Mediterranean Bean Salad

 So great, so refreshing!  You can change it up in many ways to suit your own taste, too!

1 English cucumber, diced

1 red bell pepper - diced

1 bunch green onions, including tops - sliced

1/2 bunch Italian parsley leaves - chopped

1/2 pkg. sweet cherry tomatoes - halved or quartered

1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives

2 cans garbanzo beans - rinsed and drained

DRESSING

3 TBSP olive oil

3 TBSP red wine vinegar

1 TBSP dijon mustard

1 tsp. dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Tuscan Bean Soup

 This recipe is a variation of one I found on Pinterest.

2 TBSP olive oil

5 slices thick cut bacon, diced

2 cups onion, diced

2 cups leeks, cleaned well and diced

2 cups celery, diced

2 cups carrots, diced

2 TBSP minced garlic

2 bay leaves

1 or 2 stems fresh rosemary

8 cups chicken broth. (reserving 1 cup).

3 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper to taste

chicken Better Than Bouillon (to taste).  Use this if the broth used is not as flavorful as you'd like.

Saute bacon in olive oil in bottom of heavy cast iron pot for about 5 minutes until it is starting to brown a bit.

Add onions, leeks, celery, carrots and continue to saute, stirring often for about 15 minutes until veggies are starting to soften. 

Add garlic.   

Add 7 cups broth, bay leaves and rosemary.

Bring to a simmer and cook at a simmer for 45 minutes.

blend together one can of the beans with the one cup of reserved broth. Add to pot.

Add 2 other cans of rinsed and drained beans.

Let simmer another 15 minutes.

Serve with a generous sprinkle of fresh grated parmesan cheese and a good, crunchy crusted bread.

Emily's Raspberry Shortbread Cookies

 Raspberry shortbread cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened

• ⅔ cup white sugar

• 1 ¼ teaspoons almond extract, divided

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup seedless raspberry jam

• ½ cup confectioners' sugar

• 1 teaspoon milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Beat butter and white sugar together in a medium bowl until creamy. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Add flour and mix until dough comes together.

3. Form dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Use your thumb to press down and make a dent in the center of each ball, then fill with jam.

4. Bake in batches the preheated oven until edges are lightly browned, about 14 to 18 minutes; allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes.

5. Mix confectioners' sugar, milk, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon almond extract together in a medium bowl until smooth; drizzle lightly over warm cookies.

BEST Soft Oatmeal Cookies

 These are absolute perfection! I doubled the recipe, and followed the weights for the ingredients.

I also added 1 cup roughly chopped raisins, 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts, and one 12 oz. package semisweet chocolate chips!

2 Cups all purpose flour 240g

1 tsp. baking soda  6g

1 tsp. salt  10g

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup unsalted butter room temp.) 226g

2/3 cup granulated sugar  130g

2/3 c light brown sugar, packed  280g

4tsp. vanilla extract   10ml

2 large eggs

3 cups rolled oats (NOT quick oats) 270g

.......

1 - 12oz pkg semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup rough chopped raisins

1 cup rough chopped walnuts

PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 DEGREES

COVER BAKING SHEETS WITH PARCHMENT PAPER

1. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

2.  Combine softened butter with both sugars, beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.

3.  Reduce speed to low, add vanilla and eggs.  Beat until well mixed.

4.  Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

5. Mix in oats.

6. Stir in chocolate chips, walnuts and raisins.

7. Chill dough 1 hour or longer

8.  Drop golf ball sized balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment          paper.

9.  Bake 10 minutes, remove from oven and let sit on baking sheets another 2 minutes. 

10. Transfer to wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Pasta Primavera a'la Kimberly

 Our daughter-in-law makes this and we are lucky if we get to eat it!

 can substitute any veggies you personally like, I usually include red bell pepper, maybe sun dried tomatoes.  Because John prefers some meat in everything, you can also toss in some slices of cooked hot Italian sausage.

3 or 4 TBSP Butter

1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into chunks

8 oz button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin

1 cup frozen peas

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 - 14.5 ounce can diced (or crushed tomatoes). I like the fire roasted kind.

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup fresh minced basil

1 1/2 TBSP lemon juice

grated parmesan cheese

1 pound dried pasta.

Melting 1 TPSP butter at a time in a skillet, saute each type of fresh veggie separately until cooked. Transfer cooked veggies into large bowl.

After finishing the veggies, saute garlic for about 30 seconds, then add canned tomatoes and red pepper flakes.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the sauce begins to reduce.

Stir in cream and continue cooking until reduced again, about 5 more minutes.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, and drain the pasta when it is almost tender, but firm to the bite.  DO NOT rinse pasta.

Return pasta to the pot.  Stir in vegetable mixture, tomato sauce, fresh basil, lemon juice and toss to coat. Add reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce before serving.

Pass the parmesan and EAT.

Sausage with Green Beans and Potato Casserole

 Good, quick dinner. John makes it!

4 TBSP oil - divided

14 ounce Polska Kielbasa (or smoked sausage) - sliced

1 1/2 pounds petit gold potatoes, washed and cut in half

1 pound fresh green beans, washed, trimmed, cut in half

1/2 cup onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tsp Creole (Cajun)  seasoning.

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray

Sautee sliced sausage in heated pan with 2 TPSP oil until browned.

In large mixing bowl, toss potatoes, green beans, onion, and garlic with 2 TBSP oil until coated.

In small mixing bowl, combine the dry spice ingredients and mix. Sprinkle the mix evenly over the veggies, tossing and mixing to coat evenly.

Pour veggies and then the sausage into the cooking pan and combine them. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until potatoes are tender when pierced with fork.

EAT

Lasagna a'la Martin

One day I wanted to make lasagna, but not my old stand by recipe, so I called our son. Of course he had a delicious one!  PS, if you can find the Meuller's brand of no-boil lasagna noodles, use those!

Heat oven to 375.

15 ounce ricotta cheese

2-1/2 ounce (1-1/4 cups) grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup minced fresh basil

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. Salt

Mix together the ricotta, 1 cup of the Parmesan, basil, salt, pepper and egg.

6 cups tomato sauce (see recipe below. This is what gives the lasagna the fresh, new taste)

1 pkg. no boil lasagna noodles

1 pound whole milk soft style mozzarella, shredded (4 cups)

TOMATO SAUCE

2 TBSP olive oil

1 onion - minced

6 cloves garlic - minced

1  28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

1  28 ounce can diced tomatoes

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes 

Sautee onion in hot oil over medium heat until softened (about 5 minutes).

Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Add tomatoes and other spices. 

Simmer about 15 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened.

ASSEMBLY

Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce on bottom of 9x13 pan

Place 3 noodles on top (here is where you may need more noodles, depending on size of them. The entire layer does not need to be completely covered with noodles. but you don't want to skimp, either.)

Drop 2 or 3 TBSP of ricotta down each noodle, spreading it to make even layer.

Sprinkle evenly with 1 cup mozzarella.

spread 1 1/4 cups of the sauce evenly over the cheese.

Repeat with noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce 2 more times.

For the last layer, put noodles on top of the sauce, put the last of the sauce on top. Sprinkle with with remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan.

Spray a large sheet of aluminum foil with cooking spray. Cover the lasagna and bake 15 minutes.

Remove foil and bake until the cheese is browned and sauce is bubbling (about 25-30 minutes).

Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

(unbaked, assembled lasagna can be kept in refrigerator up to 24 hours. Let lasagna sit at room temperature for 1 hour before baking normally.)

* I fiddled with this recipe by adding:

1 cup cottage cheese to the ricotta

3 links hot Italian sausage cooked crumbled like hamburger added to the sauce

an extra 1/4 pound of mozzarella, and i used conventional, harder mozzarella.

Tommy's Chicken

 This easy, but delicious recipe was created by my dear brother-in-law, and BOY is it tasty!

Oven 400 degrees

8 chicken legs, or bone in thighs, or a mix of both.

2 large sweet potatoes - 1 inch dice

2 large russet potatoes - 1 inch dice

1 large onion, chopped

2 cans original Rotel (use mild if you don't like spicy, or Mexican flavor if you can find it.)

SPICES

Cajun Seasoning ( we use Tony Chachere's) or Tajin' if you'd prefer.

kosher salt

rough ground pepper

garlic powder

lime juice

pour enough cooking oil ( we like avacado) in the bottom of a large casserole dish (at least 9x13)

enough so that you can coat the raw chicken pieces in it.

Sprinkle the dry seasonings liberally on the oil coated chicken. 

If using thighs, place skin side down.

Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

Remove chicken from casserole dish and pour in the veggies. Stir them up a bit to distribute the spicy juices on them.

Replace chicken on top of veggies, turning the browned side up.

Pour over 2 cans of Rotel.

Squeeze about 1 lime over the Rotel (optional, but we like it.)

Return to oven and cook about 45 to 50 minutes, until the vegies are soft and the meat is tender.

Pasta "Caprese"

 I made up this recipe a while ago, and it keeps evolving until now I think it's about right.  At least John thinks it's perfect, but it isn't really "Caprese" anymore!

3 links hot Italian sausage, sauteed until done and then sliced into 1/3 inch circles.

8 ounce penne pasta

1 container cherry or grape tomatoes (10 oz.) sliced in half

1 container of fresh mushrooms (8oz) cleaned and sliced

Large handful of fresh basil, julienned. 

1/3 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil, chopped small

1/2 bottle of capers

1 1/2 tsp. chopped garlic

Italian seasoning blend (to taste)

Italian pepper flakes (to taste)

Coarse ground black pepper (to taste)

Olive oil

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

1.   Cook the sausage as directed, remove from pan.

2. Start water boiling (add a bit of salt to the water). When boiling, add penne and cook until al        dente.  drain (reserve 1 cup of pasta liquid) but DO NOT rinse the pasta.

3.  While the pasta is cooking, using the same pan you cooked the sausage in (remove excess         grease - use olive oil as necessary).    Saute the cherry tomatoes and mushrooms until soft.

4.  Add basil, capers, garlic, and seasonings.

5. When pasta is finished cooking and drained, put back into pasta pan and dump the contents of the saute pan and the sliced sausage in with the pasta.

6. Toss, add a bit of pasta water or a drizzle of olive oil if it seems dry.

7. Serve and put LOTS of that fresh parmesan on top.

8.  Go back for seconds!

( I tried adding tiny mozzarella balls - lost in the pasta and no flavor.  Marinated quartered artichoke hearts- about the same boring result as the cheese balls.  Substituting diced cooked chicken for the sausage - blah.)

Perfect Pork Green Chili

 We've been trying to recreate our favorite restaurant green chili stew, and by jove, I think we've got it!

Meat

3 pounds pork meat from shoulder or butt roast, cut into 1 inch square chunks

flour, salt and pepper for dredging.

1 medium/large yellow onion, diced

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

Saute the pork chunks until the flour starts to brown and place in large dutch oven.

Remove pork and saute the onion until translucent and just beginning to brown.

Place the onion in the dutch oven with pork and add:

Chicken broth

Cover with lid (leaving a small crack to let steam escape )and place in an oven set at 280 degrees.

Cook for about 1 1/2 hours.

Spices and flavorings:

1 heaping TBSP ground cumin

1 heaping TBSP finely chopped garlic

1 cup tomatillo based green chile salsa (without tomato or sugar).

1 heaping tsp. black pepper. 

Green Chili mix:

5  fresh Hatch type anaheim green chiles

3 fresh Poblano peppers,

1 or 2 fresh jalapeno (depending on hot hot you like your chili.)

Blister the chiles on either a gas grill (our way) or any other method you like to get the skin black and peeling.

When peeled (keep the jalapeno separate)  blend the chiles together to make a smooth puree.

(Taste some of the puree on a tortilla chip to see how spicy they are, so you can judge how much to use, and if you are going to need the jalapeno.)  If you want the jalapeno, blend in the amount you want now.

Mixing it all together:

After meat has roasted for the 1 1/2 hours, stir in all the spices and flavorings,  and some of the Green Chile Mix.  ( We usually use about 1 1/2 cups of the chile puree, so you may have a bit left over.)

Stir everything together and roast another hour in the oven at the same temp.

Check to see if the meat is tender, if not, keep roasting and checking until it has the consistency you like.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, some chopped fresh cilantro and of course flour tortillas!

ENJOY!

My suggestion is as long as you are going to the trouble to blister, peel, and puree the chiles, do a BIG batch.  What you don't use now can be frozen in mason jars and the next time you want it, you"ve GOT it!

Stuffed Peppers

 Always a favorite at our house, but I don’t use green peppers, usually red or orange.

4 large bell peppers ( I cut mine in half lengthwise)

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup white rice

1 medium onion, chopped

1 - 1 pound can of diced tomatoes

1 cup tomato sauce

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste.

Clean peppers and cook for 5 minutes in boiling water to soften.  Remove and sprinkle liberally with salt.

Cook the 1/2 cup rice according to package.

Fry ground beef with onion until browned, add tomatoes, tomato sauce and worcestershire sauce. Mix in rice and cheddar cheese into mixture.

Place salted peppers in greased large casserole dish and fill with meat mixture. If there is any extra, it can just be placed with the peppers and cooked along with them.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour.  Yummy.

Perfect “Hard Boiled” Eggs

We love hard boiled eggs at our house and just about every type of deviled egg you can make from them.  My potato salad couldn’t exist without a large quantity of them either, but I’ve always had a miserable time attempting to peel them. Until I found this method...




Bring one inch of water to boil in a large saucepan, then lower in a steamer basket containing no more than 8 eggs. (Eggs should not be stacked in many layers, or the steam doesn’t distribute evenly). Cover the pan with tight fitting lid,  reduce the heat to medium-low, and steam for 13 minutes. Remove eggs from steamer and place the eggs in a large tightly lidded food storage container of ice water (using enough water to completely submerge eggs) for 15 minutes.  Next,  drain out half the water, close the lid, and shake the container vigorously 40 times before peeling the eggs.

So easy to peel, and cooked PERFECTLY!

Fresh Tomato Tart

This is beyond delicious, but it’s NOT a dessert! It makes an elegant appetizer, or wonderful lunch or dinner.

1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces)  all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons table salt - divided
10 tbsp. Unsalted butter , cut into 1/2 inch cubes and chilled
6-7 tbsp. Ice water

1 1/2 pounds mixed sliced tomatoes (1/4 inch thick slices
1 shallot, sliced thin
2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 garlic clove - minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 ounces shredded Gruyerr cheese (3/4 cup)
2 tbsp. Grated Parmesan
1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp. Chopped fresh basil

To make crust:

In food processor, mix flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Add butter all at once and pulse about 10-15 times, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Transfer to large bowl and sprinkle 6 tbsp. water over the flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, stir and press dough until it holds together. Use extra tbsp. water if necessary. Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface, forming 4 inch diameter disc. Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Dough can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for 1 month.

Slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick, removing chunks of the gelatinous seed structure if possible. Toss tomatoes with 1 teaspoon salt. Transfer tomatoes to colander and let drain in sink for 30 minutes.

In small bowl, mix together thyme, garlic, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and olive oil.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove dough from refrigerator and Allow it to soften slightly (about 10 minutes) before rolling.

Shake colander well to rid tomatoes of as much moisture as possible. Place tomatoes in bowl, and mix in sliced shallot and the olive oil mixture mixture.

Roll dough into 12 inch circle on lightly floured parchment paper on firm surface. Transfer dough to parchment covered baking sheet.

Spread dough with Dijon mustard to within 1 1/2 inch of the edge. Sprinkle evenly on top of the mustard with the Gruyere.  Shingle tomatoes and shallot evenly over the cheese, trying to let the tomato liquid remain in the bowl.

Carefully grasp 1 edge of dough and fold up about 1 inch over filling.  Repeat around circumference of tart, overlapping dough about every 2 inches, gently pleating and pinching to secure.  Brush folded edge with egg.  Sprinkle Parmesan on top of tomatoes.

Bake until crust is golden brown and tomatoes are bubbling, 45-50 minutes.
Transfer baking sheet to wire rack and allow tart to cool for 10 minutes.  Using metal spatula, loosen tart from parchment and carefully slide tart onto wire rack. Let cool to room temperature. Sprinkle with chopped basil. Slice and serve.

Chicken Piccata with Artichokes

Although I've made Chicken Piccata for years (it's John's favorite meal) this new recipe from Williams-Sonoma is the best ever!

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 lb. pounded to 1/3 inch thick and cut in half
• 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 Tbs. olive oil 
• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 can (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
• 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) dry white wine
• 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 jar. capers, rinsed and drained
• 2 TBSP. corn starch with enough water to make a slurry.

 Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper.

Pour the flour onto a large plate and season it well with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. In a large non-stick  fry pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil and 2 TBSP butter until very hot but not smoking. Working in batches as needed to avoid crowding, add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and opaque throughout, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Return the pan to medium-high heat; do not wipe the pan clean. If pan is too dry, Melt 1 Tbs.  butter with  1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the garlic and artichoke hearts and sauté just until the garlic is soft, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in the broth, lemon juice and capers. Reduce the heat to medium, bring to a gentle simmer.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes more. If the sauce in not thick enough, use the corn starch slurry to thicken a bit.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat each piece with the sauce. Cook just until the chicken is warmed through, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

No Knead Artisan Bread

I know it seems too good to be true, but I promise, this is the best bread recipe I’ve ever made.

6 cups bread flour (recommended) or all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

1/2 t. instant or active-dry yeast
2 1/2 t. salt
2 2/3 c. cool water

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Add the water and stir until all the ingredients are well incorporated; the dough should be wet and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest 12-18 hours on the counter at room temperature. When surface of the risen dough has darkened slightly, smells yeasty, and is dotted with bubbles, it is ready.
2. Lightly flour your hands and a work surface. Place dough on work surface and sprinkle with more flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice and, using floured fingers, tuck the dough underneath to form a rough ball.
3. Place a full sheet/large rectangle of parchment paper on a cotton towel and dust it with enough flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran to prevent the dough from sticking to the parchment paper as it rises; place dough seam side down on the parchment paper and dust with more flour, cornmeal, or wheat bran. Pull the corners of parchment paper around the loaf, wrapping it completely. Do the same with the towel. Let rise for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.
4. After about 1 1/2 hours, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot, such as a cast-iron Dutch oven, in the oven as it heats. When the dough has fully risen, carefully remove pot from oven. Unwrap the towel and parchment paper from around the dough and slide your hand under the bottom of the dough ball; flip the dough over into pot, seam side up. Pull the parchment paper off, scraping any stuck dough into the pan. Shake pan once or twice if dough looks unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes.
5. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 10-15 more minutes, until the crust is a deep chestnut brown. The internal temperature of the bread should be around 200 degrees. You can check this with a meat thermometer, if desired.
6. Remove the bread from the pot and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Greek Style Chicken Breasts

I recently made this dish up and it turned out pretty good! I just used things I had on hand.
It’s always nice to find a way to make chicken breasts different.

4  boneless, skinless chicken breasts - trimmed, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness and cut in half
1 can artichoke hearts-rough chopped
1/3 cup kalamata olives, rough chopped
2 large roasted red bell peppers (jarred) rough chopped
10 cherry tomatoes - quartered
2 TBSP. capers

Goat cheese

Olive oil
Garlic powder
Dried marjoram
Salt and pepper

Mix all vegetable ingredients together.

Spread olive oil on breasts and then sprinkle with spices.  Place in shallow pan that can take high heat.
Top with vegetables.

Bake 20 minutes at 425 degrees.  Sprinkle with crumbled cheese, bake 10 minutes more.

Shepherd’s Pie

Delectable comfort food...

2 lbs. lean ground beef

2 Tbsp. Flour

1 large onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

4 carrots, diced

1 bottle Guinness Stout

2 TBSP. Worcestershire sauce

1 cup beef broth

1 tsp. Thyme, dried

1 tsp. Rosemary, dried

1 tsp. Garlic powder

2 TBSP. tomato paste.

1 cup frozen peas

4 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch dice

1/4 cup butter

Milk

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender.  Drain well and beat with electric mixer.  Add butter and beat again.  Slowly pour in enough milk while beating to turn potatoes light and fluffy.  Set aside.

Put Guinness in a saucepan and simmer until in has reduced by half.  Add broth, all seasonings, and tomato paste.

Sauté onion, celery, and carrots in a bit of olive oil until softened.  Remove from pan and fry ground beef until browned.chopping up well. Sprinkle flour over meat and stir.  Stir in sautéed vegetables.

Pour in sauce mixture and mix well.

You can either pour meat mixture in a large casserole or just leave it in the skillet.  Place mashed potatoes over the meat mixture and spread around to cover the top.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle cheese over the top and bake another 15 to 20 minutes.

Eat up!

Classic Pineapple Upside Down Cake

This is the first pineapple upside down cake recipe I ever made.  It comes from the classic, red and white checked Better Homes and Gardens "New" Cook Book from 1975!  It's the cookbook I used as a new bride, and it taught me how to cook.

This makes a small, one layer cake. If you want to make it in a 9”x13” pan, double the recipe.

1 20 oz. can pineapple slices in juice
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 TBSP. pineapple juice
1/3 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup pineapple juice.

Drain can of pineapple, reserving juice.  Cut all pineapple slices in half, reserving one whole slice.
In 8 or 9 inch diameter round cake pan, OVER LOW HEAT, melt together the 4 TBSP butter, brown sugar and 1 TBSP pineapple juice.  Remove from heat and place whole pineapple slice in the center of the pan.  Arrange the other half slices in a spiral around the whole slice.  Sprinkle with pecans.  (I differ from the recipe here, because it doesn't call for pecans, it calls for maraschino cherries, which I despise!)

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the other butter with the white sugar until light and creamy using an electric mixer.  Add egg and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix  well.  Gradually beat in the half cup of reserved pineapple juice.  Place batter over the top of brown sugar mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
Let cool 5 minutes and invert onto serving plate.  Serve within 12 hours or so, it will be at its best the sooner you eat it.

Coconut Basil Chicken Curry

So delicious, and even better, it's made in the crockpot!

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (6 or 7)
Salt and pepper
3 TBSP. olive oil
Sprinkle thighs with salt and pepper.  Saute 1/2 at a time  for just a few minutes in the olive oil.  Just enough to where they just begin to brown.

1 red onion, minced
8 cloves garlic, minced fine
2 jalapeño peppers, cleaned and minced fine
2 tsp. Minced fresh ginger

2 13.5 ounce cans coconut milk

3 TBSP. dried basil
2 TBSP. curry powder
1 1/2 tsp. Chili powder
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper

4 TBSP. corn starch
1 TBSP. water

Put all ingredients in crockpot except chicken and corn starch mixed with water.  Stir well and add chicken.  Cook on high 4 hours.  Mix water and corn starch and add to curry.  Stir well and allow to thicken.  Serve over jasmine rice.

Chicken, Mushroom, and Quinoa Skillet

Really tasty.  The spices give extra oomph!

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
• 1 tsp crushed, dried rosemary
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• ½ yellow onion, chopped
• 8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups low-fat chicken broth
• 1 ½ cups sliced spinach leaves
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Place the chicken thighs in a medium bowl. Add the rosemary, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and toss to coat the chicken.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in large nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil in the skillet. Add the onion and mushrooms, and cook until the vegetables are tender, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Stir the quinoa and broth into the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Nestle the chicken into the quinoa, and cook (covered) until the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes (total of 30 minutes).
5. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Stir the spinach into the quinoa. Serve with the chicken. Season to taste.