lizzycooks Greek Pasta Salad

I invented this salad when I was in grad school. A little pasta goes a long way, and this recipe makes a large amount, about 7 cups. Sometimes I add red onion; there are many different ingredients you can add. You can also use different types of pasta for this cold pasta dish. 

1/2 box bow tie pasta
8 oz. feta cheese
1 red bell pepper, chopped 

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil 
Kosher salt 

Cook and drain the pasta. Rinse with cold water and let drain again. If the phone rings and you don't get back to the pasta fairly soon, it will all be stuck together. Stay focused. (:

Put the cooked pasta into a large bowl. Crumble the feta over the pasta and add the bell pepper. Give it a mix. Add red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt. Mix again and put in the fridge for a couple of hours so the flavors can blend. Goes great with fresh bread, sandwiches, or as a meal itself. 

lizzycooks Bruschetta

There are so many options for bruschetta toppings. And I should say my measurements are estimates. Bruschetta makes a great side but it can also hold its own as a satisfying entree. It is delicious and flavorful and the moisture of the tomato mixture with the crunch of the bread is a really nice combo. You could swap out the parsley for basil. For an extra special taste sensation, drizzle balsamic glaze over the bruschetta after you plate it. Pour a glass of wine and you're all set!

2 tomatoes, chopped 
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

baguette, cut into thin slices
1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Grab a small bowl and throw in the tomatoes, garlic, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper. Stir and set aside.

Put the baguette slices on a foil covered baking sheet and brush olive oil on one side of the bread. Broil, and speaking from experience--keep a close eye on the bread, for a few minutes on one side until golden brown. Remove from oven and spoon the tomato mixture over the baguette slices.

lizzycooks Italian Beef Sandwiches

Growing up in the Chicago area these sandwiches were called "beefs" or "Italian beefs". Tasty, juicy, beef sandwiches on a sturdy roll with sweet or hot peppers. I worked at a Portillo's restaurant in Villa Park where they served these beefs, mild or hot, and this exposure influenced my love for this delicious hot sandwich. Some people ordered their beefs completely submerged in the beef juices. Small shops that sold beefs seemed to be everywhere in Chicagoland. Most sold hot dogs too. Memories of Portillo's, Al's, Poodle's...and there were so many others dotting the streets.

This simple recipe is one I've had for years and is comfort food in a crockpot. It will make your home smell absolutely wonderful. This recipe is easy to make and you'll end up with 6-8 beefs. 

3 lb boneless chuck roast
2 cups water
8 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning

3 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Sturdy bread rolls

Pepperoncini

Pour 2 cups of water into a crockpot. Trim any excess fat from the roast. Rub the garlic on both sides of the roast and sprinkle with remaining ingredients. Place the roast in the crockpot and cook on low for about 8 hours. Remove roast from the crockpot and place on a large platter. 

Shred the meat and place on sturdy bread rolls. Add juice to taste, to moisten the roll. This is called "beef, wet". Yum. Top with pepperonci, sweet or hot pepper slices, and serve with a side of pickled cucumbers. Grab the napkins.

Here's to Chi-town! Go Cubs!

Cheesy Roasted Broccoli with Panko

This delicious broccoli dish can be a side dish or a meal. 

2 cups broccoli, cut into 2" pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon olive oil

ground black pepper to taste

red pepper flakes to taste

Heat the oven to 450. Place broccoli on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Coat broccoli with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt to taste. Mix the bread crumbs, cheese olive oil, pepper, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Roast broccoli at 450 for 15 minutes. Sprinkle Panko mixture over broccoli and roast for 15 more minutes. 

Potato Pancakes

I'd never made potato pancakes until today. I've had them in restaurants and always chose sour cream versus applesauce as my topping. This is a small batch recipe that made the 7 small (3") pancakes in the photo. 

1 large Yukon gold potato
1/2 large yellow onion
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
Pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons flour

Chives for garnish

Vegetable oil

Grate the potato and onion on the large holes of your grater into a medium bowl. Drain and squeeze out the liquid. Add the egg, salt, pepper and flour to the potato mixture. Stir together the ingredients until well blended. 

In a large pan, heat 1/4" of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. The oil needs to be just right or the potatoes won't cook enough or evenly, so be sure you let the oil heat up for a couple of minutes before adding the potatoes. 

Drop 1/4 cup of the potato mixture into the pan and flatten with a spatula so the pancake is 1/2" thick. Cook until golden brown and flip once. This just takes a couple of minutes on each side, depending on your stove. Season with salt.

Dad's Garlic Sea Scallops

My dad cooks daily and is an excellent unofficial chef with a huge stack of recipes in his arsenal. From his collection of shellfish recipes comes this simple and delicious scallop dish. I used fresh/frozen Pacific Ocean sea scallops. Yum. So sweet. And did you know the pink ones are female? Yep. This dish is garlicky with 2 cloves of garlic and you could add more. The parsley used was homegrown, which makes every recipe a little better.

6 large sea scallops

2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons butter
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and dry the scallops.

Melt half the butter in a sauté pan and sauté the scallops over medium to medium-high heat, turning once, until tender (do not overcook). Approximately 2-3 minutes on each side. Season to taste and set aside.

Pour out the butter and wipe the pan clean. Add the remaining butter and sauté the garlic and parsley. Return the scallops to the pan and mix with the garlic and parsley. Serve immediately. You could also pour the butter mixture over the scallops as seen in the photo above. Season with salt and pepper. Lemon also goes well with scallops but I don't always use it.

Cook’s Note: The scallops can be served on a bed of sautéed julienned vegetables (e.g. zucchini, squash, cabbage, carrots).

Garlic Lovers Tzatziki

Following my experience with some excellent tzatziki at a local food truck recently, I was craving a thicker and creamier version and mixed this up today. I'll continue to play around with the amounts of sour cream and yogurt in future recipes. This recipe uses low-fat sour cream and yogurt instead of yogurt only. Next time I make it I'll add more sour cream and reduce the amount of yogurt.  You can find my recipe for another version of tzatziki here. 

Good news--you don't need to peel or seed the cucumber! 

1 1/4 cups cucumber, grated and drained (1 medium cucumber)

1 cup non-fat plain yogurt
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Grate the cucumber and let it drain in a strainer. Squeeze the water out or the tzatziki will be too watery. Mix up all the ingredients and let it sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. Serve with toasted pita bread triangles and bite-sized veggies. Tzatziki also goes well with crackers and gyros sandwiches.