Garlic Green Beans

My grandma was an amazing cook.  All holidays were filled with her delicious pasta, bread, polenta, creamed spinach, and what we called 'bacon fat green beans'.  They were fried in, you guess it: bacon fat (well the grease that is rendered from bacon fat, anyway).  They were salty, a little crispy, and so, so, so delicious.  She got sick and was unable to cook by the time I was old enough to start asking for her recipes.  Unfortunately, I don't have many that are from her first hand.  
At dinner group my friends served these green beans and they are so close to grandma's delicious bacon fat green beans that I make them fairly frequently.  These are made using butter, but I think the next time I do these I'll use bacon grease and see if they match hers at all.

4 Tbsp. butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 1/4 lbs. fresh green beans
Salt
Pinch of sugar
1/4 c. water
chopped pecans
French onions, optional

In a large skillet, melt butter and toast garlic with a dash of cayenne pepper.  Add green beans, season with salt and a pinch of sugar.  Cook for 2 minutes.  Add water, cover and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Uncover and continue cooking until water evaporates.  After water has evaporated, continue to fry the beans in the pan until they are slightly caramelized.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat, toss with chopped pecans and French onions if desired.

Creamed Corn

I know what you're thinking: Creamed Corn?  Really Creamed Corn?!  Creamed corn is slimy and sticky, and gross.  
Not this creamed corn folks.  If your experiences with creamed corn have always been with the stuff in the can, then of course you think that creamed corn is gross.  My neighbor sent me this recipe that she swore would change my outlook on creamed corn.  She was right.  This is sweet, and corny, and creamy, and good.  The cayenne pepper adds just a tiny bit of heat, and the use of butter and heavy cream make it rich and delicious.  
I made this the first time for our Thanksgiving dinner and everyone liked it.  It even reheated well.  The next time I made it was for our annual Christmas party.  With 26 people eating I had to get as much done early in the day as possible.  I made the creamed corn in the early afternoon, put it in a slow cooker on the 'warm' setting and it stayed the right consistency for the party.  

Enjoy!

2 (20 oz) pkg. frozen kernel corn (I use white corn, but yellow is fine)
8 oz. (1/2 pint) heavy cream (whipping cream)
8 oz. (1/2 pint) milk - I've used fat free and half-and-half on separate occasions, obviously, the half-and-half made the corn much creamier but the fat free milk was also very good, so feel free to use whatever percentage of fat milk you have on hand.
1 tsp. salt
pinch of white pepper or cayenne according to taste
2 Tbsp. melted butter
2 Tbsp. flour

1.  Combine all ingredients except the last two in a medium pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer 5 minutes (if corn is frozen hard it will take longer).  In a separate small bowl, blend the butter and flour; stir into the simmering corn, mix well until corn is thickened to your liking.  Remove from heat.

Yield: 8 servings.

Lasagna Soup

Fall food is some of my very favorite food around.  Comforting, warm, and filling.  This soup is so full of the classic goodness of lasagna, complete with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.  Without all of the fuss of a classic lasagna.

8 oz small shaped pasta such as small shells, bowties, or elbows, cooked according to package directions, drained and set aside.

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lbs. Italian sausage, casing removed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

6 c. chicken broth

1 twenty-eight oz can fired roasted diced tomatoes

1 c. shredded zucchini

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper to taste

1 c. shredded mozzarealla cheese

1/4 c. fresh basil chiffonade, optional, for garnish

8 oz. ricotta cheese

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese 

salt and pepper to taste

1.  In a small bowl combine the ricotta, parmesan and salt and pepper, set aside.

2.  Heat oil in a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium high heat.  Add the sausage, cook and crumble until no longer pink.  Drain off excess fat drippings.  Add the garlic, onions, oregano and pepper flakes.  Cook stirring frequently until onions are cooked.  Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute until combined.  

3.  Stir in the stock, tomatoes zucchini, and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.  Stir in pasta.  Remove bay leaves.  Serve immediately with a heaping spoonful of the ricotta mixture.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and basil.

Southwest Chopped Salad

Somehow this recipe was pinned to my Pinterest account with links to three different blogs.  I guess it's a popular one out there in the blog-o-sphere and that I really want to try it!  It is very, very good.  

Summer is the perfect time to have salads for dinner, and this is an excellent one to try.  It makes a lot and is very filling.  My kids were not the biggest fans, but one of them doesn't like salad dressing and neither of them like avocados, so there was bound to be some disappointment when this showed up on the table.  They lived and they will eat it again, as I will be making it again.

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped, washed and patted dry

2 c. shredded chicken (I grilled mine sprinkled with garlic salt)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 c. corn (would be awesome fresh, but I used frozen that I'd defrosted)

1 medium vine tomato, diced

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

4 green onions, sliced

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

2 avocados, diced

1 c. crushed tortilla chips (optional)

1/2 c. fat free mayonnaise

2/3 c. plain Greek yogurt (I've also used just plain non-Greek yogurt which made the dressing a little bit easier to stir)

1 Tbsp. ranch dressing powder

1 Tbsp. taco seasoning

Juice of one lime

1.  In a large bowl, toss all of the salad ingredients, minus the tortilla chips

2.  In a small bowl mix together the dressing ingredients.  Toss the salad with as much or as little of the dressing to your taste; top with tortilla chips.

California Sandwich

Oh Man!  I so wish I could take credit for creating this sandwich, but I can't.  I sure am grateful to who ever thought of combining these simple and fresh ingredients in to making this. 
It. Is. So. Good.  {end of statement}
Whatever else you had planned for today, change those plans - make this sandwich instead. 
I didn't add the cheese to mine, it didn't need it.  I ate mine on a piece of toasted multi-grain bread.  It would also be good as a wrap. 
I just might cry: it is so good! 
Here is the link to the original recipe, and the following picture was taken by Rebecca Crump at ezrapoundcake.com I do not claim rights to this picture, but it is lovely so I used it.



1/4 c. Greek yogurt or mayonnaise, or 2 Tbsp. of each
1 Tbsp. finely chopped chives (I used green onions, because that is what I have)

1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 tomato, diced
1 cucumber, seeded, peeled, and diced
Squeeze of lime juice (I used about 1 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro or basil, chopped (I used cilantro, again, it's what I had)
4 slices whole grain bread or 4 small tortillas
1/4 c. alfalfa sprouts
2 - 4 slices pepper jack cheese
Salt and Pepper

1.  In a small bowl combine the yogurt, chives and salt and pepper; set aside.
2.  In a separate bowl, toss together the avocado, tomato, cucumber, lime juice and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper; set aside.
3.  If desired (and I recommend it), toast the bread slices.  Spread yogurt mixture on all four bread slices.  On two of the four bread slices layer the cheese, alfalfa sprouts and avocado salad.  Place other slice of bread on top. 
4.  Try not to laugh out load with joy.

Sarah's Salad

During the summer a simple salad is the perfect solution for dinner.  My friend Sarah sent me this recipe.  We had it last night with Buttery Pan Rolls and Grape Salad.  The whole family enjoyed it and will keep the recipe around.

1 head of lettuce - chopped
1 bunch of spinach - washed well
3/4 lbs. sliced mushrooms
1/2 lbs. bacon - cooked and crumbled
1 thinly sliced red onion
3/4 lbs. grated Swiss cheese
3/4 c. chopped cashews

3/4 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/3 c. white vinegar
3/4 c. oil
1/3 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
3/4 tsp. salt

1.  Blend all dressing ingredients in blender for a minute or 2, until very well combined.  Refrigerate until ready to serve the salad.
2.  Toss all salad ingredients together then add enough dressing to coat.

Chicken and Rice Bowl with Teriyaki Sauce

Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you off, it is quite simple to prepare and is very yummy.

Enjoy!

Rice:
2 c. brown rice
3 c. water
1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk (about 1 1/2 c.)
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 can black beans rinsed and drained

Teriyaki Sauce*:
2/3 c. soy sauce
2/3 c. water
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sesame oil
4 cloves garlic
1 to 2 Tbsp. ginger, minced
2 tsp. garlic chili sauce
2 Tbsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water

Veggies:
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 carrots, peeled and grated
3 celery stalks, sliced
1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise then cut into 1/4" slices
1 1/2 c. broccoli florets

4 chicken breasts, grilled with salt and pepper to taste, then cubed

For Rice:
Bring water, coconut milk and sugar to a boil, add rice.  Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.  Stir in the beans; recover and continue to cook for an additional 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the teriyaki sauce.

For Sauce:
In  medium saucepan mix all the ingredients except for the cornstarch/water slurry.  Bring to a boil then add the cornstarch/water.  Continue to boil until thickened.  Remove from heat.

For Veggies:
In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add veggies and saute just until crisp-tender.

To serve: layer rice, veggies and chicken in a bowl.  Drizzle with teriyaki sauce.

*You could use a store bought teriyaki sauce and add an additional 1 tsp. soy sauce, the chili sauce, 1 tsp. ginger and thicken with cornstarch/water slurry.   

Mango Quinoa Salad

Thank you to Tiara for this delicious and very healthy recipe!
How to cook quinoa: to avoid a bitter taste, be sure soak the quinoa in water for about 15 minutes then drain through a fine sieve.  It's 1 1/4 c. liquid to 1 c. uncooked quinoa, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.  You can use either water or broth, the broth will give it more flavor.
I've made this with peaches in place of the mango with fair results.

2 c. cooked quinoa at room temperature, or chilled
1 14 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium mango, peeld and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, sliced
1/2 c. cooked edamame beans (removed from pod)
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1-2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl.  Add mango, red pepper, green onion, beans, edamame and cilantro.  In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil and lime juice.  Whisk until smooth and pour over salad.  Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste.  Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Thai Peanut Salad

Thank you to my friend Tiara for this wonderful recipe!
The recipe calls for red leaf lettuce, but I like it made with broccoli slaw (sometimes called rainbow slaw) that you can find premade in the produce section.  If you use the broccoli slaw, omit the cabbage and carrots. The peanut sauce is a little spicey so play with the porportions of the peanut sauce to vinaigrette to get the right heat/flavor you are looking for.

Salad:
Red leaf lettuce
Purple cabbage
Sliced carrots
Red bell pepper, sliced
Honey roasted peanuts
Shredded or sliced roasted chicken

Dressing:
1/3 c. Thai peanut sauce (found in the ethnic food section of the grocery store)
2/3 c. Red wine vinaigrette

Combine the dressing ingredients well and toss over the salad.

Ham and Spinach Quiche

Adam said this is the best quiche he's ever had.  I thought it was tastey too.  The kids were not the biggest fans, but ate it anyway.  They also don't love pie (whose kids are these anyway?!), so maybe I shouldn't have told them it was egg pie, I might have ruined the experience before it even began.
I didn't have a deep dish pie crust, so I made 2 regular 9" pies.

1/2 c. butter
3 cloves garlic
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (4.5 oz) can mushrooms, drained
1 (6 oz) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled
1 (8 oz) package shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
1 c. chopped ham
4 eggs
1 c. milk

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat.  Saute garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned, about 7 minutes.  Stir in spinach, mushrooms, feta, ham and 1/2 c. cheddar cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spoon into pie crust.
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.  Pour into pie crust, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until set in center.  Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Spaghetti Squash

I like to use spaghetti squash in place of spaghetti noodles occasionally. The sauce doesn’t stick to it as well as it does pasta noodles, but I find it especially tasty with a lighter tomato based sauce, and the squash ‘noodles’ have a fun almost crunchy texture.
After the squash has cooked it’s fun to pull the squash apart, kids especially love doing this, you’ll see when you try it.

1 medium spaghetti squash (2 ½ to 3 lbs)
Any type of tomato based pasta sauce



1. Preheat oven to 350°. Halve the spaghetti squash lengthwise; scoop out the seeds. Place squash, cut sides down in a large baking dish. Using a fork, prick the skin all over. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender.
2. To serve, remove the squash pulp from shell by using a fork to ‘comb’ the squash away from the skin. Spoon sauce over squash. If desired, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

Yield: 6 servings

Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

Kind of a high-maintenance recipe, but worth the work, beats store bought roast chicken, any day!
This requires a roasting pan with a wire rack, or a large baking pan with a wire cooling rack that will fit comfortably in the pan.

1 whole chicken (4 to 7 lbs.)
Salt
2 to 3 Tbsp. melted butter
2 tsp. mined fresh rosemary or thyme of ¾ tsp. dried, crumbled
1 tsp. grated lemon zest (optional, but highly recommended)
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ tsp. salt
5 medium baking potatoes, cut into ¾ inch cubes
3 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Remove the neck and giblets from, then rinse the chicken, pat dry.
2. Generously rub the body and neck cavities and sprinkle with salt. Set a v-rack or flat wire rack in a shallow roasting pan. Place chicken on the rack and brush with 2 to 3 Tbsp. melted butter.
3. Mix the rosemary or thyme, lemon zest, red pepper flakes and ½ tsp. salt. Gently separate the skin from the body of the chicken with the tips of your fingers and rub the meat with the herb mixture.
4. Position the chicken on its side, that is, with a leg facing up. If you are using a flat rack, you may need to prop the chicken up with balls of aluminum foil to keep from topping over. Roast for 25 minutes for the first 4 lbs, plus 3 minutes for each additional pound.
5. Remove the rack from the roasting pan and spread the potatoes and butternut squash over the bottom of the pan; return rack to pan, setting over the vegetables. Insert a wooden spoon or large metal spoon into the body cavity or grasp the chicken at both ends, with your hands protected with paper towels. Turn chicken over on its other side, again propping with foil balls if necessary. Roast again for 25 minutes for the first 4 lbs, plus 3 minutes for each additional pound.
6. Turn chicken, breast side up, stir the vegetables, and roast 15 to 30 minutes more. The chicken is done when the thickest part of the thigh exudes clear juices when pricked deeply with a fork and registers 170° to 175° on an instant read thermometer (if you prefer very well done chicken thermometer should read 180°). If vegetables are not tender when the chicken is done, remove the chicken from the roasting pan, cover with aluminum foil and set aside to rest before carving. Stir the vegetables, and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until tender.

Portobello Mushrooms with Teriyaki Marinade

When I was in my ‘less meat’ eating stage we had this for dinner. It was a good substitute for meat.

1 lbs. fresh Portobello mushrooms
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. dry mustard
½ tsp. ground ginger
2 c. shredded Chinese cabbage
2 Tbsp. sliced green onions
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro

1. Cut off the mushroom stems even with the caps. Discard stems. Place mushrooms in a large plastic bag set in a bowl. For the teriyaki marinade, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, mustard and ginger. Pour teriyaki marinade over mushrooms; close bag. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, turning the bad several times.
2. Place mushrooms and marinade in a 3-quart saucepan. Cover and simmer about 15 minutes or till mushrooms are just tender. Uncover and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes more or till most of the liquid has evaporated; cool slightly. Cut mushrooms into ¼ inch thick slices.
3. To serve, place mushroom slices atop cabbage. Drizzle with any remaining cooking liquid. Sprinkle with green onion and cilantro.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Lemon & Dill New Potatoes

I love, love, love the lemon potatoes at a Greek restaurant in Arizona. While I haven’t been able to duplicate their recipe, this one is close, and satisfyingly good.

1 ½ lbs. red potatoes
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp + 1tsp. snipped fresh dill
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. snipped fresh chives
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest

1. Cut potatoes so they are all equal size. Place them in a saucepan and cover with water; boil for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. Mix all other ingredients together and stir in to cooked potatoes.

Yield: 4 servings

Crispy Potato Cubes

1/3 c. flour
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried marjoram
1/8 tsp. pepper
5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
¼ c. butter, melted
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf

1. Preheat oven to 450°
2. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt, thyme, marjoram and pepper. Add potatoes; seal bag and shake to coat. Pour butter into a 13X9 inch baking dish; stir in the garlic. Add potatoes and bay leaf.
3. Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and stir; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until potatoes are lightly browned and tender. Discard bay leaf.

Yield: 4 servings

Corn Chowder

2 c. cubed peeled potatoes
½ c. chopped onion
½ c. finely chopped celery
1 (8 oz) can cream-style corn
1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. salt
2 slices bacon, fried and crumbled


1. Combine potatoes, onion and celery in a large saucepan. Add just enough water to cover vegetable and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Return to saucepan. Partially mash the potatoes with a fork. Add cream corn, whole kernel corn to the potato mixture.
2. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add evaporated milk; mix well. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add cayenne pepper and salt to mixture. Ladle chowder into soup bowls and top with crumbled bacon.

Buttery Cooked Carrots

Adding a little bit of nutmeg makes these extra yummy.

1 lbs. baby carrots
¼ c. margarine
1/3 c. brown sugar

1. Cook carrots in a large pot of boiling water until tender. Drain off most of the liquid, leaving the bottom of the pan covered with water. Set carrots aside.
2. Stir margarine and brown sugar into the water. Simmer and stir until the margarine melts. Return carrots to the pot, and toss to coat. Cover and let sit for a few minutes to allow flavors to mingle.

Best Broiled Tomato Sandwiches

This is extra delicious if you use spinach artichoke dip instead of the mayonnaise mixture. When tomatoes are at their peak in summer time this is one of my favorites to make. If you know someone who grows tomatoes in their garden, make friends with them to get the full effect of this delicious sandwich.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
½ tsp. dried parsley
¼ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. black pepper
3 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese, divided
4 slices sour-dough bread, lightly toasted

1. Preheat oven to broil.
2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Marinate the tomatoes in the mixture, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, parsley, oregano, black pepper and 4 tsp. parmesan cheese. Spread mixture on each slice of toasted bread. Place marinated tomatoes on 2 slices and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese.
4. Place on a baking sheet and broil for 5 minutes, or until cheese turns golden brown. Serve immediately, open faced or closed.

Yield: 2 servings

Baked Cottage Potatoes with Parmesan

I love these for an easy side dish, especially when the potatoes get a little bit crispy like chips, and the onions are so delicious!

3 Tbsp. margarine or butter
3 medium potatoes (1 pound), thinly sliced
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 small onion thinly sliced and separated into rings
¼ c. grated parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 450°. Arrange potatoes and onion in a thin layer in a greased 15X10X1 inch baking pan. Melt margarine or butter; drizzle over potatoes. Combine spices and cheese; sprinkle over the potatoes. Bake for about 25 minute or until brown.
Yield: 4 servings

Carrot Souffle

1 lbs. carrots, peeled & cut up
½ c. butter, melted
3 eggs
1 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 1-quart baking dish, or spray with cooking spray.
2. Boil carrots in a saucepan with enough water to cover, until gooey. Drain. Put carrots into a blender with the butter and puree. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In another bowl, whip all other ingredients together. Add the carrot mixture & blend well.
4. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 45-55 minutes.