Soup time! Hearty lentil soup

Another chilly day today, I guess it's time for soup! This recipe for lentil soup originally came from a Williams Sonoma cookbook called Soup.  It was part of a boxed set I received as a gift. Since so many of the things I cook come with some kind of story. here's my lentil soup story.  My mother made lentil soup, though hers was nothing like this recipe, it was dark and muddy and didn't have any vegetables.  My sister always said it tasted like dirt.  Now the only time my mother made this soup was during Lent when we ate less meat.  Throughout my entire childhood, I thought it was called lentil soup because it was only eaten during Lent!  I never knew those little legumes were called lentils! 

 Often soup  tastes better if let to simmer for hours on the back burner.  Not this one!  This recipe is quick.  It is inexpensive and very healthy.  Lentils have protein and lots of fiber.  You can use any kind of lentils, they come in many colors.  I use a mixture of brown and pink, but you can use any color.  Brown are the most common.  Lentils are found in your supermarket near the beans and rice.  I did make a few changes to the recipe and this is my version.

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery thinly sliced
1 carrot peeled and thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic minced
1 bay leaf
1 can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups of dried lentils rinsed and picked through
4 cups  chicken broth
1 box of frozen chopped spinach (you can of course use fresh)
salt and pepper
8 ounces of uncooked small pasta like ditalii

Put the oil into a saucepan and sauté onion, carrot, celery, garlic and bay leaf.  Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are softened.  Add the tomatoes, chicken broth and  lentils. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to medium low, partially cover and cook for about 15 minutes.  Add the box of spinach and continue to cook another 15 minutes.  While the soup is cooking, prepare the pasta according to package directions.  Add drained pasta to the soup.  Remove the bay leaf and serve with crusty bread and a salad.  This meal can be made ahead and frozen.  It makes about 4-6 servings, double the recipe and freeze half for another meal.  How easy was that!

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie

Confessions of a Gadget Junkie

I have thought about this long and hard, if I could only have one kitchen gadget, what would it be?  I am fairly certain that I know.  The one thing I could never give up would be my chef's knife.  I truly believe if you have money to spend on one good tool for your kitchen, this would be it.  I learned to use a chef's knife many years ago.  I worked my way through college, and one summer I worked in a restaurant.  I was a waitress, but I also helped prep the salad bar.  I was terrified of this big sharp knife at first, but the chef taught me that the sharper the knife, the less chance you will cut yourself.  This is because you apply less pressure. Once I learned how to use it, I was sold. I bought my first chef's knife over 40 years ago, when I lived in Germany.  It is a Wustoff; it's  a wonderful knife, and I still use it today.  I now have another one, a little larger and it is pretty much my go to knife.

I also have a really good set of stainless steel cookware that I would have trouble giving up.  It's heavy and has a layer of copper imbedded in the bottom, so it conducts heat really well.  I was lucky and purchased it a few pieces at a time at a once a year warehouse sale for a fraction of the actual cost.  Good, heavy cookware is another really good investment if you can spend the money.  I would recommend one or two sauce pans in different sizes, a skillet and a stockpot.  These will last forever. 

Next on my list of what I would hate to give up is my Kitchen Aid stand mixer.  It was a gift from my children one Christmas. I use it so often, that I keep it sitting out on my counter.  It took over the spot of my food processor on the counter.  The food processor went into the cabinet, but I still use it fairly often.  I use it when I have large quantities of something to chop, for making bread crumbs, and I always use it for pesto.  Another favorite is my immersion blender, or stick blender.  I received mine as a gift and it also has a mini chopper that it attaches to.  While I love the blender part for soups, I rarely use the mini chopper.  Could live without that part.  One other chopping device that I love is my Pampered Chef chopper,  I use it mostly to chop garlic and herbs.  It goes right into the dishwasher, doesn't take up much room, and doesn't use electricity.

Now on to the things I have, but could live without.  These are extras, they make life in the kitchen easier, but are not necessary.  First, my George Forman Grill.   I use it mostly to make paninis, I would probably replace it if it broke, but I could certainly live without it.  Of course, yesterday I mentioned my quesadilla maker-a nice extra to have, inexpensive, easy to clean, but I could live without it.  Next is my crockpot.  While I love it and use it all the time, I could probably live without it.  Finally, my bread machine.  I love this.  For years I made all the bread we ate by hand without a machine.  This ended when I got a full time job.  Then I got a bread machine.  I can literally take ten minutes to put the ingredients in; I then close it up, and a few hours later I have wonderful fresh, warm bread.  Could I live without this?  Sure, do I want to?  No!

Next we will talk about things that I have but hardly ever use.  I have a hand mixer, you know a hand held electric beater.  I got my first one when I was married, and replaced it when it burned out.  Now that I have my stand mixer, I almost never use it-usually just for mashed potatoes.  Next in line, my blender.  I am not a smoothie lover, I have an immersion blender and a food processor, so this only comes out when we are making fancy drinks, which is almost never.  Waffle iron-another thing I rarely use.  I did use it more when I had kids at home but now, almost never.  It's actually buried in the back of a cabinet and it would be a struggle to get it out. 

So that pretty much covers my small electrical appliances.  I do have a drawer full of little gadgets, things like cherry pitters, strawberry hullers, egg slicers, lemon squeezers, etc.  I could probably devote another whole post to those.  Let's leave that for another day.  Now go cook something good for your family.  I know I am!

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie

The Best $20 I've Spent in a Long Time Makes a Super Quick Dinner!

Several years ago I was I visiting my daughter in Colorado,  and she served me quesadillas for lunch. I was quite impressed! This was the first time I had eaten them anywhere other than a restaurant.  She had a nifty quesadilla maker! She said it was only $20 and that she had gotten it at Target.  Well, when I got home, I ran right out and bought two of them, one for myself and the other I gave to my daughter in law.  Now I am the first to admit that I am a kitchen gadget junkie, but I'm usually fairly reserved when it comes to small electrical appliances like donut makers, cup cake makers and the like.  You know, every year around holiday time the stores are full of them, but  I do have a few favorites and later this week, I will do a post just about kitchen gadgets.  However, this quesadilla maker is something I use all the time, probably several times a month.  It was well worth the money I spent on it.  The best thing about it is that with a few left overs, some flour tortillas and some cheese you have dinner in minutes!  Literally minutes.  The possibilities are endless; there is no limit to what you can put in a quesadilla. 

 

Most of the time, I make them with left over cooked chicken, frozen spinach, which I defrost and drain and shredded cheddar cheese. Put the tortilla on the base of the maker, put a little cheese, add the chicken and spinach and more cheese, cover with another tortilla and close.  It kind of works like the George Forman Grill, both sides are heated, so it cooks through. In just a few minutes you have a tasty quesadilla!  I use my pizza cutter to cut them up, it seems to work easier than a knife.

 

Ok, now I do not work for the quesadilla maker people, or Target or any of those places, and I won't get any kind of kick back if you decide to buy one, but I did go online today, and Target still sells them!  What's even more amazing is that they are still $19.95!  Now, I totally understand if you don't want to buy a quesadilla maker, and you want to spend your hard earned money elsewhere.  That's fine, but you can still make quesadillas.  The only difference is that you use your skillet.  Only fill half of the tortilla and flip the other half over the top of your fillings.  This makes it easier to flip the whole thing over so both sides will cook. I imagine you can use a stove top griddle and get the same effect. 

 

So, now that I have convinced you to make quesadillas, what else can you put in them?  As I said, the possibilities are endless.  What about black beans, peppers, mushrooms, onions, salsa, Monterey jack cheese instead of cheddar, or any combination of cheeses?  What about an Italian inspired quesadilla?  Use mozzarella, tomatoes, and a little crumbled Italian sausage. Asian inspired?  Pork, edamame, onions, peppers and a few shakes of five spice powder or ginger. Breakfast?  Scrambled eggs, crumbled bacon or sausage and cheese? 

 

The only word of caution is that whatever you put in a quesadilla must be already cooked, except of course, cheese or veggies.  You don't cook a quesadilla long enough or hot enough for eggs or meat to cook.  This is why they are so great for leftovers!  You have heard me talk often about pantry supplies.  I always keep tortillas on hand;  they are on my list of staples.  You can use them for quesadillas, soft tacos, enchiladas, or wraps.  They never go to waste in my house.  So go get some tortillas and give quesadillas a try.  And when you do, post here and let me know what you put in them.  I am always looking for new ideas!  Enjoy!

 

Happy cooking!

 

Carol

a.k.a. Nonnie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Asian Inspired Pork Chops

 

Asian Inspired Pork Chops

 

I know I have been quiet for a little while, sometimes things just get crazy.  Last week my niece called and asked if I could prepare a birthday dinner for her mom, who is my only sister.  She requested egg rolls, which is everyone in my family's favorite.  I only make egg rolls about once a year, they are kind of time consuming, make a mess in the kitchen, and are deep fried in oil.  I learned to make them many years ago from a Taiwanese woman, who offered a cooking class to the Officer's Wives Club.  I usually make them with fried rice, and a few other Asian dishes.  This meal took two days of prep and cooking.  My sister was surprised, and we all had a wonderful time.  I will share these recipes with you later this week. 

I brought home some of the leftover fried rice, since I made enough for an army.  I had it in the freezer and wanted to use it for dinner last night.  I took out a package of pork chops and a container of green beans along with the fried rice and set to work.  This is a recipe that evolved as I was cooking. I have often mentioned the importance of having a well stocked pantry, and this recipe is a result of that.  Everything I used for this recipe was in my pantry. You might think it weird to keep fresh ginger, but I use it fairly often.  I cut it up into one inch pieces and freeze it. Here we go.

1 package pork chops - I used center cut, boneless, but you can use any kind of pork chops.

Marinade:

1/2  cup soy sauce
1/4  cup honey
3 cloves garlic, run through a garlic press
fresh ginger-a one inch piece, grated

Sauce:

3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 T cornstarch

Mix the first four ingredients together.  Place the pork chops into a zipper bag and pour the marinade over.  Marinate for about 1 hour.  Drain and reserve the marinade.  I cooked the pork chops on the grill, but you could bake them or put them under the broiler.  My pork chops were thick cut, so they took about 7 minutes per side.

While the pork chops were cooking, I made the sauce and prepared the green beans.  Pour the reserved marinade into a sauce pan, add the broth and bring to a boil.  Boil for about three minutes.  Stir the cornstarch into a quarter cup of water and add to the pan. As soon as it begins to thicken, turn the heat to low.  If it becomes too thick, just add more broth or a little soy sauce.

I put the green beans in a pan with a tablespoon of oil.  I used coconut oil, but vegetable oil is fine.  I added a quarter cup of soy sauce, and two cloves of garlic, which I ran through the garlic press and a few shakes of pepper.  I cooked these about 5 minutes over medium heat until they were "al dente".

I reheated the rice, removed the pork chops from the grill, poured some of the sauce over and served the rest at the table along with the green beans and rice.  We had a great meal!

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie

Stroganoff in the Crockpot--Another Great One!

I came from a very traditional Italian family.  The only ethnic food we ever ate was Italian.  Needless to say, I had a very limited palate. When I was in college, I would occasionally go out for Chinese food with my friends, but that was about it.

 When I got married, my husband was in the Air Force; we moved to Ohio, and my world changed.  No bagels, no good pizza or Italian sausage, but I met people from all over the country through our association with other military families. My food horizons were greatly expanded, and I ate things like corn bread, hush puppies, and Mexican food.  These all seem pretty commonplace to me now, but wow, was my mouth having fun!  Look what I had missed all these years!  Of course this was the late 60's and there were also things like salad with fruit cocktail, whipped cream, coconut and marshmallows.  This was like dessert, but eaten as a salad.  Some things were a bit hard for me to get used to.

My first cookbook was The Better Homes and Gardens Fiftieth Anniversary Addition.  It had a gold cover.  I still have it and I still use it.  The pages are torn and dirty and I  recently bought the newest edition. Since there are some old favorites not in the new edition, I kept the old one.  One of the things I used to make from that cookbook was beef stroganoff.

It was pretty much my go to stroganoff recipe until I got the Slow Cooker Revolution, published by America's Test Kitchen.  Their recipe for stroganoff, puts my old one to shame.  This one has so much more flavor!  The only change I made to this recipe was to increase the amount of sour cream.  Also, it calls for Dijon mustard mixed in with the sour cream, but I left that out. There are some unusual ingredients like dried porcini mushrooms and soy sauce, but as I have said before, these really boost the flavor. In case you were wondering, packages of dried porcini mushrooms are usually on the shelf above the regular mushrooms in the produce section.  If you can't find them there, ask the grocer.

The prep time for this recipe is about 30 minutes.  You can cut down on the time a bit if you use pre-sliced mushrooms and use a food processor to chop your onions, garlic and porcini.  Trust me, it's well worth the time and effort. This is another recipe that you can prep and night, refrigerate and put in the crockpot before you leave for work in the morning.  Also, you can make this on one of your weekend cooking days, and freeze it until you need it.  If you freeze it, its best to put the sour cream in just before serving, but it won't ruin it if you freeze it with the sour cream. Serve this over buttered noodles and add a vegetable for a great meal.  Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff from Slow Cooker Revolution

3 Tablespoons olive oil - you can substitute vegetable oil if you like
1  1/2 lbs. mushrooms rinsed and sliced
salt and pepper
3 onions minced
6 cloves garlic minced
1/4 c. tomato paste
1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms rinsed and minced
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1  1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth plus more as needed
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 bay leaves
2 lbs. beef chuck roast, or other suitable cut of beef
1  8 oz. container sour cream - you can use low fat or fat free

Put one Tablespoon of oil into a skillet and add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Cover and cook on medium high for about 5 minutes.  Remove the cover and cook another ten minutes, until all the liquid has evaporated.  Transfer mushrooms to the slow cooker.  While the mushrooms are cooking, chop the onions, garlic and porcini mushrooms.  After you remove the mushrooms from the pan add the remaining oil, onions, garlic, porcini, tomato paste and thyme.  Mix well so the tomato paste  is incorporated and lower the heat to medium.  Cook until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes.  While the onions are cooking, cut up the beef.  When the onions are softened, add the flour and cook for about three minutes.  Add the chicken broth and stir, raise the heat to medium high.  When the sauce begins to thicken, transfer it to the slow cooker along with the bay leaves, wine, and soy sauce.  Finally add the raw beef to the slow cooker.  Give everything a good stir.  Cook on low for 9 - 11 hours or on high for 5 - 6.  I prefer not to cook it on high because the beef seems to get a bit tough.  When it is cooked, remove about a cup of the sauce to a bowl.  Add the sour cream to the bowl and mix well. This process tempers the sour cream and keeps it from curdling when added to the pot. Add the sour cream mixture back to the slow cooker and stir well.  Serve over buttered noodles. Please let me know how you liked this! 

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie

Another Quick Dinner from Leftovers--Baked Ziti with a few Additions

Remember the post about making dinner in the time it takes to boil water?  Well I almost did it again.  Today I was cleaning out the fridge and found two left over chicken breasts, pasta sauce, half a container of ricotta cheese, and a tiny bit of broccoli.  So I decided to make baked ziti with a few additions.  I put the water on to boil.  Cut up the chicken and put another package of frozen broccoli in the microwave for three minutes.  While that was cooking, I put the ricotta into a bowl (there was about 8 ounces) and added half a cup of parmesan cheese and a few shakes of oregano.  I then cut up the broccoli florets into smaller pieces. Next, I  put a light coating of olive oil on a baking pan. When the pasta was done I drained it and put it back into the pot.  I added the chicken and broccoli and gave it a stir.  I then added the ricotta cheese mixture, about 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella and about 2 cups of the pasta sauce.  I gave it a good stir and put all of this into the baking pan. I then sprinkled a little more mozzarella on top, poured on the rest of the pasta sauce and sprinkled on more mozzarella and some parmesan.  I covered it with foil and put it in a 350 degree oven for about thirty minutes. 

The actual prep took less than 20 minutes!  I made a meal with all four food groups and all in one pan in that amount of time. Of course you could leave out the chicken or substitute ground beef or turkey, but then you would have to take the time to brown it.  You could also leave out the broccoli, I just try to sneak in veggies whenever I can.  If you don't have pasta sauce made, you can always use sauce in a jar.  (Just don't tell my grandmother!)  Now I will tell you that I used a pound of pasta and with the other ingredients, it made a very large pan.  I wish I had put it into two smaller ones, so I could have frozen half.  Next time. 

Give this a try and let me know.  Please feel free to post comments in the comment section below this post.  I would love it if you would, just so I can see that it works!  Thanks.

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie

Chili for a Chilly Night

Oh, could I get any cornier?  Probably, but I'll save it for another time.  I had a busy day today.  I went to an outdoor craft festival and had church at 5:00, so a crockpot meal was in order.  You could definitely put this meal together in the evening, store it in the fridge and put it in the crockpot before you leave in the morning.  I got this recipe for Weeknight Beef Chili from Slow Cooker Revolution published by America's Test Kitchen. It's probably the best chili I have ever made.  I didn't change very much.  The recipe called for red kidney beans which I really don't care for, so I used the same amount of black beans.  Also, it called for canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce.  I didn't have any, so I left it out. The recipe calls for soy sauce which seems a little weird in a chili recipe.  This is one of those ingredients that this cookbook uses often to boost the beefy flavor.  They call it umami. The kids were here for dinner and everyone had second helpings.  I guess it was a success.  Here goes.

Weeknight Beef Chili

2 lbs. ground beef
2 slices white bread
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
3 onions minced
6 cloves garlic minced
1/4 c. tomato paste
1/4 c. chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1  28 oz. can of tomato puree
1  28 oz. can diced tomatoes
2  16 oz. cans black beans (use kidney beans if you prefer)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt and pepper

Tear the bread into pieces and soak in the milk.  Using your hands, mix this into the beef along with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  In a very large skillet, add the oil, onions, garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and red pepper flakes.  Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes.  Add the beef mixture and cook until it is no longer pink, about 6 minutes.  Add 1 cup of the tomato puree to the pan and cook for a few minutes.  Add to the crockpot along with the beans, diced tomatoes, remaining tomato puree, soy sauce and brown sugar.  Mix well.  At this point you can put the ceramic pot into your refrigerator and put it into the crockpot before you leave for work.  Cook on low for about  6 hours.  When chili is finished, let sit a few minutes and skim off any fat that has accumulated at the top.  Serve with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and rice if you like.  Enjoy. 

If you make this, let me know how you liked it.  And as always, I welcome questions and comments.

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie

A dinner you can make in the time it takes to boil water.

You can make dinner in the time it takes to boil water.  What?  She can't mean that!  No, really I do and you can.  Just hear me out.  This is a recipe my father taught me to make.  I grew up in the fifties. Back then men didn't usually do much cooking, only when it was time to fire up the backyard  barbeque did men cook.  However, when I got older, my dad would occasionally cook.  My mom didn't eat seafood, so that was something my dad did.  One time, after I was married and had moved away, I came home for a visit and he made linguine with white clam sauce for me.  It was wonderful.  It became one of those recipes that I always keep the ingredients on hand.  It is super easy and if you begin by putting water on to boil, the sauce will be done the same time the pasta is.  Now I am embarrassed to say that I live near the ocean and have never made this with fresh clams.  I'm sure I could, but this has become one of those "quick" dinners, and whenever I make it I am usually short on time.  I have one of the best fish markets in the area within walking distance of my house, and I promise, now that I have time, I am going to try this recipe with fresh clams.  When I do, I will report back.  Until then, put the pot of water on the stove to boil, and let's get started!

Dad's Linguini with White Clam Sauce

1 lb. linguine
2 cans chopped clams (6 oz. each)
3-4 large cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (use only 1 Tablespoon if you are using dried)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
pepper to taste

Begin by putting the water on to boil.  Chop garlic and parsley.  Open clams and drain reserving juice.  Chop clams.  Put olive oil and garlic in a skillet and turn the heat on medium.  I always put garlic in a cold pan with the olive oil to prevent burning.  Garlic is bitter when it is burned.  Cook for about 2 minutes and add the clams, cook 2 minutes longer and add the flour. Stir so the flour is mixed in to the oil.  Cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the wine and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to medium high.  Sauce should begin to thicken.  At this point, the water is probably boiling, add the pasta to the water with a tablespoon of salt.  Cook until al dente.  Add the reserved clam juice to the skillet along with the parsley and pepper.  When sauce begins to bubble, turn down the heat.  If the sauce should become too thick, add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water.  When the pasta is done, drain.  If you have a large enough skillet, add the pasta to the skillet, if not transfer the pasta to a bowl and pour the sauce over.  Serve with parmesan cheese and a salad.  Now that was quick!  Don't tell me you don't have time to cook!  If you have time to boil water, you have time to cook.!  Try it out and let me know how you liked it.  Remember I welcome questions and comments.  Check out the comment section at the bottom of each post.  Thanks.

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie

Crockpot Herbed Chicken with Kalamata Olives

This is the time of year I bring out the crockpot.  Meals cooked in the crockpot always seem like comfort food to me, and this is the time of year for comfort food.

For years I've had many issues with the crockpot and hardly ever used it.  First, who wants to do all that work of preparing a meal before you go to work?  I am not a morning person, so that was never an option.  Second,  for years, everything I made in the crockpot tasted the same, dull, bland and overcooked.  Then my friend Lisa turned me on to a great cookbook, Slow Cooker Revolution.  It's published by America's Test Kitchen.  They have a show on PBS that I love to watch.  I have several of their cookbooks, and get their magazine, Cooks Illustrated. They test recipes, until they find the best version.  I have never made anything bad from one of their recipes. 

Back to the crockpot.  The people at America's Test Kitchens believe, that you need to develop flavors when using a crockpot, which makes a ton of sense to me, since everything is always so bland. This takes a few extra steps, but it's so worth the time.  I also discovered, that I don't need to cook things for 8-12 hours. Usually six hours works just fine.  No wonder everything tasted overcooked!

So as I said, my other issue was the prep thing.  While I am not a morning person, I do get up in the middle of the night a lot--don't ask.  I started preparing things at night, putting them on to cook and turning them off when I woke up to use the bathroom.  Then in the morning it was cool enough to put in the refrigerator until dinner. If you have a timer on your crockpot, you can just set the timer and it will be cool in the morning.  Ok, so you don't get up in the middle of the night, and your crockpot doesn't have a timer. How about preparing the meal at night, putting the ceramic pot in the fridge overnight and taking it out and turning it on in the morning? The heat is very low, so it won't crack the cold crock.  That works! 

This recipe is an adaptation from another crockpot cookbook and the techniques I learned  from America's Test Kitchen. I know, you are looking at this recipe and thinking, "Is she crazy?  There are a million ingredients in this thing!  How is this quick and easy?" Trust me, it is. The only ingredient I had to purchase for this meal was the olives.  Everything else, I had on hand.  Check out my pantry page links at the top of the blog.  By the way the prep time for this was just 30 minutes.

Just a quick word about the ingredients.  Boneless, skinless thighs work best in the crockpot.  They have more flavor, and don't dry out, and they are cheaper, but you can substitute breasts, if that's what you have.   I get the olives at the olive bar of my Shop Rite, but if you hate olives, leave them out!  Remember what I said in an earlier post; these recipes are meant to be adaptable.  If you don't like an ingredient, substitute another or leave it out. I use sun dried tomatoes packed in oil.  They keep forever, so I always have them on hand. Now you are thinking,  "What do I do with all that leftover tomato paste?"  I put it into the freezer.  Each time I need it, I defrost it for a minute or two and scrape off the tablespoon or two that I need and put it back into the freezer.  I use it often to develop the flavors in crockpot meals, so now I always have it on hand! No big deal! Here we go.

1 to 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
1 onion finely chopped
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tablespoons minute tapioca
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
12/ cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Begin by chopping the onions and garlic.  I use the Pampered Chef chopper and it is a real time saver, and the whole thing goes right into the dishwasher.  Combine the garlic, onions, tomato paste, oregano and 1 Tablespoon of the oil in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes.  This step is where the flavors are developed, so don't leave it out.  Transfer onion mixture to the bottom of the crockpot and add bay leaf, rosemary, lemon zest, salt, pepper, tapioca, (for thickening) and sun dried tomatoes.  Give a good stir to combine.  Put the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat.  Trim any bits of fat off the chicken and add it to the skillet.  Cook about five minutes, turning once, just until it begins to lightly brown.  Transfer the chicken to the crockpot and cover with lemon slices.  Add the wine and chicken broth to the skillet that you used for the chicken.  Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan.  Cook for 3 or 4 minutes, just until the alcohol cooks off add this to the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  Serve over rice, orzo, or noodles.  Add a green vegetable and you have a great meal.

Give this recipe a try and let me know how it turned out.  Also, let me know any changes or additions you made.  Good luck and remember to have fun!

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie

Playing with Pancakes--Part 1

So tomorrow is October 1st and everywhere you go they are talking pumpkin.  Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin mousse, pumpkin gnocchi, pumpkin spice coffee, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. ( I really loved The King and I).  So I decided to try my hand at pumpkin pancakes.  I made up a big batch of pancake batter and then began playing with it.  Part 1 will be pumpkin pancakes, but Part 2 will be apple, cinnamon, walnut pancakes.  I just need to play with those a bit more.  Here we go, one more pumpkin recipe to add to your repertoire.

I will begin by talking about pancake mix.  I do not buy a separate mix just for pancakes. I use Bisquick baking mix.  Since I use it for lots of things, it seems silly to buy something just for pancakes, when Bisquick works just fine.  I have also made pancakes from scratch, but that is for another day.  I just followed the recipe for 14 pancakes, which is 2 cups of mix, 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk.  If you use something different, just follow the recipe for about a dozen pancakes.

For pumpkin pancakes:

To prepared pancake batter add:

1/2 cup pumpkin puree - do not use pumpkin pie filling!
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Mix well and prepare as you would regular pancakes.  Serve with maple syrup or powdered sugar.

I was saving three for the picture, but somebody ate one!  I guess I'm not the only one who thought they were good!

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie

Great Dinner Tonight--Almost All on the Grill

I have been craving mushrooms.  I don't know what that means, I just have.  So today I went to a local market that has wonderful produce and bought four different kinds of mushrooms:  regular white button mushrooms, shitake, oyster and cremini.  All but the oyster mushrooms I purchased already sliced, because it was late in the day and I was trying to save time.  I don't usually do this because I am bothered by paying someone else to cut up my food.  Call me cheap.  I also bought some Brussels sprouts.

When I got home, the first thing I did was to turn on the grill to high.  I then put a 3 slices of bacon in a pan to cook.  While they were cooking, I washed the Brussels sprouts, trimmed the ends off, picked off any yellow leaves and cut them in half lengthwise.  Always choose small sprouts as they are less bitter.  I then put the Brussels sprouts in a microwave safe bowl and cooked them for three minutes on high in the microwave. I took the bacon out of the pan and set it aside on a paper towel. I then put in the partially cooked Brussels sprouts into the pan with the bacon fat and just sautéed along with two cloves of garlic that I ran through the garlic press right into the pan.  I sautéed them for a minute or two.  I then put them in an oven proof pan with a lid, added a sprinkle of salt and pepper and set them aside.

 I then scrubbed four potatoes, poked holes in them and put them in the microwave for 10 minutes.  While these were pre-cooking, I prepared my boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  I rinsed them, patted them dry, and trimmed off any fat.  I brushed them with olive oil and sprinkled salt and pepper on both sides.  Now I am ready to go outside.  I bring out the potatoes, chicken and pan of Brussels sprouts.  Everything goes on the grill.  Chicken on one side, potatoes and Brussels sprouts on the other.

I come back inside and wipe out the pan I used for the bacon. I then put  two tablespoons of olive oil and two table spoons of butter in the pan and turn the heat on medium.  I rinse the mushrooms, and cut the stems off of the oyster mushrooms.  All the mushrooms go into the pan and I raise the heat to high.  I go outside and give the Brussels sprouts a stir and check the chicken, not quite ready to turn.  It needs at least eight minutes.  Don't try to turn it too soon, or it will stick to the grill.  When it is ready it will lift easily.  I come back and check on the mushrooms, a few quick stirs.  They are giving off a lot of liquid.  I want this to all cook away. 

Back outside to pick some rosemary and chives, flip the chicken and give the Brussels sprouts another stir.  They are nearly done.  I also check the potatoes; they are also nearly done.    I come in and chop the herbs and set aside.  The liquid is pretty much dissolved from the mushrooms. They have been cooking on high for about ten minutes. I run three cloves of garlic through the garlic press right into the mushroom pan, add the rosemary and turn the heat to medium.  I add about 1/2 cup of white wine and let this reduce.  I go back outside and turn off the side of the grill that has the potatoes and Brussels sprouts.  My grill has four burners and I love this feature.  Everything will stay warm while the chicken continues to cook.

Back inside.  This sounds like a lot of running around doesn't it?  Not really, my patio is right off my kitchen and my house is quite small, so it's only a few steps each time.  I now check the mushrooms and add 1/4 cup of heavy cream about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and stir and reduce the heat to low.  Back outside to get everything.  The chicken has cooked a total of 15-18 minutes.  These were pretty thick breasts, cook them less time if yours are thin.  I transfer the Brussels sprouts to a bowl and add the bacon which I have crumbled.  I add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan that had the Brussels sprouts and throw in a quarter cup of chopped walnuts and cook over medium heat.  The chicken goes onto a platter and mushroom sauce on top.  Baked potatoes will be served with butter, sour cream and chives.  Nuts come off the stove and go into the Brussels sprouts.  Dinner is done.  From start to finish that took about 45 minutes and everything was great!

I only had two pans to wash, and since it was a warm day, I didn't heat up the kitchen by turning on the oven for the potatoes and Brussels sprouts.  I know this wasn't an actual recipe, but a run through of my dinner preparation.  Sometimes it's easier for me to explain it this way, since I didn't actually have recipes for what I made.  I had leftover heavy cream, so I thought I would throw it into the mushrooms, another night,  I might just make them with the wine.  This is how I usually cook, on the fly.  Once you get accustomed to what tastes good with what, you can do the same thing!  Practice makes perfect!  Good luck! And most importantly, have fun!

Happy Cooking,

Carol
a.k.a. Nonnie

Snickerdoodles

Back in the 70's I lived in Omaha, Nebraska.  I had a neighbor directly across the street who was truly amazing.  She had four children, made all their clothes, including their pajamas and leisure suits for her husband, cooked a wonderful meal every night, and made cookies in the morning before her kids went to school so she could put fresh cookies in their lunches.  I once asked her how she managed to get all this done and she said, "Oh, I just do it around the edges!"  I asked her what that meant, and she explained that she did things in found moments during her day.  For example, when she drove someone to soccer practice, she came home and used the time to cut out two shirts for her son.  I would have sat and read a magazine until it was time to pick them up, because it never would have occurred to me that I could cut out shirts in that little bit of time.  I learned a lot from her, and soon I too was doing things "around the edges". I have even been known, on occasion, to bake cookies before my kids went to school! She shared several wonderful recipes with me and this one, for snickerdoodles, is one of my favorites.  (Another one is omelet bread, which I will share with you closer to the holidays.)

This is a very old cookie recipe, dating back to the 1800's. I discovered this because I was doing a presentation at a local quilt shop on a quilt made during the Civil War.  I wanted to serve a snack similar to what would have been made during that time period. I did some research and came up with the snickerdoodle!  Well since I already had my neighbor's recipe, that was a no brainer!  I have made these cookies with each of my children and grandchildren from an early age because you can give them a bowl of cinnamon sugar and plop the cookie ball in, and they can shake away.  Enough said, here is the recipe.  It makes about 5 dozen cookies.

1 c shortening (some recipes call for half butter and half shortening, I just like how the shortening ones turn out)
1 1/2 c sugar ( I have made them with only 1 cup of sugar and they are still good)
2 eggs
2  3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4  tsp salt

topping: 
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a mixer, cream shortening and sugar together, add eggs and continue to mix.  Then add dry ingredients and mix well.  Roll dough into balls about the size of a walnut and put the dough ball into a bowl in which you have mixed the cinnamon and sugar. Shake or spin the bowl.  (This is the part the kids do.)  Place about 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 8 - 10 minutes.  I bake mine about 9 minutes because we like them soft.   Remove from cookie sheet and cool on a rack.

Try this with your kids!  Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a Nonnie

It's A Soup Day-French Onion Soup

Today was cool and rainy, I was out shopping all afternoon, so it is a perfect soup day. I decided on French Onion Soup. The recipe I am going to share with you today is not one of my quick ones.  The original recipe I used took over three hours!  I have pared it down to two hours.  This is a recipe to make on a weekend.  It's so worth all the time it takes.  We love French onion soup so much that I actually went out a few years ago and bought some of those oven proof crocks with handles for serving the soup. In spite of how long it takes it's a really easy recipe. With very few ingredients.  Be brave and give it a try.  You can definitely prepare this ahead, store in the fridge or freezer and serve later.

3 lbs. yellow onions (one bag)
3 Tbsp. butter (you can substitute olive oil)
1 tsp. salt
1 bunch fresh thyme (3 or 4 sprigs tied together with string)
1 bay leaf
1 quart beef broth (I use the boxed broth)
1 quart chicken broth (I use boxed broth)
1 cup red wine
4 cups water

crusty baguette
sliced Swiss cheese
sliced provolone cheese

Peel and slice onions.  Slice them pole to pole in thin slices. Mix onions with salt, put in a microwave safe bowl and cover with a plate or plastic wrap.  Microwave for 20 minutes on high.  Remove from microwave and carefully remove lid away from you because there will be steam. 

Drain onions and discard water.  Melt butter over medium high heat in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven or soup pot.  When butter has foamed and the foam has subsided, add the onions and cover.  Cook for ten minutes.  Uncover and stir.  Add bay leaf and bunch of thyme. Keep heat at medium high and continue to cook stirring occasionally.  After ten minutes, add wine and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook another 10 minutes until wine is reduced stirring occasionally.  Now add one cup of the water and continue to cook another 10 minutes, stirring. The onions should be beginning to brown. Add the second cup of water and scrape bits off the bottom of the pan.

At this point the onions have been on the stove for 30 minutes.  Add both broths and remaining two cups of water.  Bring to a boil.  Once it boils, reduce heat to low.  While you are waiting for the soup to come to a boil, heat oven to 400 degrees and slice bread (one slice for each bowl).  Put the bread on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes.  Remove bread from oven.  Ladle soup into oven proof bowls, top with toasted bread and one slice each provolone and Swiss cheese.  Put bowls on a cookie sheet and place under the broiler about 6 inches from the heat source for about 3 minutes or until the cheese bubbles.  Remove and serve with a salad.  If you don't have oven proof bowls, you can melt the cheese in the microwave.

At the beginning of this post, I said this recipe took two hours, that included the time it took to peel an slice all those onions.  Actual cooking time is about 1 hour and 15 minutes. If you want to prepare ahead and serve later, stop at the point where you add the broths and water and bring to a boil.  Cool and store in the fridge till you are ready to use.  Reheat pour into bowls and continue with bread and cheese. This recipe serves 8, so if you have a small family, freeze the remainder for another free meal. So take the plunge and try French onion soup! 

Feel free to comment or leave questions and please share this blog with your friends!

Fajitas-A Free Meal (Well, Almost)

 

 



 



I love when I can make a free meal.  What does that mean?  It's when I can make a meal, and all the ingredients are free or almost free! So now you are asking, "Where the heck does she get free food?"  Leftovers!  Last week I made a huge London Broil on the grill.  I knew it was too much for us, but that was ok.  I froze the half we didn't eat.  Yesterday I defrosted the meat for last night's dinner.  The peppers were from my garden, so they were free. I did buy the onions and the tortillas.  The seasoning mix was made from spices I had on hand.  If you remember way back when, I talked about the importance of having a well stocked pantry.  The other two ingredients, olive oil and garlic, I always have on hand.  So here is a recipe for a quick meal.  If you want to be really organized, double the recipe and freeze half, and then you will have dinner for one of those nights when you think you're too busy to cook. You can substitute cooked chicken for the beef.  If you don't have leftover meat, just cook the beef or chicken on the grill while you cut up all your vegetables, which is undoubtedly the most time consuming part of this meal.  OK, here goes.

Fajitas

1 pound cooked beef (or chicken)
1 large green pepper
1 large red pepper
1 large yellow pepper
1 medium onion
2 - 3 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Seasoning mix

1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like it really spicy)

1 package flour tortillas
sour cream
guacamole (optional)

Slice the beef on the crosswise grain as thinly as you possibly can. If using chicken, shred or slice thinly. A very sharp chef's knife does a great job.  Slice onions and peppers into long thin slices. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic which you have finely chopped, or run through a garlic press. When the garlic begins to soften, add the peppers and onions.  Cook for about eight minutes, stirring often. While the vegetables are cooking, combine the ingredients for the seasoning mix in a small bowl, stir to combine and set aside. When the vegetables have softened, add the seasoning mix and 1 cup of water.  Stir to mix the seasoning mix into the vegetables.  If the sauce seems too thick, you can add more water.  Add the meat, and cook till it is heated through.  Use a skillet or griddle to heat the tortillas till they are softened.  I usually put them in a covered pan in a 350 degree oven until they are all heated.  To serve, spread, sour cream and guacamole on the tortilla, top with meat and vegetable mixture wrap and enjoy.  This is a huge favorite in my family.  If you don't have a variety of peppers, you can certainly use all green, red, or what ever you have.  As I said before, this is a very easy recipe to double and freeze half.  Think of the money you will save, by serving the fajitas from your freezer instead of getting take out on those busy nights!!

Try it out, let me know how you did, and as always, please feel free to leave feedback, questions or comments.  Also, please share this blog with your friends.  The more the merrier!

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a Nonnie

Veggies and More Veggies! (Five Easy Recipes)

As promised, here are a few more vegetable recipes.  I make all of these and my family enjoys them.  One of the secrets to cooking vegetables is to not overcook them.  Overcooking makes them mushy, tasteless, and destroys the valuable nutrients.  Think like pasta--al dente--vegetables should have a little bit of a crunch to them. I always use fresh vegetables when I can, if not, I use frozen.  I never use canned because they have too much salt, and they often taste mushy.  Also, I hate the way canned green beans squeak on your teeth! So here are a few recipes for you to try.

I had a great crop of green beans in my little back yard garden this summer, so I tried a few new ways to cook them.

#1 Green Beans on the Grill

1 lb. fresh green beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 glove garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and trim ends off beans
Place beans on piece of foil large enough to wrap around beans
Drizzle oil over beans
Crush garlic over beans
Sprinkle with salt and pepper
Toss beans to coat with ingredients and wrap tightly in foil
Place on grill over medium heat

Cook for five minutes and check for doneness.

#2 Green beans with herbs

1 lb. green beans - fresh or frozen (if using frozen, defrost for one minute in microwave.
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove garlic minced or crushed
1/2  tsp. dried thyme or 1 tsp. fresh
1/2 tsp. dried basil or 1 tsp. fresh

For fresh green beans, wash, trim ends and cut in half.  Combine all ingredients in a saucepan with 1/4 cup cup water.  Cover and cook over medium low heat heat for five to seven minutes, stir occasionally.  Drain any remaining water and serve.

3. Grilled Eggplant

I mentioned my last post that I belong to a Farm to Table group at my local garden center.  This spring we planted a large vegetable garden. Each month we meet, help care for the garden and enjoy food prepared by their wonderful chef.  We had an abundance of eggplant this year so I have been cooking a lot of eggplant.  We all enjoy it on the grill, and it is so easy to make.  You can also do this with zucchini, yellow squash, and even asparagus.  Cut the vegetables into long strips about 1/2 inch wide, brush with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I use one of those pans with holes made for the grill to keep things from falling in, but if the eggplant slices are big enough you can put them right on the grill.  Grill until just tender.

#4 Sautéed Zucchini, Yellow Squash and Onions

This recipe was a favorite of my mother's.

2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Wash zucchini and squash and slice thinly.  Thinly slice onions.  In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic in 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter.  When onions soften add squash and zucchini and sauté until just tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Before you remove from the heat, add cheese and stir. Remove to platter and sprinkle with parsley.

#5  Carrots with Basil

6 carrots peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. dried basil

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, cook over low heat for five minutes. 

So I have given you five easy recipes to prepare.  Hopefully you will eat more veggies!  Try them out and let me know how you like them.  Feel free to leave questions or comments!  Have fun!

Happy Cooking!

Carol
a.k.a Nonnie

Eat Your Veggies!

About a year ago, I read a book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman titled Eat to Live. He believes that we should eat less meat and more vegetables.  He claims that ounce for ounce, vegetables can have nearly as much protein as meat.  In other words, eight ounces of vegetables can have as much protein as eight ounces of chicken.  But very few of us eat eight ounces by weight, or half a pound of vegetables at one sitting.  I read many of his testimonials and became very interested in this way of eating.  While I will never become a vegetarian, I do eat one or two meatless meals a week and I have really increased the amount of salad and vegetables I eat.  So I thought I would devote a few posts to just veggies.

This summer I discovered a new vegetable.  Swiss chard, also called rainbow chard.  It is a leafy green vegetable related to spinach.  The leaves are much bigger, more like the size of romaine lettuce leaves, and the stems are green, red, and yellow.  It is very low in calories, and very high in nutrients such as cancer fighting antioxidants, and vitamins C,B and K.   I belong to a farm to table group at my local garden center, and it was one of the first veggies that matured in our garden. Our chef prepared it for us at our first meeting, and I was hooked!

You need to buy a huge bunch, because like spinach, it will cook down to nothing.  I first rinse and chop it including some of the smaller stems as they add great texture. I begin by thinly slicing about three cloves of garlic and sautéing in two tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the chopped Swiss chard and sauté until it wilts. Stir frequently using tongs.  Add about a half teaspoon of salt and a few shakes of pepper. I have served it for dinner instead of spinach, but my favorite way to eat it is in a kind of bruschetta. Slice Italian bread, brush with olive oil and put it under the broiler for just a few minutes, but not too close to the heat source or it will burn.  While the bread is toasting, heat a skillet and add about a half cup of sliced almonds and toast.  Watch them carefully as they will burn quickly.  Remove the bread from the broiler, top with the sautéed Swiss chard and a few almonds.  This became such a favorite food of mine that I would bring it for lunch each day.  I have shared it with friends and family members and they are hooked too!

So be adventurous and try Swiss chard.  Let me know how you like it!  Tomorrow I will give you a few more veggie recipes, because I found that preparing  vegetables in new and interesting ways, makes them flavorful.  So come back tomorrow and see what I have for you! 

Happy Cooking!

Carol
(aka Nonnie) 

Nacho Casserole - A Really Quick Dinner for a Busy Night

Those of you who know me well, know that I usually don't use things that come in packages, jars or boxes.  This meal is an exception to that rule.  Tonight I have a meeting at church, so I need to do a quick dinner.  Here goes.  If you have the meat already prepared, you can put this together in less than 15 minutes, and then 20 to 30 minutes in the oven. 

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 8 oz. package shredded cheddar
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 can corn
1 can sliced black olives
1 small jar salsa
1 jar nacho cheese dip. 
1 bag tortilla chips
sour cream
extra salsa

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook meat, drain any fat and add seasoning mix according to package directions.  While the meat is cooking, rinse and drain beans. Leave beans in the strainer and add corn and olives.  When everything has drained, mix corn, beans, and olives together.  Put a layer of chips on the bottom of an oven proof pan.  Save the rest for serving with the meal.  Next layer the meat, cheese sauce, corn and bean mixture and salsa in that order. If the cheese sauce is too thick to pour, put it in the microwave for one minute. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the casserole is heated through.

Serve with remaining chips, sour cream and salsa.  How easy was that!

Okay, so you don't want to use the cheese sauce in the jar.  Go to my mac and cheese recipe (see archives, or use the search box).  Make this cheese sauce and add 1 tablespoon of chili powder and 1 tablespoon cumin.  I have done this when I didn't have any cheese sauce. You can also search online for a taco seasoning recipe if you don't want to use the packaged kind.  

If you try this, let me know how it turned out.  As always, I welcome comments and suggestions.

Happy cooking

Carol (aka Nonnie)

The Joys of Pesto

Greetings everyone!  After a long time away, I am back with a new name and new look.  The new look is a work in progress, so expect it to change often. Since everyone has gone back to school and summer is winding down, I thought I would talk about one of my all time favorite summer foods--basil pesto.  Before long, the basil will be gone from the garden, and then I will have to wait until next spring to make it again. So tonight, I have made one of the last batches of the summer and I want to share it with you.

If I were asked what my favorite savory taste/flavor/food was, I would have to say Pesto!  I just love the garlicy, cheesy, basily tastes!  It is so easy to make and freezes well.  What do you do with it you ask?  Oh, it is so versatile.  Put it on warm pasta, ravioli, or gnocchi.  Mix it with ricotta cheese and use it to fill ravioli.  Add it to salad dressing, or pasta sauce--much better by the way than a handful of dried basil.  Hollow out cherry tomatoes and fill with a mixture of pesto and ricotta cheese, great appetizer. Top pizza with it.   But my all time favorite is in a Panini. Spread pesto lightly on  a slice of crusty Italian bread, top with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes and another slice of bread spread with pesto.  Don't have a Panini maker?  That's fine, I use my George Forman grill, but you can also use a grill pan on the stove.  For this method, put a heavy pan on the Panini to flatten, and then flip it and do the other side. 

So before I actually give you the recipe, lets talk a little about the ingredients.  I always use fresh basil.  It's a little pricy at the grocery store, so if I don't have it in my garden, which I usually do, I buy it at a farmer's market.  It's not only cheaper, but you are supporting local agriculture and lowering your carbon footprint by making sure your food doesn't travel thousands of miles before it reaches your table.  Next are the pignoli nuts also known as pine nuts.  These are found at your local grocery, but also very pricey.  You can substitute equal amounts of walnuts, pistachios, or even pecans.  I wouldn't use peanuts or cashews, because of their distinct flavor.  For the olive oil in this recipe, I always use extra virgin olive oil.  It is one of the main components of the recipe and this is one place you can't skimp. 

Let's also talk a little about tools.  I use a food processor.  I have a Cuisinart, and I have had it for years.  It was definitely worth the money.  You can do this in a blender, but then you will have to do it in small batches because the basil won't chop well. 

This recipe makes three cups.  I always make it in large batches like this and then freeze it.  You can freeze it in small containers or even ice cube trays.  Once the cubes are frozen, pop them out and store them in a zipper bag and then you can use them one at a time to add to salad dressing, or pasta sauce.  If you can't get your hands on 4 cups of basil leaves, you can halve or even quarter the recipe.  If you quarter it you would use 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  I never measure when I make this, but today I did so I could give you the recipe.  Once you have made it a few times, you will get the right consistency and won't need to measure the olive oil.  Ok, here we go!

Basil Pesto Sauce  (3 cups)

4 cups fresh basil  washed and dried (I use my salad spinner, but you can spin it in a dish towel as well)
4 large cloves of garlic.  Peel and cut into large chunks.
1 cup pignoli nuts or substitute walnuts or pistachios
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Put garlic into processor bowl and process a few seconds till it's well chopped. Add the nuts and process until you have a rough paste.  Add half the leaves and process and then add the remaining leaves and process until they are well ground.  With the food processor running, add half the olive oil in a slow stream.  Now add the cheese and process; turn on the processor again and add the remaining olive oil in a slow stream.  You are done! 

Please feel free to leave comments or ask questions.  If you make this recipe, post a note and let me know how it turned out and how you like it. 

Happy Cooking!

Nonnie

                                                       
                                   Pesto, mozzarella and tomato Panini
                                                                          

One Day of Cooking Yields Six Meals!

Originally posted September 29, 2012

Well everyone, I have had a good day. Here is a list of what I have made for this week.  Started by scrubbing some big potatoes, poking them and putting them in the oven.  While they were cooking, I put some ground beef  in a skillet to cook.  Next I began my chopping routine and cut up onions and garlic, carrots, celery, and onions.

 Then I started the spaghetti sauce. Once that was going I drained the fat off the ground  beef and added the taco seasoning. Took it off the heat to cool.   Next I started the meatballs.  While they were in the skillet, I took the potatoes out of the oven to cool and put the taco meat in containers and into the freezer.

 Now I spend some time flipping the meatballs and getting them into the sauce.  I defrost two boxes of frozen spinach.   Now I am ready for those potatoes.  I slice them all in half and scoop the insides into a bowl.  I add the other ingredients for my twice baked potatoes.  Scoop the filling back into the empty potato skins and top with cheddar and pop them into the oven.  Now I spend some time cleaning up.  Are you counting?  We are up to three and it's not even lunch time yet!

I take a break, eat something, run to my neighbor's to help her fix a bobbin on her sewing machine and take a few phone calls.  Back to work.

 Spaghetti sauce and meatballs are simmering on the back burner and I am ready for the next two meals.  I put water on to boil for pastina.  On Wednesday when I was home, I cooked a pot of chicken soup.  I used a package of  thighs and legs I had.  I pulled all the meat from the bones  strained the broth and froze both.  I am now using this for my next two meals.   This is a recipe a friend just gave me and I am giving it a try.  Using no boil lasagna noodles I layer them with the shredded chicken, spinach, artichoke hearts and three kinds of cheese - mozzarella, provolone, and parm.   Instead of sauce I added some of the chicken broth.  Cover with foil and pop in the oven.  Out come the potatoes.  There is another meal done!

Finally,  I add the remaining chicken to the remaining broth.  Add some carrots, celery and peas.  Simmer until the veggies are done.  Will add the pastina when its done and I will have chicken vegetable soup. .  As soon s I get off the computer, I will throw some bread into the bread machine.  That takes all of ten minutes.  I have pesto in the freezer , and I have tomatoes and mozzarella in the fridge.  Everything I need for panninis.  So there you have it.  five meals and one quickie pannini meal.

I know, what about breakfast and lunch you say?  I usually eat a container of Greek yogurt at work for breakfast.  Lunch is sometimes a sandwich, but more often leftovers from the night before.  I have no problem eating the same thing twice, so this works for me! 

Anxious to see how the chicken lasagna thing turns out.  I hope I didn't put too much broth and make it all soggy.  We will see!  I am concerned because my friend didn't give me an actual recipe, she told me over the phone what she did.  She tends to cook like I do--no measuring.  I suppose if I am going to share recipes with you I will have to start measuring.  Might be good to write things down.  My grandmother never did and many of her wonderful recipes are lost to us. 

Off to put the ingredients into the bread machine and put cooled sauce into containers for the freezer.

 See you soon and happy cooking!

Nonnie