Last night, we (well, actually Frosty) was busy putting out lights on our patio so I would quit saying, “Frosty, I wish we could be the first ones on our street this year to put lights up.” So while he was outside, I got in the mood for Italian. I remembered this dish that I had seen on Facebook a few days ago and decided to make it. Wow, we loved it and cannot wait to have the leftovers again tonight. One pot dish and oh so easy. Here it is
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
12 oz spaghetti
1/2 thinly sliced onion
4 garlic cloves
2 large stems of fresh basil
1 (16 oz) diced tomatoes (I used Hunts with basil and garlic)
2 tables olive oil.
Put everything, even the raw spaghetti, in a large pot that can be used on stove top. Sprinkle the olive oil over the top. Cover and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to simmer and cook, still covered, about 15 more minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes. Dish up into bowls and grate your favorite Italian cheese over the top. Season with salt and pepper to taste. As the pasta cooks with the other ingredient, it makes a great sauce. Even Frosty commented and said how good it was. Crusty bread with garlic and butter and you have a fantastic and quick dinner.
Category: Holiday Fare
Just adding this new category and will be posting seasonal recipes for Thanksgiving and Christmas
Bite Size Chiles Rellenos
As most of you know, Peter and I are Mexican food junkies. When I was reading this recipe to him last night, he informed me that I needed to make these for him ASAP! They do sound so good and can’t wait to try them. It is such fun to look through these old (SL 1987) magazines. He fusses at me all the time for not being able to throw these out, but as the seasons of our lives change, so do our tastes and what looks and taste good to us. I probably didn’t even give these a second look back in 87, but now, can’t wait to make them. Another great appetizer for the upcoming parties.
1 cup flour
1/2 teas salt
1/2 teas garlic powder
1 cup beer (for all you Baptist, if you wear your Halloween mask when grocery shopping, none of the deacons will recognize you buying a beer for this recipe, you are safe. Or if this still seems too scary, borrow a cup from your Methodist neighbor)
2 (4 oz) cans whole green chiles, drained and seeded
4 oz Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 1/2″ cubes
Vegetable oil
Picante Sauce
Combine first 3 ingredients; stir will. Gradually add 1 cup beer, stirring until smooth. Cover and let stand 1 hour.
Cut green chiles lengthwise into 3/4″ wide strips. Roll each strip around a cheese cube, securing with a wooden pick. Cover and chill 1 hour.
Dip chile-cheese rolls in batter; allow excess to drip slightly. Deep-fry in hot oikl about 15 seconds or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with picante sauce.
Yields: about 2 dozen
Cheese & Spinach Puffs
Taken from a Nov, 1987 SL magazine, this is a great appetizer to take to all those holiday parties. It is quick and easy. The flavor is really so good. Actually they are a great way to get little ones to eat “their spinach”. Popeye would love these.
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup water
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (2 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup plus 2 tables commercial blue cheese dressing, or if you are like me and do not like blue cheese, use Ranch Dressing
1/4 teas garlic powder
1 (8 1/2 oz) package corn muffin mix (Jiffy is a good one)
Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes. Drain very well, squeezing to remove excess liquid. Combine spinach mixture and remaining ingredients; stir well. Cover and chill 2 hours.
Shape mixture into 1″ balls and place 1 1/2″ apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Chill 30 minutes before baking.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes; serve warm.
Yields: 4 dozen
Super-Bowl
What a great soup for using leftover turkey, or having it for Super-Bowl parties or on those cold weather evenings.
6 tables unsalted butter, plus melted butter for brushing
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 clove garlic, minced
5 tables flour
1 qt chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup shredded white American cheese (about 4 oz)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (about 6 oz)
1 cup diced deli ham
1 cup diced leftover roast turkey
6 slices baguette
6 slices bacon
1/2 pt grape tomatoes, thinly sliced
3 tables chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, abut 4 minutes. Stir in the flour and whisk, about 1 min. Add the broth and cream;, stirring, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the American cheese and 1 cup of the cheddar until melted. Add the ham and turkey and heat through, 3-5 minutes.
Remove from the heat, keeping warm with lid.
Spread the baguette slices on a baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Transfer to the oven and toast until golden, abut 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, turning until crisp. Drain on paper towels. When cool enough to handle, crumble.
Toss the tomatoes, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl. Lade the soup into bowls and top with the toasted baguette, the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar, divided between the 6 bowls, and the tomato-parsley mixture and crumbled bacon. YUM!
Suppers On…Come & Get It, Oops, I Mean, Dinner is Served
I can’t help it, I lived almost 60 of my butter-laden years in the south, where folks come to supper, not dinner. When I found this new recipe last night in the Food Network Magazine, (which I will get to in a minute, but have to get this story out of my system first) I remembered an incident from dining out a few nights ago. First of all, just to begin this story, I am no longer allowed to talk about dinner anymore when in public. Returning home from Texas, home of Whataburger, Dr Pepper and Blue Bell, some of my all time favorite things, Mr. Sourheart, aka, Randy (the closer it gets to holiday time, he quickly changes from sweetheart to sourheart) picked me up from the airport and whisked me away to one of our favorite restaurants. Actually it is one of his favorites, because it is the only place in California where you can get Blue Bell ice cream. As we are sitting outside, enjoying the gorgeous weather, just waiting for our food to arrive, we are talking about how he is so glad to have me home so he doesn’t have to eat by himself. It was at this point that I asked, “what did you eat for supper while I was gone last week?” You can’t imagine the stares that came my way. Randy hid behind his napkin. I thought there for a minute we were going to be asked to leave or at least take the table by the kitchen door. People from the tables around us began to look my way and then whisper to their table companions. I felt so ashamed. Fortunately, our food arrived and Randy quickly stuffed a roll in my mouth before I could say anything more. He quietly “encouraged” me to save that kind of talk for when we were alone. Note to self….when not in the South, I eat dinner, not supper! There is just something wrong with ordering chicken fried steak with cream gravy and mashed potatoes for dinner, but sounds so much better when you are ordering it for supper. Tonight, because we are all alone, I am making this new delicious sounding soup for supper. Tomorrow, we are having company and prime rib for dinner. Am looking for new friends that don’t mind coming to supper, rather than coming for dinner. Think I will post the recipe in a new post, I got a little carried away thinking about dinner vs supper.
Supper
Chicken Fried Anything
Taters
Collard Greens
Gravy
Cobblers
Hot Biscuits with butter and jelly
Sweet Taters
Macaroni & Cheese
Corn on the Cob
Dinner
Prime Rib
Au Jus
Brussels Sprouts
Green Beans with Proscuitto
Stuffed Mushrooms
Merignues
See the difference?
Cranberry Congealed Salad
We cannot have Thanksgiving without a cranberry salad. This recipe, taken from Paula Deen Magazine steps it up a notch. You could even use if for dessert if you wanted. It is delicious. Such a gorgeous red color that is such a complimentary side to the turkey.
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 ( 8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (3 oz) packages orange gelatin (this gives you that great orange-cranberry flavor combination)
2 cups boiling water
2 (14 oz) cans whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 cup cold water
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13×9″ baking pan with nonstick cooking spray
In a medium bowl, combine flour, pecans and brown sugar. Add melted butter, stirring to combine. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan; bake for 12-15 min or until light golden brown. Let cool completely.
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth. Add Cool Whip and beat until blended well. Spread mixture over cooled crust; cover and chill for at least 4 hours. or refrigerate for up to 2 days (this would be great to make ahead so you have your salad already made and could concentrate on the turkey).
In a large bowl, stir together gelatin and 2 cups boiling water. Add cranberry sauce, stirring until combined. Stir in 2 cup cold water. Slowly pour gelatin mixture over chilled cream cheese layer. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days. Cut into squares and serve. Garnish with whipped topping and a fresh cranberry and mint leaf.
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
Another super easy, yet so yummy pumpkin dessert. Brought to you by Jell-O! J E L L-O
Preheat oven to 350.
1 pkg (2 layer size) Duncan Hines yellow cake mix
4 eggs, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 ( 8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 pkg (3/4 oz) pumpkin spice flavor instant pudding (if you can’t find the pumpkin spice, use French vanilla
1/3 cup cold milk
1/2 teas cinnamon
1 envelop Dream Whip Whipped Topping Mix
Line a 13×9″ pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Blend cake mix, 1 egg and butter; press onto bottom of pan.
Beat cream cheese, brown sugar, remaining eggs, pumpkin and dry pudding mix with mixer until blended. Pour onto crust.
Bake 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer pan to cooling rack; cool completely.
Mix whipped topping with milk and beat until blended. Beat on high speed until mixture forms stiff peaks. Spread onto dessert.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
I cheated and used real whipping cream. Add 1/3 cup sugar with 1/2 pt of whipping cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Nothing is better than REAL whipping cream…..so easy and makes such a difference.
Serves 18
Chocolate Praline Cake
What a gorgeous creation, just perfect for a dessert centerpiece. To save time and energy, bake your favorite chocolate cake mix in 2 (9″) cake pans. Let cook completely. Set aside while making Chocolate Ganache and Praline Frosting
Ganache
1 (12 oz) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
Microwave chocolate morsels and whipping cream in a glass bowl at medium power 2-3 minutes or melted. Stirring at 1 min intervals. Whisk until smooth. Gradually add butter, whisking until smooth. Cool, whisking often for 15 min or until spreading consistency.
Place one chocolate cake layer on a serving platter. Spoon half of ganache over layer. Let sit for about 10 min to allow ganache to set up on cake layer. Place 2nd cake layer on top and use remaining ganache. While this is setting up, make the praline frosting.
Praline Frosting:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teas vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat and whisk in 1 cup powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in toasted pecans, stirring gently 3-5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thicken slightly. When frosting is of spreading consistency, pour immediately over top of cake. If you wait to long, the frosting will harden and you will not be able to spread over cake. Decorate with whole pecans. Pr
Blue Cheese & Bacon Puffs
What a great appetizer for those holiday parties. This recipe makes 6 dz! You will have plenty to snack on while putting the finishing touches to your table, while waiting for guest to arrive, still having plenty for the party. Taken from a SL magazine, 2001. The dough is like the dough you make for cream puffs, but used as appetizer with cheese instead of cream filling.
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teas salt
1/4 teas black pepper
1/4 teas ground red pepper
6 large eggs
8 oz crumbled blue cheese (Stilton is a good brand to use)
8 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
4 green onions
Bring the water and butter to a boil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and next 3 ingredients; cook, beating with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a smooth ball of dough. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well with spoon after each addition. Mix in cheese, bacon and chopped green onions.
Drop by rounded teaspoonful 2″ apart onto lightly greased baking sheets.
Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Puffs will be moist in the center. Serve puffs warm or at room temperature.
Puffs may be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw in fridge overnight and reheat at 350 for 5-7 minutes or until heated thoroughly.
Kitchen Addiction
I don’t know what is happening, but the past few days, I cannot walk through the kitchen without baking. Is it the weather? Is it that I know I am getting older and there are so many recipes out there and so little time, or is it that I am just a sugar hoarder? Last night I found myself making the carrot cream cheese pound cake that I posted yesterday and it is absolutely amazing. Then this morning, I headed to the kitchen, still in jammies and pulled out the Pillsbury Pumpkin cake mix and proceeded to bake Pumpkin Poppers that I talked about the other day. I just followed the directions on the box except that I added 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Baked them in mini muffin pans (made 60) and then rolled them in cinnamon sugar while still hot out of the oven. Have eaten 5. Then our daughter sent us a picture of Kenley our grandaughter we are headed to see at Thanksgiving. They were making acorns out of miniature Nutter Butter cookies, Hershey Kisses and chocolate chips. A little melted chocolate holds the 3 items together, as you can see in the picture. So open those windows, celebrate this gorgeous autumn weather and get those baking pans out. Baking time is here.
Chocolate Castles 