Here's an easy light appetizer that's based on savory mini cream puffs(profiteroles). Basically eggs, flour, milk and butter with cheese and seasoning added, it takes minutes to mix and only about 15 to 20 minutes to bake.Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping. ( I think I'm going to add some finely chopped pepperoni to the dough the next time I make them for added zip)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter (1/2 a stick)
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs at room temperature
scant 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
scant 1/4 tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
3/4 cup Asiago or Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 375F. In a small sauce pan , bring butter, milk, garlic and Italian seasoning to a boil. Add the flour and beat thoroughly to incorporate (batter will be dry). Take the pan off the heat and let cool for a couple of minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, thoroughly incorporating the first before adding the second. This might take a couple of minutes. Stir in the cheese.
Drop by scant teaspoons on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 375F for 15 to 20 minutes until a little puffed and golden brown. Makes 24 to 30 puffs.
This is an easy stove top one dish meal that I used to make often on Saturday nights in the winter when I was working and didn't get home until 7:30 or later. You basically throw everything in the pot and let it simmer. I use kielbasa for this because I like the garlicky flavor, but any smoked sausage will do.
1 large onion cut in large pieces
2 Tbl butter or margarine
4 - 5 medium potatoes, halved
1/2 medium cabbage cut in large pieces
1 cup water
1 1/2 lbs kielbasa or smoked sausage cut into 2 inch pieces
2 to 4 Tbl red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Saute the onion in the butter until softened. Add the potatoes, cabbage and water. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, adding the vinegar during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Easy and very filling on a cold night!
I know...it's the middle of one of the coldest winters we've had recently, but Tom and I grill year round...I had a slab of baby back ribs in the freezer, so I pulled it out and we grilled. My rib recipe isn't anything fancy...I usually cut the slab in 4 pieces, season them with a creole seasoning salt, bake them tightly covered at 300F for about 2 hours and then throw them on the grill and baste them with BBQ sauce until they char up a bit.
The shrimp and macaroni salad is another thing, however. This was mom's recipe, very retro (and fattening), but oh so good. Here it is:
1 lb. macaroni, shells, or other small pasta
1 1/2 lbs. cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped if large
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
6 slices American cheese, cut in small squares
1 - 2 cups mayo
2 Tbl white vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Drain and rinse and then sprinkle the vinegar over and stir.
Add the chopped onion, green pepper, celery and shrimp and combine.
Add the cheese and mayo( start with one cup of mayo and add more if you want the salad creamier)
Salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Many of you may have made various versions of this Italian Wedding Soup...some include eggs mixed with parmesan and then swirled in the soup just before serving and others using escarole instead of spinach. I've made them all, but like this one the best:
For the meatballs:
Combine 1 1/2 pounds ground veal (may use beef, turkey, pork or a combination) with 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, and 1 tsp black pepper. Refrigerate the mixture for about and hour and then form tiny meatballs.
For the soup:
In a large soup pot saute
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
3 cloves minced garlic
in 2 Tbl olive oil until the onions soften
To the pot add
10 cups chicken stock and one tsp each of salt and pepper
When soup comes to the boil start adding the meatballs, a few at a time( you want the soup to keep simmering). Let the meatballs simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 to 1 cup small pasta (ditalitini, stars, even orzo) and simmer for about 8 more minutes. Stir in 4 to 6 cups fresh spinach leaves.
Serve topped with parmesan cheese ( I like a lot!)
This is a good side if you have some time...it bakes for about 90 minutes (or longer depending on your oven).
4 peeled medium potatoes sliced on a mandoline or on the side of a box grater that has the three openings
3 Tbl olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup finely diced green pepper
1 minced clove garlic
2 Tbl butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Soak the sliced potatoes in a bowl of water, while prepping the rest of the ingredients. Drain and dry them as thoroughly as possible with paper towels.
Start sauteing the sliced onion in the olive oil over medium heat and when they start to caramelize, add the green pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. ( this will take 15 to 20 minutes) Continue to saute for a few minutes more. Combine the onion mixture with the potatoes and press into a quiche pan or pie pan, making sure that the potatoes are lying flat on the top. Dot the top with the 2 Tbl butter. Place a round of parchment paper over the top that's been cut to fit inside the pan and press firmly on the potato mixture. Bake at 300F for 60 minutes. Remove the parchment and continue baking at 350F for about 30 more minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Make your own vegetable stock without spending extra money on the vegetables! For about a week and a half I collected all my vegetable trimmings (carrot ends, onion ends, potato peels, mushroom stems, cabbage leaves, celery ends, etc) and threw them in a freezer bag and stashed them in the freezer as I collected them. When I had enough to half fill an 8 quart stock pot I covered them with water, added salt, peppercorns, and a bay leaf and then simmered the whole mixture until the water was reduced by half. This took a couple of hours, but now I have stock in my freezer for soup, stew, whatever....
I roasted a chicken last week and as always, had about half of it left over, so I thought about chicken alfredo and decided to boost it up with spinach and mushrooms (2 of our favorite ingredients). I lightened the jar of alfredo sauce that I had on hand with chicken broth.
2 Tbl butter
1 Tbl olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbl flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 15oz jar alfredo sauce (I used Classico 4 cheese)
3 - 4 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 - 5 cups fresh baby spinach
Parmesan cheese for garnish
In a large saute pan, melt the butter and oil, and saute the onions, mushrooms and garlic until softened. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir while still cooking for a couple of minutes. Slowly add the chicken broth, alfredo sauce, and then the chicken and bring up to a boil. Add the spinach leaves, a handful at a time and cook until the spinach wilts. Add the pepper and serve over cooked pasta, garnished with parmesan cheese if desired
