Turkey Noodle Soup

As usual, the end of my Thanksgiving leftovers is marked by the appearance of a basic turkey soup with whatever leftovers I can scrounge together. This year, I managed to have nothing left but turkey, so I opted for some very basic turkey noodle soup.


Turkey Noodle Soup
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3-4 medium carrots, sliced
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
2 cups leftover turkey, dark and light meat, chopped
8 cups chicken stock (or turkey stock if you scored the carcass)
1/2 lb egg noodles
salt and pepper
Sweat onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add cabbage and salt and pepper to taste. Add turkey and heat for a minute or two. Add 6 cups of chicken stock. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer. Let cook for one hour. Add remaining 2 cups of stock and egg noodles. Bring to boil and cook for about 5 minutes or until noodles are at desired tenderness. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

Butternut Pasta Revisited

I made this recipe again tonight, but omitted the bacon for meatless Monday. I have to say, it was delicious even without the bacon. I've been trying to stop thinking about the leftovers for the last hour.

Mushroom Sandwiches

This is inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe that Kevin found years ago. It strikes me that it's an odd recipe for Kevin to have discovered since he was definitely a meat and potatoes guy at the time. Anyway, thanks to Jamie and Kevin for this one! This is the most basic version of it that I've ever made and experimenting with the compound butter ingredients is definitely good stuff!


Mushroom Sandwiches
3 portabella mushrooms
1/2 stick butter, softened
5-6 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
1/4 cup cheese (fontina or cheddar are my favorites)
3 ciabatta or hamburger rolls
Clean mushrooms and place on broiler tray. In a small chopper or blender, combine butter, garlic, salt, and pepper until garlic is well chopped. Top each mushroom with a third of the butter. Place under boiler until mushrooms are browned and butter is melted (it should melt through the mushrooms and leave delicious flavor throughout). Top mushrooms with cheese and return to broiler until cheese is browned. Serve on rolls - open faced or as a sandwich.

Ham and Cabbage

So sad. I just realized that my last post was almost an entire month ago. I've been getting pretty tired of standing and the kitchen and cooking as the third trimester has been moving along. It's just not as much fun when your giant belly keeps hitting the pots on the stove as you reach for things on the top shelf of the spice cabinet. So, the recipes will be even easier than normal for a little while.


One of my favorite fall dishes is ham and cabbage. It can't get much easier either. And it's one of Kevin's favorites. He gets as excited for it as he does gourmet dinners! You gotta love a guy like that!


Ham and Cabbage
1 head cabbage, sliced
3 large white potatoes, cut into 1.5" cubes
1/3 cup water
1 small onion, sliced
3 large carrots, sliced
1 large ham steak, cut into 1" cubes
salt, pepper, paprika to taste
olive oil
Add cabbage, potatoes, and water to soup pot. Bring to boil. Add onion and carrots. Cook until potatoes and carrots are tender. The water should mostly evaporate by this time. Add the ham steak and cook until heated through. Add salt, pepper, and paprika to taste. Drizzle with olive oil. Adjust seasonings and enjoy!

Hammerberger Loaf

This is really my rip off of Rachel Ray's cheeseburger meatloaf, but since Natty calls it Hammerberger Loaf, that's what we're going with. In an effort to a) control portion size and b) ensure there were leftovers for dinner later in the week and for the freezer, I made these in a muffin tin. I found it worked much better than I anticipated, probably because there are so many wet ingredients in this recipe. I ended up with nine mini loaves. I served with smashed skin on potatoes and sautéed cabbage.


Hammerberger Loaf
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 white onion, grated
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tblsp sweet relish
1 egg, beaten
4 oz cheddar cheese, cut into small chunks
2 slices american cheese, broken into small pieces
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
Mix ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon into a large greased muffin tin. Cook at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165. Done. Easy!

CSA Challenge: Bok Choy

Alright, I'm sure this isn't much of a challenge for the majority of you out there, but since my Asian cooking skills mostly amount to finding the carryout menu, it's an ingredient I need help with. Tonight, I sauteed it with eggplant, garlic, and ginger and finished it with cilantro. It was a nice accompaniment to our totally gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches (wink), but certainly nothing that would count as a meal. So, what are your thoughts? What's your favorite thing to do with bok choy?

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I'm not big on making things like cookies since I generally just end up eating all the cookies in the house. I tried out this recipe so that I had something to give for a small thank you gift. I reduced both of the sugars by 1/4 cup each and swapped out 1/2 cup of the AP flour for 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. They were tasty!

Dill Dressing

Lately I've been dying for either Casa Mia's or Cafe Hon's salad dressings with every salad I've eaten, so I figured I would take a stab at making a dill dressing of my own. This isn't exactly there (it still needs something with a little bite, so I'll add some plain yogurt next time), but I wanted to make sure I had a starting place recorded for next time. This was pretty good as it stands though.


Dill Dressing
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 1/2 tblsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup chopped dill
1 tblsp sugar (could have definitely used less)
Combine ingredients and mix thoroughly. Let sit in fridge for at least an hour before serving.

Chicken Marsala

Here's another recipe that comes courtesy of my tenure at Fazzini's. It had been a while since I made it and I spent the entire time I was cooking trying to convince a two year old that I would be done in just a second, so it wasn't my best execution, but it still hit the spot! I served it with a side of pasta with red sauce since there are few things better to do with leftover marsala sauce than to mix it up with pasta and red sauce... Mmm...


Chicken Marsala
1 package chicken breast
1/4 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper
2 tblsp clarified butter
1/2 container button mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cup marsala wine
1 tblsp butter (optional)
salt and pepper
Melt clarified butter over medium high heat. While the pan is heating, lightly coat each piece of chicken in flour. Place chicken in hot pan and cook for 3-4 minutes per side depending on how thick your chicken is cut. Remove from heat when nicely browned and cooked through. Immediately add mushrooms to pan and cook until nicely browned. Deglaze pan with marsala wine. Reduce sauce by half. If you are using butter, remove pan from heat and add butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

This was supposed to be our Meat Free Monday dinner, which ended up being meat free Tuesday, which ended up being way to chaotic to accommodate anything that was going to take an hour in the oven, so it ultimately became our regular old Thursday night dinner. Thanks to Amanda for the idea! 


Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
1 package boil in bag brown rice
4 cloves garlic, chopped
handful basil, sliced
4-5 small/medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large zucchini, chopped (and sautéed in olive oil)
1/4 jar leftover pasta sauce
3 large bell peppers
1/4 cup grated provolone cheese
Mix all ingredients up to the bell peppers together. Stuff peppers with rice mixture. Place in baking dish in a 350 oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Top with cheese. Cook until cheese is melted and lightly browned (15-20 minutes). Enjoy!

Pork Chops with Pan Sauce

When I was little, I would only eat pork chops with ketchup, which is probably why I hardly ever consider cooking them. But since both the husband and the kiddo love pork, I've been trying to make it more often. In an attempt to make it more than just pork chops, I made a little pan sauce to go with it. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough liquids, but it was still quite tasty. 


Pork Chops with Lemon Butter Pan Sauce
1 tblsp clarified butter
2 bone in pork chops
juice of one lemon (really should have been 
1/4 onion, sliced thin
1 tblsp capers
1 1/2 tblsp butter
Melt clarified butter over medium high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper and place them in the pan. Cook for 4 minutes. Flip chops and cook for 3-4 minutes more. I cooked mine to an internal temp of 150, but I think you can cook to 140 if you're not pregnant (you should look it up instead of taking my word for it). Remove chops from pan and cover. Deglaze pan with lemon juice. Add onion and cook until lightly browned. Add capers. Remove from heat and immediately add butter and stir to combine. Top chops with sauce and serve.

CSA Challenge

Okay, truthfully this is not a CSA challenge in the normal "Hey, what is this thing and what do I do with it?" way. But, I'm looking for ideas for things I got at the farmers' market, so I figure it's close enough. I ended up buying both cilantro and dill for recipes that I need only a 1/4 cup or so of each. Given that I'm a) currently off the Mexican food courtesy of baby #2 and b) not necessarily a big fan of dill, I'm wondering what else I can do with these herbs while they're fresh. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Baked Potato Soup

Lately, I have been trying to convince myself that a dinner of just mashed potatoes is an acceptable thing to serve to my family since a) I have a ton of potatoes and b) c'mon doesn't it just sound delicious. Anyway, since I failed to convince myself, I decided that a potato soup would have to be close enough and I had pretty much everything I needed on hand, which is always a big selling point when I'm trying to figure out dinner.


Baked Potato Soup
2 tblsp butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 small carrots, sliced
6-8 slices of bacon, diced (mine was already cooked and frozen)
5 medium potatoes, cut in 1" cubes
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup water (more or less as necessary)
salt and pepper
1 cup provolone cheese (the only thing I didn't have on hand was cheddar cheese, but the provolone worked surprisingly well)
1/2 cup whole milk
Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook until tender. (If you're bacon isn't already cooked, you can cook that first and then sweat the onion and carrots in the bacon fat and a touch of butter if more fat is necessary.) Add bacon once onion and carrots are tender. Let cook together for a few minutes, then add potatoes, stock, and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Monitor the potatoes while cooking to make sure they remain covered in liquid. Add water to keep potatoes covered. Once potatoes are fork tender, remove from heat and use a stick blender to smooth out the soup. Add milk and cheese and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve with a nice baguette.

CSA Challenge: Curry Squash

I got a curry squash this week at the CSA. When I tried to look it up online, all I got were recipes for currying other kinds of squash. Anyone know what a curry squash is and what to do with it? 

Quick Goulash

After being totally stuck for something to make for dinner, I turned to Facebook for some suggestions. When I got "ground beef and peas," I was inspired to make goulash. I had actually set out to make goulash last week, but couldn't for the life of me remember what it was called and had to ask my mom over the weekend. So, it was a perfect suggestion. I ended up looking up a few recipes and settling on a variation of Rachel Ray's.


Quick Goulash
1 lb ground beef
2 small carrots, sliced
2 cups cut up orange peppers (I had these delicious little guys, so I just sliced them in half and then into strips)
1 small onion, chopped
3 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tblsp flour
1/2 box elbow macaroni
1 cup chicken stock
1 large can whole peeled tomatoes
salt and pepper
Brown ground beef and carrots in a soup pot over medium high heat. (If you're using lean beef, drizzle a bit of olive oil in as well.) Add peppers, onion, and spices. Stir to combine. While that is cooking, start cooking elbow macaroni to package directions. Sprinkle flour on beef and veggies. You might need a little more than a tblsp depending on how much fat is in your mixture. Add stock and deglaze pan. Add tomatoes with their juices to the pot. Break up tomatoes. Bring to boil and let sauce thicken. Add macaroni and let it soak up the sauce for a few minutes.

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

Nothing better on a steaming hot day than a nice hot bowl of soup. Made by first firing up the oven for an hour. Yes, yes, this is a brilliant recipe for a hot summer day. It did however, help me accomplish my goal of not having to put up any tomatoes this week. This is a mix between an Ina Garten recipe and my mom's recipe. 


I should also note I tried to use the food mill on this recipe. I thought it would get rid of some of the seeds and skins and it did, but it was also a giant P.I.A. and I could have just used the stick blender (which is what I ended up doing in the end). 


Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup
3 lbs tomatoes (I used a mix of plum and cherry tomatoes)
olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2.5 cups stock (mine was veggie)
splash marsala wine
1 cup basil, sliced thin
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 325. Cut large tomatoes in quarters. Toss all tomatoes in olive oil with salt and pepper and place on roasting pans. (I kept the kinds of tomatoes separate so that I could take one out earlier if the cooking times were different, but I don't really think that's necessary.) Roast for 45 minutes. When the tomatoes have only a few minutes left, heat a couple tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Sweat onions and garlic. Remove tomatoes from oven and add them to the onions and garlic. Make sure you scrape all the juices in the roasting pan into the soup pot as well. Cook everything together for 5 minutes. Add stock and bring to boil. Add marsala and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add basil and milk. Use a stick blender to smooth the soup out to desired texture. Adjust seasonings and serve (preferably with grilled cheese sandwiches - the best accompaniment to tomato soup!).

Food Mill

I got a food mill this weekend after being ticked off that the "seedless grapes" I bought at the farmer's market were, yet again, concord grapes. (Really, does anyone like concord grapes? The skin is like leather and there are a bunch of little seeds that you can't work around.) Anyway, I used the food mill to deal with the grapes and tried to use it on some tomato soup, but I have to be honest, I'm not loving the thing. I know there's at least one food mill lover who reads the blog, so I'm guessing there are more of you out there. So, tell me, why do you love it? What's your favorite recipe? Help me love it before I retire it to the basement or put it out at the yard sale. Oh, and mashed potatoes are not a reasonable favorite recipe (lumps are awesome) unless you can back it up with why the perfectly smooth potatoes compliment some other dish incredibly well. 


Bonus points awarded to anyone who can provide a good reason for buying concord grapes because I'm just terribly curious about the little buggers.

Poached Chicken

I finally poached chicken that didn't suck! Yay me! I'm sure this is a basic thing to the rest of the world, but I actually gave up on thinking it was a super easy thing and sought advice from the interwebs. Ahh, enlightenment. (Hint - if you're like me, you should know that boiling does not equal poaching. What took me so long to figure this out?) I generally poach chicken that I either am going to use in chicken salad or I'm going to use in soup, but am not ready to use at the moment the chicken needs to be cooked. This chicken cooked here turned into a lovely chicken salad and some chicken and veggies that will be posted later. I understand some people just eat poached chicken because it's low fat. Plain chicken isn't my thing, but hey, to each his own.


Poached Chicken
Enough water to cover your chicken
1/4 onion, cut in large chunks
3 cloves garlic, smashed
salt
5-6 peppercorns

1 package chicken breast

Add onion, garlic, salt, and peppercorns to water and bring to a boil. Add chicken breast. Return to boil then reduce to barely a simmer. Cook for approximately 15 minutes (dependent on how thick your chicken breast is - mine was a big hunker). Turn off heat and let chicken stay in water for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from water and let rest before cutting.

I Grilled Pizza, Fool!

Inspired by this posting where I learned I did NOT need to make a special dough, I finally fulfilled my summertime goal of making grilled pizza. I used my half whole wheat dough recipe, a delicious mix of cheddar and provolone, and eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes as toppings. I realized after cooking the pizzas, that I failed to oil the grill, which probably led to my slightly overdone (read: burned) crust.


The basic process: Shape the dough and grill over high heat for a few minutes. Remove from grill and put sauce, cheese, toppings on the grilled side. Return to grill until cheese is melty and delicious looking. 


I strongly suggest cooking your toppings ahead of time. Pizzas simply don't have to cook for long enough to cook veggies and definitely not raw meats. Tomatoes are my exception here. They cook perfectly with the pizza.

Eggplant and Squash Sandwiches

Now, in addition to an abundance of squash and banana peppers, I find myself with an abundance of eggplant. Desperate for something new to try, I found this recipe and modified it based on what I had on hand... And, of course, added squash! 


Eggplant and Squash Sandwiches
1 large squash, sliced lengthwise
1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise
olive oil, salt, and pepper
4 oz soft (spreadable) goat cheese
handful basil and parsley
1 tomato, sliced
3 sandwich size ciabatta roles
Brush sliced squash and eggplant with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Grill until tender. Meanwhile, add basil and parsley to a small mixer and chop lightly. Add goat cheese to mixer and combine with herbs. Spread goat cheese mixer on both halves of the ciabatta rolls. Top with two slices each (or whatever works for your sandwiches) of the squash, eggplant, and tomato.

Pasta with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes, but I only really get to make it for lunches since I usually just make it with leftover frozen pasta. It's best if you have a nice chunk of bread to sop up the sauce when you're done. It's also good without the vegetables if you don't have anything handy.


Pasta with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce
Leftover frozen pasta, thawed
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup frozen chicken broth (about 1 oz)
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 medium squash (or any other veggies you have on hand), chopped
dash crushed red pepper, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper
fresh grated parmesan cheese
Heat olive oil and chicken broth over high heat. Add squash and cook for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic and spices. Cook until squash is at desired tenderness. Add pasta to sauce and toss to combine. Cook until pasta is hot. Transfer to bowl and add gobs and gobs of parmesan cheese.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

We had some great friends over for dinner the week we were trying to get ready for a bunch of dogsitters, so I was in need of a low stress meal that could be made on the grill. I wanted to aim a little higher than burgers and dogs, so I picked up a pork tenderloin at the farm. I was going to make a bourbon marinade someone suggested, but failed to note that it was supposed to marinate for 12 hours prior to grilling. With two hours to go before they arrived for dinner, I had to improvise. It turned out pretty good, but probably could have done with a longer marinade. I served this with a variation of the veggies in foil, some corn on the cob, and tomatoes with basil and olive oil. We ended the night with some vanilla ice cream with fresh peaches and then I soundly beat the pants off of everyone at 500 Rummy. (Are you practicing, KT?)


Grilled Pork Tenderloin
1 tenderloin (around 1.5 lbs)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tblsp chopped garlic
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
Put all ingredients in a ziploc bag and squish around to make sure the tenderloin is well coated. Let rest in the stove for at least 2 hours. Heat grill to high. Sear pork over high heat, then reduce to medium low. Cook for 15-20 minutes and then check internal temperature. Pull pork from grill at 155 and let rest. Temperature should reach 160 while resting. Slice and serve.

CSA Challenge

I'm totally stealing this idea from Missy. Thanks Missy! 


Missy started posting ingredients that she got from her CSA, but for which she didn't necessarily have recipe ideas. So, this weekend I picked up celery root. I ended up using it in vegetable soup, but if anyone has recipes that are good for celery root, please post your ideas.

Rice with Cheese

This was a last minute change when I decided that just plain brown rice would be too boring. I needed to do something quick to dress it up.


Rice with Cheese
1 batch brown rice
1 handful parsley, chopped
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 chunk (about palm size) goat cheese (mine was chive and garlic flavored)
Cook brown rice. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Veggies in Foil

This is a great side dish for any grilled meal. I made it to accompany chicken breast marinated in raspberry walnut vinaigrette. Try that once. Tasted delicious, but it was kind of, umm, pink. Anyway, onto the veggies...


Veggies in Foil
3 cups chopped veggies (I used pattypan squash, a handful of cherry tomatoes, a banana pepper, and some weird sweet orange peppers)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
couple of shakes of tabasco sauce
Mix together all ingredients and let sit for 20 minutes. Wrap in a foil pouch with a small opening at top to vent. Cook over high heat on the grill for 15-20 minutes.

Gruel

Gruel is basically what I call any dinner made out of the assorted leftovers in the house. The basic formula is fresh or frozen veggies + cooked meat + something to create sauce + rice product. It's also nice since it uses only one pan and combines all your major food groups. I'm sure it's not worthy of posting, but since it was quite tasty, I figured, what the heck! This variation leaned Italian, which isn't surprising since basically everything that sounds appealing to me during this pregnancy is Italian, but you can make it take on whatever flavoring you are in the mood for by adjusting the sauce you create and the seasoning.


Gruel
olive oil
1/2 lb browned turkey
2 small zucchini, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large can chopped tomatoes
Handful fresh basil and parsley, chopped
Crushed red pepper
1 batch brown rice (I go for the boil in bag variety since I have some sort of block about cooking rice)
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and brown turkey. Add zucchini, onion, and garlic and let brown lightly. Add tomatoes, stir to combine, and let simmer for a few minutes. Add basil, parsley, red pepper (to taste), and rice. Stir to combine and adjust seasonings.

Grilled Eggplant Parmesan

I got two lovely eggplants from the CSA this weekend. Since I was being assisted by a two year old, I thought a traditional parmesan preparation would be a little too much to manage, so I opted to grill the eggplant instead. I was going to make this on the grill outside, but the dark clouds hovering over my house made me retreat inside to the stovetop grill instead. 


Grilled Eggplant Parmesan
Two medium eggplants, peeled and sliced in 1/2" slices
1/2 batch or jar tomato sauce
1 cup shredded provolone cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper
Generously salt eggplant slices and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Dab eggplant dry with a paper towel. Wipe grill grates with olive oil. Grill eggplant on both sides. Place a layer of eggplant in a medium casserole dish. Top with tomato sauce and provolone. Layer remaining eggplant, sauce, and cheese. Use parmesan cheese on top layer. Cook in 425 degree oven until cheese is lightly browned.

Fruit Sorbet

So, my doctor basically told me I was getting too big too fast at my last appointment. This, of course, led to me eating too much because I started obsessing about what I was eating. After that, I took a deep breath and figured that I really am a pretty decent eater aside from my near obsessive need to eat dessert every night and my ability to consider both a piece of peanut butter pie and a berger cookie a single dessert as long as they were on a plate together. I decided I just need to stock my house with desserts that might not make me fat. Well, that's probably a little more information than you needed about me! Moving right along...


Fruit Sorbet
2 2/3 cup pureed fruits (I used a mix of plums, peaches, and blueberries)
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tblsp lemon juice
Mix ingredients and put in fridge to chill. Mix in ice cream machine according to machine's instructions.

Farfalle with Tomato and Brie Sauce

I totally stole this recipe from my time at Fazzini's. I forget what it was called, but it only ran on special and I would order it every single time. Good stuff! If you're committed to healthy eating at every meal or are on a diet, you can go ahead and skip this one... For those of you who are left, you can start with any red sauce you like, but I think it's essential to have chunky tomatoes, chunks of garlic, and fresh basil. These can all be added fresh to any sauce you prefer. 


Kevin's review of this was pretty funny. He said the brie gave the pasta a texture that made every bite feel like the best bite of eggplant parmesan. I'm not certain I get it...


Farfalle with Tomato and Brie Sauce
1 package farfalle
1 batch tomato sauce (I made mine fresh with 1 large can chopped tomatoes, 5 cloves garlic, fresh basil, parsley, and oregano, white pepper, salt, and a pinch of sugar)
1 zucchini, sliced (Totally optional. I only put this in because Kevin loves veggies in pasta.)
1/2 small jar pine nuts
1 8oz wheel of brie, cut into chunks with rind removed
Cook farfalle according to package directions. While the farfalle is cooking, heat up tomato sauce and any veggies you're using. Just as the farfalle is coming off the heat, add the pine nuts and brie to the sauce and stir until brie melts. Ahh... Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken with Basil Sauce

The basil at the community garden was looking awesome this week and, since I've put a hurtin' on mine after a month of putting fresh basil in everything, I grabbed a nice big handful. This was meant to be pesto, but upon further inspection I realized I didn't have pine nuts or parmesan cheese and so I went for a simple basil and tomato sauce. I served this with a side of snap peas. 


Grilled Chicken with Basil Sauce
1 package chicken breast
1 big handful basil
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup olive oil (or more for desired thickness)
1 tomato, diced
salt and pepper
Grill chicken. In a small food processor, combine basil, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper until it reaches desired consistency. Stir in diced tomato. Serve over sliced chicken breast.

Orzo Salad

This was inspired by Ina Garten's Roasted Shrimp and Orzo Salad and the orzo risotto recipe from my cooking class. It can be served hot or cold. It was quite tasty hot and I'll be having it cold tomorrow for lunch. I served it with some roasted beets and kale chips. 


Orzo Salad
olive oil
2 small carrots, sliced
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 handful peas
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup orzo

1 handful parsley, finely chopped

1 sprig oregano, finely chopped

5 basil leaves, finely chopped

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper
1/2 cucumber chopped
1/2 block feta cheese, crumbled
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, broccoli, and peas and sweat for 3 minutes. Add water and bring to boil. Add orzo and cook for 8-10 minutes or until water is absorbed. Put orzo in a serving bowl. In a small bowl, mix herbs, vinegar, and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Add dressing, cucumber, and feta to orzo. Stir to combine and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Kale Chips

One of the ladies at the community garden gave me this recipe. I was completely surprised when Natty actually ate a few!


Kale Chips
1 bunch kale, cut into bite size pieces
olive oil
salt
Toss kale in olive oil and salt. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until crispy.

Roasted Veggie Salad

While eating this, Kevin said, "If this salad was served at a restaurant, it would be a restaurant known for its salad." What can I say? That man knows how to complement the person cooking for him! 


Roasted Veggie Salad
2 kohlrabi, cut into 1/2" chunks
6 small red potatoes, cut in half
3 spring onions, cut in half
2 zucchini, cut into 1/2" chunks
1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite size chunks
1 tomato, chopped
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
dressing of your choice, I went with pepper parm because I ran out of time to make my own.
Toss kohlrabi, potatoes, onions, and zucchini in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 350 until tender. While the veggies are cooking, divide lettuce, tomato, and cheese into two large salad bowls. Top with veggies and dressing. Serve while roasted veggies are still warm.

Mom's Zucchini Bread

Well, it's kind of mom's zucchini bread. I was a little taken aback by how much sugar was in it, so I made an adjustment and swapped out some sugar for applesauce. I also ran out of cinnamon and ended up using some nutmeg instead. And, finally, I halfed the amount of raisins and added some craisins since Natty loves them and I was looking for a selling point. I'm providing the original recipe and my modifications. It turns out if I cook veggies into bread, Natty will eat it and ask for more! What other veggies can I cook into bread? Spinach bread? Broccoli bread? Nah... I'll guess there's no easy way to get a toddler to try spinach.


Mom's Zucchini Bread
1 large zucchini, grated and drained
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar (original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cup sugar and no applesauce)
3/4 cup applesauce 
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (original recipe calls for 3 tsp cinnamon and no nutmeg)
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup raisins (original recipe calls for 1 cup and no craisins)
1/2 cup craisins
1 cup chopped walnuts (I omitted these)
Stir together zucchini, eggs, oil, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix zucchini mixture with flour mixture. Stir in raisins, craisins, and walnuts. Pour into two loaf pans and cook at 375 for one hour or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Super Simple Casserole

I admit it. I totally stole this idea from the woman who runs our community garden. It's super simple and a great way to get the veggies in at dinnertime. Kevin said he liked the casserole so much it must go deep into his ancestry. He had to explain this to me several times, but the gist of it is that he really liked it a lot. I served this with our first fresh tomatoes of the season sprinkled with salt and pepper. Yummy!


Simple Chicken and Veggie Casserole
1 package chicken breast, cooked
1 medium head broccoli
1 small head cauliflower
1 kohlrabi
1 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tblsp chicken seasoning
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup swiss cheese
Blanch veggies. Put chicken and veggies in casserole dish. In separate dish, mix yogurt, mayo, and chicken seasoning to taste. Pour over chicken and veggies and stir to combine. In a separate dish, mix breadcrumbs and cheese. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake in 400 degree oven until top browns and veggies cook to desired tenderness.

Veggie Soup

I feel like the beginning and end of CSA season leave me thinking, "So, I have this bag of greens. Now what?" Even though I've been trying to steer away from getting mass quantities of greens and I've been freezing a bunch for the winter, I still seem to end up with a bag full of greens at the end of each week and I'm tired of eating them sautéed in olive oil. This time I went for a nice veggie soup. I make most of my soups the night before I want to eat them since I've never met a soup that doesn't taste ten times better on day two. I served it with a couple of slices of fresh baked honey whole wheat bread.


Veggie Soup
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped 
1/2 medium head cabbage, chopped
4 cups mixed greens, chopped (I had kale, chard, and broccoli greens)
1 quart homemade veggie stock
1 large handful fresh parsley, chopped
3 sprigs fresh oregano, chopped
5 small pattypan squash, sliced
salt and pepper
crushed red pepper
water, if necessary
Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium heat. Sweat onions and carrots. Add garlic, cabbage, and greens. Cook until cabbage and greens wilt. Add veggie stock, parsley, and oregano. If you want more broth in the soup, add water 1/2 cup at a time until the amount of broth is appropriate. Bring to boil. Adjust seasoning and spice with red pepper to taste. Reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. On day two or 15 minutes before serving, add pattypan squash. Serve as soon as the squash gets tender.

Kevin's Special Cole Slaw

I believe that cole slaws made with vinegar are called Carolina slaws. I'm not sure. All I know is that my husband can't stand anything in a "mayonnaise bath" and I can't stand a summer without cole slaw and potato salad next to my burgers and dogs. This is the middle ground I came up with. Happily, Kevin loves it!


Kevin's Special Cole Slaw
1 medium head cabbage, sliced thin or shredded
3 large carrots, shredded
1 cup vinegar
2 tblsp spicy brown mustard
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
Toss cabbage with 1 tblsp salt and let sit for 1 hour. Drain liquid and rinse and dry cabbage. Put cabbage and carrots in serving bowl. In a separate bowl, mix vinegar, mustard, and sugar. While whisking the vinegar mixture, drizzle in olive oil. Pour mixture over cabbage and carrots. Mix thoroughly and salt and pepper to taste.

Cheesy Veggie Casserole

As usual, during the early days of summer as the CSA season begins, I find myself with a bunch of greens and no ideas. Tonight I decided to combine it with potatoes, turnips, and cheese sauce - you can't go wrong with cheese sauce! The only bummer was that the greens are a little too wet and caused the sauce to separate a little. Oh well. Still tasted great.


Cheesy Veggie Casserole
4 cups mixed greens, chopped (I used broccoli, chard, and mustard)
3 medium potatoes, sliced
3 medium turnips, sliced
1 tblsp butter
1 tblsp all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 handful fresh parsley, chopped
breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
Boil greens in salted water for about 15 minutes. Drain. Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and cook until lightly browned. Add milk and cook over medium heat until thick. Add cheese and parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Layer potatoes, turnips, and greens in a greased casserole dish. Top with cheese sauce and breadcrumbs. Cook in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Stromboli?

So, I found a pie crust in my freezer that I knew wouldn't actually become a pie anytime soon. I also had some browned loose Italian sausage. I wasn't sure how to bring these two things together, but I gave it a go anyway. I'm not sure I can call it stromboli since it's made with a pie crust, but I don't know what else to call it. Next time I'll make it with a pizza crust and call it stromboli without hesitation! Recipe bonuses - it tricked Natty into eating spinach and it can easily be made vegetarian.


Sausage and Spinach Stromboli
1 frozen pie crust
1 batch pizza sauce (here's one recipe) or other thick red sauce
1/3 lb. browned loose mild Italian sausage
2 large handfuls chopped spinach
1 small carrot, sliced
1/4 small onion, sliced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Stretch pie crust out slightly on greased cookie sheet. In a saute pan, heat olive oil and add carrot and onions. Cook until tender. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Salt and pepper to taste. Spread pizza sauce on pie crust. Top with sausage, spinach mixture, and cheese. Carefully roll pie crust into a tube. Place in 400 degree oven and cook until lightly browned (mine took about 45 minutes). Slice and serve topped with remaining warm pizza sauce.

Twice Baked Potatoes

This recipe is based on a recipe I found on eatingwell.com for loaded twice baked potatoes. I was really hoping Natty would like this one since he was recently spotted eating mashed potatoes, but he wouldn't try these at all. This child will drive me crazy with the vegetable thing... I served these with broccoli mac and cheese so that I would have something to give to Natty, but the potatoes could have stood alone as a meal.


Twice Baked Potatoes
4 large russet potatoes
2 cups broccoli, chopped and steamed
1.5 cups plain yogurt
1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
Microwave potatoes on high for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through (don't forget to poke holes in them before you start!). Cut tops off of potatoes and set aside. Scoop out insides into a medium bowl. Add broccoli, yogurt, 1 cup cheddar cheese, and salt and pepper to the potatoes. Mix/mash together. Stuff each potato shell with mixture and place in a baking dish. Top with remaining cheddar and put in toaster oven/oven/microwave to melt cheese.


Notes for next time: I had a heck of a time scooping out the insides of the potatoes without breaking the skin. Next time, I am going to try baking the potatoes in the oven to see if the skins remain a little stronger.

Oven Fries

This doesn't count as a recipe post since I have been wholly unsuccessful at making oven fries, leaving me with nothing to post. Rather, this is a plea for help. Do you have any tips on oven fries? I feel like it should be easy. Potatoes, oil, salt, bake. Right? Mine never brown, but stick like crazy to my pan. What am I doing wrong? I've tried extra virgin olive oil and regular vegetable oil. I've cooked them at 400, 425, and 450. I've cooked on aluminum foil and straight on the pan. Same thing every time. They taste good, but look awful - pale on one side, almost burnt on the other. Any tips? Do I need to soak the potatoes first? Should I not salt them until they're done? Is there a particular potato I should be using? Any hints you have would be greatly appreciated!

Garlic Bread

About two weeks ago, I could think of nothing but garlic bread. I started trying to plan outings so that they would take me places where I knew I could get the tasty stuff and planning my meals to make sure that they went with garlic bread. It culminated in a meal at my mother's for which I specifically requested something that went with garlic bread. It was really kind of sad. Who lets a piece of bread rule their meals for a week? Apparently I do. I'm a sucker for the kind with garlic butter - I like it a little greasy and with nice chunks of garlic on top. I know, I know. It's not the traditional way, but I don't care.


Garlic Bread
1 loaf torpedo shaped bread with a nice crust (I made a half whole wheat rustic Italian for mine)
1 stick butter, softened
6-8 cloves garlic, rough chopped
salt and pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
Put butter, garlic, salt (pinch if you're using salted butter), pepper (to taste), and crushed red pepper flakes (to taste) in a small blender/chopper. Mix thoroughly. Cut bread in half lengthwise. Smear both sides with butter until all crumb is covered. Bake in 400 degree oven until lightly browned or stick it under the broiler and keep a close eye on it. 


Mmm, mmm, mmm. I think I need to go make some again. Oh, if you have any extra butter, just stick it in the freezer for the next time.

Jan's Crock Pot Chicken and Salsa

To be fair, it's Jan's Daughter's Crock Pot Chicken and Salsa, but that just doesn't roll off the tongue. Also to be fair, it's my version of her recipe. Her recipe is also provided below. The only downfall I saw in this recipe is that I was at home while it was cooking. It was really hard to not eat the whole thing before dinnertime. The chicken fell apart and shredded into the rest of the dish and it was awesome!


Jan's Crock Pot Chicken and Salsa
1 package frozen chicken breast
2 cups fresh black beans
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 bag frozen corn
1 jar salsa
1 tblsp cumin
salt and pepper
shredded cheddar cheese
brown rice
plain yogurt
Add chicken, beans, water, corn, salsa, cumin, salt, and pepper to crock pot. Cook on low all day. Serve over brown rice topped with cheddar cheese and yogurt. Seriously. That's it.


Original Recipe
1 package chicken breast
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 jar salsa
1 block cream cheese
rice
Add chicken, beans, corn, and salsa to crock pot. Cook on low all day. About 1 hour before eating, add block of cream cheese and stir to combine. Serve over rice. Personally, I'm going to try this one as a dip one day since the inclusion of cream cheese screams dip to me. I think this and a big bag of tortilla chips is in my future!