Super Cute Easter Nest

I wanted to share this post from my friend Tricia's site, onceamonthmom.com.  This is a chocolatey Easter nest perfect for adorning the table.  Check it out here.

Stuffed Peppers

This is one of my favorite stuffed pepper recipes.  It uses Jennie-O Italian turkey sausage and great northern beans in place of rice.  This recipe is copied from Jennie-O.com.  Delicious!!!

Italian Sausage & Bean Stuffed Peppers


Total Time  More than 1 Hour
Preparation Time  Under 30 minutes
Serving Size 4
Preparation Method Stove-Top
Level of Difficulty Moderate

Ingredients

4 bell peppers, any color or a combination

2 teaspoons garlic-infused or extra-virgin olive oil

1 package JENNIE-O TURKEY STORE® Sweet Lean Italian Turkey Sausage

1 (15-ounce) can Italian-style or regular tomato sauce

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil leaves

1 (16-ounce) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese

Directions

Heat oven to 375ºF. Cut peppers lengthwise through stems keeping stem halves intact to hold stuffing. Discard seeds and veins. Cook in boiling salted water 5 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain well and place cut side up in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Remove sausage from casings; crumble into skillet. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato sauce and basil; continue to cook 5 minutes. Stir in beans; heat through. Mound mixture into pepper halves. Sprinkle cheese evenly over filled peppers. Bake about 25 minutes or until filling is hot and peppers are tender. Makes 4 servings.

No Bake Cookies!

Both of these recipes are from my childhood.  They are both yummy.  The first, Haystacks, is from a beloved neighbor, Carole.  It has coconut and no peanut butter.  The second is similar, except with peanut butter.  It cools and solidifies really quickly.  I remember once I made this growning up, and it cooled too much before I got it onto the waxed paper.  My mom encouraged me to scrape it out of the bowl and eat it as a decadent granola in a bowl with milk.  It did, and it was so good!

Haystacks

2 c. sugar
1/3 c. cocoa
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. butter

Melt butter in a saucepan and mix in other ingredients.  Bring to a full boil.

Sti in:
1 c. coconut
1/2 t. vanilla
3 1/2 c. oatmeal

Drop by spoon onto wax paper.

Cocoa and Oatmeal Cookies (no bake)
2 cups sugar (1 brown and 1 granulated)
1/2 cup milk
3 teaspooons cocoa
1 stick butter or margarine

Stir over heat until thoroughly mixed.  Bring to a boil- let boil for 1 1/2 minutes.  Take off heat and add 3/4 cup peanut butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 3 cups oatmeal. 

Drop by spoonfuls before they cool onto wax paper. 

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Noshing

I also made some yummy sandiwches inspired by the basil in my garden.  These were also inspired by a Real Simple recipe.  I used the small Archer Farms ciabatta loaves from SuperTarget (99 cents each) and topped them with basil, proscuitto slices (I purchased this at the deli at SuperTarget also- a cheaper alternative to presliced proscuitto), and avocado slices.  It would be great on slices of a country bread also.

We also just enjoyed these Shrimp Summer Rolls from the Rachael Ray magazine.  It was refreshing and very healthy.  Instead of using the jarred peanut sauce called for in the recipe, I found a recipe on a food blog.  The day I made them, they were very hard to eat.  After they sat in the refrigerator overnight covered in plastic wrap, the rice paper wrapping had shrunk a little, making them much easier to eat.

Stuffed Grape Leaves and a Delish Greek Salad

A week or so ago I started getting emails from the Rachael Ray Magazine with recipes in them.  I have printed off so many of them and have tried a couple.  They were both excellent.  One of the recipes, Greek Fit-for-the-Gods Salad with Spicy Cucumber Dressing and Pita Chips, calls for canned or freshly made stuffed grape leaves.  I lived in Turkey and instantly remembered the spiced and slightly sweet rice filling the cooks there make for their dolmas.  I opened my Turkish cookbook and found a recipe.  I searched at Kroger and found some jarred grape leaves (Mezzetta brand- located by the olives-  They were pricey, but the jar has a lot of grape leaves in it.).  I had some leftover rice, so I improvised and didn't follow the recipe exactly.  They turned out great!  The jarred grape leaves have some citric acid and salt in the brine, so they are already pretty flavorful before being stuffed.  It was actually pretty easy to fill and roll the grape leaves.  Here is a similar recipe from allrecipes.com.  I used much less cinnamon (just a pinch)than the recipe requires and added a little sugar.  I also used some chopped fresh tomato instead of the paste.  The flavors in the dolmas are different that those made in Greece.  Dolmas made in Lebanon are usually served hot with meat in them.  It was a fun kitchen adventure. 

The other recipe from Rachael Ray's magazine that I loved was for a healthified Tuna Melt.  I adapted it a little, using rye bread, and grilling it in a cast iron pan using some olive oil.  I didn't use the beans or scallions as I didn't have any, and I used a plain old american wrapped, sliced cheese.  It was very tasty even with the omissions!

Portobello Mushrooms

This is my adaptation of Portobello Mushrooms on Salad Greens (p. 190) from the Williams-Sonoma Complete Grilling Cookbook.  I marinated two mushrooms in balsamic vinegar and olive oil with some dried basil and garlic powder (I'm lazy when it comes to garlic!).  I then grilled them for about 4 minutes on a side.  I served them sliced on a bed of baby spinach.  The mustard vinaigrette contained spicy mustard, white vinegar, and olive oil.  I would have used dijon mustard if I'd had it in the house.  Fancy and healthy!

Lemon Posset

I got this recipe from an email I received from allrecipes.com.  That is by far my favorite cooking site.  I get emails regularly with recipes.  I'll go to the website to read reviews and save interesting recipes to my online recipe box.  Sometimes, when I need inspiration for cooking, I'll browse through the recipes I have saved.  

I don't know what posset is, but it is probably French and certainly delicious!   I love creamy, back-to-basic custards and creme brulees like this one.  My mother-in-law loved it.

For the original recipe, click here. 

Lemon Posset

3 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups white sugar
3 lemons, juiced
3 tablespoons additional heavy cream for topping

In a sauce pan, stir together 3 cups of cream and sugar.  Bring to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice.  Pour into 5-6 serving glasses; and refrigerate until set, about 5 hours.  Pour a little more cream over the tops just before serving.

These cups of lemony creaminess would be delicious served with berries or made in dark chocolate shells.  You'd have to cool the mixture to room temperature so that the chocolate wouldn't melt.