ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNA WITH SAUSAGE

I found this recipe in a magazine and lightened it up as much as I could using chicken sausage, almond milk and lowfat cheeses.  You can leave out the chicken sausage if you want to make it vegetarian.

1 medium Butternut Squash (about 3 lbs.)
9 lasagna noodles
1/2 stick butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
4 cups Almond breeze milk
4 chicken hot (or sweet) sausages, removed from casings and cooked
1 bunch sage (about 1/3 cup leaves chopped)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
2 Tbls oo
2 cups grated low fat mozzarella

Heat over to 425 degrees. Cut the squash in half length-wise. Scoop and discard seeds. Place cut side down in baking dish. Add 1/4 cup water, cover with foil and roast until tender 40-45 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the noodles. Drain, rinse under cold water and lay flat until ready to use.

Make the white sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes (do not let it brown) Gradually whisk in the milk. Add the sage and bring to a simmer. stirring occasionally until the sauce slightly thickens. 6-8 minutes. remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Scoop out the squash and place the flesh into a large bowl (you should have about 4 cups). add 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/2 teas salt and pepper, nutmeg.

Spread 1 cup of the white sauce on the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish. Top with 3 noodles and 1 cup of the sauce. Add a bit of the cooked chicken sausage. Dollop with a third of the squash mixture (about 1 1/3 cup. then gently swirl it into the sauce. Top with 2/3 cup of mozzarella cheese; repeat twice. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Cover with an oiled piece of foil and back for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

CORN,BEAN SALAD

Dressing:

2 Tbls Lime Juice

1 Tbls Evoo

Salt to taste

Roasted corn (in fry pan is fine)

Blk beans

Red Pepper, diced

Red onion, diced

Cilantro, chopped

Feta Cheese, crumbled

Optional: ground Cumin

RED WINE SPAGHETTI (or linguine)(discovered this in the 2020 pandemic)

I decided to do something with one of the 30 or so 'mystery' bottles of red wine that Meg and Tommy made while they were still in their apartment in Killeen (8 or 9 years ago). It doesn't look very appetizing, but man, oh, man it packs a tasty punch. A bottle of red wine gets cooked down to a glossy, butter sauce that stains the pasta and adds phenomenal flavor!! 

Combine 5-6 cloves Garlic (minced) and 3 Tbsp oil to a warm Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium; add red pepper flakes and 2 Tbsp butter; cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fragrant, about 3 min. Add a whole bottle of dry red (Sangiovese-based wine) increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, until reduced by 2/3 (20-25 minutes) season with salt. Meanwhile cook 1 1b. of spaghetti or linguine to almost al dente and add to sauce when done. Stir well. YUM!!

WHITE CHILI

1 1b. Ground Turkey breast

1 med onion, diced

1 teas. Coriander

1 teas. Cumin

Salt

2 cans (15-16 oz) Navy or small white beans, rinsed & drained

1 can (13-14 chicken broth)

1 pkg, frozen white corn

1 (4 oz) chopped mild green peppers

2 tbls cayenne pepper sauce

*Cook ground Turkey breast

*Add onion, cook til softened

*add spices

* meanwhile, in small bowl, mash half the beans, set aside

*add mashed and unwashed beans, chicken broth, corn, and green chilis

*heat to boiling over med-hi heat, stir in pepper sauce.

CLASSIC MARINARA.. Lidia Bastianich

1 28-oz can San Marzano tomatoes

1/4 cup EVOO

7 garlic cloves, peeled & slivered

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 teas salt

1 large fresh basil (or 1/4 teas dried oregano)

1.Pour tomatoes in large bowl and crush with your hands. Pour 1 cup water into can, slosh around to get juices, reserve. 

2.Use a large skillet, not a deep pot. (A skillet allows the water to evaporate quickly, so the tomatoes are just cooked through as the sauce becomes thick.)

Heat skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. When it's hot, add garlic.

3.As soon as garlic is sizzling, add the tomatoes, then the reserved water. Add red pepper flakes, oregano if using, and salt. Stir.

4.place basil sprig, including stem, on the surface. Let it wilt, then submerge in sauce. Simmer sauce until thickened and oil on surface is a dep orange, about 15 minutes.  Discard basil.

YIELDS 3 1/2 cups, enough for a pound of pasta.

TIME: 25 minutes 

PECAN-CRUSTED SLIDERS

These are so yummy and so perfect for the fall...

12 oz. pork tenderloin, sliced crosswise in 8 pieces

1 egg
2 Tbls honey
1 cup finely chopped pecans
2 Tbls cooking oil
1 small green apple
1 ½ cups shredded broccoli (broccoli slaw)
¼ cup mayo
Dijon mustard, to taste
8 small buns or dinner rolls

With palm of hand, flatten pork slices to ¼ inch thickness. In shallow dish, whisk together egg and 1 Tbls of  the honey.  In another shallow dish combine chopped nuts, 1 teas salt and ½ teas ground pepper. Dip pork in egg mixture then nut mixture, pressing to coat.

In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook pork in hot oil 2-3 minutes per side or until golden and slightly pink in centers.

Meanwhile, for slaw, quarter apple, remove core and seeds, thinly slice. In bowl combine apple, shredded broccoli mayo and 1 Tbls honey. Season with salt & pepper. For sliders, place pork on buns, spread with mustard and top with slaw.  Makes 4 servings (2 sliders each).

PAN-FRIED PORK CHOPS....The ONLY way to make them!

I grew up eating Shake and Bake Pork Chops and when I discovered this recipe in Cook's Country Magazine, I realized what I have been missing:  Delicious moist pork chops with TASTE!!

1 teas Garlic Powder
1/2 teas Paprika, Salt & Pepper
1/4 teas Cayenne Pepper
1 cup all purpose Flour
4 bone-in rib or center cut Pork Chops about 3/4" thick
3 slices Bacon, chopped
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

COAT CHOPS: Combine spices in bowl. Place flour in shallow dish. Pat dry chops with paper towels. Cut 2 slits about 2" apart through fat on edges of each chop.(This will prevent them from 'curling' up in the pan.)  Season both side of chops with spice mixture. Then dredge chops lightly in flour (do not discard flour) Transfer to plate and let rest for 10 minutes.

RENDER BACON: Meanwhile cook bacon in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until fat renders and bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate and reserve for another use. Do not wipe out pan.

FRY CHOPS: Add oil to fat in pan and heat over medium-high heat until just smoking. Return chops to flour dish and turn to coat. cook chops until well browned, 3-4 minutes per side.

LEMON POTATOES

2 lbs. Baby Red Potatoes, scrubbed and halved (or quartered if larger)
2 Garlic Cloves peels and smashed Plus 2 Cloves minced
1 1/2 teaspoon grated Zest of Lemon and 2 Tbls juice from one Lemon
1 cup Chicken Broth
salt/pepper
2 Tbls OO
2 Tbls finely chopped Parsley

Bring rinsed potatoes, smashed garlic, lemon juice, chicken broth and 1/2 teas salt to boil in large nonstick skillet. reduce heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until potatoes are just tender, 12-15 minutes. remove lid and increase heat to medium.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes.

CRISP:  Discard garlic cloves and add oil to pan. Turn all potatoes cut-side down and continue to cook until deep golden brown, about 6 minutes. Off heat, stir in parsley, lemon zest, and minced garlic. season with salt & pepper.

Cook's Country

Acini De Pepe Salad

(originally published here 5/30/2011)
It all started with a mystery ingredient in the chefs basket on the Food Network show, "Chopped".  The ingredient was Fregula--a small round pasta from Sardinia.  Ronnie searched for it at the Italian grocers in Hartford--the Italian-straight from Italy had never heard of it and when I described it over the phone to him, he suggested I use Acini de pepe (translation: peppercorn).  Ronnie picked up a couple of boxes and because he left the next day for Richmond, it started Meghan and I on a week-long mission of coming up with ways to use it as we had the opportunity to mess up the kitchen as much as we wanted.  We discovered we LOVED this type of pasta, as you can add anything you want.  We even tried pan-toasting it the next day to see if we could add a 'crunch' to it.  Alas, the tiny little pearls of goodness kept wanting to pop out of the pan.

Anyway, here our recipe-if you can call it that:
It can be served hot, cold…or my favorite--room temp. You can add anything you have on hand…..the secret is to sauté the garlic in browned butter.  In a large bowl, I put whatever ‘stuff’ I want to add, I then pour over the browned butter mixture, then mix in the freshly cooked hot pasta. IMPORTANT; dry out the pasta!!  

DIRECTIONS:  Melt  a couple of tablespoons butter in sauce pan, as foam subsides and starts to brown, add some good quality extra virgin olive oil and minced garlic (I squeeze it right out of a garlic press into the butter).   Add some red pepper flakes for some ‘zing’.  Warm briefly…don’t let the garlic burn.

VARIATIONS:

• Kalamata olives and sautéed garlic is the simplest version;
• Chopped sundried tomatoes, chopped kalamata olives and feta cheese (top with toasted almond slivers);
• Add chopped scallions;
• Try adding any leftovers you might have….I added leftover chopped roasted garlic-ly broccoli (topped with toasted sesame seeds) one time –it was fantastic;
• Arugula gives it a nice peppery flavor and gets wilted nicely when you pour the brown butter over it before adding the hot pasta.  (or baby spinach works too)
• (I can’t wait to try some leftover grilled corn cut-off-the cob  with fresh chopped garden tomatoes this summer!)

CUCUMBER ASPARAGUS RICE SALAD

I found this recipe in an RV cookbook that Kevan gave me for my birthday one year. It’s a great dish to make a for a crowd.

1 ¾ cup water

1 cup long-grain white rice

Bunch asparagus, steamed, stir fried or roasted, cut into 1” pieces.

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

2 Tbls Dijon mustard

1 Tbls (or a bit less) sugar

1 Tbls white wine vinegar

½ ts dry mustard

2 ½ Tbls vegetable oil

1 tsp dried dillweed

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring water to a boil. Add rice, return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let cook until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

 In a serving bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, sugar, white wine vinegar, dry mustard, vegetable oil and dried dillweed. Add cooled rice, asparagus, cucumber, green onions to bowl.  Toss until well incorporated.

PAN-ROASTED MUSSELS- NORMANDY STYLE

Found this in a local tourist magazine while camping in Rhode Island.  The Kalberers liked it, I’ll have to make it again so Ronnie who was sick at the time can try it.

6 oz. smoked slab bacon (I used Applewood) cut into 1/2” cubes

2 Tbls butter

2 small shallots, sliced into thin rings

2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 McIntosh apple, peeled and cut into ½” cubes

Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 lbs (about 35-40) mussels, scrubbed, beards removed

2 springs fresh rosemary

5 whole sprigs thyme, plus more for garnish

1 bay leaf

3 Tbls Calvados (apple brandy)

½ cup apple cider

1 cup heavy cream

1-2 French baguettes or your favorite crusty bread

Add bacon to a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stockpot set over medium heat and let cook 5-6 minutes. Once the fat is rendered and bacon is turning golden drain the excess fat; add butter, shallots, garlic and apple. Season with salt and pepper and continue to stir an additional 4-5 minutes.

To the same pot, add cleaned mussels and fresh herbs. Season again with salt and pepper. Cook mussels for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add brandy, cider and cream to pot scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot; bring contents to a light boil. Reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer until all the mussels have opened. Check seasoning again before serving.

Ladle into bowls, top with broth and garnish with thyme  OR  just gather around the big pot and everyone shares. Serve with lots of warm crusty bread. Serves 6.

Lamb Stew with Guinness

8 teas olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped onion
1 tbls chopped thyme
1 1/2 teas chopped fresh rosemary
3 Tbsp flour
1 1/2 lbs boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teas salt, divided
1 teas freshly ground pepper, divided
2 cups Guinness Stout
1 Tbls tomato paste
3 cups beef broth
1 bay leaf
2 cups cubed, peeled Yukon gold potato
2 cups 1-inch-thick diagonally sliced carrot
8 ounces baby turnips, peeled and quartered
1 Tbls whole-grain Dijon mustard
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat a large Dutch oven over med-heat. Add 2 teas oil to pan, swirl to coat. Add onion, thyme, and rosemary, saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place onion mixture in large bowl. Salt & pepper the lamb and dredge pieces in  flour and shake off excess. Work in small batches and add meat to bowl with onion.

Add beer to pan, bring to a boil, scrapping bits from sides. Cook til reduced to 1 cup (about 5 minutes). Return onion/ meat mixture to pan. Stir in tomato paste, cook 30 seconds. Add broth and bay leaf, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover, stir in potatoes, carrots and turnips. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Add another teaspoon each of salt & pepper and the Tbls of Dijon mustard. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley.

Cooking Light Magazine

Poblano Pepper Cream Sauce with Mexican Crema

This is delicious over grilled chicken.  I am going to try some on fried fish tonight.

3 fresh Poblano Peppers
2-3 teas oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup milk
4 Tbls butter
1 Tbls flour
1 cup Mexican Crema (directions below--MAKE at least 3 hours ahead)
Salt to taste

Roast the poblanos over an open fire, until the skins are blackened (or roast in oven)
When roasted, place in zip lock baggy for several minutes until the skins loosen up for easy peeling.

Remove seeds and the stem, Rough chop and place in a blender.
Heat oil in a medium size pan, saute the onions and garlic until tender. Add to the blender along with the 1/2 cup milk. Pulse.

Wipe out the pan and melt the butter...add the flour and brown lightly, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and pour in the poblano puree mixture and stir until smooth. Add the Mexican Crema, stir constantly until it's bubbly and beginning to thicken. Remove from heat and add salt to taste.

Mexican Crema:
In a large bowl combine 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup sour cream and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk until smooth. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 3 hours. Transfer to serving  bowl and enjoy or place in refrigerator until ready to use. The crema will last as long as the sour cream that is used, so pay attention to the expiration date on the sour cream container. Let come to room temperature before eating.  Makes about 2 cups.

ASPARAGUS GRUYERE TART

Makes a elegant looking appetizer or side dish.

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
2 cups (5.5 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded
1.5 lbs medium or thick asparagus
1 tbls olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. on a floured surface, roll the pastry into a 16x10" rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, light score pastry dough 1" in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork pierce dough inside the marking and 1/2" intervals. bake until golden, about 15 minutes.

Remove pastry shell from oven and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20-25 minutes.

Zoodles with Creamy Avocado Pesto

So delish!

Zucchini, spiralized
1 tbls olive oil

Sauce:
ripe avocado
1 cup basil (or spinach leaves)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
2 tbls lemon juice
salt, cracked black pepper to taste
3 Tbls olive oil

Spiralized zucchini and set aside on paper towel to soak up excess water.
Put the sauce ingredients (except olive oil) in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Then with the motor still running, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified and creamy.

Drizzle olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat then add zucchini noodles, cook for only a minute or 2. Add zucchini noodles to a large bowl and toss with avocado pesto. Season with salt and pepper and a little Parmesan.

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER, TOMATO & GOAT CHEESE CASSEROLE

This can be a side dish OR a meal in itself!   Super easy to make and SO DELISH!

1 medium-size head of cauliflower
3 Tbls olive oil, divided
salt & pepper to taste
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teas thyme
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 teas coriander
a pinch of red pepper flakes
a pinch of ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (3 oz) CRUMBLED goat cheese (it's drier than the stick)
2 Tbls freshly chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with the rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cut away the bottom of the cauliflower stem and trim off the leaves. Cut cauliflower into 1/2" thick slices. Toss all of it with 2 Tbls olive oil, salt & pepper. Spread in an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast in oven 20 minutes, flipping the biggest slices after 10 minutes, until it is nicely browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a large bowl, chopping some of the biggest slices.

In the meantime, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions, generous pinch of salt and saute for 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant--about a minute. Add tomatoes, coriander, red pepper flakes and cinnamon, salt & pepper and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, until the sauce is fragrant. Add to bowl with the cauliflower and stir everything together. Rub a medium-large baking dish with olive oil and scrape cauliflower mixture into it.

In a small bowl beat eggs, then add goat cheese and beat together well. Pour over cauliflower mixture. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until top is beginning to brown. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes,  sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Diane's Curried Rice Salad

Diane, the bookkeeper at the Yankee Flyer always brought this to any party we had (and there seemed to be a birthday every week)   Delish!  I brought this to Fall Rally 2016 and got lots of requests for the recipe!

CURRIED RICE SALAD

1 1/3 cups pre-cooked rice
3 Tbls finely chopped onion
1 Tbls vinegar
2 Tbls salad oil
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
2 teas salt
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
3/4 cup mayo

Cook rice. While still warm, add onion, vinegar, salad oil, curry powder & salt. Toss lightly, cover and chill 3 hours.  Just before serving, add pepper and mayo.

Pizza Spaghetti (Squash) Pie

1 large spaghetti squash
1 lb Italian sausage (spicy chicken sausage is great) remove from casing
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 cup pizza sauce (no sugar added variety)
1 teas dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
3 eggs, whisked
(Optional: add anything you like with pizza: veggies, basil, cheese)

Preheat oven to 400.
Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise Place squash cut side down on a baking sheet and back for 20-25 minutes. Remove and reduce oven temp to 350.
Remove threads of squash and place in 8x8 greased baking dish.
In a large pan over medium heat, add sausage and onion. Cook until no longer pink and broken up.
Add pizza sauce , dried basil and salt and pepper to the pan, mix well
Add sausage mixture to prepared dish and mix well with spaghetti squash threads
Add whisked eggs to the baking dish and mix until you can no longer see the eggs
Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until the top of the mixture forms a slight crust.
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Buffalo chick spag squash casserole

1 medium spaghetti squash
4 Tbls butter, ghee, coconut oil  divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium carrot, diced
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 lb. ground chicken
1 teas garlic powder
1 teas salt
1/4 teas blk pepper
1 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
1/4 mayo
3 large eggs, whisked
chopped scallions and sliced avocado for garnish (optional)

Blue cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 30/ 35 minutes or until soft. Remove squash and reduce oven to 350 degrees.
Grease an 8" square glass baking dish with 2 Tbls of the butter.
Let the squash cool for 5 minutes, remove the seeds and then use a fork to remove the threads and place them in the greased baking dish.
In a large saute pan over medium heat melt the remaining 2 Tbls of butter. Add the garlic, carrot, celery, onion, and bell pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the ground chicken, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook, using a wooden spatula to break up the chicken into small pieces, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.
Remove from heat, then add the hot sauce and mayo and mix well to combine.
Add the chicken mixture to the baking dish and mix well with the spaghetti squash threads. Add the whisked eggs and mix everything together until you can no long see the eggs.
Bake for 1 hour or until the top forms a slight crust. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with scallion ad avocado slices if wanted.

Miss Mollie's Cornbread

1 pkg corn muffin mix*
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream corn
1/2 cup oil
1/4 sugar
2 eggs

Mix beaten eggs with wet stuff, then stir in muffin mix.
Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.

*OR use this copycat recipe for Corn Muffin Mix:
2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup corn meal
3 Tbls sugar
1 Tbls baking powder
1/4 teas salt......Mix with Whisk
Add: 2 Tbls vegetable oil....then whisk til smooth and ADD to any recipe calling for a pkg of corn muffin mix.

Get ready to enjoy the MOISTEST cornbread evah!!!