! This recipe would be perfect for a late summer brunch with friends or even a baby or bridal shower. It's pretty, impressive, and delicious.

Of course, my family enjoyed it as a Wednesday night dinner, so if you've got the time, I say, "Go for it!"

I started by making the pastry. I combined all-purpose and whole wheat flour with cornmeal, Parmesan cheese, salt, and cayenne pepper.

Then I cut in 1/2 stick of cold butter.

Next, I stirred in ice cold water by tablespoonfuls until the dough began to stick together.

After that, I dropped the stirring spoon and used my hands to work the dough until I could form it into a ball. You want to work the dough as little as possible for a tender, flaky crust. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap before placing it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

While the dough chilled, I prepared the other components of this tart.

First I gathered all of the vegetables. I am proud to say that all of these veggies were gathered from my garden and my grandma's garden save the green onions.

I sliced and chopped them all up as directed by the recipe.

Then I heated a little oil in a non-stick skillet and added the green onions and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Then add the slices of eggplant. Cook for 5 minutes or until the eggplant softens, then set aside to cool.

While the eggplant cooked, I whisked together the eggs and evaporated milk that hold the whole thing together. Season with salt and pepper.

To roll out the crust, I placed the dough on a piece of waxed paper.

Then I covered it with another sheet of waxed paper and rolled it out to fit a 9 inch pan. A tart pan is recommend for this recipe (after all, it is a tart!). However, I still don't have a tart pan, so I opted for my trusty Pampered Chef springform pan. Peel off one of the sheets of paper and press the pastry down into the pan.

Then carefully peel away to top sheet of waxed paper.

Line the pastry with a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil and put it into a 450 degree oven to bake for 8 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes, uncovered.

Remove the crust from the oven and lower the heat to 350 degrees.

While the oven cools, it's time to build the tart. Start with the eggplant. Arrange the slices with the green onions and garlic over the bottom of the tart.

Next, arrange a sliced tomato over then eggplant.

And some red and green bell pepper slices.

Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Top with 1/2 cup of frozen corn. Season with salt and pepper.

Now pour on the egg/evaporated milk mixture.

This is where things got a little "hairy". I assume that because I didn't use a tart pan, the crust shrank as it baked, decreasing the surface area that should have accommodated all of the fillings. The egg mixture ran over the sides and began to fill, then leak out of my springform pan.

Despite the filling dripping from the pan, I decided to press on. I placed a layer of aluminum foil on the bottom rack of my oven to catch the drips, then I put the tart into the oven to bake as instructed.

Luckily, it turned out great! It didn't even stick to the bottom of the pan when I removed it to a serving plate.

The only thing left to do was slice and eat!

The verdict: I loved this! The flavor of the tart was wonderful. I was tempted to eat the whole thing by myself! The eggplant provided a nice meaty/hearty element. However, if you are anti-eggplant, you might try using sliced zucchini instead. I also thought that the tart would be yummy with some mushroom slices.

My only beef was with the crust. Despite my efforts to keep it tender and flaky, I thought that the crust was a little tough. However, it tasted wonderful with the flavor of the Parmesan and that hint of heat from the cayenne pepper. I also appreciated the crunch provided by the cornmeal.

As for the rest of my family's reaction: My kiddos could not be persuaded to try this. The tart just had too many vegetables and worse yet, they were all mixed in there together (mixed veggies constitutes a "double strike" in this household). They did repeatedly comment on how great it smelled while baking, but in the end I made a freezer pizza for them. My husband, on the other hand, shared my enthusiasm for this tart. After a bout of the stomach flu early in the week, this was his first meal in 2 days. He ate slices of this tart right up!

Here's the recipe from the August/September 2006 edition of Light &Tasty magazine

Harvest Vegetable Tart
6 Servings Prep: 45 min. + chilling Bake: 30 min.

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup cold butter, cubed
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

FILLING:
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive Oil
5 slices peeled eggplant (3-1/2 inches x 1/4 inch)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 small tomato, cut into 1/4-inch slices
3 green pepper rings
3 sweet red pepper rings
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup fat-free evaporated milk (I did not use fat free)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
•In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cut in butter until
crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms
a ball. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

•Roll out pastry to fit a 9-in. tart pan with removable bottom.
Transfer pastry to pan; trim even with edge of pan. Line unpricked
pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at
450° for 8 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes longer.

•In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook onions
and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Add eggplant; cook for 4-5 minutes
or until softened. Cool for 5 minutes. Spoon into crust. Sprinkle
with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Top with tomato slices and pepper
rings. Sprinkle with corn.

•In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper; pour over
vegetables. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake at
350° for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center
comes out clean. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 piece equals 256 calories, 13 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 95 mg cholesterol, 691 mg sodium, 27 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 9 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 fat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable.

Notes: Make this tart your own! Add in vegetables that you have in your own kitchen. If you don't have any eggplant, consider zucchini.

Sesame Green Bean Salad

2011-08-30T21:59:00.000-04:00

This simple, easy to prepare, green bean salad has been my new craving lately! I still have an abundance of green beans growing in my garden, so when I found this recipe in the June/July 2006 edition of Light & Tasty magazine I thought it was a great, fresh way to prepare green beans. I love green beans, but I've got to mix it up a bit sometimes. I have since made 3 batches of this tasty salad! Not only has it accompanied our dinners as a side dish this week, at only 65 calories per serving, it has become my favorite healthy, yet flavorful late night snack.

I began this recipe by cleaning and snapping a pound of green beans.

Then I dropped them into salted water, brought it to a boil, and cooked them to a crisp-tender state. The recipe recommends boiling them for 8-10 minutes. I cooked mine for closer to 12 minutes. I didn't want them mushy, but at the same time, I preferred them a little more on the tender side.

Then I rinsed them under cold water to stop the cooking process and cool the beans down.

While the beans cooked, I gathered the dressing ingredients: canola oil, soy sauce, cider vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, and a little salt.

I poured all of the ingredients into a container with a lid and shook them up until combined.

After transferring the green beans to a serving dish, I poured the dressing over the top and tossed them lightly to coat.

To top it all off, I toasted some sesame seeds in a skillet on the stovetop until fragrant and golden brown.

Then I sprinkled them over the top of the salad. The recipe instructs to serve this salad at room temperature, but it's good cold too. In my opinion, it was even better on the second day- straight outta the fridge!

Last night, I served the salad alongside some pork loin chops that I had marinated in teriyaki all day. Mmmmm. My husband forgot to light the coals in our grill before he began cutting the grass, so I fired up my Pampered Chef grill pan. The chops, which soaked up the dressing from the green beans served beside them, were perfection! It was a lovely pairing.

If you're in the market for a grill pan and press, The Pampered Chef has them on special for just one more day! Click HERE to see the deal.

Here's the recipe:

Sesame Green Bean Salad from Light & Tasty Magazine
5 Servings Prep/Total Time: 20 min.

Ingredients
1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
Directions
•Place beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a
boil. Cook, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain
and rinse in cold water; pat dry. Place in a serving bowl.

•In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce, canola oil, sugar, vinegar,
sesame oil and salt. Pour over beans and toss to coat. Sprinkle with
sesame seeds; toss again. Serve at room temperature. Yield: 5
servings.

Nutrition Facts: 3/4 cup equals 65 calories, 3 g fat (trace saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 238 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat.

The Meal Plan 8/29- 9/4 PLUS Some Questions About How to Use Some Garden Goodies...

2011-08-29T09:10:00.001-04:00

I had the meal plan all ready to post on schedule last night, then my mom showed up for a surprise visit with a bounty of vegetables that my grandma picked from her garden to send along. A vegetable care package! Cool!

The most fascinating thing I found in all of the bags and buckets of produce was this gargantuan tomato. It was huge. 2-1/2 pounds according to my kitchen scale. Seriously impressive.

It put my regular-sized garden tomatoes to shame.

I am having some difficulty deciding what to do with a few of the items from grandma's garden. Maybe some of you can help me out?

First of all, Grandma sent bunches of flat leaf parsley. I'd like to preserve some. Do any of you have experience with this? What should I do? I've heard about freezing it in ice cube trays. Or maybe I should dry it?

She also sent 3 eggplants. I had just purchased 1 eggplant for the Garden Vegetable Tart that I plan to make later this week, so now I have 4 eggplants. How should I prepare it? Do any of you have a favorite recipe? I have fried it before, but I'd love to try a different recipe.

Finally, she sent a whole bucket full of red hot chili peppers. I was thinking about drying them. If anyone has tips, I'd be happy to read them. Also, have any of you ever dried pepper seeds and planted them the next year? My grandma suggested that I save some of the seeds for planting. I was just wondering if that really works and how I should go about it. Sound off, my pepper lovin' readers!

Okay, so now for the meal plan. I only had to plan for 4 meals this week, and I'm only cooking 3. Tuesday I'm pulling some barbecue out of the freezer to heat for sandwiches. On Thursdays during the school year, my daughters attend an evening children's program at our church, where I also teach a class. They serve dinner there. Love that! On Saturday we will probably cook out with our neighbors and on Sunday we have 2 birthday parties to attend. While I'm only cooking three meals, I'll probably keep pretty busy in the kitchen using up all of those vegetables!

Monday August 29th

Grilled Teriyaki Pork Loin
Sesame Green Bean Salad

Tuesday August 30th

Barbecued Brisket from the freezer
Cucumber Ribbon Salad

Wednesday August 31st

Harvest Vegetable Tart

Thursday September 1st

Dinner @ church for me and the girls.
Leftovers for my husband. : )

Friday September 2nd

Cheesesteak Pizza

Saturday September 3rd

Cookout

Sunday September 4th

Whole family @ a birthday party

Grocery List

Produce

1 lb. green beans
2-3 onions
garlic
2 cucumbers
4 radishes
red onion
green onions
egg plant
tomato
green pepper
red bell pepper

Meat

2 lbs. pork loin
4 lbs. beef brisket
4 Steak-ums

Deli

kalamata olives

Dairy

ATHENOS Crumbled Feta Cheese with Basil & Tomato
butter
grated Parmesan
2 eggs
Pillsbury Thin Crust Refrigerated Pizza dough
Shredded mozzarella/provolone
milk

Canned Goods

Teriyaki marinade
soy sauce
cider vinegar
canola oil
sesame oil
ketchup
beer
white vinegar
liquid smoke
Italian dressing
evaporated milk

Dry Goods

sugar
sesame seeds
brown sugar
smoked paprika
oregano
cornstarch
all-purpose flour
whole wheat flour
cornmeal
cayenne pepper

Freezer

1/2 cup frozen corn

Have a great week, everyone!

My New Favorite Pasta Salad

2011-08-25T23:08:00.003-04:00

A couple of weeks ago my husband's sister came to visit with her husband and our adorable 10-month-old niece. Of course, it is my nature to plan meals for company. On the night of their arrival, we planned for a low-key cookout. However, I wanted to provide some out-of-this-world side dishes to accompany the burgers and brats we prepared on the grill. I already know that they are fans of my go-to Rotini Salad, but I was on the lookout for something new. Enter Elizabeth's Edible Experience. Elizabeth always posts recipes on her blog that make my mouth water. This recipe for Tomato Feta Pasta Salad, which she adapted from an Ina Garten recipe for her book club, was no exception. In the way that recipes often evolve, I tweaked this recipe a bit to my own tastes. The result was amazing. I still love my rotini salad, but this new recipe "takes the cake" since I was in the mood for something a little different.

I began this recipe by adding cooked rotini pasta to a big serving bowl with tomatoes and chopped cucumber that I had picked from my garden. Also in there are sun-dried tomatoes. Elizabeth's recipe called for sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. I buy mine in bulk from the produce section of a local family-owned market. They are not packed in oil, therefore so much cheaper than the ones in jars! I just snipped them into pieces with kitchen scissors, added them to the bottom of the bowl and drizzled a little olive oil over them while the pasta boiled.

Since I was missing some of the components of this salad, I went ahead and made the dressing before heading to the store to gather those last few ingredients. I combined the ingredients for the dressing: more sun-dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and flat-leaf parsley in the blending cup for my immersion blender.

My Cuisinart CSB-76BC SmartStick 200-Watt Immersion Hand Blender, Brushed Chromemade super quick work of combining the dressing ingredients. Of course, if you don't have an immersion blender, you could just blend this in a regular blender or use a whisk for a chunkier dressing.

The resulting dressing was super thick and oh-so-flavorful!

I poured the dressing over the salad and stirred it in.

Then later, (after a trip to the store) I added in the feta, Parmesan, and sliced black olives.

Here it is, all mixed together in the bowl.

This salad was super yummy! However, once I added in all of that cheese it really soaked up the dressing. I think that the next time I make this I will increase the dressing amount by 1-1/2 to 2 X's. I like my pasta salad just a little more on the creamy side. And like I said, the dressing is delicious. You can't possibly go wrong by adding more.

I love how the cheese and dressing cling to the pasta and find their way in between each little spiral. Plus packed with all of those other lovely ingredients, this pasta salad ROCKED!

Tomato Feta Pasta Salad from Elizabeth's Edible Experience adapted from Ina Garten and adapted again by me

Ingredients
1 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta
Kosher salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 ripe roma tomatoes, medium-diced
2 firm cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 small can of sliced black olives
10 oz. pound good feta cheese
6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

For the Dressing:

5 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
12 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Stir in:

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, parsley, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper with a whisk, blender, or immersion blender. Pour the dressing over the salad. Sprinkle with the parmesan and toss well.

Notes: Next time I will increase the dressing amount by 1-1/2 to 2 X's.

We called this salad a big GPS. Translation: Big. Greek. Pasta. Salad. With the flavors of the feta, cucumber, and olives, this salad boasts a decidedly Greek flavor.

Looking ahead to your Labor Day cookout menu...this would be an excellent addition to the line-up! Enjoy!

Banana Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-08-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Last week, after our neighbors invited us to their Saturday evening cookout, I immediately spied the very ripe bananas on our kitchen counter and texted back that I would bring dessert. I've been meaning to share my mom's banana layer cake (While I'm pretty sure that my mom didn't write this recipe, it's one of the cakes I remember her making often in my youth) here for a long time, but with so many new recipes out there, it just kept getting pushed back on my to-do list. The cookout invitation created a perfect excuse to make this sweet banana cake covered in creamy, rich, cream cheese frosting, then share it with all of you! The cake is delicious all by it's lonesome, but after smoothing on the decadent frosting there is a definite "WOW" sentiment shared by all who try it.

When I begin a baking project, or any cooking project with a number of steps, I like to do all of the prep work at the beginning so that when it comes to combining ingredients, I can just dump and mix.

Since this is a banana cake, I began by preparing the bananas. While this cake has a lovely banana flavor, you only need one cup. I grabbed for 3 of the very ripe bananas sitting on my countertop.

When it comes to baking with bananas, my motto is "The riper the better". Extra ripe bananas "mash" easier and they are extra sweet which adds to the overall flavor of the cake.

How ripe is too ripe? As far as I am concerned, as long as there is no mold on the fruit, they are fair game.

My banana "mashing" tip: use a pastry cutter to reduce them to a sweet, slimy, goo.

Next, I sifted the salt, flour, and baking soda together.

Then I prepared the pecans. I filled my Pampered Chef Chopper full of whole pecans...

and turned it over to chop, chop, chop!

In seconds I had a nice pile of finely chopped nuts ready to stir into the cake and sprinkle over the top for a garnish.

Finally, I prepared my cake pans. I buttered the pans first. Then I set the pan on a sheet of wax paper to trace the shape with a knife.

The knife leaves a nice, visible circle on the paper.

Cut out the paper liner x 2,

then press the liners into the bottom of the greased cake pans.

Now for just one final step in pan preparation: sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour into each cake pan and shake it around until the sides are dusted. Knock the pans on the countertop to loosen the excess flour, then discard.

With the baking pans ready to go, it is finally time to mix up the cake batter that will fill them. Start by creaming the butter and sugar together.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the flour alternately with

the buttermilk, mashed bananas, and vanilla. Mix each addition until just combined for a soft, tender cake.

Finally, gently stir in 1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans until incorporated into the batter.

Pour half of the batter into one of the prepared pans,

and half into the other. You want the batter distributed as evenly as possible so that the layers of the cake are equal in size.

Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until they test done. Then remove them from the oven and cool on a rack for about 10 minutes.

Loosen the edges of the cakes with a knife.

Next, set the cakes on your countertop with cooling racks on top.

Then, invert!

Take away the pan and admire your perfect cakes while breathing in the sweet banana smell filling your workspace.

But don't get so carried away that you forget to peel away the wax paper liner...

Notice that my cake finished just a tad on the dark side? I shut off the oven timer when it sounded, but forgot to take the cake out of the oven. Duh! This one baked about 5 minutes too long. Luckily, the delicious smell of the still-baking cakes grabbed my attention and I rescued them before they burned!

While the cakes finish cooling, begin making the frosting by creaming together a stick of unsalted butter and 8 oz. of cream cheese.

Add the vanilla.

And sift in the powdered sugar. Then mix until smooth.

With the cakes cooled and the frosting mixed, it's time to build this mouth-watering dessert!

Start by placing one of the cakes on a serving plate or cake stand.

Add about 1/4 of the frosting to the top of the first layer.

Smooth it evenly over the surface of the cake.

Now apply the second layer. Take care to center the cake exactly over the first layer to avoid a lop-sided final product. Add more of the frosting to the top of the second layer and spread it out before covering the sides.

I use a big spatula to "rough coat" the cake first, then I use a smaller, metal spatula for more precision to finish the cake.

Since I was not decorating this cake, there was no reason to perfectly smooth the frosting.

Instead, I made a nice, "swirly" pattern over the cake by moving my spatula in a half-circle motion all over the surface.

Now it's time for a garnish. I sprinkled some more finely chopped pecans over the top.

Tah-dah!

Now the only thing left to do is slice....

and serve!

I hope that you all enjoy this cake as much as my family does. We've loved this recipe for years. It was certainly a hit at the cookout!

Banana Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans + more for garnish

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift dry ingredients together. Combine buttermilk, bananas, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the batter alternately with the buttermilk mixture, beating until just combined after each addition. Stir in the pecans. Grease and flour cake pans (line with wax paper if desired). Divide batter evenly between the pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes or until cakes test done. Remove the cakes to a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then invert and finish cooling to room temperature. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1-8 oz. package cream cheese
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1-3/4 to 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
finely chopped pecans (for garnish)

Cream cream cheese and butter together. Mix in vanilla. Sift in the powdered sugar. Mix until smooth.

Assembly: Place 1st layer of cake on serving plate. Top with 1/4 of the frosting and smooth evenly. Top with second layer. Smooth on remaining frosting. Garnish with pecans.

Note: Refrigerate cake until ready to serve and refrigerate any leftovers.

Meal Plan and Grocery List 8/22- 8/28

2011-08-21T22:52:00.001-04:00

I was all set to come up with a new, exciting meal plan for this week. However, after a busy Saturday of catching up on projects around the house topped off with a late night at a neighborhood cookout, we were up and running early this morning to make it to our city's annual Autism Walk. By the time that we returned home this afternoon, we were all beat! My brain is about as useful a Jello right now. I decided to recycle a meal plan from last August instead.

Also, because school starts this week, I made a batch of Six Week Muffins to bake up for a quick breakfast on the days that we are rushing out of the door AND I baked dozens of Monster Cookies which are perfect for packing in lunches or for after school snacks. This recipe makes a ton of cookies. Eat some this week and freeze the rest for later!

I have made all of these recipes before, you can just click on the links below to get the recipes.

Monday August 22nd

Oven BBQ Chicken

Tuesday August 23rd

BBQ Chicken Salad

Wednesday August 24th

Easy Ravioli Bake

Thursday August 25th

Tomato Provolone Sandwiches with Pesto Mayonnaise

Friday August 26th

Bacon Onion and Mushroom Pizza
Sorry for the repeat pizza recipe from last week. Although, if you tried it, you might be ready to eat this pizza again!

Saturday August 27th

Leftovers

Sunday August 28th

Zucchini-Sausage Skillet

Grocery List

Produce

3-4 onions
garlic
lettuce
4-5 tomatoes
green onion
arugula
mushrooms
flat leaf parsley
2 zucchini
4 red potatoes

Meat

2 whole chickens, about 3-1/2 lbs. each
6 slices bacon
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage

Dairy

butter
shredded cheddar
8 oz. shredded Italian blend cheese
grated Parmesan
4 slices provolone
8 oz white cheddar

Canned Goods

cider vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
molasses
tomato paste
peanut oil
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn
Ranch dressing
Spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
light mayonnaise
refrigerated pesto
olive oil

Dry Goods

kosher salt
crushed red pepper
paprika
chili powder
brown sugar
Sliced sourdough or Italian bread

Freezer

2 lbs frozen cheese ravioli

Note: While my meal plan is pre-made, I'll still be posting some new recipes this week, starting with a lovley banana layer cake and a sesame green bean salad. So stay tuned!

Grandma's Cukes n' Onions PLUS a Yummy Cucumber-Pastrami Panini

2011-08-18T23:29:00.002-04:00

My grandma's marinated cucumbers and onions were a summer staple through my childhood. The recipe is so good that it has become a time-honored tradition. My family is still eating them today. A July trip home to the farm just wouldn't seem right if I couldn't take a bite of this crunchy cucumber concoction. I have a whole list of foods in that represent summertime in my mind. Just off of the top of my head: strawberry shortcake, corn on the cob, rhubarb cream pie, fresh green beans with potatoes and bacon, caprese salad, and Kentucky Grilled Chicken are all foods that I look forward to each and every summer.

I can't remember a summer that I didn't enjoy the sweet and sour crunch of these cucumbers alongside whatever we pulled off of the grill. The funny thing is, I also can't remember ever preparing this dish for myself. I always just find a jarful in my mom or my grandma's fridge each summer.

Considering that my one hill of cucumber plants has already produced dozens of pickles, I decided that it was time for me to make a batch of cukes n' onions for my very own fridge. I've already canned pickles and made a delicious cucumber ribbon salad and more tiny little cucumbers keep showing up on the vine in my garden! It was definitely time for this nostalgic recipe. One of the great things about grandma's recipe is that when you eat all of the yummy pickles from the marinade, you don't need to start over. You can just add more sliced cucumbers to the vinegar-sugar-cream mixture.

Many of you probably use or have tried a recipe like this. I've also tried a few. But I'm biased. I like Grandma's the best.

You want to start out by peeling the cucumbers. I forgot this step the first time that I made the recipe. Live and learn! I realized that Grandma probably always peeled the cucumbers first because the skins seem to grow tougher as they marinate.

After the cucumbers are peeled, thinly slice and add them to salted water. Let them marinate in the salt water for "as long as it takes you to make dinner". Not very specific, I know, but those were grandma's instructions. I think that I let them sit for about an hour. Grandma claims that this helps to remove some of the bitter taste from the cukes. I'm gonna have to back her up on that one, because like I said, her cukes n' onions are the best!

Remove the cucumbers from the brine and rinse thoroughly, then drain.

While the cucumbers drain, add equal parts of vinegar and sugar to a quart-sized canning jar or Tupperware for the marinade. I used my new favorite storage container- a Ball 32 oz. re-usable freezer container.

Then pour in some cream or half and half. I've seen similar recipes that use mayonnaise instead of cream, but this is how Grandma does it and it works!

Next, drop a thinly sliced onion into the marinade.

Then add the cucumber slices (please ignore the peel on some of those cukes in the picture. This was my first batch...before I realized the error of my ways...). Now put a lid on your container and "shake it like crazy".

I like to let mine sit in the refrigerator overnight before eating them.

Yum! For such a simple recipe, it sure packs a flavor punch. The cucumbers and onions are sweet, salty, sour, AND creamy!

Grandma Shirley's Cucumbers n' Onions recipe written based on a phone conversation with my grandma. (Translation: I had to do some guesswork. If this isn't to your liking, "tweak" the ratios to perfection in your own kitchen.)

2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 cups water
2 tablespoons salt
1/2-3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2-3/4 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup half and half or heavy cream
chopped parsley for garnish

In a medium bowl, mix the salt into the water until dissolved. Soak the peeled, sliced cucumbers in the brine for about an hour. Rinse under cold water and drain. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, vinegar, and cream. Add in the sliced onion, then the rinsed cucumber. If the marinade does not cover the cucumbers, add additional vinegar and sugar (in equal parts) until the cucumbers are covered. Place a lid over the container and shake well until everything is combined. Refrigerate overnight. Serve with your favorite summer dinner.

After enjoying Grandma's Cucumbers n' Onions on their own for a couple of days, I found a panini recipe that used marinated cucumbers in the sandwich. Perfect!

Our family has succumbed to a panini addiction this summer. I attribute it to my new Pampered Chef Grill Pan and Grill Press. This cookware duo turns out perfect paninis every time. I've had fun coming up with panini combinations over the last couple of weeks. I know that I mentioned this in an earlier post, but the Grill Pan and Grill Press are on special this month if you're interested. Click HERE to see the deal.

I began this recipe, (which was inspired by a recipe in the November 2003 issue of Better Homes & Gardens) by creating a mustard spread. The original recipe called for honey mustard and prepared horseradish. I didn't have either. I ended up mixing together some honey mustard salad dressing, some Gulden's Spicy Mustard, and a little wasabi (for that horseradish kick). It seemed to work really well!

Lesson: if you don't have the exact ingredients on hand for a recipe, improvise with similar ingredients. But DO taste the ingredients or mixture of ingredients first before applying them to the entire recipe.

Spread the mustard over one side of each bread slice.

Top half of the bread slices, mustard side up, with cheese. I used Muenster. Swiss would be really good here too. Arrange some of the marinated cucumbers over the cheese. Then top with some diced onion.

Another tip: during the summer burger-and-hotdog months, I like to keep a screw-top jelly jar of diced onions in the fridge for use as a condiment. Dicing onions once a week or even every two weeks cuts down on the tears!

Back to the sandwich...

Pile on some sliced pastrami. (I used turkey pastrami).

Top with another slice of mustard-"schmeared" bread. Then brush liberally with olive oil.

Place the sandwich in a pre-heated grill pan. Apply the pre-heated grill press or a brick wrapped in foil to the top of the panini.

Cook for a couple of minutes, until golden brown on one side, then flip the sandwich and cook on the other side.

Now slice that sammie in half! But don't take a bite just yet.....

You're supposed to dip it in Thousand Island dressing. At least, that's what the original recipe recommended.

Okay. Twist my arm...

Oh man. That's good stuff. This was a great panini!

Here's the recipe:

Pastrami-Cucumber Panini

3-4 tablespoons honey mustard
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
8 slices hearty wheat or rye bread (I used both whole grain white and light wheat)
1/2 cup Grandma's Cucumbers n' Onions (see above)
2 tablespoons diced red or white onion
6 oz. thinly sliced pastrami (I used turkey)
4 oz. Swiss or Muenster cheese slices
Olive oil
Thousand Island Dressing (for dipping)

Directions:
COMBINE HONEY MUSTARD AND HORSERADISH. SPREAD SMALL AMOUNT ON ONE SIDE OF EACH SLICE OF THE BREAD. CREATE SANDWICH IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER: BREAD WITH SPREAD, CHEESE, PASTRAMI, CUCUMBER WITH ONION, MORE CHEESE, AND ANOTHER SLICE OF BREAD. BRUSH WITH OLIVE OIL. GRILL UNTIL CHEESE IS MELTED.

Tip: If you don't have a grill pan and press or a brick wrapped in foil, try using a George Foreman Grill to press and grill the paninis.

Trial and Error Pan-Fried Zucchini

2011-08-16T23:56:00.000-04:00

Whatever shortcomings our first-year garden may have, it sure is producing a lot of zucchini! We've been enjoying zucchini in a number of dishes lately. But I had not yet prepared a favorite from my childhood, pan-fried zucchini...until today.

To see more of my favorite zucchini recipes click HERE.

When lunch-time rolled around today, I looked at my most recent zucchini harvest piled on the countertop and decided that it was time to pan-fry some zucchini.

I didn't have a recipe, so I just started grabbing some of my favorite basic breading ingredients: milk, eggs, panko (Japanese bread crumbs), Parmesan cheese, and seasoning salt.

In one coating tray, I whisked together an egg and some milk. Then in the other, I combined the panko, Parmesan, and seasoning salt.

I sliced the zucchini into 1/4" (approximately) slices.

I first dipped the zucchini into the egg/milk mixture.

Then I coated them with the panko mixture. I chose panko because of that special added "crunch" it brings to a breading.

Then I heated about 1/2" of olive oil in a skillet and dropped the breaded zucchini in. First I fried them on one side and then flipped them over to fry the other until golden brown.

I forgot to snap a picture of the frying step, but here they are, draining on paper towels afterward. Notice that I took a flaming hot bite out of one, straight from the skillet. I sure do miss the skin on the roof of my mouth right now...

Here's the thing: While I really enjoyed the flavor of the Parmesan and the crunch of the panko, the panko breading did not stay attached to the zucchini during frying. It was kind of patchy on the finished product.

Then I remembered that when my mom made fried zucchini when I was a kid, she just breaded them with some seasoned flour and nothing else.

I decided to try it her way.

I fried them up.

And drained em' on the paper towel-lined plate.

These were good, but I missed that panko crunch and the subtle bite of the Parmesan. But hey, at least the breading stuck this time!

I resolved to combine the two methods. I stirred the flour into the panko-parmesan mixture.

After breading the next batch in the new breading mixture, I dropped them into the skillet.

Ahhh. Perfection! The breading stuck to the zucchini and it was perfectly tasty and crunchy. Score! The only thing missing? After tasting these, I decided that they needed a little Italian seasoning. I've added it to the recipe below.

Here's a close up. You can actually see "the crunch". YUM!

Here is my recommendation for the perfect pan-fried zucchini:

Pan-Fried Zucchini

2 small or 1 firm medium-sized zucchini, sliced into 1/4" rounds
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup panko
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon Italian blend seasoning
Olive oil
Additional salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

In a shallow dish or coating tray, whisk together milk and eggs. Combine panko, Parmesan, flour, and seasonings. Pour oil 1/4"-1/2" deep in a heavy skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Coat zucchini slices first with the milk/egg mixture, then dredge in the panko mixture. Place in the heated oil. Fry on one side for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and fry for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown on the other side. Remove to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Season with additional salt and pepper as desired.

Notes: I fried these in olive oil. You can also use vegetable oil, canola oil, OR do it like my mom did and fry them in butter (YUM!).

Getting Ready for Fall! Meal Plan and Grocery List 8/15- 8/21

2011-08-14T22:04:00.000-04:00

I sat down tonight to plan our week of meals right after I typed up our September-December family calendar. I have to admit that I had a little bit of a panic attack while looking at all of the "stuff" we've got going on.

This fall, for the first time since I began this blog nearly three years ago, I will be working outside of the home 2 days of the week. On Mondays and Wednesdays (while both girls are in school) I will be substitute teaching. Also, Wednesday evening is my deadline to submit the weekly food column I write to my editor, so I'll probably write the column on Tuesdays. On Thursdays I am a personal cook (I can't really call myself a chef) for a local family. Plus, one night each week (Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday depending on the week) I will teach adult cooking classes, AND every other Thursday evening I will teach the 4th grade class at our church. And that's just me! There are 3 other people in this household with activities of their own. YIKES!

I know that many of my readers are juggling similarly busy schedules. So this week's meal plan features a couple of meals that you all can double and put half in the freezer for another day. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been stocking our freezer with meals for the busy fall schedule. So far I have my Grandma Bailey's Zucchini Casserole, Chicken Enchiladas, Meatballs, and a batch of Beef BBQ stashed in our basement freezer for dinner-at-the-ready. I will add 2 more meals to my "food bank" this week, because Lord knows when I'm going to do laundry, let alone cook dinner this fall!

If you're interested in creating your own store of meals, I'd recommend checking out my posts about Stocking Your Freezer and Batch Cooking Chicken.

Here's what I've got planned for this week:

Monday and Tuesday August 15th and 16th

We had out-of-town company this weekend and I cooked a ton of food. We have plenty of leftovers, so I hope that we can eat our way through those in the next couple of days before I need to cook again.

Wednesday August 17th

Artichoke Chicken Bake
Make 2 and freeze 1!

Thursday August 18th

Pastrami Paninis

Friday August 19th

Bacon, Onion, and Mushroom Pizza

Saturday August 20th

Grilling (Burgers or Chicken Breast)
Grandma's Cucumbers and Onions
Greek Pasta Salad

Sunday August 21st

Sloppy Joe Sandwiches
Freeze half!

Grocery List

Produce

garlic
5-6 onions
5 cucumbers
red onion
4 Roma tomatoes
flat leaf parsley
mushrooms

Deli

6 oz. thinly sliced pastrami (I used turkey pastrami)
4 oz. Swiss cheese slices (or your favorite white cheese, I'm using Muenster this week)

Meat

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2-1/2 lbs hamburger
6-8 bacon slices

Dairy

cream cheese
Parmesan
butter
half and half
1 lb. feta cheese
6 oz. white cheddar cheese
1 (11-ounce) can refrigerated French bread dough

Canned Goods

chicken broth
dry white wine (or white cooking wine)
14 oz. can artichoke hearts (not marinated)
vinegar
honey mustard
prepared horseradish
Thousand Island dressing
olive oil
red wine vinegar
sun-dried tomatoes in oil
small can sliced black olives
mustard
ketchup
cream of mushroom soup
Worcestershire sauce

Dry Goods

flour
8 slices hearty wheat or rye bread
sugar
1 lb. dry rotini or fusili (spiral) pasta
brown sugar
hamburger buns
cornmeal

Happy cooking, everyone!

For my readers in Ohio and Indiana: Next week I will be posting my fall cooking class schedule with locations. If you'd like to see me live and in action, check it out! I'd love to see some of you there!

Crock Pot Rosemary Roast

2011-08-12T00:15:00.002-04:00

Crock pot roast is a staple in the rotation of meals in my kitchen. I've got beef in freezer and it's easy to throw it into the crockpot and go about my day. I almost always do it the same way; onion soup mix, rosemary, potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion. You can check out my crock pot pot roast recipe HERE.

A while back my youngest sister sent me this recipe that she found on cdkitchen.com, prefaced with this message: "Looks yummy. Tired of the same boring roast. You should try it!" I'm always up for a new recipe (as you can probably tell from looking at this blog), so I decided to give it a whirl.

I'm glad that I did. Although there is a lot going on with this recipe ingredient-wise, it didn't taste all that different from my go-to pot roast recipe. However, the gravy that this recipe produced was a little sweeter, spicier, and thicker than I get from my regular pot roast recipe. Definitely a bonus.

To begin this recipe, I heated some oil in a skillet. Then I rubbed the roast with a combination of rosemary, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. I popped the seasoned beef into the skillet and browned it for a couple of minutes on both sides.

You're not trying to cook the meat until "done" here, you're just going for this nice, seared, browned effect on both sides.

While the roast sears, add a can of cream of mushroom soup, a can of diced tomatoes, a packet of onion soup mix, a packet of ranch seasoning, a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, and a bay leaf to the crock pot.

Stir it all up. I admit, at this point I was skeptical about this slurry of flavors. Thank goodness that it turned out okay!

The recipe called for 2 cups of broth. I just added 1- 1 and 1/2 cups of water to thin the mixture.

Add the roast to the soup/seasoning/tomato mixture. Turn it to coat.

Then top it off with a combination a baby potatoes, onions, celery, and carrots. Put a lid on it and cook at the lowest setting for 8-10 hours or until the veggies are done and the roast is fall-apart tender. Note: I like to stir the contents of the crock pot once or twice during the cooking time so that every component has a chance to soak in the sauce and cooks more evenly. (Yes, I realize that this is a slow cooking faux paux and that I am supposed to leave the lid on to keep the heat from escaping, thus elongating cook time. This hands-on cook just can't resist the temptation!)

To prepare this roast for the table, I removed all of the meat from the crock pot and broke it into chunks while removing any remaining fat from the roast.

I was left with the veggies and gravy in the crock pot. Using a slotted spoon, I removed the veggies to a serving platter.

Then, I strained everything left in the crock pot into a pan for the gravy. Usually, after this step, I thicken the gravy with a little cornstarch and water. No need for that this time! This sauce was gravy-boat-ready and delicious after I strained out the "chunks".

I piled the roast over the veggies on the serving platter a placed the gravy next the plate on our table so that everyone could create their plate to taste.

This dinner was a hit! We all enjoyed a twist on my usual pot roast. Thanks to my sister, Angie for bringing this recipe to my attention.

Here's the recipe, which I adapted slightly from cdkitchen.com

Amazing Rosemary Roast
altered from CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
Serves/Makes: 4 | Difficulty Level: 3 | Ready In: > 5 hrs

Ingredients:
1 (3-4 lb size) beef roast (boneless shoulder, round bone shoulder, chuck roast, or small rump roast)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 packet onion soup mix
1 envelope ranch dip, dry mix
1 can whole tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons brown sugar (packed firm)
4 carrots
7 red baby potatoes
1 large onion, quartered
2 stalks celery
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cup water (depending on how much juice you like)
1 tablespoon rosemary
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon basil
1 tablespoon oregano
4 cloves garlic
oil (canola, vegetable or olive)

Directions:
Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place roast in skillet with oil and sear (brown over high heat) on all sides. Marinate roast with rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper, basil and oregano until beef is completely covered while it's in the skillet. Hold it up in the pan with a long handle cooking fork if necessary or with tongs. Remove roast from pan, leaving drippings, if any, in the pan. Place roast in slow cooker.

Add the vegetables (and canned tomatoes), broth, cream of mushroom soup, onion and ranch dip packets, brown sugar, bay leaf and water. Add salt and pepper. Add garlic cloves.

Cover and leave in crockpot for desired time of cooking. You can cook on high 3-4 hours, medium 6-8 or low 10+.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

2011-08-10T22:48:00.000-04:00

If you're following the meal plan this week, you were probably expecting a rosemary pot roast to be featured as tonight's recipe. Unfortunately, I forgot to remove the roast from my freezer to thaw (don't you just hate it when that happens?!). So I bumped tomorrow's post about these wonderful Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches to tonight. Stay tuned tomorrow to read how that pot roast turns out.

While I had originally planned to make these sandwiches for dinner, I made them for lunch instead. Lately, our summer days are so busy that lunch is a rushed affair. I'm turning out cold cut sandwiches or heating up leftovers as quickly as possible before we are off and running to the next daycamp, swim lesson, or playdate. However, last week, we found ourselves stuck in the house on a stormy summer day with nothing planned. Ahhh. I don't know about you, but I need a day like this every once in a while to re-group (and fold laundry). Since I had the time, and I was craving something different from our usual round-up of lunchtime staple foods, I decided to make these sandwiches.

Here's how they came together:

First, I thick-sliced some zucchini (fresh from our garden!) and a red onion. Then I halved a lemon.

Next, I cut some rolls (purchased from the bakery at our local supermarket) in half and brushed them with olive oil.

To the remaining olive oil, add some balsamic vinegar.

Liberally brush the zucchini, onion, and lemon with the oil and vinegar mixture. Sidenote: if you're wondering about those spots on my sliced zucchini pictured below, it's because they had started to freeze. Someone "accidentally" altered one of the temperature settings inside of our fridge. I had lots of frosty stuff the next day. I'm just glad that I figured out what was wrong before I called a repair person! Gotta love those mischievous 3 year olds!

This recipe was designed for the grill, but because of the rain, I enlisted my Pampered Chef Grill Pan.

Sales pitch time... I love this grill pan! It arrived in my kit when I became a PC consultant back in February. Paired with the grill press, which is one of the first items I purchased with the points I earned after my first Pampered Chef show, I use it way more than I ever imagined for everything from grilled chicken and burgers to paninis and bacon. This month, the Grill Pan Set is on special. You can get the grill pan, press, scraper, and recipe cards for $34 off! If you're in the market for a grill pan/press you can check out the deal HERE. The grilling season is too short for me here in Northeastern Ohio, so I'm all about being able to bring the grilling inside!

I grilled the veggies until they were tender-crisp and had some of those beautiful grill marks on them. Oh, and I put the lemon halves on, cut side down, to grill too.

I removed the veggies and then placed the cut side of the rolls down on the grill pan until they began to toast.

Once toasted, place the bottom half of each roll on a plate. Now we're ready to build a sandwich!

First, the zucchini.

Then the onion.

And now for some feta cheese. I used a tomato-basil feta that I had leftover from the cucumber ribbon salad I made a while back. YUM!

For a finishing touch, I squeezed a little of the grilled lemon over the top.

Wow! These flavors were wonderful together. I felt like I was dining on a bistro's patio when I sat down on our deck to polish this sandwich off.

Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches adapted from yummly.com

4 ciabatta or other sandwich rolls (split)
1 lemon (halved)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 zucchini (summer squash cut lengthwise in 1/2 inch slices)
1 red onion (cut into 1/2 inch slices)
2 oz tomato-basil feta cheese (crumbled)

Method
1. Lightly brush one tablespoon olive oil on the cut sides of the rolls and lemon halves; set aside.
2. Combine remaining oil and vinegar in a small bowl.
3. Brush a little of mixture on zucchini and onion, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Grill zucchini and onion, over medium heat, until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
5. Meanwhile toast rolls, cut side down, about 3 minutes.
6. Place vegetables on rolls, top with feta and drizzle with remaining vinegar and oil and squeezed lemon juice.

Southern Fried Green Tomatoes and Beer Battered Green Beans

2011-08-09T00:38:00.007-04:00

The county fair was going on in our town last week. There are so many things that I love about fair week, and one of them is the FOOD! Rows upon rows of fried delicacies at my disposal...YUM! I captured this birdseye view of the food vendors at our fair from the top of the Ferris wheel. The glowing lights and the smell of the hot oil were calling to me...

I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur of fair food because I spent so much time at the fair while growing up. I was in 4-H and FFA, so when fair week rolled around in my town, my family practically lived at the fair all week while caring for and showing livestock and working our shifts in the buildings.

It might not surprise you to know that my mom was a meal planner too. She often had meals and snacks packed for us during fair week. We also ate our share of lunches and dinners at the Pork Producers stand and when at the state fair, at the Cattlemen's Association. Plus, there were the church, Lion's Club, and local 4-H club food stands that we frequented. (Tip: if you're looking to save a buck at your county fair, head for these establishments. The food is less expensive and often healthier). There were a few junk food splurges during fair week too. No fair week would be complete without a sugary elephant ear or a crispy corn dog, after all. I always made sure to try something new at the fair. It's where I tried my first gyro. And let's not forget those fragrant Italian sausages served up with sauteed onions and peppers. Mmm. If it's fried or served on a stick you're certain to find it at the county fair.

This year, I set out to find something I had not yet tried. For years I've seen people walking around the fair, barbarically tearing at those giant smoked turkey legs. This was something that I'd always avoided. To me, a whole upper leg of a turkey seemed like too much of a commitment. Not to mention, I thought it made the people who were gnawing on them as they strolled the midway look like cavemen! But since I'm all about trying new things, I decided that a monstrous drumstick would be my dinner at the fair last week.

To escape judgement (or maybe to prove a point), I didn't walk with my super-sized drumstick. Rather, I sat down at a table and picked the meat off of the bone as delicately as possible. I'm sure that I was the picture of grace. Miss Manners would have been proud...

The vendor where I purchased my drumstick had conveniently sliced it down the sides for easier removal of the meat.

Here is mine, laid out in front of me.

I have to say that I'm sorry I never tried this before. It was awesomely delicious! It tasted a lot like the meat from the hog roasts that I attended in my youth. The turkey was perfectly smoked and delicious!

After dinner, we decided to look for dessert on our way to tour the livestock barns. Just outside of one of the dairy barns I spotted this:

Holy cow! (pun intended) this operation put my little ice cream maker to shame! I decided to stick around to observe.

The gentleman from Rader's Old Fashion Ice Cream was kind enough to tell me about the "Hit or Miss" (the name for the engine that powers this ice cream maker. If you heard it work you would understand.) and walk me through the process...

before giving us a taste of this wonderful ice cream.

Then it was "straight to the source" for some calf cuddles.

We had a wonderful time at the fair, but I left that night still craving one thing- my favorite guilty fair food indulgence: a big ol' basket of fried veggies! I used to love the fried vegetable stand at our fair. They'd serve up a heapin' helping of fried broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, zucchini, and onions flaming hot out of the grease. Although I knew the food was too hot, I couldn't resist taking a bite as I departed the long line of fellow fried food junkies and burned off a colony of taste buds. Every. Single. Time.

Sure, I'm well aware that frying them completely defeats and depletes the purpose of vegetables, but this rational thought doesn't make fried veggies any less tasty! Everything in moderation, people...

The next day I decided to see what was available for frying in my garden.

All of these nice, green vegetables sure look healthy don't they?

Well, not for long!

I began by preparing the veggies.

I cleaned and snapped the green beans.

And I sliced the tomatoes.

And the onions.

Then I cut the zucchini into spears.

Hey, I only haul my deep fryer out of the basement a couple of times a year (for Halloween donuts and Super Bowl hot wings). I might as well put it to work!

The tomatoes needed a different preparation and frying method than the other veggies, so I started with them.

I've never tasted a fried green tomato, although I've been holding onto this recipe from Paula Deen's "Deen Family Cookbook" for quite some time. Miss Paula got this recipe from none other than Bea Arthur. Like, Golden Girl Bea Arthur. Pretty cool. Bea liked to coat her tomatoes with sour cream before breading them.

Once the tomatoes are coated with sour cream, bread them with a mixture of cornmeal, sugar, salt, and black and cayenne pepper.

Then drop em' into hot oil and fry on both sides until golden. Lift them out with a metal slotted spoon and drain on paper towels before serving.

Because I had never tasted a fried green tomato before, I was not sure what to expect. I got the sweet taste from the sugar, the sour from the sour cream, the crunch from the cornmeal and the spice from the peppers in that first bite. I liked them. But I was the only one. The rest of my family wasn't crazy about them.

I did see a recipe today that had the tomatoes first dipped in flour, then an egg wash, then a panko-thyme breading before frying. They looked delicious! Maybe my family would like that recipe better?

Dinner wasn't a complete loss. We still had green beans, onions, and zucchini to fry.

For these, I used a beer batter. Beer batter is so easy to make- and so very tasty! Just mix equal parts of light beer...

and flour together. Then season with salt and pepper.

Coat whatever you wish to fry in the batter.

And drop it into 375 degree oil and fry until golden brown, flipping with a metal fork if necessary.

Drain on paper towel-lined plates and season to taste before serving.

I loved the green beans! My family liked them too, although their favorite part of our nutritious (Ha!) meal were the tried-and-true onion rings. I personally thought the fried zucchini took first prize. I LOVE fried zucchini!

Just in case you too want to clog your family's arteries with crispy breaded, fried veggies, here are the recipes:

Bea Arthur's Fried Green Tomatoes from Paula Deen's The Deen Family Cookbook (See all South Cooking, Food & Wine Books)

2 cups cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 pinches cayenne pepper
1-1/2 cups sour cream
4 large green tomatoes, sliced 1/2" thick
1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed

1. In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, sugar, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Put the sour cream in a separate bowl. Coat the tomato slices in sour cream, then dredge them in the cornmeal mixture, coating both sides well.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Fry the tomatoes, working in batches, until they are crisp and golden, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Serve hot.

Fried Green Beans Recipe courtesy The Neely's

Prep Time:10 min Inactive Prep Time:-- Cook Time:10 min
Level:Intermediate Serves:4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
Peanut oil, for frying
1 cup beer
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed

Directions
Preheat oil to 375 degrees F.

Whisk the beer, flour, salt and pepper until smooth.

Dip green beans into batter to coat, letting excess drip off. Fry in the peanut oil in batches, until they are golden and crisp. Remove from oil with a spider strainer to a paper towel lined sheet tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Notes: I used canola oil rather than peanut oil. This batter works well for all types of vegetables.

Enjoy!