Feta-Veggie Bake

I got the idea for this veggie-feta bake from a recipe from the New York Times. I modified it a bit and came up with this version. When feta is baked it becomes soft and yummy. And when baked with lemon and red onion it will smell like a Greek restaurant in your house. The broccoli carmelizes and tastes great.

Feta cheese

Cherry tomatoes

Broccoli florets
Red onion
Lemon

Red pepper flakes

Olive oil ~ 3 tablespoons

Put a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan and preheat the oven to 400. 

Chop/slice/cut everything as seen in photo. Place on baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes.

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

This is another recipe from my Dad's recipe files. The panko really makes it! You could switch up the blue and parmesan cheeses if you'd like, and could use cheddar, monterey jack, romano, etc. instead. The most important thing about this recipe is not to touch your eyes after working with the jalapenos. 

 

12 medium jalapeno peppers, tops cut off, halved lengthwise, and seeded
8 oz low-fat cream cheese, softened
½ cup blue cheese, crumbled
½ cup parmesan, grated
Garlic powder
Black pepper
Kosher salt
¼ cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or use parchment paper. Fill each jalapeno pepper half with cheese mixture and then bread crumbs, and lay on baking sheet. Bake until jalapenos are tender and cheese is melted, 20-30 minutes.

Fresh Corn & Tomato Salsa

This salsa tastes like summer. The lime juice is wonderful and brings together these fresh ingredients into a delicious salsa. I used a homegrown jalapeno which is always fun to do. The salsa is jam packed with flavor, crunch, and goes very well with tortilla chips! Cheers!

1 cup fresh yellow sweet corn (cut off the cob)
2 roma tomatoes
1 small jalapeno
1/4 cup cilantro
1/8 cup red onion
2 cloves garlic

Juice of 1/2 lime
Kosher salt

Chop the tomatoes, jalapeno, cilantro, onion, and garlic. Add to corn in a medium bowl. Add lime juice and salt. Stir and put in the fridge for a bit to chill.

Cold Lemon Balm Tea

Lemon balm is good for you. Cut off about a cup of lemon balm and put it in a medium bowl, boil some water, pour it over the lemon balm, and let steep for 30 minutes. Pour liquid in pitcher & refrigerate. Add lemon balm leaf to garnish.

Lettuce Wraps with Spicy Chicken & Peanut Butter

It always feels wonderful to eat homegrown vegetables. I grew the buttercrunch lettuce for these wraps which is a good lettuce to use for wraps, and you can experiment with different lettuce types. There is a recipe on this blog for a lettuce wrap and I used it and another one I found to come up with this version. Peanut butter in the sauce? Yes, please! The ingredient amounts are an estimate. I only measured the sesame oil because a little goes a long way, am I right? And the chili sauce--go more if you like it hot but the called for 2 teaspoons gives it a medium spice and will make your nose run.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb. ground chicken

1/3 red onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 water chestnuts, chopped

1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced (I keep some in the freezer)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons peanut butter

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons chili sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons cilantro for topping

1 green onion for topping

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Let the oil heat up and cook the chicken, onions, garlic, water chestnuts, ginger, and salt. Turn the heat to low and add the remaining 5 ingredients, one by one, stirring after each is added. Cook on low for 15 minutes and then serve on top of lettuce, add toppings, and -- wrap it up because it will be messy!

Fresh Blueberry-Strawberry Trifle

Fresh summer fruit--the best. Homemade whipped cream feels like a cloud in your mouth and this trifle is bursting with the sweet fruit of summer. The pound cake adds texture and soaks up the yummy juices from the mascerated strawberries and blueberries. Other types of berries can be used if it suits your fancy. Click here for my whipped cream recipe.

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups fresh strawberries, tops cut off & sliced thinly lengthwise

1/4-1/2 cup sugar

2 slices pound cake, cut into cubes

Mix the fruit and sugar. Stir, and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours until juice is created. Add pound cake to a martini glass and layer with fruit and whipped cream. Cheers!

Dad's Simpler Foccacia

This is a recipe from my dad's collection and it's easy and quick--for bread that is. It is a yeast bread that only takes about 4 hours from start to finish. I added fresh homegrown Greek oregano, and you can use other herbs too, such as rosemary, thyme, or chives. 

3 ½ - 4 cups bread flour
2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons fresh oregano

1 ½ cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey

Place dry ingredients into mixer bowl and stir with paddle until well mixed. Add liquid ingredients and mix until it makes a moist ball. Remove paddle and replace with dough hook. Mix for 8 minutes. If mixture is too moist, add a little flour. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for 1 ½ hours.

Shape and press the dough onto a 10” x 15” baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use your fingers to make dimples in the dough about 2 inches apart. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise for one hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place baking sheet in the middle of the oven and reduce heat to 400 degrees. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool one hour before slicing.

The Best Pot Sticker Sauce

Here is a recipe from my dad's file for jao-tze/pot sticker sauce.

¼ cup dark soy sauce
¼ cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
½ teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons hot oil (optional)

Whisk all ingredients together and serve with pot stickers.

Limoncello Champagne Cocktails

This recipe is from my Dad's files and it has become my favorite cocktail of late. Delicious and refreshing. You could use sparkling wine if you can't get champagne. For a fancy sugared rim, rub the rims of the glasses with a slice of lemon and then dip into sugar. Cheers!

8 strips of lemon peel (3" x ½")
8 tablespoons Limoncello
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1 bottle brut champagne

Roll up the lemon peel strips and place each in a champagne flute. Add 1 tablespoon Limoncello and ½ tsp lemon juice to each glass. Divide the champagne evenly among the glasses and serve.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Panko Bread Crumbs

Penzey's Spices is one of my favorite companies and I recently ordered a package of their dried (red) ancho peppers. They are dried poblano peppers. The anchos were rehydrated in a bowl of boiling water, rinsed, seeded, and dried off to prep them for this recipe. The peppers are slightly spicy and have a hint of cumin. After baking, the peppers turn sweeter and have crispy edges. The texture is similar to a sun-dried tomato. Of course, the cheese is delicious and the Panko bread crumbs are the best--nice and brown and crunchy.

4 rehydrated, dried ancho chili peppers

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Cumin, chili powder, & garlic powder to taste

Panko bread crumbs for topping

Preheat oven to 400.

Add cumin, chili powder, and garlic powder to the shredded cheese and mix. 

Carefully slice the peppers on one side to make an opening for the stuffing. 

Stuff each pepper with cheese mixture and put a toothpick through the peppers to hold them together. Sprinkle the tops of the stuffed peppers with Panko bread crumbs to cover. 

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove toothpicks and serve. 

Before and after photos:

                   

Pimento Mac and Cheese with a Minor Kick

This is the second time in my life I've made mac and cheese. I tried this recipe out for the first time today after someone shared it with me. I made a few changes and came up with this one using lower fat dairy. Next time I make this I'll add more pimentos and jalapenos. Classic comfort food that serves about 8 peeps depending on hunger meter.

16 oz elbow macaroni

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

6 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeno, chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 cup flour

Frank's Hot Sauce--how many shakes can ya take?

*s/p to taste

4 cups 2% milk

4 oz jar chopped pimentos, drained

8 oz low-fat cream cheese

2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

*s/p to taste

Cook the macaroni per package instructions then drain under cold water, and drain again. 

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small pan over medium heat. Add bread crumbs. Stir and brown for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set over there and don't burn anything.

In a large dutch oven or large pot melt 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add flour, paprika, and hot sauce. *s/p to taste

Reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in the milk. This mixture will thicken quite a bit. Simmer for about 7 minutes while whisking. Add pimentos, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese. Stir together well. *s/p to taste

Add pasta to cheese mixture and stir until well blended. Add to greased 13x9 glass pan. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs over the dish and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. The mac and cheese should be brown and bubbly on top when it's finished. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving. 

*s/p to taste: I always use kosher salt and Penzey's tellicherry ground black pepper in my cooking.

Thick Homemade Whipped Cream (Where Have You Been All My Life?)

It's great to finally have time to cook. Most days now, I want to create something in the kitchen. I made fresh whipped cream for the first time yesterday and will never go back to store bought. I don't use whipped cream often but when I do it'll be this recipe from now on. Whipped up another batch today just to see the magic happen again. Amazing how the heavy cream transforms into a slightly sweet, luscious, thick, cloud pillow. This whipped cream belongs on everything! I'm going to try some in my coffee tomorrow morning. I don't even want to look at the nutrition label. You can freeze it too, while it's still in the carton or after it's been whipped.

1 cup cold, heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon Penzey's Mexican vanilla

With an electric hand mixer, blend the ingredients for 5-6 minutes on medium-high. The whipping cream transform from a creamy texture to a thicker, clotted texture. That's when it's time to stop mixing or you'll end up with butter. 

The small photo is this thick whipped cream atop chocolate pudding. An excellent combo.

Creamy Cocoa Cheesecake

For a time, this cheesecake was my go to "fancy" dessert. I haven't made it in years until today, and was inspired by a photo I saw of a peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake. I will have to make it another time because today is all about cream cheese, sour cream, and cocoa. I'd forgotten about the sweet sour cream topping on this creamy cocoa cheesecake. Adds a nice touch. The original recipe is from my 1981 Philadelphia Cream Cheese Cookbook. I changed up the original and used the following ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Crust:

1 1/4 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sugar

Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar in a small bowl. Press firmly onto the bottom of a springform pan.

Filling:

1 8 oz package low-fat cream cheese 

1 8 oz package regular cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder (I use Hershey's)

1 teaspoon Penzey's Mexican vanilla

2 eggs

In a large bowl, blend all ingredients well with electric mixer. Pour into crust.

Bake for 30 minutes and remove from oven.

Topping:

1 cup low-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon Penzey's Mexican vanilla

Increase the oven temp to 425. Stir together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl. Carefully spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Bake for 10 more minutes and remove from oven. Let cool for 20 minutes and remove the rim from cheesecake, and slide the cheesecake off of the baking pan onto a plate, and chill. Cut and serve. Sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Simple Sea Scallops

Large sea scallops fresh from the Pacific Ocean. Pat them dry with a paper towel before cooking. Cook over medium heat in a non-stick skillet with salted butter and serve. Don't overcook them, just a few minutes on each side. Add lemon, capers, or white wine to the sauce if you'd like. Tonight was just a simple cook. The scallops taste sweet and the house smells great. Serve it up with a salad and homemade bread.
 

Garlic Parmesan Rolls

This recipe is part of my experimentation with baking different types of bread, aside from the rosemary bread I love to bake on a regular basis. I need to broaden my bread baking horizons so I found a few recipes online for breadsticks and changed them up a bit to come up with these rolls. They are garlicky and soft and hard to stop eating. They freeze well and thaw quickly.

1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water    

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

4 tablespoons salted butter, melted 

3 cups all-purpose flour

Topping:

4 tablespoons salted butter, melted

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

In your stand mixer, add the dough hook and mix the first five ingredients on low. Slowly add in the flour. Once things are mixed well increase the speed to medium and let the dough knead for seven minutes. 

Put dough in a bowl lightly sprayed with oil and cover for 90 minutes. I set mine on top of my stove and heat the oven to 200 degrees while rising. 

Divide the dough into 16 pieces and roll into the shape of a ball. Place on a baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rise another hour.

Preheat oven to 400. Uncover the rolls and bake at 400 for about 17 minutes. They should be dark golden brown on the bottom. Melt butter together with garlic powder and parsley and brush on the rolls as soon as you take them out of the oven. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese while the rolls are still hot. 

Cold Sesame Noodles with Veggies & Peanut Sauce

Have you ever tried cold sesame noodles at an Asian restaurant? Good, huh? This recipe takes it farther and results in something even better. A cold sesame noodle dish packed with flavor, crunchy veggies, and peanut sauce--and the ginger is so good--it almost makes the dish. This salad is filling, pretty good for you dang it, and includes a crowd favorite--peanut butter. It makes about 10 cups so enough for a crowd. You can easily cut the recipe in half. It makes a lot of peanut sauce and I didn't put it all in the with the noodles. Saved some for grilled chicken breasts later in the week. Here's what you'll need:

 
1 16 oz package whole grain thin spaghetti noodles

Peanut Sauce:
1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup water
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons chili oil
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Veggies:
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, unpeeled, cut lengthwise in half & thinly sliced crosswise
1 medium carrot, cut into thin strips

Get the noodles cooking according to package directions, rinse with cold water, and drain. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together peanut sauce ingredients.

Add the sauce to the noodles in a large bowl and mix together well. Chill, serve, and top with veggies. Or, throw the veggies in with the peanut sauce and mix it all together.

Simple Fruit Salad

I'm blogging this just for the pretty photo. The salad keeps well covered tightly with foil. Fresh pineapple, strawberries, and giant green grapes all sliced up in a big bowl. Delicious! Eat more fruit.

Pastor Ryan's Bolognese Sauce

From:

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a8877/ryans-bolognese-sauce/

Baked Ziti with Hot Italian Sausage

This is one of my Dad's recipes from his foodie files...so delicious and perfect comfort food. Here's everything you'll need:

12 oz hot Italian sausage, casing removed

1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, diced

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 tsp crushed fennel seed (optional)
1 tsp salt

8 oz ricotta cheese
½ c Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ c fresh parsley, chopped

8 oz ziti (or similar tube pasta)

8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (or fresh mozzarella)

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large sauté pan, cook the sausage for 5 minutes, breaking the sausage up as it cooks. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in the pan and sauté the onions until softened. Return the sausage to the pan. Add the next 6 ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

Mix the ricotta, Parmesan and parsley in a bowl. Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Drain the pasta and stir in the ricotta mixture. Add the sauce to the pot. Mix well and pour into a greased 4-5 qt baking dish. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

No-Knead Jalapeno & Cheese Bread

This dutch oven baked bread is hearty and cheesy with a nice kick. No kneading required so there's that, and only six ingredients are needed. Monterey jack and cheddar cheese were used in this recipe but many other cheeses would work beautifully. This recipe makes a large loaf of bread and you can freeze it whole if needed, or by individual slice. It's delicious toasted. Here is my recipe for pickled jalapenos if you'd like to make your own for the bread recipe.

4 cups all purpose flour

2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

2 cups warm water

25 slices pickled jalapenos, drained & chopped, plus a few slices for the top

2 1/4 cups shredded monterey jack & cheddar cheese (1/4 cup for the top)

In your favorite stand mixer on low, blend the flour, salt, and yeast with the paddle attachment. Add the water and mix until well blended. Add more flour if needed. Remove dough from the mixing bowl and transfer to a large bowl lightly sprayed with oil. Cover the dough with a light towel and let rise for 1.5 hours. The dough should at least double in size and will probably get bigger.

Put the dough on a piece of parchment paper and fold in the chopped jalapenos. Cover the dough and let it rise for another 1.5 hours.  

Turn the oven to 450 and put an uncovered dutch oven inside. 

Sprinkle a little flour on a piece of parchment paper. Gently punch the dough down and remove it from the bowl. Sprinkle a little flour on the dough and shape it into a ball. Fold in the cheese. Put 1/4 cup of cheese on the top of the dough along with a few jalapenos. Sit dough on the parchment paper, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes.

Remove dutch oven from the oven. Carefully transfer the dough (while on the parchment paper) into the dutch oven. Just drop it in quickly! Cover dutch oven and return to the oven. Bake covered for 45 minutes, and then bake for 15 minutes longer without the lid. The bread should be dark golden brown. Remove bread and move to a cooling rack for about an hour before slicing. 

Spicy Coconut Milk & Lime Soup with Jasmine Rice

Those are a couple of homegrown lemongrass stalks there in the bowl of soup, and a cilantro garnish. This soup is creamy and flavorful with a kick of spice and the jasmine rice really completes the dish. The rice is also reminescent the cream of chicken soup of Hi-View in Villa Park, IL. I made a big pot of this soup today and froze 6 small containers for later. Gotta get through the cold winter! This recipe is similar to my tom kha gai soup recipe on the blog, but I changed up a few things.

32 oz chicken broth, no salt added and fat free
3 (13.5 oz) cans coconut milk
2 (13.5 oz) cans light coconut milk

15 2" pieces of homegrown lemongrass, frozen

Juice of 2 limes

1 tablespoon asian fish sauce

1 tablespoon thai chili paste (sambal oelek), add more if you like it really spicy but be careful!

2 teaspoons sugar

Onion powder-couple of shakes

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cups jasmine rice

Cilantro & lemongrass stalks for garnish

In a large soup pot, add the chicken broth, coconut milk, and lemongrass, stirring often. Bring to a low boil then turn the heat down to simmer. Add the lime juice, fish sauce, chili paste, sugar, onion powder, and ginger. Stir the soup often. Add about 2 cups of jasmine rice and stir it into the soup. Cook the soup for about an hour.

Remove lemongrass with slotted spoon, bowl, and garnish with cilantro and lemongrass stalks. Serve it up with a cold beer.

Bechamel or White Sauce

Bechamel, or white sauce, is what some people use in their lasagna instead of the ricotta and mozzarella mixture in the middle. You can easily turn this recipe into a cheese sauce too. These ingredients make about 1 cup of bechamel, which is considered one of the 5 "mother" sauces of French cuisine.

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1¼ cups milk, heated*
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don't let it brown — about 2 minutes. Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat. To cool this sauce for later use, cover it with wax paper or pour a film of milk over it to prevent a skin from forming.

*Warm the milk on low heat just until little bubbles begin to form at the edges. Then remove from heat.

Cheese Sauce
To turn your white sauce into cheese sauce, stir in ½ cup grated Cheddar cheese during the last 2 minutes of cooking, along with a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Dad's Asian Noodle Salad

Here is my dad's take on an Asian noodle salad. It is jam-packed with flavor and very refreshing. Cheaper than the grocery store as well.

6-8 oz soba (buckwheat) noodles

2 carrots, julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and sliced thin

1/3 c cilantro, chopped

1 c chopped greens (e.g., lettuce, Napa cabbage, Swiss chard)

1/3 c roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

2/3 c peanut sauce (recipe follows)

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

Mix the next 6 ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add the noodles and toss.

Add the peanut sauce and mix thoroughly.  Chill for at least one hour.

Peanut Sauce:

1/3 c peanut butter

1/3 c rice vinegar

3 TBSP agave syrup

2 TBSP sriracha chili sauce

3 TBSP soy sauce

1 TBSP sesame oil

2 cloves garlic

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth.

Simple Pizza Mediterranean

I was going to order pizza for delivery from a place with Chicago-like pizza but then decided to make my own. It had been a while since I made pizza at home but it came back to me, just like riding a bike. Homemade pizza rocks and the opportunity for toppings is mind blowing. I'm calling this pizza Mediterranean due to the feta cheese, red bell pepper, sweet onion, and fresh garlic. It is very easy and quick to make. You can use your favorite pizza crust or use a boxed Jiffy pizza crust like I did. It tasted good. Be sure to cut the pizza into squares like it's meant to be!

Pizza crust

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup feta cheese

2 large cloves garlic, minced

Crushed red pepper

Penzey's pizza seasoning

Kosher salt

Prepare the pizza crust and put it on a 12" round greased pan. Make sure the oven is preheated to 425. Add olive oil to a heated nonstick skillet and saute the onions and red pepper until soft. Remove from heat. Pour olive oil over the bare crust then add slices of mozzarella to mostly cover the pizza. Crumble feta cheese over the top and sprinkle with fresh garlic, crushed red pepper, Penzey's pizza seasoning, and kosher salt. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the edges of the crust start to brown. Slice and eat!