Crying in Our Cheer

Tis the season for colds and calamities. On the same day I paid the dentist $1300 to hurt me, the furnace went out. Same week came down with horrible cold that continues. Hubby has sinus infection. But we count our blessings on this Christmas Day: jobs, warm homes, a family that is doing well. And we'll eat well if nothing else! I will start with the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day feast (hardly ever too sick to cook) and then back track on some other interesting recipes I have tried in the last couple of weeks but haven't posted.

I watched a special on the Food Network a couple of years ago about a tradition of the Seven Fishes - I think it featured Mario, but honestly can't remember. Did 7 last year, only managed 6 this year. (Keeping in mind, I cheat a little.) I love seafood and could eat it every day. I started with cold stuff: pickled herring and marinated veggies such as peppers, giardiniera and olives. I added tuna squares that come in a vacuum-sealed box - threw the box away, can't remember brand, speared with toothpicks.  Shrimp salad the Louisiana way: boiled in crab boil. Cut up fine and mixed with remoulade sauce, (roughly mayonaisse, creole mustard, ketchup, hot sauce and worcestershire, salt and pepper) then served over shredded lettuce. I made a hot crab dip - real crab - with 1/3 less fat cream cheese and a little black pepper and hot sauce topped with green onions. To die for. I then tried to recreate a French quarter favorite: grilled oysters. In the French quarter, oysters are shelled then topped with a sauce of garlic, butter, hot sauce, worcdstershire sauce and parmesan cheese and grilled. I took a container of oysters and let them drain while I made the sauce. I then dipped the oysters in the sauce, rolled then in the cheese mixed lightly with Panko bread crumbs, placed on a rack on a baking sheet and broiled. My husband doesn't even like oysters and had several. Yummy. Fresh asparagus was draped with two slices of lower-sodium, lower-fat, no-nitrite bacon and put into oven. Bacon makes everything better. Lastly, I sauteed squid in olive oil and sherry.

And yes, I got up and cooked again today. Not a turkey cooker, as we usually eat out on Thanksgiving, and I do ham on Christmas. But Kroger had turkey breast on sale a while back, and it was in the freezer so thought I would give it a whirl. Boy, cooking turkey really does make one nervous! I used the method I used to roast a chicken. After salting with kosher salt and lathering with hot sauce (of course) and black pepper and preheating oven to 425, I placed turkey breast on a rack on pan. 15 minutes one side, turn over, 15 other, then turn down heat to 375. After one hour, 15 minutes, I placed homemade cornbread dressing in bottom of baking dish and propped the turkey breast on top to finish cooking. Total time:2 hours. Sides were good ole green bean casserole, roasted brussel sprouts with butter and lemon juice, butternut squash soup and crescent rolls. And no, I am not cooking Sat. or Sun. Besides, no room in the fridge.

Other good recipes I have tried of late:
Lots of easy stuff

Chicken Mirabella

1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup pitted prunes
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup pitted Spanish olives
4 chopped garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup drained capers

Preheat oven to 400. In a saucepan, combine wine, broth, prunes, brown sugar, vinegar, olives, garlic, oil and oregano. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Place chicken in baking dish. Pour the sauce over the chicken, turning to coat. Scatter capers over the top. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken no longer pink inside (check after 20 minutes.)
I served this with bulgar wheat. (See previous posts. 1 cup bulgar, 1 1/2 cup water, bring to boil, lower heat, cook 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed.)

Meatballs

Comfort food beckons in dreary Midwest weather. I used 3/4 ground beef and 1/2 ground buffalo sausage. I have extolled the virtues of buffalo before. 95% lean, and very tasty. Add your favorite meatball additions. Don't forget to add some Parmesan cheese. Makes a big difference. And don't overwork the meat. Makes them tough. I start them out in the oven then, add to the sauce.

Quick Mushroom Barley Soup

Barley is another whole grain you should become familiar with.

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
2 chopped carrots
1 box sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup quick cooking barley
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and carrots, stirring and cook until soft. Add mushrooms, barley, and dried herbs. Stir one minute. Add chicken broth and 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Saw this ad for a Campbell's Soup recipe. Modified slightly to reduce some calories.

Beef & Mushroom Lasagna

1 can 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
3/4 lb. ground beef
2 cups Ragu Traditional sauce
6 cooked lasagna noodles
3/4 cup shredded pizza cheese blend

Preheat oven to 400. Stir soup and milk to blend until smooth. Cook beef until browned, pour off fat. Stir in sauce. Layer 1/2 beef mixture in 9 x 13 pan. Top with 3 noodles and 1/2 soup mixture. Repeat. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil. Cook 30 minutes. Uncover and cook till cheese is brown.

Potato and Broccoli Cheese Strata

Roasting the potatoes in the oven first gives them a different texture as opposed to boiling them.

4-6 potatoes, very thinly sliced
seasoning salt
10 oz. frozen broccoli or 1 head fresh
 cheese sauce:
2 Tablespoon butter
2 Tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray. Layer potatoes in pan. Sprinkle with seasoning salt and pepper.
Bake uncovered at 425 for 45 or until potatoes or tender. If using fresh broccoli, discard stems or save for other uses. Wash and microwave for 5 minutes. Meanwhile make cheese sauce. Melt butter in small saucepan, blend in flour. Stir in milk, cook over low heat, stirring until mixture thickens. Stir in cheese till cheese melts. Arrange broccoli over potatoes and pour cheese sauce over all. Bake until sauce is bubbly.

Cabbage Pecan Toss

4 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup shredded cabbage (coleslaw mix is fine for this)
1/4 cup sliced onion
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon butter
teasppon mustard
1/4 cup chopped pecans

In glass casserole dish, add all except pecans, cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 4 minutes. Add pecans and toss.


Harvest Quinoa

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 chopped onion
1/4 chopped celery
1 peeled chopped apple
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 orange juice
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
handful of chopped pecans
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley

In saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, apple and quinoa in butter 5 minutes, stirring ocasionally. Stir in chicken broth and orange juice. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 15-20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with fork. Stir in chopped pecans and cheese. Sprinkle with parsley.

Spicy Spinach Dip

1 bag baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup feta cheese
2 chopped green onions
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise, low-fat or fat-free ok
1 teaspoon horseradish or several sprinkles powdered horseradish from Penzey's (optional)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Chop spinach in food processor till pureeed. Add feta cheese and scallions. Blend. Add cottage cheese, mayonnaise, horseradish and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper and process till all is blended. Taste for seasoning. Can be made 3 days ahead.

Potato and Green Bean Salad

Creamer potatoes
1/2 fresh green beans, washed and snapped
3 Tablespoons chicken broth
2 green onions
2 Tablespoons salad vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon Italian dried seasoning

Wash potatoes, place in pot with cold water. Bring to a boil. Boil until almost tender, add green beans, cook until beans are tender, then drain all. Place in bowl. Toss with seasonings and dressings. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.

Steak and Frafalle Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

4 chopped garlic cloves
1/4 cup red vinegar
1 tsp. mustard
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 lb. round steak, cubed
16 oz. farfalle pasta
cooking spray
1 onion chopped
1 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
 1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 tsp. dried basil
8 oz. sour cream, low-fat


Marinade:

Whish together 2 cloves garlic, vinegar, mustard, cinnamon and pepper. Pour over steak cubes and refrigerate at least an hour or overnight. Cook pasta and set aside. Drain steak and discard marinade. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with cooking spray. Saute steak until brown. Remove steak. Add onion and 2 garlic cloves, cook 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and reduce heat to low. Add seasonings and sour cream and cook for 2-3 minutes until and meat and sauce are completely warmed. Serve over pasta.

This and That

Conrad's Eggplant Sauce from the freezer continues to delight. Which is good, considering there is still about 8 pints to go. Every couple of weeks, I pull one out and go, okay, now what. This time, it was lasagna. I had a few no-boil lasagna sheets. I sprayed a 8 inch glass dish with non-stick spray and spread some sauce on the bottom. This I topped with half of the 4 ounces of non-fat cottage cheese and two eggs and fresh parsley I had mixed together. I topped with two lasagna sheets and repeated the process. I then topped with pizza cheese and a little cheddar. I covered with foil and cooked at 400 for 30 minutes and then uncovered to get the top crusty. Just too good. I had seconds. The recipe is from the "Vegetarian Epicure" by Anna Thomas.

This Spinach Quiche uses potatoes to replace piecrust to save on fat and calories.

Spinach-Mushroom Quiche

2 Tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces of potatoes
one chopped onion
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Salt and Pepper
1 10 ounce bag baby spinach
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
3 ounces shredded swiss cheese
3 beaten eggs
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400.  Spray 9-inch pie plate with non-stick spray. Shred potatoes in food processor. Transfer to a bowl and add the onion and cornstarch; stir. Add 1/2 salt and 1/4 pepper. Add 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, flatten out and cook 10 minutes. Invert into the pie dish. Bake 20 minutes. Preheat skillet, cook spinach, adding oil if necessary, then add mushrooms. In bowl, whisk eggs and milk. When potatoes are done, put half spinach mixture over potatoes, add half the cheese, cover with remaining spinach and mushrooms. Pour egg mixture over and bake until set, 20-25 minutes.

I have been cutting and saving recipes since I was 12. Finally, got around to trying this yellowed clipping.

Sicilian Sausage Soup

1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage
1 chopped onion
1 large can (28 oz.) tomatoes
2 cans chicken broth
1 teaspoon basil leaves
1/2 cup orzo
salt and pepper to taste

Cook sausage in a large saucepan until pink color has disappeared. Add onion and cook until onion is soft. Add tomatoes, broth and basil. Bring to a boil. Stir in orzo, salt and pepper. Lower heat, simmer 15 minutes or until orzo is tender.

Thanksgiving with Family - now back to beans and greens

Thanksgiving family dinner in Valdosta GA. Son Justin made ham with traditional pineapple topping. Neighbor fried a turkey breast that had been injected with a marinade. Sides included whipped mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon, sauteed squash, and a sweet potato casserole. For next year, check out the recipe at About. com.
Weight Watchers says it is only one meal. Well, it was 5 days of feasting, and I helped by cooking pork chops, homemade mac and cheese and salmon patties.
Now back home and back to beans and greens, our friends the filling foods.
Monday the 30th was indeed mustard greens from the garden. No sausage, but a bit of ham base brand of Orrington Farms ( http://www.orringtonfarms.com/ ). It ain't sausage, but still tasty. I'm become a devotee of old-fashioned soup bones the last couple of months and I make a pot of clean out the frig soup every week. The soup bone gives it depth.
Add onion and garlic to the greens and a drained can of pinto beans. Cook a skillet of cornbread, and there you have it - beans and greens, with soup and cornbread.

Tues., I "splurged" on a 3 oz. chicken breast, pounded thin, with a sprinkling of flour. I tossed it in a pan with a hint of olive oil till brown on both sides and removed all the breast pieces. I chopped a package of portabello mushrooms, added a little onion and garlic and cooked till barely tender. I then added wine, turned up the heat till it mostly burned off, and sneaked in a teaspoon of white truffle butter. The sauce was served over No Yolk noodles along with the Chicken and a side of green beans.

Wed. was hearty fiber day. More soup of course, but also a NRA - New Recipe Alert. Beef and Barley Hot Dish.

Boil 2 cups of water, add 1 cup quick cooking barley. Turn heat to low, simmer till water absorbed, remove from heat, leave lid on.
Meanwhile, brown 3/4 - 1 lb. lean ground meat in a large skillet, along with chopped onion, garlic, celery, green peppers, and a few fresh mushrooms if you have them. Stir in 1 tsp. dried oregano and basil leaves. Salt and pepper to taste.
Blend barley and beef mixture, turn into casserole dish. Heat in a 375 oven for 20-minutes. Top with 1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese. Keep in oven till cheese melts.
This is nice topped with mandarin oranges.

I served this with Morrocan Carrots

Heat 1 Tbl. olive oil in large saucepan over moderate heat. Reduce heat. Add 1 Tbl. brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon each cumin and cinnamon, and a dash of cayenne. Meanwhile scrape and chop 3 large carrots. Add carrots to pan, along with 1/3 cup orange juice and a handful of raisins. Bring to a quick boil, then lower heat to lowest setting. Stir frequently till carrots are of desired tenderness.

Knowing I had a busy Thurs. (breakfast mtg, work, after work mtg) I decided on pork tenderloin for Thursday's supper. Wed. night, I made of paste of parsley from my garden, olive oil, dried rosemary and dried thyme, 2 fat garlic cloves, freshly ground pepper, a little kosher salt and several sprinkles of red peppers flakes. This went in the food processor till smooth. I then smeared the paste all over the tenderloin and let it marinate overnight.
I cooked it in a 400 oven for about 25 minutes. These small tenderloins take no time at all. I pull it at 150, knowing it willl continue to cook for a couple of minutes (pork is safe at 160). It was served with a nuked sweet potato and a salad.

Hubby seems happy to be back on "the Charlaine plan"

Hey, We Eat Anything

Proud to be a native of Louisiana. Louisana has many native cuisines. The French, the Acadians (the French who got kicked out of Canada - the "Cajuns", Africans, Italians, Germans, Scots-Irish, English- and we're all obsessed with food. It is part of who we are. I live to cook and eat, not doubt about it. Been busy of late, starting a new business. But still, I try new recipes, and celebrate old favorites. The following are some I have cooked up of late:

This is easy, but oh, so good. I modified for weight-watcher purposes. No need for heavy cream and heavy spice in the same recipe.

Note: A chipolte pepper is a dried, smoked jalapeno and is very hot. It is sold in cans in the Hispanic section of most any grocery store.

Chipolte Crawfish Pasta

8 to 10 sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
2 chipolte peppers (1 if you are timid with heat)
hot water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup tequila
1 10 oz. bag crawfish tails
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
Your favorite pasta



Soak dried tomatoes and chipolte peppers in a bowl of hot water for 20 minutes. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat and add garlic. Do not brown. Drain tomatoes and peppers. Chop finely and add to skillet, sauteing a few minutes over medium heat. Add tequila and reduce mixture to about one third by cooking about 5 minutes. Add crawfish tails and cook until opaque and reddish, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat water for pasta. When water boils, add pasta and cook according to package directions.
Add evaporated skim to skillet, reduce heat and cook until the sauce is heated through. Do not boil. Season with salt and pepper. Drain pasta and top with crawfish sauce.


Just when you can't do anything else with chicken....

I had 1/2 can of artichoke hearts leftover and going through my recipe clippings came upon this:

Greeky Kind of Chicken in the Oven

Ever how many chicken thighs you need to feed your family, skin removed
1 1lb. small red potatoes, halved
4 minced garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 white wine
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained
Greek olives, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Heat oil in large oven-proof pot over high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. working in as many batches as necessary, cook the chicken in the pot until brown on all sides. Transfer chicken to plate. Add the potatoes to the pot and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add the wine and broth, oregano and thyme. Add olives if desired. Return chicken to pot and bring to a boil. Stir to combine.
Cover and bake in oven until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and heat until hot. Serve.

Craig and Charlaine

I learned to cook at 12 yrs with Betty Crocker and I still recommend it as a first book. But in 1990 I discovered Craig Claiborne's New York Times Cookbook. Craig is my go-to man when faced with a new to me situation. His is my favorite Hot and Sour Soup and I cooked it this weekend, with lots of additions and ooga-booga that would not reproducible. I suggest you get his cookbook at the library. My favorite chinese soup is from his cookbook?  Yes, it is.  He has many "ethnic' recipes in his cookbook. It is where I go when cooking a brand-new to me item. Where I learned to cook lamb chops. What I would take to a desert island. Big words from a cook who owns over 125 cookbooks. Craig knew his stuff.

I have written once about Quorn before. Recently, Quorn was heavily discountly at the health food store and I bought a package of the "chicken" quorn patties. This weekend they were featured as "chicken' parmesan topped with Conrad's eggplant sauce that was put in the freezer from the garden. Yummy. With steamed spinach. Quorn patties were only 80 calories. And fiber, no cholesterol, little fat, etc., ect. I thinked we are hooked on this stuff.

Home Sweet Kitchen

Was away from home for 5 days at a convention. The hotel is one I have stayed in before and they do a fine job. But restaurant food is all about sugar, salt and/or fat, and the best choice was simply portion control. When I got home on Friday, I rummaged around in the freezer and decided on meat loaf. 3/4 lb. in-store ground beef, 1/2 lb. Laura's Lean ground round ( laurasleanbeef.com ) and 1/2 lb. ground pork, along with all the other meat loaf "stuff". I also made real mashed potatoes whipped with the mixer. Amazingly, I found two small green tomatoes in the garden and several jalapenos and "fried' the tomatoes and stuffed the peppers with cream cheese.
This time of year I gravitate toward comfort food. Saturday I worked but marinated a pork tenderloin that hubby cooked on the grill.
Sunday lunch was tilapia and supper was an extra thick real pork chop (not pumped up with salt water) that hubby grilled, along with Georgia corn on the cob and a Kentucky sweet potato.
Monday was old-fashioned salmon patties made with left-over mashed potatoes.
It will probably be awhile before I suggest eating out. I admit to having missed my own cooking.

Why Does This Taste So Good Revisted

This recipe is delicious. But I didn't figure up the weight watcher points ahead of time. In order to make it more friendly, use chicken breast  and low-fat peanut butter. Don't let the title put you off. This is really good. Tell your family it is chicken with red gravy and rice. Whatever. Don't go through life without trying this.

Senegalese Chicken With Peanuts

Chicken Thighs or legs 5 or as many as your family needs
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion chopped
 1 can chicken broth
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 can 6 oz. can tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
 cayenne pepper to taste
 hot cooked rice
chopped hard cooked eggs
chopped peanuts


preheat oven to 375. In large dutch oven, heat oil. Add chicken and brown. In medium bowl, add chicken broth, peanut butter, broth, and tomato paste, pour over chicken. sprinkle with with salt, peprer, and red pepper. Bake, 45 minutes, to 1 hr. to  or until done. Serve over hot rice. Garnish with boiled eggs and peanuts.

Not Mom's Soup

Like a lot of folks in town, hubby has a cold or perhaps the ADRs (ain't doing right). I thought this recipe, with some heat in it, might open up the nasal passages. It called for red curry paste. I only had green, went with that, but cut back, because it is powerful stuff.

Spicy Coconut Soup with Spinach and Shrimp

1/2 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon green curry paste (from a can, found in Asian markets, sometimes found in Asian sections of your grocery, especially world section of Meijer)
2 cans fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1 14 oz. can light coconut milk (not cream of coconut)
1/2 lb. raw shrimp, peeled, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 bag fresh spinach

Over medium heat, spray large saucepan with cooking spray. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic, saute until soft, do not brown onions. Add curry paste. Cook one minute. Stir in broth and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp, cook until barely pink. Add spinach and cook till barely wilted.

We had steamed pork and vegetable dumplings and pork buns purchased from the Asian store along with the soup.