What's Cookin' ??

[moreluck]

Red Pepper Aioli

2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, drained, patted dry
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Finely chop the garlic in the food processor. Add the peppers and blend until almost smooth. Blend in the mayonnaise. With the machine running, blend in the oil. Season the aioli, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the aioli to a small bowl. (The aioli can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

 

[moreluck]

Warm Spinach Salad

6-7 cups spinach
2 tsp. sesame seeds (toasted)
1 Tbls. canola oil
2/3 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 Tbls. white vinegar
1 Tbls reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar
red pepper flakes to taste

Toast sesame seeds in nonstick skillet over low heat about 5 mins. 'til golden. Add the oil to the skillet, raise the heat and add mushrooms. Cook 2 mins. stirring constantly.

Stir in garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and pepper flakes. Add the spinach and cook turning ingredients frequently with wood spoon until spinach is barely wilted, about 3 mins. Discard any liquid. Serve hot.

 

[moreluck]

Italian Anise Cookies

1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons anise seed
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 3 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 friend.

Cream together butter, sugar, vanilla and anise extract. Add all dry ingredients. Add eggs, one at a time as needed, until dough forms. Roll into 1-inch balls. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350 friend for 15 minutes. Cool.

Make glaze of 2 cups confectioners? sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and milk. Pour glaze over cookies and sprinkle with colored sugar

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

 

[moreluck]

Noodles Ontario
8 servings

• SAUCE
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, bulk or in casing
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• INGREDIENTS
• 1 package (12 ounces) extra-wide curly egg noodles
• 4 large eggs
• 2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
• 4 green onions, sliced
• Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound Mozzarella cheese, coarsely shredded
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Remove casing from sausage, if necessary. In saucepan over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking up pieces. Drain off excess fat.
Stir in remaining sauce ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 1 hour until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
Discard bay leaf.
Cook noodles in large amount of water; drain, rinse and drain again.
In large bowl, beat eggs then stir in noodles, spinach, onions and seasonings.
Divide one-half of noodles between two well-oiled 9-inch square pans.
Top with 1/4 of the sauce, then 1/4 of the Mozzarella. Repeat layers. Sprinkle each casserole with Parmesan.
Bake for 30 minutes. Cool 15 minutes before serving.
Temperature: 350 degrees friend
Time: 30 minutes

 

[moreluck]

Italian Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

"My family has been using this very simple and delicious recipe for sausage, peppers, and onions for years and years now. For an extra kick, try using half sweet sausage and half hot sausage!"
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]INGREDIENTS:[/FONT]
6 (4 ounce) links sweet Italian sausage
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup white wine

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]DIRECTIONS:[/FONT]
Place the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown on all sides. Remove from skillet, and slice.

Melt butter in the skillet. Stir in the yellow onion, red onion, and garlic, and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in red bell pepper and green bell pepper. Season with basil, and oregano. Stir in white wine. Continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender

Return sausage slices to skillet with the vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, or until sausage is heated through.

 

[moreluck]

Crockpot Rosemary Chicken w/ White Beans

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 cup carrots, sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1 (16 ounce) can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/3 cup fat-free Italian salad dressing

1. Heat olive oil in medium skillet. Brown chicken breasts. Remove and drain.
2. Place carrots, celery, and beans in crock. Add chicken breasts.
3. Combine salt, pepper, rosemary, and Italian dressing and pour over ingredients in crock. Stir slightly to combine.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

 

[moreluck]

Butter Pecan Cookies

3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for coating
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

1 Preheat oven to 350?. On a baking sheet, toast pecans until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool completely; finely chop.

2 With an electric mixer, cream butter for about a minute. Add 1/3 cup sugar and cream until light, about 1 minute more. Beat in vanilla, salt, and flour, scraping down sides of bowl, just until dough comes together. Fold in pecans.

3 Separate dough into 12 pieces; squeeze dough to shape into balls. Roll in sugar. Place, 3 inches apart, on a baking sheet.
4 Gently flatten with the bottom of a glass (reshape sides if necessary). Sprinkle with sugar.

5 Bake until golden brown, rotating sheet halfway through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with more sugar. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

 

[moreluck]

Potato and Sausage Soup

Ingredients:
8 ounces smoked sausage -- diced
1/2 cup onion -- diced
1/2 cup celery
1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper -- minced
3 cups potatoes -- peeled and large-diced
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Green onions -- to garnish

Directions:
Saute sausage in a large sauce pan for 5 minutes over medium heat; add vegetables and continue to saute for an additional 5 minutes; add flour and cook for 2 more minutes; add stock, salt and pepper and stir until smooth. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until potatoes are soft. Garnish with green onions.

 

[moreluck]

Caramelized Apple French Toast


Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons light Karo syrup
6 tablespoons butter
3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced
18 slices day old white bread
6 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Combine sugar, syrup and butter; boil in pan for 1 minute. Pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Place sliced raw apples on top of caramel. Place bread 3 layers deep in pan. Mix eggs, milk and vanilla together. Pour over bread. Refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes until brown and slightly puffy.

 

[UPSPaul]

RECORD STREET CAF TEQUILA BLACK BEAN SOUP

1 small yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons oil

Couple generous splashes tequila

1 medium carrot, shredded

1 small red pepper, roasted and diced

1 (5-ounce) can diced green chiles

3 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

4 cups vegetable stock

3/4 cup salsa of choice

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips or 2 small yellow corn tortillas, shredded

Dash liquid smoke

Salt and black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Sour cream

Cilantro sprigs

In soup or stock pot, cook onion and garlic in oil until onions are translucent; do not overcook garlic. Add tequila, carrot, red pepper, green chiles, cumin and white pepper and cook over medium heat until tequila cooks off. Add stock, salsa, black beans, tortillas, liquid smoke and salt and black pepper. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until tortillas have dissolved. Add chopped cilantro and season again, if desired, with salt and black pepper. Divide soup evenly among 4 bowls, garnishing each with dollop sour cream and cilantro sprig. Serve, if desired, with chunks of cheddar jalapeo bread. Makes 4 servings.

 

[moreluck]

Cranberry Crunch


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 can (16 ounce size) Jellied or Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees friend. In a bowl, mix together oats, flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Use half of the mixture in a greased 8 inch square baking dish. Spread with cranberry sauce. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake 45 minutes. Serve warm topped with ice cream.

 

[moreluck]

Smothered Swiss Steak


1/2 teaspoon salt
6 (4-ounce each) cube steaks
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
4 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1 can (14-ounce size) diced tomatoes
1 can (12-ounce size) can cola soft drink (not diet)
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
2 tablespoons tomato paste


Sprinkle the salt evenly on both sides of cube steaks. Combine flour and pepper
in a shallow dish. Dredge steaks in flour mixture. Brown 2 of the cube steaks in 1 1/2 tablespoons hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat 3 minutes on each side; drain on paper towels. Repeat process with
remaining steaks and oil. Drain drippings from skillet, reserving 1 tablespoon
in skillet.
Saute onion and bell pepper in hot drippings 7 minutes or until
tender. Add the diced tomatoes and next 3 ingredients to skillet. Bring to a
boil, and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Return
steaks to skillet; cover and cook over low heat 55 to 60 minutes or until
tender.

 

[moreluck]

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary

Ingredients
sprigs fresh rosemary
2 ea pork tenderloin 1 1/2 lb

Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees friend. Place the rosemary sprigs between the two parts of the tenderloin. Wrap the tenderloin in aluminum foil and place in a small baking pan. Roast for about 1 hour, or until the internal temperature of meat is 165 degrees.

Carefully remove the foil and allow the meat to roast uncovered for an additional 10 minutes, or until browned. Remove for the oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove the rosemary sprigs, slice and serve.

 

[moreluck]

Bacon Chicken Alfredo

1 package (16 ounces) fettuccine
1 pound sliced bacon, diced
1-1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 jar (16 ounces) prepared Alfredo sauce
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook bacon
over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels; drain,
reserving 3 tablespoons drippings. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook
chicken in the drippings over medium-high heat until the juices run clear. Drain
fettuccine; stir into a skillet. Add the Alfredo sauce, spinach, Italian seasoning and
bacon. Cook and stir until heat through. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

 

[moreluck]

Turtle Thumbprint Cookies
Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
20 caramels, unwrapped
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
48 pecan halves
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening
Directions:
Combine butter, sugar, yolks and vanilla. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often. Reduce speed to low. Beat in flour.
Heat oven to 375 friend. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Make an indentation in center of each cookie with your thumb. The edges may crack a bit. Bake 7-10 minutes or until edges to brown. Cool completely.
Put caramels and cream in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute; stir. Microwave 1 minute or until caramels melt. Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of liquid into indentations. Top with a pecan.
Place chocolate and shortening in microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute; stir. Microwave 30 seconds or until melted; stir. Drizzle over cooled caramel. Let stand 2 hours. Finished cookies can be stored at room temperature in a covered container for 1 or 2 days or frozen up to 2 months.

 

[wkmac]

Smothered Swiss Steak

Thanks moreluck for an idea for tomorrow night. My mouths already watering just thinking about it. I for one enjoy and even use your "VANITY" threads. You "vane person" you!

 

[moreluck]

Macaroni and Two Cheeses
From: Staff Meals from Chanterelle


Every family should have a mac-and-cheese recipe. At Chanterelle the staff and I like ours ultra-cheesy, ultra-creamy, and as rich as possible. Some cooks make theirs in a deep casserole, but I prefer to fix macaroni and cheese in a wider, shallower baking dish so there's plenty of the delightfully crusty top layer to go around. Serve this with a simple tomato salad on the side, or arrange some sliced tomatoes on top during the last 20 minutes of the baking time (the staff calls this the "fancy" version).
Serves 6

• Coarse (kosher) salt​
• 1 package (16 ounces) ridged elbow macaroni​
• 3 cups heavy (or whipping) cream​
• 2 1/2 cups grated sharp yellow Cheddar cheese (about 10 ounces)​
• 1 small onion, minced​
• 1 small clove garlic, minced​
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard​
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce​
• Dash of Tabasco sauce​
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste​
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan​
• 1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs (see box, page 279)​

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees friend.​
2. Bring a large stockpot of water and G cup of the salt to a boil over high heat.​
3. When the water is boiling, add the macaroni and cook, stirring occasionally, until flexible but very al dente, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain, then let the macaroni stand in the colander under cold running water until chilled. Drain again, then transfer to a medium-size baking dish or shallow casserole and set aside.​
4. Bring the cream to a boil in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the grated Cheddar, onion, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire, Tabasco, pepper, and salt to taste. Stir over low heat just until the cheese is completely melted, then remove the pan from the heat and taste and adjust the seasoning; the flavor should be strong.​
5. Pour the cheese sauce over the macaroni in the baking dish and stir thoroughly to coat. Sprinkle first the grated Parmesan, then the bread crumbs, over the mixture and bake until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden brown and crusty, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand a minute or two before serving.​

 

[moreluck]

Holiday Brunch

10 slices firm bread, crusts removed
2 or 3 Tbls. softened butter

-SAUTE 'TIL TENDER:
1/2 stick butter
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 cups yellow onions, chopped
1-1/2 lbs. bulk sausage, cooked
********
1 lb. grated cheddar cheese

-MIX TOGETHER:
10 eggs
3 cups milk
3 tsps. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper

In a 9x13 buttered baking dish, layer half of bread, mushrooms, onions, sausage and cheese. Repeat, ending with cheese.
Pour egg mixture over all. Cover & refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for about an hour.

 

[moreluck]

Broccoli & Rice
Introduce your kids to broccoli with this cheesy recipe. If they're already broccoli buffs, it'll disappear even faster.
Ingredients

1 10-ounce package frozen broccoli cuts
1 cup instant rice
1 cup water
1 4-ounce package (1 cup) shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese

Preparation Start to Finish: 15 minutes

1. In a medium saucepan combine frozen broccoli, uncooked rice, and water. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally to break up frozen broccoli.
2. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Over low heat, stir in cheddar or Swiss cheese just until cheese melts. Makes 4 servings.

 

[moreluck]

Mushroom Baked Pork Chops

"Pork chops baked with potatoes in a creamy mushroom and onion sauce."
INGREDIENTS:
6 pork chops
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black
pepper
garlic powder to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 (10.75 ounce) can
condensed cream of
mushroom soup
1 1/4 cups milk
4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees friend (175 degrees C). Butter a 2 quart baking dish.
Rub pork chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, add chops, and brown on both sides. Remove from skillet. Place onions in skillet, and cook until browned. Pour in mushroom soup and milk; stir until blended. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Arrange sliced potatoes evenly in prepared baking dish. Arrange chops on top of potatoes. Pour soup mixture over chops

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Uncover, and bake 30 minutes more, or until potatoes are tender.