Tuesday, July 19, 2011
BBQ Chicken Salad
Grilled Greek Chicken and Tzatziki sauce
Ingredients
- 16 oz of sour cream (if you use greek yogurt you must drain it in cheese cloth)
- 1/2 cup cucumber - peeled, seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1-2 tsp garlic powder
Directions
In a food processor or blender, combine yogurt, cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, dill and garlic. Process until well-combined. Transfer to a separate dish, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour for best flavor.
Baked French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Dash salt
- Praline Topping, recipe follows
- Maple syrup
Directions
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup
Praline Topping:
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter (Melissa did not use this much butter, just one stick)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.
Mushroom Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 3 to 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1/4 cup dry sherry or Marsala
- 1 cup cream
- Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- About a cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus some to pass at table
- 1 pound egg tagliatelle or fettuccine
- 1 cup frozen organic peas, defrosted
- Finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for pasta.
Heat EVOO and butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and thyme, and cook to tender, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper, and add shallots and garlic. Sauté another 4-5 minutes then deglaze the pan with sherry or Marsala. Stir in cream and bring to a bubble then reduce heat to low and simmer. Season with nutmeg. When pasta is just about done, turn off heat and stir in cheese, a couple of handfuls. Cover and reserve.
Cook pasta to al dente. Reserve 1 cup starchy cooking liquid, then drain pasta and return to hot pot with peas. Add 1/2 cup cooking liquid and mushroom sauce, and toss to combine, 1-2 minutes. Add more water as necessary to coat pasta evenly.
Serve in shallow bowls topped with parsley and pass more cheese at table.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Josh's Birthday Chocolate Cake!
I normally don't pay too much attention to the recipes on the back of packages and boxes. BUT this is a chocolate cake recipe I got straight from the Hersheys Unsweetened Cocoa tin. I made it for Josh's birthday. I followed the cake and frosting recipe exactly, and it was yummy. Taste like what a chocolate cake should taste like, rich and chocolatey. I like my chocolate cakes to have substance;) It's nice to have a cake from scratch every now and then. So if you are looking for a chocolate cake recipe, look no further than the back of the Hershey's cocoa tin.
Turkey Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie
My husband loves this shepherds pie, he is a big fan of sweet potatoes. So I have made this a couple of times in the fall. It a great cool weather/fall dinner. The picture isn't the best, but it is a tasty and filling dish, though I think my husband likes it more than me. (It's a Rachael Ray recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds ground turkey or chopped leftover turkey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 onion, cut into 1-inch dice
- 2 carrots, peeled and grated
- 4 ribs celery, chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups turkey or chicken stock (recommended: Kitchen Basics brand)
- A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas
- 1 very ripe banana ( I instead added some brown sugar and a little butter)
- A few dashes hot sauce
- 2 cups shredded sharp yellow Cheddar (I usually have put this on, but if you are making your sweet potatoes sweeter, then I prefer without it)
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a deep skillet or a Dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons oil over high heat. Add meat and break up with a wooden spoon, season with salt and pepper and poultry seasoning.
Place sweet potatoes in a pot, cover with water, cover pot, bring to a boil, salt and cook 15 minutes until tender.
Grate onions and carrots into the turkey. Add the celery and stir, cook 5 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add flour to melted butter and whisk 1 minute then whisk in stock and season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire. Thicken a few minutes.
Stir the gravy into the turkey mixture. Stir peas into meat and turn heat off.
Drain potatoes and return pot to heat. Add remaining butter and melt over medium heat. Peel and slice banana and add potatoes to the pot. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and a few dashes hot sauce. Mash potatoes and banana to combine, adjust seasoning. Top the meat with the potatoes. Cover potatoes with cheese and set in oven. Bake to melt cheese, 5 minutes.
Linguini con Vongole e Cozze
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 2 pounds baby clams (littleneck if available), scrubbed
- 1 stick of butter, cut into tablespoons (I cut back on the butter by about half, but it probably would be better with all)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic, in all
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pounds fresh angel hair pasta (I used linguini)
- 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley