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Archive for October, 2010
Napa Cabbage Salad
October 26, 2010
My friend gave me this recipe a little while ago.
I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to make it. That came over the weekend for my nephew’s birthday.
My friend told me the dressing is so good that she just wants to drink it straight. Now that I’ve made this, I know exactly what she means. The dressing, the nuts and the cabbage are such an unusual pairing that really works.
It is such a simple recipe that seems like it isn’t.
I love recipes like that.
Napa Cabbage Salad
- 1-3 oz package of Chicken flavored Ramon noodles, crushed
- 1/4 C Butter
- 1/2 C Sesame Seeds
- 1/2 C Almonds, slivered
- 1 Large Head of Napa Cabbage
- 6 Green Onions
- 1/4 C Cider Vinegar
- 3/4 C Olive Oil
- 1/2 C Sugar
- 2 T Soy Sauce
In a saute pan, melt butter and add the crushed Ramon noodles, almonds and sesame seeds. Stir until brown. Add the seasoning from the Ramon noodles. Toss and set aside.
Finally chop the cabbage and onions. Place in a large bowl and toss.
In a saucepan heat the vinegar, sugar, oil and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool.
When you are ready to serve, combine the noodle mixture and the dressing to the cabbage. Toss. Don’t toss too early or the noodle mixture will be soggy.
Thanks Laura for an awesome recipe.
Ham Tetrazzini
October 24, 2010
I made this for dinner this week.
Kathy from Greendale gave me this great recipe. She’s given me some really great recipes.
The only problem was that I didn’t have rotini pasta. I did have some penne pasta so I did substitute. Oh and I cooked it uncovered because the oven I forgot to cover it.
I loved how this recipe used most everything that I had on hand in the pantry. I even had spiral ham in the freezer.
Thanks Kathy for hooking me up with a great recipe. Meeshie loves ham and she loved this dish.
Ham Tetrazzini
- 1 lb box Rotini, cooked
- 1 lb Ham, cubed or julienne ( I used spiral ham, but you can easily use the ham steak)
- 2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
- 2-4 oz cans of mushrooms, do not drain
- 2-2 oz jars diced Pimentos, do not drain
- 2 1/2 C Cheddar cheese, shredded
While the rotini is cooking, place the soup, the undrained mushrooms and pimentos in a large saucepan. Bring to a medium simmer. Add the cheese, stir until melted. Turn off the heat and add the ham and noodles. Mix well and transfer to a casserole dish. (You can also mix follow the directions but cook everything in your casserole dish saving yourself from having to dirty a pot.) Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
I didn’t cover mine and that’s why it looks so brown.
I served it with a salad and some rye bread.
Enjoy!
Baked Ziti
October 21, 2010
I love pasta. It’s such an easy and versatile thing.
You can do so much with pasta. Like baked ziti.
I actually have three different recipes that I make.
This is one of them. I’ll be sharing the other two with you some other time.
Bake ziti is so easy and a great comfort food. I love making this for a large group.
Or for a group of three.
Baked Ziti
- 1 pound Ziti Or Penne Pasta, whole grain
- 5 T Olive Oil, divided
- ½ C Red Bell Pepper
- ½ C Orange Bell Pepper
- ½ C Yellow Bell Pepper
- 10 ounces Sliced Baby Portobello Mushrooms
- ¼ C Onion, Diced
- 4 whole Cloves Garlic Chopped
- 2 16 oz cans Chopped Peeled Canned Tomatoes In Puree
- ½ t Thyme
- 1 whole Sprig Of Fresh Basil, Chopped
- 2 t Kosher Salt
- Pepper To Taste
- 1-½ pound Fresh Mozzarella, Cut Into 1/2 Inch Cubes
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook until al dente and drain.
In a saute pan, heat 3 T olive oil and add peppers. Saute for about 5 minutes and add the mushrooms. Continue to cook for about 4 minutes until mushrooms are just cooked. Turn off the heat and set aside.
In a separate sauce pan add 2 T olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the herbs, salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Line a deep casserole dish with a thin layer of the sauce (this will help prevent the pasta from sticking to the pan), add a layer of pasta, then the pepper mixture and then cheese. Keep layering until all the sauce, pasta and peppers are in the casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven covered with foil for 25 minutes removing the foil for the last 5 minutes of baking or until lightly brown.
Spinach Bread
October 19, 2010
I love spinach.
I love bread.
I found this bread on a menu at a pizza place. I don’t generally order bread, or any appetizer, when I have pizza but I was out to lunch with my mother and Meeshie. Meeshie isn’t a fan of pizza and the place we went to is known for its deep dish.
Where I live, we take pizza for granted.
In Chicago and the outlying areas, you can a great pizza almost anywhere. There are mom and pop stores in every neighborhood. You may like one pizza because the sauce is great, or because the crust is cracker thin, or because you really love the sausage.
When I lived in New Mexico my freshman year of college, the people there thought that Little Caesar’s was great pizza. News flash-it isn’t. Plus, they eat it dipped in ranch dressing, why would you do that? If you do that in Chicago and your over the age of 8, they’d run you out of town.
It’s like putting ketchup on a hot dog. It isn’t done.
My husband has ordered pizza in St. Louis and it was served with breakfast sausage on it. Ugh, like I said we take it for granted that everyone has great pizza.
Chains in Chicago are around, but you don’t go to them if you want really good pizza. I know people love Pizza Hut, and Domino’s, and California Pizza Kitchen. But those places don’t serve pizza.
Chicago may be known for deep dish, but I’m not really a fan. I love my pizza cracker thin. My husband does love deep dish, but only one kind. Lou Malnati’s and I must admit it is a great deep dish. It’s the buttery crust and the fact that there isn’t too much cheese in it. Deep dish usually has way too much cheese and that takes away from everything else.
Which brings me back to this spinach bread. We had lunch at Lou Malnati’s. Their crust is buttery. There’s just the right amount of cheese. Oh, and it’s loaded with spinach.
This bread was so good and I knew that I could make a reasonable one at home.
I did. This bread is awesome.
I used the dinner roll recipe but used butter instead of oil in the dough.
Spinach Bread
- Bread Dough
- 2 bunches of Spinach, cleaned and chopped (10-12 C)
- 1 bunch Green Onion, diced
- 5 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/4 C Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 1/2 C Fresh Basil, chopped
- 2 T Butter
- 2 C Mozzarella, grated
- 1/2 C Parmesan, grated
- 1/2 C Provolone, grated
- 2 Tomatoes, diced and seeded
Prepare the bread.
In a saute pan, heat the butter. Add the onion and garlic, saute until tender. Add the parsley, basil and spinach to the pan. Saute until the spinach has cooked through. Add the spinach mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool. Once cool, add the cheeses and tomatoes. Stir and add pepper and salt to taste.
Divide your bread dough in half. Line two bread pans with olive oil. Roll out one of the doughs so that when placed in the pan you have enough dough overlapping the sides of the pan. Place the dough in the bread pan and scoop half of the spinach mixture into the pan using a serrated spoon. Pinch the dough to seal completely and then carefully lift the bread out of the pan. Flip the bread so that the seam is at the bottom of the pan. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Let the bread rest for 30 minutes covered with a damp cloth.
Cook in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
I served it with a salad and marinara sauce just like at the restaurant.
This makes two loaves of bread.
Cheddar and Potato Soup
October 18, 2010
I think I’ve mentioned before that I love soup.
It’s a great comfort food. It’s also a great meal. Add some bread, or a sandwich and your set.
This soup is hearty and full of flavor. I love the flavor of the peppers with the cheese and potatoes.
This recipe makes 1 1/2 gallons of soup, so if the quantity seem overly excessive, you can cut the amount down to accommodate.
Cheddar and Potato Soup
- 1 C Butter
- 1 small Onion, diced
- 1/2 C Celery, finely diced
- 1/2 C Carrots, finely diced
- 1 Yellow Pepper, finely diced
- 1 Red Pepper, finely diced
- 1 C Flour
- 4 C Water
- 8 C Chicken Broth
- 1 lb Sharp Cheddar, shredded
- 1/2 C American Cheese, shredded (optional)
- 1 qt Half and Half
- 2 lbs Redskin Potatoes, diced medium (leave the skin on)
- 12 oz beer (optional)
Combine the water and the chicken broth. Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover with the water/chicken broth mixture to cover. Cook the potatoes until tender and place in a bowl, reserving the liquid.
In a large stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery, carrots and peppers. Saute for about 6 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the flour, stirring until well blended and evenly cooked, about 3 minutes. Stir in the water/chicken broth and the reserved liquid from the potatoes. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Add the cheese and half and half. Mix well. Heat to simmering, until the cheese has melted. Add the potatoes and beer. Heat until hot, stirring frequently.
Serve with croutons or bacon garnish.
Chicken Mac and Cheese
October 16, 2010
I know I’ve mentioned before that Meeshie only likes mac and cheese out of the blue box.
That’s a real bummer for me because I love homemade mac and cheese and I have quite a few awesome recipes.
The blue box, on the other hand, is not one of my favorites.
That’s why I like this recipe so much. It has chicken in it, obviously.
I make it and tell Meeshie that it’s a chicken casserole.
A little white lie never hurt anyone, right?
It doesn’t in my book if I don’t have to suffer through the blue box and have a hearty meal.
Oh and it has bacon!
The peppers in this really add a great flavor to the pasta without overpowering anything.
Chicken Mac and Cheese
- 1 lbs pasta (I used whole wheat)
- 2 boneless chicken breasts, grilled and chopped
- 3 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
- 1/2 red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 T butter
- 1 T flour
- pinch of nutmeg
- 2 C milk
- 1 C Half and Half
- 1 C shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 C shredded smoked Gruyère cheese or swiss cheese
- 1/2 C parmesan cheese
Boil water for pasta and cook according to directions.
In a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and saute onions and red pepper. While water is boiling, make sauce. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add butter and flour and whisk together to create a roux. Add milk and half and half, stirring constantly. Add cheeses and pinch of nutmeg, stirring consistently for 5-8 minutes until mixture thickens.
In a baking dish, layer pasta, chicken, pepper and onion mixture, and bacon. Add half of cheese sauce, then more pasta, chicken, peppers, onion and bacon. Add remaining cheese sauce.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
Here is the original recipe. How Sweet it Is is a really great site.
I added more liquid and less pasta to the recipe. I like my mac and cheese really creamy. This made a nice amount of pasta and is great with a small salad on the side. I marinaded the chicken breast and grilled it the day before I made this. I wanted to make sure that the chicken added a punch and it did.
Garlic Crunchy Chicken
October 15, 2010
I love this dish. It’s so easy to make and it’s packed with tons of flavor.
Meeshie loves chicken and I love that this dish isn’t bland. You know what I mean. Meeshie loves mac and cheese, but only from the blue box. She likes hot dogs, but only with ketchup. I know that’s sacrilegious. Meeshie has only started to like pizza within the last year and only cheese.
So it’s always exciting to find a dish that she likes that is perfect for grown ups.
I also love the fact that this dish makes just enough breading.
I hate when I make a dish and there is tons of breading, or flour, or whatever leftover. I can’t save it or use it with something else because it’s usually contaminated with eggs. Not a problem here.
This recipe can easily feed 4 people. The two chicken breasts that I use are very large. We always have enough left for two lunches.
Serve this chicken with your favorite potato and veggie.
I made them with fresh green beans, cooked in bacon grease, topped with truffle salt, bread crumbs and parmesan. Yum!
Garlic Crunchy Chicken
- 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 3 cloves Garlic
- ⅓ C Bread Crumbs
- 2 T Butter
- 2 T Freshly Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
- 4 sprigs Fresh Parsley (or 1 Tablespoon Dried)
- 2 T Flour
- 1 whole Egg
- Olive Oil, for frying
Combine garlic, bread crumbs, butter, parsley, cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper; pulse till mixture is finely ground and well combined. Pour onto a plate.
Add the 2 tablespoons flour to another plate. Crack the egg in a bowl, and lightly beat with a fork.
Take the chicken breast and dip into the flour to completely coat both sides. Then dip into the egg, then into the breadcrumb mixture. Push the crumbs onto the chicken so that they stick.
Fry the chicken in some olive oil 2-3 minutes on each side, until well browned on each side. Bake the chicken, in a preheated 450 degrees oven and cook the chicken on a pan for about 15 minutes, or until done.
This is the original recipe.
Chocolate Whoopie Pies
October 13, 2010
I mentioned that I made these whoopie pies.
I made pumpkin ones and these.
I’m on a roll.
Full disclosure, I had never had a whoopie pie before I had made these. I’d heard of them, but it was never something that I had growing up.
Now that I’ve made them, I feel a little cheated.
These things totally rock.
I love both versions.
I would love to see more variations of these puppies.
Chocolate Whoopie Pies
- 2 C all-purpose flour
- 1/2 C cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 t baking soda
- 1 t salt
- 1 C Half and Half
- 1 t vanilla
- 1/2 C butter, softened
- 1 C packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- Filling:
- 1/2 C marshmallow fluff
- 1 t vanilla
- 2 T flour
- 2 T milk
- 1 3/4 C confectioner’s sugar
- 1 C vegetable shortening
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a bowl until combined. Stir together half and half and vanilla in a small bowl.
Beat together butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a handheld, then add egg, beating until combined well. Reduce speed to low and alternately mix in flour mixture and half and half in batches, beginning and ending with flour, scraping down side of bowl occasionally, and mixing until smooth.
Spoon mounds of batter about 2 inches apart onto 2 buttered large baking sheets. I used a medium sized cookie scoop. Bake until tops are puffed and cakes spring back when touched, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool completely.
For the filling, combine all ingredients and beat very hard for several minutes at high speed.
To make the whoopie pies, spread a generous amount of filling on a completely cooled cookie. Top with another cookie. Wrap each pie individually in plastic wrap.
This made a dozen pies and I love that I was able to use of the leftover fluff from Meeshie’s make your own sandwich party.
Here is the original. G’ma’s Bakery again!
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
October 12, 2010
Since I took down most of my garden, I made these pumpkin whoopie pies over the weekend.
I also made more whoopie pies too. I’ll be posting them tomorrow.
These are so good.
I’m seriously thinking that I may add nuts to the top of them next time. They taste like the pumpkin roll that I make every Thanksgiving.
I’ll be posting about that soon enough too.
They are so easy to make. I wrapped each one up. Just grab and go.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
Preheat the oven to 350F°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. With mixer on medium speed, beat in the eggs, pumpkin puree,and vanilla extract. Fold in the flour mixture.
Using a medium sized cookie scoop, drop 12 large mounds of batter onto each baking sheet spaced about 2 inches apart. Using the back of your scoop, gently press down on each scoop to flatten the shape a little. Bake about 10 minutes. They will be springy to touch. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
Beat the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners’ sugar, salt ,vanilla and nutmeg and mix on low speed until blended. Beat for about 2 minutes on medium high speed until nice and fluffy.
Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.
This makes a dozen pies.
Wrap them up and stick them in the freezer.
Like I mentioned, I think I’ll be adding nuts to the top next time I make them, but here is the original recipe.
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