Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Creamy, Creamy Shells and Cheese

I threw this together for lunch today for my parents and brother. My fridge and pantry were pretty empty, but we had some random ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 deg.

You'll need:
1/2 box pasta (I used whole grain shells)
2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
salt, pepper, garlic powder

Prepare pasta according to package directions and drain. While still hot, stir in 1 cup cheese, whipping cream, tomatoes and seasoning. Pour into 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted. Bon Appetit!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Chicken & Chilis Casserole

My friend Tricia at http://onceamonthmom.com/ had a link to this recipe on her September menu. I'm posting it here because I don't want to lose it! It is full of Ryan's favorite things- cheese, chicken and potatoes. I can't make it yet because we don't have all of the ingredients in the house, but I hope to try it soon!

Click here!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Toll House Pie

Have you ever tried this pie? It is amazing. My mother-in-law used to make it for my husband's birthday all the time until he stopped eating gluten. The recipe only uses 1/2 cup flour, so I'm going to attempt to make it this week by substituting Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Mix. I'm also going to just bake it in a pan without the crust. I'll then cut pieces or scoop it out warm and top it with ice cream. I'll prepare it the traditional way for guests. It is very rich because of the butter and sugars, and I love to eat it chilled. Enjoy!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Feta Cheese For Me!

I love feta and eagerly prepare most recipes containing it. Last week I bought the 8 oz packaged Athenos feta that is in block form, as opposed to being crumbled. I prefer to buy it this way as it is easier to cut a piece off to snack on! I bought the feta to stuff in to banana peppers. I think that an associate principal, Lynn, from my teaching days gave me this idea.

Feta Stuffed Banana Peppers

10-12 fresh banana peppers (Look for these in the summer at the farmer's market. Make sure they are "sweet" or "mild" peppers.)
4 oz block feta cheese
extra virgin olive oil

The peppers can be sauteed or baked. If baking, preheat oven to 350 deg. Slice down the side of the pepper lengthwise. Make a T-shaped slit by slicing it across near the stem. Pry open and scrape out seeds and ribs.

Cut feta into thin slices that can be stuffed into the peppers. Stuff peppers.

Sauteeing Instructions: Secure closed with toothpicks. Heat olive oil in a skillet (I prefer cast iron.) over medium heat. Add peppers, and sautee until softened turning often.

Baking Instructions: In a 9 x 9 glass baking pan, slit-side up. Sprinkle peppers with olive oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes until peppers are tender.

Hummus and Feta on Rustic Bread

To build a sandwich, spread a tablespoon of hummus on each of two pieces of rustic bread. On one piece, place spinach leaves atop the hummus. On the other side, put slices of feta. Put two sides together to make a flavorful sandwich. If using bagged bread, toast before using.

Hummus and Feta Wrap

Spread two tablespoons of hummus on a whole wheat tortilla. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes, crumbled feta, and spinach leaves. Roll up and enjoy! This was one of my favorite lunches while pregnant.

Greek Salad

I'm not sure if it is still open, but there was a restaurant named Harper's in East Lansing, MI. The Greek Salad at Harper's had finely chopped toppings. When the ingredients are chopped small, the flavors blend well. This is my favorite way to construct a salad:

5 oz bagged romaine or baby spinach leaves, sliced a little to make leaves slightly smaller
1 medium tomato chopped finely
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3/4 cup crumbled feta, or feta cut into tiny cubes
1/2 cucumber, chopped finely
1/4 cup sliced green olives
1/4 cup sliced calamata olives (can use black olives)
1/4 cup chopped pickled banana peppers (or garnish with pepperoncini)

Toss lettuce with toppings or top lettuce on individual plates with toppings. Generously sprinkle extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper on the salads. Serve with an ample amount of lemon wedges.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts with Jalapeno

We are trying to not eat red meat, but I still buy bacon! I love the flavor that it adds to chicken. Don't add salt because the bacon makes this salty enough.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breasts With Jalapeno

2 chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise (I cut them to minimize the cooking time.)
four slices bacon
2 fresh jalapenos, cut in half lengthwise
Black pepper

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cut the stems off of the jalapenos and scoop out the seeds and ribs using a grapefruit spoon. Slice each half lengthwise into 3-4 strips.

Wrap each piece of chicken in a piece of bacon. Slip 3-4 strips of jalapeno under each piece of bacon. Lay in a shallow baking pan. Bake for 30-45 minutes until cooked thoroughly.

Woodstock Vermont Scones

I spent a year in Turkey a decade ago, and my roommate Kristen (who is a great cook) would make these scones. They are a great way to use up sour milk or little bits of dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips lingering in your pantry. I've adapted the recipe by halving it from the original because my non-gluten-eating husband cannot help me eat these. Beware, the recipe calls for A LOT of butter!

Woodstock Vermont Scones
4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt (I omit this because I use salted butter.)

3 sticks butter, softened
1 cup raisins, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, chopped dried apricots, craisins, etc
1 egg
3/4 c milk, sour milk or buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients (except fruit, chocolate and nuts) and knead 5 minutes. (I use the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid Mixer.) I usually divide the dough into two bowls and add different mix-ins to each.

Drop dough onto an ungreased baking sheet by generous tablespoonfuls. Bake 15-20 minutes until edges are slightly brown.

Turkish Style Stuffed Zucchini

At the farmer's market last Saturday, I looked longingly at the zucchini. I reminded myself that I never buy it in the summer because inevitably, a gardening friend is begging to give it away to anyone interested. Sure enough, yesterday Ryan brought home a box full of produce including seven zucchini. Here's a recipe that I found on the internet in 1997. The website doesn't appear to be in existence any more. My printout from the web says that the recipe is from "The Moosewood Cookbook", 1977. It is great as a side dish or as a vegetarian main course. I leave out the flour to make it gluten free, and the eggs are enough to hold the filling together.

Turkish Style Stuffed Zucchini

4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
3 T butter
3/4 c minced onion
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 beaten eggs
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
3/4 c grated swiss cheese
2 T freshly chopped parsley
1 T fresh chopped dill or 3/4 t dried dill
1 1/2 T flour
salt and pepper to taste
paprika to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Scoop out the insides of the zucchini to leave a 1/2 inch rim. Chop the innards into little bits and cook in butter with onions, garlic, salt, and pepper until onions are soft. Combine with flour, cheeses, herbs and beaten eggs. Add additional salt and pepper if desired. Fill the zucchini cavities and dust the tops with paprika.

Bake for 30 minutes or until filling solidifies. Serve with a fresh tomato salad.