Green Bean Casserole - healthy version

Revised Green Bean Casserole recipe from the Hartford Courant.  November 2010

2 pounds fresh green beans, blanched
1 T oil
1 cup onion
10 oz mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups milk
2 T cornstarch mixed with 2 T cold water
1/8 tsp black pepper
Topping:
2 cips chopped onions
1 tsp oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
3 cups bread crumbs
2 T butter, cut into small pieces

In large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, cook till soft.  Stir in garlic, mushrooms, salt. Cook until most of liquid reduced. Add milk to the pan, reduce to medium-low; simmer.  Stir in cornstarch and water mixture, and stir  until milk has thickened. Add green beans, and stir to coat beans thoroughly with milk mixture.  Transfer the mushroom and bean mixture to a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Topping: Heat oil, add onions, cook until browned. Add vinegar, and cook until liquid evaporates. Stir in bread crumbs. Cover top of green bean mixture with bread crumbs. Dot with butter. Bake @375 for 40 - 45 minutes. Serves 10.

Quinoa

1 c quinoa
1/2 cup cold water

Rinse quinoa (soak 15 minutes); drain.  Put drained quinoa in water.  Cook 15 minutes.

Manhattan

Courtesy of Ina Garten

6 ice cubes
1/4 cup sweet vermouth
1 cup bourbon whiskey
cocktail cherries
Put the cubes in a cocktail shaker. Pour vermouth  and bourbon over the ice.  Shake and strain into cocktail glasses.  Add cherry and serve!

Make Ahead Scrambled Eggs

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Beat eggs with cream in a large bowl. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Pour eggs into skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until eggs are scrambled and just set, but still moist. Remove pan from heat and stir in sour cream. Spread eggs into a greased 12x7" glass baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the baking dish and sprinkle eggs with pepper and salt. Stir gently, then bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and eggs are hot, at least 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. 8 servings

Bisquick Muffins

2 c. Bisquick
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. milk (add more as needed)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Mix ingredients together, adding more milk as needed to get a good muffin consistency. Pour batter by spoonfuls into muffin pans; bake in a 350-degree oven until golden brown.

Note: This is a basic recipe that you can adapt. For example, you could add blueberries or mashed bananas. You could add a little cinnamon for flavor. You could add a streusel mix to the top: 2 tbsp. packed brown sugar and 1 tbsp. Bisquick.

Holiday Brie en Croute

Thaw: 40 minutes
Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 20 minutes
Stand: 45 minutes

Serves: 12
This pastry-wrapped soft cheese, topped with cranberries, apricots and almonds, is great for the holidays but it can also be served year-round.

ingredients

1 egg
1 tbsp. water
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
1/2 cup apricot preserves or seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup dried cranberry
1/4 cup toasted sliced almond
1 (13- to 16-ounce) Brie cheese round
1 pkg. (13 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Entertaining Quartet Distinctive Crackers

directions

Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square. Spread the preserves on the pastry to within 2 inches of the edge. Sprinkle with the cranberries and almonds. Place the cheese in the center of the pastry. Fold the pastry up over the cheese to cover. Trim the excess pastry and press to seal. Brush the seam with the egg mixture. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Decorate with the pastry scraps, if desired. Brush with the egg mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 45 minutes. Serve with the crackers.

Company Potatoes

Jill Tierney recommeded this recipe!

9 large white potatoes
1 (250 g) packages cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons butter
1 eggs ( beaten)
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
paprika

Directions

1. Peel and chop potatoes and boil in water until fork tender.
2. Drain and mash potatoes in large bowl.
3. Add cream cheese, sour cream, onion powder butter, egg, and garlic powder.
4. Beat with hand mixer until fluffy.
5. Scrape mixture into large casserole dish, and for nice appearance use back of spoon to "peak" potatoes like meringue.
6. Dot with butter and sprinkle with paprika.
7. *Mixture may be refrigerated at this point until needed, let stand at room temperature 1 hr before baking*.
8. Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 30 minutes or until peaks slightly brown.
9. Enjoy *this dish really holds its heat so be careful*.

Tomato Bisque

2 pounds tomatoes (or 2 28 oz cans)
2 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk

1. Run the tomatoes through a food mill to remove the seeds and skins, and place in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the bouillon, sugar, salt, bay leaf, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. (If you're going to can this mixture, process it now.)
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour all at once to form a roux, cook 1 minute. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, cooking and stirring constantly until thickened. Stir into tomato mixture and heat through.

p.s. this is from AllRecipes.com.  It was suggested that this freezes well. Some used canned tomatoes, pureed, but some diced for texture.

Tomato Tart

• 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts
• 1 garlic bulb
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups shredded fontina cheese, divided
• 4 large tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Press refrigerated piecrust on bottom and up sides of a square 9-inch tart pan. Bake at 450° for 9 minutes or until piecrust is lightly browned; set aside.
Cut off pointed end of garlic bulb; place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil, and drizzle with olive oil. Fold foil to seal.

Bake garlic at 425° for 30 minutes; cool. Squeeze pulp from garlic cloves into bottom of baked piecrust.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup fontina cheese over the garlic.

Slice tomatoes, and sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Place on folded paper towels, and let stand 10 minutes. Arrange tomato slices over shredded cheese. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until tart is lightly browned.

Fresh Tomato Bisque

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced bacon (about 1/2 ounce)
• 1 Spanish onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned
• 28-ounce whole, peeled tomatoes (with liquid), roughly chopped
• 3 parsley sprigs
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Tie the parsley sprigs, thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

When the soup base is cool, remove and discard the herb bundle. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Using a sieve over a large bowl, strain the tomato puree. Return the puree to the pot and reheat over medium heat.

Whisk the heavy cream and salt into the soup and season with pepper to taste. Divide among warm soup bowls and serve immediately.

Penne Primavera by Joe Bastianich

Primavera means spring, but Bastianich says you can make this dish year-round using whatever vegetables are in season.

Pomodoro sauce
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, cut into
1/2-inch slices, or diced
1 yellow pepper, sliced into
1/4-inch strips
1 cup sliced mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup peas
1 pound whole-wheat penne

Put a large pot of heavily salted water on high heat to boil, and simmer pomodoro in a saucepan on low. Place the onion, zucchini, yellow pepper, and mushrooms on a 9x13 baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle with the oil and toss lightly. Broil at 400° F until almost tender (about 10 minutes, turning vegetables halfway through). Add cherry tomatoes and peas to the pan, and broil for two more minutes. Set vegetables aside. Add pasta to boiling water. Two minutes before pasta is cooked, remove it from water and add to the pomodoro sauce, along with a little pasta water if needed to keep sauce liquid. Stir and simmer over low heat until pasta is tender. Add the vegetables and gently stir. Season with salt and pepper. Serves six.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 489
CARBS: 75 G
PROTEIN: 14 G
FAT: 14 G

Pasta Pomodoro

Basic sauce from Joe Bastianich, as seen in Runners World. He refused to give up pasta in a quest to get fit, lose weight, run.  It's suggested you can use this base sauce for pasta fagioli. Will definitely try it.

Pomodoro Sauce
Pomodoro (or tomato) sauce is the base for all of Chef Joe Bastianich's pasta dishes featured in these pages. Use a full batch of pomodoro for each recipe.

1/4 cup olive oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3 16-ounce cans of peeled, whole Italian plum tomatoes, such as San Marzano
1 teaspoon Sicilian oregano (optional)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) Today's food marathon begins with what
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium. Add garlic and saute until golden brown, about three minutes. While garlic browns, pour tomatoes into a bowl. Squeeze with your hands to break them up. Add tomatoes and their juice to the saucepan. Add oregano (if using), salt, and pepper. Simmer on low for 45 minutes. Add a little water if needed to keep sauce from becoming too thick (it should be bright red; if it turns brick red, it's too thick). To make oreganata, simmer sauce with sprigs of fresh oregano. Make arrabiata by adding red pepper flakes to taste. Makes six one-cup servings.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 139
CARBS: 9 G
PROTEIN: 2 G
FAT: 9 G


Pasta Pomodoro

Simmer pomodoro on low. Add one pound of pasta to a pot of boiling, salted water. Two minutes before it's cooked, remove pasta from water and add to sauce. Cook until tender, allowing pasta to absorb sauce. Add a little pasta water if needed to keep sauce liquid. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian cheese, such as Grana Padano. Garnish with basil. Serves six.

CALORIES PER SERVING: 470
CARBS: 66 G
PROTEIN: 13 G
FAT: 16 G

Pasta e Fagioli

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup ditalini or elbow macaroni
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes
• 1 can (19 ounces) cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) grated romano or parmesan cheese

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Directions

1.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

2.

Add the broth and water and bring to a boil. Stir in the macaroni and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes, or just until the macaroni is tender.

3.

Stir in the tomatoes (with juice) and beans and return to a simmer. Add the spinach and basil and cook for 2 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Serve with the cheese.

Nutritional Facts per serving

CALORIES

328.2 CAL

FAT

11.3 G

SATURATED FAT

3.5 G

CHOLESTEROL

14.7 MG

SODIUM

1781.4 MG

CARBOHYDRATES

40.6 G

TOTAL SUGARS

4.6 G

DIETARY FIBER

6.9 G

PROTEIN

16.4 G

Pineapple Angel Food Cake

 Variations: substitute pineapple with 1 can cherry pie filling.  Or as suggested on the box of Pillsbury Angel Food cake mix, make Chocolate Angel cupcakes by adding 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa before mixing cake as directed on package. Ah, chocolate cherry angel food! If made in a tube pan, a serving is 3 WW points. Cupcakes are 1 point. Some suggest serving with cool whip - personally, I think these are fine as is. Can't get any easier than this!

1 package angel food cake mix

1 can crushed pineapple in water -- 20 Ounce Can

1. Combine both ingredients in large bowl.

2. Mix on medium speed with electric mixer.

3. Bake according to instructions on cake mix box (350 degrees). Cake is about 30 - 40 minutes. Cupcakes 20 - 30.

Green Tomato Relish

Marcia McMullen shared this with me way back when. With a bumper crop of tomatoes I'll surely put up a batch this year!

4 quarts green tomatoes
6 large onions
6 green peppers
6 red peppers

Put all ingredients in food processor and pulse till desired consistency. Set in strainer for two hours to drain liquid. When drained, add to large sauce pan along with:

1 quart white vinegar
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 ½ cups brown sugar
2 Tbsp mustard seed
1 Tbsp tumeric
2 Tbsp celery seed
3 Tbsp salt

Simmer for ½ hour. To can, fill jars, seal and process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Cinnamon-Raisin Granola

Found this on Allrecipes.com, The best online site for trusted recipes. Simple, few ingredients. Makes a great snack or with milk as morning cereal. I double it and keep in large canister. I usually add some chopped walnuts or almonds and some flax seed. Anything goes, I guess.

Ingredients:

4 cups old-fashioned oats 1 cup shredded coconut 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup raisins

Directions:

1.

In a large bowl, combine oats and coconut; set aside. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, oil, honey and cinnamon; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over oat mixture; stir to coat. Spread in a large shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool. Add raisins, 1/4 cup ground flax. 1 cup nuts. Store in an airtight container.

Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Salad

Great for summer picnics as a side or mix in grilled chicken to make a meal!

1 cup quinoa
6 cups water
one 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked corn kernels, drained
1/3 cup seeded and diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup seeded and diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup cilantro

For the Sherry-Mustard Vinaigrette
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 T sherry vinegar
1 T Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
Pinch of sugar

Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer under cold running water until the water runs clear.  Bring the 6 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the quinoa, and cook until the grains are transparent throughout, about 12 minutes. Drain, rinse, and return to the saucepan.  Cover and dry the quinoa over low heat for 5 minutes.  Toss with a wooden spoon, then transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool.  Add the beans, corn, peppers, onion, and scallion.  Toss to combine well. Combine all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl.  Whisk until the mixture slightly thickens.  Add the vinaigrette to the salad.  Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, add the cilantro and toss. Serve the salad on lettuce leaves.

Trumbull Kitchen: Chef Morton's Potato and Sweet Potato Latke Recipes

Potato Latkes

1# russet potatoes, peeled and grated

½ cup white onion, grated

1 egg, beaten

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup oil

Mix together onions and potatoes, wring out in a dish towel, making sure to remove all liquid

Combine with egg and salt

Make patties in the palm of your hand

Fry over medium heat in a nonstick pan until golden brown

Sweet Potato Latkes

1# sweet potatoes, grated

2 each scallions, chopped

1/3 cup flour (all-purpose)

2 eggs, beaten

½ teaspoon curry powder

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup oil

Wring out potatoes in a dish towel, making sure to remove all liquid

Combine with eggs

Mix all dry ingredients together

Combine with sweet potatoes

Fry over medium heat in a non-stick pan until golden brown

Penne and Vegetable Salad

Almost any spring vegetable can be used--for a change, try peas or diced zucchini

Yield: 4–6 servings

• 1lb (450g) penne
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups asparagus tips
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
• 2 large carrots, cut into julienne
• 2 tbsp chopped basil or oregano

for the vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, minced
  
  
  

  Directions

  1. Cook the penne in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, according to the package instructions, until al dente.
  2. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli and asparagus for 4 minutes. Add the snow peas and carrots and steam about 3 minutes more, until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove from the heat.
  3. Whisk the vinegar, mustard, and garlic in a large bowl, then gradually whisk in the oil. Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl. Toss in the vegetables and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
  Variation
  Creamy Pasta Primavera
  In place of the vinaigrette, add 2/3 cup créme fraîche and 1 tsp whole-grain mustard to the vegetables and pasta. Thin with a little of the pasta cooking water if necessary.

  Notes

  Good with hot crusty garlic rolls.
  
  
  

Amaretto Cake with Cinnamon Swirl

Better Homes and Gardens, All Time Favorites 2010 Cookbook
1 cup sliced almonds
1 Tbsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp almond paste
1 pkg 2 layer size white cake mix
1 4-serving size pkg white chocolate instant pudding and pie filling
1 8oz. carton light sour cream
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup amaretto or 1/2 cup water plus 1 tsp almond extract
1 recipe sugar glaze

1. Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease 10-inch (12 cup) fluted tube pan. In food processor combine almonds and cinnamon.  Cover and process until almonds are finely chopped.  Coat bottom and sides of pan with half of nut mixture.  Add almond paste to remaining mixture in processor. Cover and process until combined.
2. In large mixing bowl combine cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, eggs, the water, oil, and amaretto.  Beat with mixer on low speed to combine.  Beat on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.  Spoon half of batter into pan.  Evenly sprinkle almond paste mixture over batter.  Spoon remaining batter over cinnamon mixture.
3. Bake about 55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean .  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Remove and invert cake on wire rack over waxed paper. Poke all over with fork tines.  Bush Sugar Glaze over cake.  Makes 12 - 16 servings.

Sugar Glaze: In small saucepan comvine 1/3 cup water, 1/4 cup sugar, and 2 taablespoons butter. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.  Recude heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.

456 cal, 23 G fat, 458 sodium, 51g  carb, 1 fiber 7 g protein

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from The New York Times, David Leite, and Jacques Torres. (via Orangette)
If you have a kitchen scale, I highly recommend using it here. This recipe is written in both volume and weight, but I chose to use the latter, so that I wouldn’t have to mess with measuring cups. It was unbelievably quick: just put a bowl on top of the scale, tare it to zero, and go.

2 cups minus 2 Tbsp. (8 ½ oz.) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 ½ oz.) bread flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. coarse salt, such as kosher
2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups; 10 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups (10 oz.) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (8 oz.) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks, preferably about 60% cacao content, such as Ghirardelli
Sea salt, such as Maldon

Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk well; then set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low; then add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. (Unless you have a plastic guard that sits around the rim of the bowl, this will make a big mess at first, with flour flying everywhere. I found that carefully holding a dish towel around the top of the bowl helped a lot.) Add the chocolate chips, and mix briefly to incorporate. Press plastic wrap against the dough, and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. The dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator, and allow it to soften slightly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Using a standard-size ice cream scoop – mine holds about 3 fluid ounces, or about 1/3 cup – scoop six mounds of dough onto the baking sheet, making sure to space them evenly. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, and bake until golden brown but still soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies onto the rack to cool a bit more.

Repeat with remaining dough.

Note: I may be the only person in the world who feels this way, but I like room-temperature chocolate chip cookies better than warm ones. (Yes, I fully expect to be burned at the stake for saying this.) When they’re warm, they taste too rich to me, and some of the nuances of their flavor get lost. I suggest that you try these cookies both ways and decide for yourself.

Yield: About 24 (5-inch) cookies.econd, I didn’t use a mixture of cake and bread flours, as the recipe suggests. Leite’s article failed to explain why the use of two flours is important, and I don’t know, it just seemed like a fussy complication. I have no doubt that it probably does something, texture-wise, but I was willing to take a risk, so I skipped it. Instead, I used a local flour that we’ve been trying lately. It’s called Stone-Buhr Northwest-Grown All-Purpose Flour, and if you can find it, I highly recommend it. Otherwise, you might try your regular brand of all-purpose flour, or, as Leite recommends, a combination of cake and bread flours.

Lastly, after the dough had its 36 hours in the fridge, I let it soften a little bit at room temperature before I tried to scoop it. It was very hard when freshly chilled, but with about 30 minutes’ to one hour’s rest on the counter, it was more readily scoopable. Don’t let the dough get warm, though; you want to bake it while it’s still cool, and even tending toward cold. Updated on June 15, 2011: I have changed the way I do this. I now scoop the dough before chilling it. Much easier. See below

Perfect Roast Chicken from Ina Garten

Prep Time: 20 min Inactive Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min
8 servings

Ingredients

1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
Olive oil
Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

Linguine with Hot Garlic and Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas

I cut this out of a magazine, must have been an advertisement for Contadina.

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups small sugar snap peas (I use a bag of frozen)
   Or 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
3 T olive oil, divided
9 oz pkg linguine, cooked and kept warm
1-10 oz container refrigerated light Alfredo sauce (I've used the jar that has low fat, can't remember the brand)

• Toss  shrimp, lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper in a small bowl; cover and let stand 15 minutes.

• Saute peas in 2 T olive oil in a large heavy skillet over med-high heat until tender; Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

• Heat remaining 1 T olive oil in skillet; add shrimp mixture. Saute 4 minutes or until shrimp turn opaque.

• Stir in sauce. Cook 2 minutes or until hot, stirring constantly. Toss with linguine and peas.

Yield: 4 servings.

Zucchini Lasagna

Another Contadina recipe.  Haven't actually made this but I will. Funny, the recipe doesn't show cook 
temp! I'll assume it's a 350 oven, cook time 1 hour 10 minutes, tho that seems a bit long to me.

•  24 oz. Contadina® Tomato Sauce 
• 1 14.5 oz. Can Contadina® Stewed Tomatoes with Onions, Celery,  Green Peppers
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 3/4 tsp. seasoned salt
• 6 zucchini sliced 1/8-inch thick
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

1. COMBINE tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes, salt, sugar, Italian herb seasoning and pepper in medium saucepan. Simmer uncovered 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, BROWN beef in medium skillet; drain. Stir in seasoned salt and tomato sauce mixture. Butter bottom of 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

3. LAYER bottom of dish with half of zucchini slices; sprinkle lightly with salt. Spread half of ground beef mixture over zucchini. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and evenly spread all the ricotta cheese. Top with remaining zucchini slices; sprinkle lightly with salt. Spread with remaining beef mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

Fettuccine with Creamy Pesto Chicken

Give credit to the back of the box! San Giorgio, thank you! My copy dates to December of 2002.

1 pkg. (12 oz.) Fettuccine, uncooked
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips, seasoned with salt and ground black pepper
1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red pepper, drained and chopped
1-1/4 cups light cream
1/3 cup (about one-half 7 oz. container) prepared pesto
1/2 teaspoon salt
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in large skillet over medium heat, heat oil; add chicken. Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 5 minutes. Add roasted red pepper; cook 1 minute. Add cream and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pesto and salt. Toss hot pasta and sauce; sprinkle with cheese, if desired. 8 servings (1 cup each).

Refrigerator Roll Dough

Another recipe from Cora! This is a great make-ahead addition to any meal. Makes the kitchen smell so mmmm good!

3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup sugar
1 T salt
1/3 cup shortening
2 pkgs active dry yeast
1 cup warm, not hot, water
1 egg, beaten
5 1/4 cups (about) all purpose flour

Combine hot water, sugar, salt, shortening. Cool to luke warm (I think it's 110 degrees.)
Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a large mixing bowl; stir until dissolved.
Stir in lukewarm water mixture.
Add egg and 2 1/2 cups of the flour; beat until smooth.  Stir in remaining flour and beat 1 minute.  Dough will be soft.
Place dough in greased bowl; brush top with soft shortening ( I usually just flip it over so each side gets oiled.)  Cover tightly with wax paper or aluminum foil . Store in refrigerator until doubled in bulk (dough may be kept 2 week in refridgertor.)

Pan Rolls: Divide dough in half. Form each half into a roll about 12 inches long and cut each roll into 16 equal pieces.  Form each piece inot a smooth ball and place in 2 greased 8" layer or square pans, about 1/4" apart.  Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Brush lightly with melted butter or margarine.  Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.  Makes 32 rolls.

Blueberry Griddle Cakes

From "Cora's Country Cookbook", Cora being the Wicked Witch of the West! The book was published by Maxwell House Coffee in 1977! I think it was free by mail with a Maxwell House label!

1 1/4 cups sifted flour
2 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup milk
3 T cooking oil
1 - 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Sift flour with sugar, baking powder and salt.  Combine egg, milk, and oil.  Add to flour mixture, mixing just until flour is dampened.  Batter will be lumpy. Add berries. Bake on a hot griddle (350) - Serve with syrup. Makes 10 - 12 four inch griddle cakes. Recipe may be doubled using 1/3 cup oil.

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Roll-up

Great for Thanksgiving or Christmas or anytime for that matter.

3/4 cup sifted all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup chopped walnuts
Cream cheese filling below

Preheat over to 375. Grease(Pam Spray) a 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan. Line with wax paper or parchment paper. Spray the paper with Pam.

• Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumkin pie spice, nutmeg and salt onto wax paper.
  
• Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until thick and fluffy; beat in pumpkin.  Stir in sifted dry ingredients all at once.  Pour into prepared pan; spread evenly with rubber spatula. Sprinkle with nuts.
  
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until center springs back when lightly touched with fingertip.
  
• Loosen cake around edges with a knife. Invert onto a clean damp towel dusted with confectioners' sugar; peel off wax paper. Trim 1/4" from all sides.  Roll up cake and towel together from short side.  Place seam-side down on wire rack; cool completely.
  
• Unroll cake. Spread with Cream Cheese Filling. Reroll cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cream Cheese Filling: Beat together 1 cup sifted confections' sugar, 1 package (8 oz) softened cream cheese, 6 T butter, and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth.
10 Servings.

Barbecue Pork and Beef Sandwiches (file this one as not so good)

The recipe, cut from a magazine many, many years ago, is yellowed and stained. According to the note is was originally published in the November 1975 issue of Crockery Cooking: "cooking time ranged from 2 - 12 hours, perfect for the mid-70's, when more and more women were entering the work force and there was a rising need for meals that could be assembled quickly and cooked without close supervision!" Before the fast food revolution I guess, and before microwaves were a staple in every kitchen.  Great in a crockpot for a large crowd.

Combine in a 3-5 quart crock pot:
1 1/2 pounds beef for stew, 1 1/2 pounds pork cubes, 2 cups chopped onions, 3 green peppers, chopped, one 6 oz can tomato paste, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 1/4 cup chili powder, 2 tsp salt (not so much!), 1 tsp dry mustard, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce.
Cover; cook on high 8 hours. With wire whisk, stir mixture until meat is shredded.
Serve on hard rolls, hamburger or hot dog rolls, toasted. Our friends like to add coleslaw to the sandwich.

If you prefer to cook on range, use 6 qt dutch oven, prepare as above but add 1 cup water; Simmer 3 hours.

Apple Squares

Don't remember where I found this recipe, but it was a favorite all the years the kids were growing up. Even remember making if for our Lamaze group while waiting for Courtney! Apple pie in squares.

Crust:
3 cups flour
1 cup Crisco
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup orange juice

Filling:
5 medium apples, pared and sliced
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 T flour

For crust, combine all ingredients. Divide in half. Spread half on bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. (roll as a pie crust, push into corners,etc.) Combine filling ingredients and spread over crust. Dot with butter. Cover with remaining crust. Sprinkle with about 1/4 cup of confectioners' sugar.  Bake 15 - 20 minutes(or until slightly browned on top)  in a 375 degree oven.
16 - 20 squares

Cherry Nut Pound Cake

Another recipe from the Hartford Courant Recipe Exchange. Always looked forward to the Wednesday Courant for the Food Section.
Moist and delicious. Reminds me of our wedding cake...

2 cups sugar
2 sticks margarine
2 tsp almond extract
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 pint sour cream
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 cup chopped maraschino cherries
1 cup chopped nuts

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan and set aside.
2. Cream sugar and margarine until fluffy and light. Add almond and vanilla extracts. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and blend.
3. Mix dry ingredients and add, blending well.
4. Add cherries and nuts and mix until combined. Pour batter into prepared tube pan and bake for 60 - 75 minutes until cake tests done. Can also be prepared in 2 loaf pans, 350 for 1 hour.
5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar when cool.

Lemon Bars - best ever!

This recipe was in Woman's Day Magazine, Feb. 22, 1994 issue. Made it for Christmas one year and thought they were the best lemon bars ever. Lost the recipe and thought about them often. Found the recipe a few years ago. Heaven. I love anything citrus.

Crust
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup)butter, at room temp
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Topping
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp freshly grated lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice

For garnish: confectioners' sugar

Heat oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13 pan.
In food processor or with electric mixer, process or beat the butter, flour and confectioners' sugar until mixture holds together and forms a dough. Press over bottom of prepared pan.
Bake 15 minutes until light golden and firm when touched.
Beat all Topping ingredients until blended. Pour over base.
Bake 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown and set.
Cool in pan on wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar before cutting in bars.
Makes 24.
172 cal, 2 g pro, 7 g fat but who really needs to know this?

Light and Easy Salad

1/2 cup bacon bits or pieces
8 oz mixed greens
1 c fresh strawberries. sliced
1 c mandarin oranges
Raspberry vinegrette
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently toss with dressing until coated. Sprinkle bacon bits on top.

4 servings

Kahlua

Courtesy of Tom Sliva. Used to make this all the time back int the '70s for our favorite drink, Black Russians

Combine 4 cups of sugar and 3 cups of water; Gently boil for 20 minutes; set aside and allow to cool
Pour 1 cup of boiling water into 3/4 cup of instant coffee(not decaf). Allow to cool.
Place a split whole vanilla bean in a gallon jug. Pour in 1 quart of 100 proof vodka and add the cooled solutions.
Set in a cool dark place (like a closet) for 2 weeks. I think I remember straining it before storing it in an old Kahlua bottle.

Homemade Kahlua Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 qt 100 proof vodka (or 90 proof) - (4 cups)
• 3/4 cups instant coffee
• 1 vanilla bean

Directions:

Mix water, sugar and coffee crystals. Heat and stir until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Add vodka. Stir to combine. Pour mixture into 6, 12.5 oz. bottles. Cut each vanilla bean into thirds and drop bean into each bottle. Cap. After 2-3 weeks strain, remove beans and rebottle.

1. Bring your water to a boil. When it’s good and hot, add your sugar and coffee granules and remove from heat.  Stir until everything is dissolved. 
2. Allow to cool. Let it sit until it’s almost to room temperature, then pour it into a large glass container. Add vodka and the vanilla bean. Give everything one more good stir, then cover up your kahlua mixture and put it out of your sight for 6 weeks. First, strain your kahlua into a jar. Next, get a funnel and pour the final mixture into its final bottle. (Another option: Buy small bottles and split one batch of homemade kahlua into two or three gifts.) Close the lid tightly, and you’re ready to gift it! It should last for several months at least at room temperature.

Green Beans Almandine

Extra virgin olive oil
Sliced almonds, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound fresh green beans
2 T red wine vinegar
S & P

Heat olive oil and almonds in a saute pan. Add garlic, green beans and vinegar. Cook until the beans are al dente. Salt and pepper to taste; serve warm

Pumpkin Mousse

Actually a nice lite dessert any time of year!

2 small pkgs of instant sugar-free vanilla pudding
2 cups of skim milk
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
15 oz can of pumpkin
8 oz. of fat free Cool Whip

Make pudding first (pudding and milk.) Then fold in remaining ingredients

Corn Chowder

Used this during our Lenten Soup Supper at church. Tasty and easy to make.

Melt 6 T butter,add 4 stalks of diced celery and 1 tsp minced onion and saute until tender. Combine 3 cups of milk and 6-7 T flour. Add to celery mixture; keep over medium heat and stir until thickened. Add 2-14 oz cans of creamed corn. Peel and dice 4 large potatoes; cook until tender and add to soup. Heat on low until ready to serve.

for variety, add red pepper and green onions; or green chilis and green onions.

Cranberry Spinach Salad

First had a similar salad in the Student Union at UConn. It had a rasp. vinegrette, feta cheese, but the same base. Found this on allrecipes.com; reminded me of the original and like it a lot. I often use Romaine lettuce instead of spinach. And walnuts are a great substitution. Switch out the cranberries for strawberries in season. Love the dressing!

1 T and 1 1/2 tsp butter
1 cup and 2 T almonds, blanched and slivered
1 1/2 pounds spinach, torn into pieces (I use baby spinach)
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
3 T toasted sesame seeds
1 T and 1 1/2 tsp poppy seeds (hard to find, so I leave out)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 T minced onion
1/4 cup and 2 T white wine vinegar
1/4 cup and 2 T cider vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook and stir almonds in butter until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, let cool.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach with the toasted almonds and cranberries.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, and vegetable oil. Toss with spinach just before serving.

Bethany's Fudge Drops

Beth's recipe for yummy chocolate cookies!

1 12 oz pkg of chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts

In saucepan melt chips and butter. Add sweetened condensed milk. Add vanilla, flour, and nuts. Mix well. Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake @325 for 10 - 12 minutes.

Mushroom Chicken Piccata

I have a Giada DeLaurentiis recipe for this that I much prefer, but it's thick with butter. So every so often I indulge myself and make it the real way. In the mean time, this is a nice alternative.

4 chicken cutlets (4 oz each)
salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 tsp olive oil, divided
12 oz. crimini mushrooms, quartered
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 lemon
2 T capers, with juice

Season chicken with S & P on both sides and heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 tsp olive oil and warm briefly. Add chicken and cook until nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate and cover.
In the same pan, warm the remaining olive oil. Add a single layer of mushrooms and cook, without stirring, for about 5 minutes or until red-brown on one side. Flip, add garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Add wine and scrape up any browned bits. Bring to a boil and add broth, return to heat and cook until it's bubbling nicely. Slice 4 thin slices of lemon and add to the pan along with the juice from half the lemon. Add capers and continue cooking sauce till it becomes a glace, about 2 more minutes. Add chicken to the sauce and heat through.
Per serving: 199 calories, 6 g fat, 2 g fiber
makes 4 servings, 4 WW points/serving

Eggplant Parmesan

From Cooking Light, October 1995 (update 2010: last week, I grilled the sliced eggplant, then layered in pan, sprinkled some bread crumbs over all, covered with sauce, baked, added mozzarella cheese last 5 minutes. Awesome!)

Ingredients
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 (8-ounce) cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (1-pound) eggplants, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup water
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 1/4 cups Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Vegetable cooking spray
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Fresh oregano sprigs (optional)
Preparation
Combine first 7 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes.

Place eggplant in a large bowl; add water to cover, and let stand 30 minutes. Drain well; blot dry with paper towels. Combine 1/4 cup water and egg whites in a shallow bowl. Combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese; stir well. Dip eggplant in egg white mixture, and dredge in breadcrumb mixture.

Place half of eggplant on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and broil 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Repeat procedure with remaining eggplant. Set eggplant aside.

Spread half of tomato mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange half of eggplant over sauce; top with half of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with remaining sauce, eggplant, and cheese.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh oregano sprigs, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings

Nutritional Information
Calories:298 (26% from fat)
Fat:8.5g (sat 5g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.4g)
Protein:19.2g
Carbohydrate:38.8g
Fiber:2.6g
Cholesterol:27mg
Iron:2.8mg
Sodium:818mg
Calcium:422mg

Stir-Fried Shrimp and Snow Peas in Orange Sauce

1 spray(s) cooking spray
4 medium scallion(s), thinly sliced
1 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced
1 Tbsp orange zest, finely grated
2 medium garlic clove(s), minced; or 2 1/2 tsp minced garlic
3 cup(s) snow peas
8 oz shrimp, small, peeled, deveined (about 36 to 40 per lb)
2 cup(s) bean sprouts
1/2 cup(s) orange juice, freshly squeezed recommended
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp honey
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Coat a large nonstick wok or saute pan with cooking spray; heat to smoking over high heat, about 2 minutes.

Toss in scallions, ginger, orange zest and garlic. Stir and toss constantly over the heat for 30 seconds.

Add snow peas. Continue tossing until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.

Add shrimp; continue cooking, tossing all the while, until shrimp are pink and firm, about 2 minutes.

Add sprouts, orange juice, soy sauce and honey. Toss until bubbling, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, combine cornstarch with rice vinegar in a small bowl.

Stir in cornstarch mixture; continue cooking until sauce has thickened a bit, about 30 seconds. Remove wok or pan from heat and drizzle oil over the dish. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.
POINTS® Value: 3
Servings: 4

Butternut Squash Bisque

1 tablespoon canola oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1/2 cup diced onion 3/4 cup diced carrots 4 cups peeled & cubed butternut squash

3 cups vegetable stock salt and ground black pepper to taste ground nutmeg to taste 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

Directions:

1.	Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir the onion in the butter and oil under tender.
2.	Mix the carrots and squash into the pot. Pour in vegetable stock, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender.
3.	In a blender or food processor, puree the soup mixture until smooth. Return to the pot, and stir in the heavy cream. Heat through, but do not boil. Serve warm with a dash of nutmeg. Makes 4 servings

Blueberry Crisp

Barbara Cappucci's recipe for crisp.

4 cups blueberries
1/3 cup sugar
2 t. lemon juice

1/3 cup brown sugar
4T butter
1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup oatmeal

Mix first three ingredients in baking pan.  Combine next four ingredients in bowl, mix till crumbly. Put on top of blueberries.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Cranberry Apple Chutney

2/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups peeled, diced apple
1/3 cup diced onion
1/4 teaspoon each: cinnamon, ginger, allspice
Dash ground cloves
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
Combine vinegar and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add apple and onion; return to a boil. Add remaining ingredients.

Reduce heat to low. Cook for 25 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 1 3/4 cups.

Party Meatballs

Quick and easy.

1 14-ounce can Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce (or red currant jelly)
1 12-ounce bottle Heinz® Chili Sauce
1 2-pound bag frozen, pre-cooked, cocktail-size meatballs

DIRECTIONS: Combine sauces in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Add meatballs. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally. Makes 30 appetizer servings. Slow cooker Preparation: Place meatballs in a slow cooker. Combine sauces and pour over meatballs. Cover and cook 4 hours on HIGH.

Variation:
1 lb ground beef
1/4 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup chili sauce
1 T prepared mustard
1 T soy sauce
1 T lemon juice
Up to 2 days prior, shape meat into balls. Place on a jelly roll pan. Bake in preheated 400 oven for 10 minutes.  In large saucepan combine next 4 ingredients.  Stir in ketchup water sauce mustard soy lemon juice.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.  Add meatballs. heat in sauce about 10 minutes.  (if making ahead, remove from heat as soon as adding meatballs. put in storage container, cover and refrigerate)

Also, you can prepare the meatballs with egg and breadcrumbs

Apple Pie Spread

Another recipe off a box!

1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 T seltzer water
2 T light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1 red crisp apple, chopped
Crackers

Mix cream cheese and seltzer water with electric mizer on medium speed until smooth.  Add the sugar and cinnamon.  Fold in the pecans and apples.  Refrigerate.  Serve with Town House Crackers.
Makes 2 cups. Garnish with cinnamon, chopped pecans or a red apple slice.

Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar

A friend told me about this recipe and I cringed. Vinegar! Yuk. But I have to admit, its very tasty, and relatively light.  I serve over egg noodles. Simple too.

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Rinse the mushrooms and pat dry. Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the chicken until it is nicely browned on one side (about 3 minutes).
2. Add the garlic. Turn the chicken breasts and scatter the mushrooms over them. Continue frying, shaking the skillet and stirring the mushrooms. Cook for about 3 minutes, then add the vinegar, broth, bay leaf and thyme. Cover tightly and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
3. Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter and cover with foil. Set aside. Continue simmering the sauce, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes. Swirl in the butter or margarine and discard the bay leaf. Pour this mushroom sauce mixture over the chicken and serve.

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 268 | Total Fat: 11.6g | Cholesterol: 77mg

Chicken Cacciatore with Mostaccioli

As seen on a box of San Giorgio Mostaccioli years ago.  VG ~ didn't you just hate when teachers gave you a VG?

2 T olive or veg. oil
2 cups thinly sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup thinly sliced green pepper strips
1 medium onion, sliced lengthwise and cut into strips
2 cloves minced garlic
3 1/2 cups (28oz can) whole tomatoes (I use diced), undrained, chopped
1 cup (8 oz) tomato sauce
2 tsp dried basil leaves
3 cups (8 oz) San Giorgio Mostaccioli Rigati, uncooked
1/2 lb chopped cooked chicken (I usually cut a raw chicken breast into bite sized pieces and brown, before sauteing the veggies)
Salt and pepper

In large saucepan over med. heat, heat oil; add mushrooms, green pepper, onion and garlic.  Cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and basil.  heat to boiling.  Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes, uncovered, or until sauce thickens.  Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package direcitons; drain. Add chicken to sauce, heat through.  Toss hot pasta and sauce. Makes 7 1-cup servings.

Beef in Burgundy

Another Gourmet Group favorite served at Paula & RJ's.  Great company dish. I've never made Julia Child's version but will someday. My old copy of this  is splotched by drippings! 


The recipe as written:
Cooking with wine is common throughout Europe.  I often tell my cooking students that one should never add water to a dish - stock perhaps, and often wine, but never water.  Wine has a cleansing ability, and a little dry sherry will greatly clean a sauce or gravy that tastes too much of oil or fat.  Beef in Burgundy is a classic dish from France.

6 slices bacon
3 pounds good stewing beef
olive oil
3-4 cups burgundy or dry red wine
2 cups Basic Brown Soup Stock (I use beef broth in a can or beef bouillion)
2 T tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
1 pound mushrooms, browned in butter
2 - 3 yellow onions, peeled chopped, and browned in butter
Roux of 1/2 cup flour browned in 1/2 cup butter

Cut the bacon into little strips, and blanch them with boiling water.  Fry gently, being careful not to burn them or to darken the fat.
Remove the bacon from the pan, and in the fat, brown the beef.  You many wish to add a little olive oil. (note: meat is not floured before being browned) Brown the meat carefully and rapidly so that it is a lovely deep brown on all sides.  Place in a large 4-quart casserole.
Add the wine and soup stock.  Add the tomato paste, garlic, thyme, a bay leaf, and a little salt.  Careful with the salt!
Deglaze your frying pan by putting it back on the heat for a moment after you have removed the beef. When the pan is slightly hot, add a stiff shot of red wine, and move it around with a wooden spoon.  Add this beautiful dark liquid to the casserole.
Bake the casserole in a 350 degree oven for 2 - 3 hours. (may also cook on top of stove in a heavy kettle). When the beef is tender, add the mushrooms and yellow onions.  Let all cook together for 20 minutes, and then thicken the whole with the roux.
Serve this dish with much too much wine for your guests, along with some cooked green vegetables and a huge salad.  You will be famous in about a half hour!  Serves 8.

my note: I usually make some egg noodles to go along with it.

Tortellini Soup

Kids favorite on soup and sandwich night. 10 tortellini = 3 points, if you're counting.

2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) Chicken Broth
1/8 tsp pepper (I vote for lemon pepper)
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup sliced celery
2 oz frozen cheese filled tortellini (about 1/2 cup)
1 T chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp dried flakes

In a medium saucepan, mix broth, pepper, carrot, celery.  Bring to a boil over med-high heat.  Add tortellini and reduce heat to medium.  Cook 15 minutes or until tortellini is done, stirring occasionally.  Stir in parsley.  Serves 4.

Kielbasa and Sauerkraut

1/2 lb bacon
1 lb kielbasa, sliced into bite sized pieces
large can of sauerkraut, drained
2 large onions
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can beer
1 T carraway seeds

Cook bacon and onion.  Drain (save grease); add kielbasa add sauerkraut. Cover with beer. Cook for 1 hour, covered.  It's done when sauerkraut starts turning brown.  Keep covered; if liquid evaporates, add some water or more beer. Stir in 1 T carraway seeds.