Chicken Parmesan Casserole

 This is a dish I make from time to time.  It tastes great and goes together quickly.

1 box linguini

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 lb. chicken breasts, about 3

1 cup mozzarella

1 24 oz. jar marinara sauce

1 cup parmesan

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

salt - pepper - crushed garlic

Cook the pasta and set aside.  Stir in the oil to keep from sticking.

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally.

Season with salt, pepper, and garlic.

Layer chicken on top of pasta in 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Top the chicken with sauce, the sprinkle parmesan, and then mozzarella, and the Italian seasoning

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Pork Chops Piquante

This is one of my oldie but goodie recipes that I've made over the years.

4 thick loin pork chops

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

1 1/2 cups tomato puree

1 cup dry white wine

pinch of thyme

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons grated lemon find

Brown the chops on both sides in the butter in a skillet.  Transfer meat to a platter.  Pour off most of the fat.

Add the onions to the skillet and cook briefly, stirring until onions are wilted.  Add the puree, wine, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper.

Return the chops to the  pan and turn them in the sauce.  Cover and cook for one hour, basting occasionally, until the meat is fork tender.

Mix the parsley, garlic, and lemon rind together and sprinkle over the chops.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

There are a lot of broccoli cheddar soup recipes out there.  I like this one because it is delicious and easy to prepare.

2 bunches broccoli florets

1/2 cup cream cheese

salt and pepper

2 quarts chicken broth

Put the above in a crockpot and cook on high for two hours.

Add: 1 cup sour cream and 3 cups grated cheddar.  Cook on high for another ten minutes.

Using a hand blender, blend the ingredients.

That's it!

First time making granola

Had dinner with friends recently and Stacey had just taken a batch of granola out of the oven.  LOVE this stuff!

Here is the recipe.

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon salt

Combine the above until thoroughly mixed.

5 cups old fashioned rolled oats 

3 cups your choice (any combination) of:  dried fruit, chopped nuts, seeds, grated coconut, raisins.  I added (in no particular amounts) dried cranberries, chia seeds, sunflower kernels, chopped nuts.

Mix well and spread into a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Apple Broccoli Salad

I found this one recently and really like it.  It is full of nutrition and good taste.

4 cups fresh broccoli florets, chopped

1 small red onion, chopped

2 large carrots, grated

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 apple, unpeeled and chopped

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 tablespoon olive oil

Dressing:

1 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)

3 tablespoons honey

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon fresh garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Combine the salad ingredients.  Then combine the dressing ingredients and mix well with the salad.

Delicious! 

Blueberry-Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Another oldie that I dug up from my monster recipe collection!  This is really good.

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

2 teaspoons lemon juice

7/8 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar (see note below)

1 egg at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups blueberries

Note:  7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons;  the extra tablespoon above is for sprinkling over the cake before it goes in the oven

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and lemon juice with 7/8 cup sugar.

Add egg and vanilla and beat till combined.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.

Add flour mixture to batter a little at a time, alternating with buttermilk.  Fold in the blueberries.

Spread into a prepared 9 inch pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the top comes out clean.

New ways with vegetables

 This is a fun way and easy way to put more vegetables into your diet.

2 large red bell peppers

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of sugar

1/2 tsp lemon juice

pepper to taste

Cute the pepper into large chunks, removing the white inside.

Steam for about ten minutes, or till they are very soft.

Puree in food processor.  Pour into a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Adjust for taste.

I spread this onto toast or a bagel.  Other ideas, top a baked potato, add to top of scrambled eggs.

Homespun Pot Pie

I seem to be on a pie kick right now!  I love sitting down with my cookbooks and finding new recipes to try.  This one is a winner and is from one of my numerous Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks.  If you aren't familiar with Moosewood, you should be!  It is a small vegetarian restaurant in upstate New York.  It was opened decades ago by a group of young people who knew little about running a business but had a passion for good cooking.  The rest is history.  

Vegetables:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 cups coarsely chopped onions 

2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

4 to 5 cups sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes

2 cups chopped potatoes

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 cups water or stock

3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

Biscuit topping

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

Preheat oven to 400.  Light oil a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Warm the oil in a large pan.  Add the onions and garlic.  Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the salt, thyme, marjoram, mushrooms, and mustard.  Cook about 5 minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes, white potatoes, black pepper, and the water or stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender.  Stir the dissolved cornstarch mixture into the simmering vegetables, stirring constantly.  When the liquid starts to thicken, mix in the peas, corn, soy sauce, and salt.  Pour the vegetables into the prepared pan and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  In a separate bowl, mix together the melted butter and buttermilk or yogurt.  Combine the wet and dry ingredients with as few strokes as possible to make a soft dough.  Drop the biscuit batter over the casserole dish in six equal mounds.  Sprinkle the dill over the biscuits.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of a biscuit comes out clean.  Serve immediately.

Vegetable Pie

 Another recipe I ran across recently that I love.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cups cauliflower, chopped

1 cup fresh green beans, chopped

3 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons soy sauce

pie crust for top and bottom of 11 x 7 inch baking dish

Preheat oven to 425.

Heat oil in large skillet.  Saute onions, mushrooms and garlic in oil for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring.

Stir in cauliflower, green beans, and broth.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper.

In small bowl, combine cornstarch, soy sauce and 1/4 cup water.

Stir this mixture into vegetables and cook until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.

Place a sheet of the dough into an 11 x 7 inch baking dish.  Pour filling into the dish and top with crust.  Bake 30 minutes or until crust is nicely browned.

Artichoke and Cheese Tart

One of my favorite things to do, especially in the winter, is poke through one or more of my cookbooks - my cookbook collection is massive! - and try new recipes.  Here is one I found recently in one of my vegetarian cookbooks.  It caught my eye and is now one I will cook again and again.

Artichoke and Cheese Tart

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cloves garlic, crushed

6 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons water

salt and pepper

To make the dough:  Combine the flour, add a pinch of salt and the garlic.  Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Stir in the water and bring the mixture together to form a dough.  Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work space to fit into an 8 inch pie pan.  Prick the pastry with a fork.

Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, halved and sliced

10 canned or fresh artichoke hearts

1 cup grated cheddar

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

2 eggs beaten

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

2/3 cup milk

Heat the oil in a skillet.  Add the onion and saute over a medium heat for 3 minutes.  Add the artichoke hearts and cook, stirring frequently, for another 2 minutes.

Mix the cheeses with the beaten eggs, rosemary, and milk.  Stir into the drained artichoke mixture and season to taste.

Spoon this mixture into the pastry shell and cook in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until cooked and set.  Can be served hot or cold.