smoked salmon with pasta and peas

 this is a very easy and quick dish to prepare. i usually have most of the ingredients on hand so it can thought of at the last minute. again, some of the ingredients can be substituted.

ingredients:
1 pound of pasta, i used farfalle here but any sturdy pasta cut will do

1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup garlic scapes (ok, instead you can use 2 shallots and 2 garlic cloves or a small onion and 2 garlic cloves) i had frozen scapes from last june...
8 ounces smoked salmon ,chopped or torn
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste (not necessary but i like the pink tinge it makes)
freshly ground pepper
1 cup petite frozen peas
1 handful arugula, chopped (or parsley)

place a large pot of salted water on the burner and bring it to a boil.
while the water heats, assemble the ingredients
when water is boiling, add the pasta and stirring constantly till it is boiling

 NOW: stir the tomato paste into the cream

 place the oil,wine and garlic, onion and salmon into a large pan and simmer of low

 place the frozen peas in the bottom of the colander in the sink where you will drain the pasta
when the pasta is close to done, add the heavy cream and freshly ground pepper to the salmon.
heat it to a simmer

drain the pasta over the frozen peas

mix the two (pasta and salmon sauce)

toss in the arugula or parsley at the end

                                                                           enjoy!

swiss chard

swiss chard as a one-dish meal

We finally out foxed the rabbits with a fence and the chipmunks are full of my pea plants so this year we have swiss chard . this recipe can be a complete meal with the addition of beans or a side dish with out them.

ingredients:
1 bunch of swiss chard, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic scapes, chopped (i freeze them but garlic works just as well)
1 onion chopped
2 plum tomatoes chopped
8 basil leaves, chopped
1 can beans rinsed (optional)
1/4 teaspoon tony chagere's seasoning


          saute onion, garlic or garlic scapes over medium heat until lightly browned.

while the onion is cooking, chop the chard, tomatoes and basil, keeping them separate

                                    add the chard to the onion and saute for a few minutes

 add the tomato and allow to cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring gently. add the basil cook for another minute. add the seasoning. just use salt and pepper if you do not like a bite.  at this point the dish is done and ready to serve unless you wish to add beans.

         my choice is butter beans but cannelloni, black beans or any other would work

                               add the beans and allow to cook until the beans are heated through


enjoy!

a zucchini one-dish meal

                                                   look out...here comes the zucchini!

 it is zucchini season and i picked an arm load this morning! i planted a row of them because my family is here and everyone loves them. for years i have sliced them and sauteed them in a bit of olive oil with onion and garlic as a side dish. it is still an easy way to serve zucchini but i wanted to make it a one dish meal but we will get to that in a minute.


the happiest plants i have ever grown!those tomato stakes are 6 feet

our share of today's harvest

yesterday i cooked italian sausage from a butcher shop in auburn called indelicato's. it is the best. i sliced 2 of the cooked links, added 1 vidalia onion sliced thin. put both ingredients in my skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. i cooked them over medium heat until the onion was soft.

 

 then i fired up the heat and added the sliced zucchini. keep turning until the zucchini is cooked to your liking. the higher heat will keep it from getting watery and allow it to brown slightly. when it is done cooking, season to taste. only then add salt  and freshly ground pepper.



1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

add the cup of shredded cheese and it is ready to serve. the cheese will melt by the time you have finished the blessing.

                                     served with zucchini corn bread that i made a few days ago


                                                                             ENJOY  !                                                                            

shrimp and asparagus strata...updated

flowers for a graduation party

i needed a make ahead recipe for the brunch the morning after our eldest grandson's graduation party. a strata seemed perfect as it needs to be made a day in advance. it is a recipe from  the 50's and needed a few changes to make it current. i also wanted to add some vegetables and since it is asparagus season... broccoli would also work .

ingredients
8 slices day old bread, cut into cubes
1 pound extra large cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound extra sharp cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 extra large eggs, beaten
1 pound asparagus, blanched for 3 minutes, cut in pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion, green if you have them (i did not)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped (i use my kitchen scissors and cut down the bunch
1 teaspoon tony chachere's creole seasoning (i love this stuff)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups half and half, milk will do



i used multi grained oat bread and am drying it out a bit

i doubled the recipe so,  if you counted the bread, etc it will be double the amounts in the recipe:) get all the ingredients ready.

                                 mix the asparagus, onions, chives and parsley together in a bowl



beat eggs, add mustard, creole seasoning and salt to taste.

there will be 2 layers. first a layer of bread, then the shrimp, followed by the green things and last the cheese. make another layer (bread, shrimp, green veggie mix and cheese.

              drizzle melted butter over all. stir the cream into the egg mixture and pour over the layers


                                                    REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT.

bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. add a little more time if the recipe is doubled

                                                                         enjoy!

asparagus pizza

YAHOO! the asparagus season is here. our 43 year old, very weedy bed is still giving us an ample amount of asparagus every few days and will do so till july. one of our favorite recipes is asparagus pizza. it is very easy as i make it on a sheet of puff pastry.

Ingredients:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
1 1/2-2 lbs asparagus
1 large vidalia or sweet onion,sliced thin
5 or 6 dried tomatoes, chopped
2-4 ounces of butter, i use the lesser amount
salt and pepper
1 cup jarlsberg cheese, shredded

preheat oven to 425 degrees
snap off ends of asparagus and cut off tips. cut the stalks into diagonal pieces.
melt butter in a frying pan and add onion. saute until soft over medium heat.

meanwhile:

on a lightly floured surface, roll out puff pastry to a rectangle. place it on an ungreased cookie sheet and prick it with a fork every inch or so. bake it for about 10 minutes.
while the pastry is baking, add the asparagus and dried tomatoes to the softened onions and saute till tender.

top pastry with the asparagus, onion mix and sprinkle with the cheese

return to oven and bake for another 8 minutes  or until the cheese is melted

slice and serve

ENJOY!

cheesey pasta with roasted broccoli and turkey breast

this dish is basically a casserole that can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed. at room temperature you only need to bake it for 20 minutes @ 400. if it has been refrigerated, i would lower the oven to 350 and bake for 35-40 minutes

ingredients
12 ounces - 1 pound of pasta, cut or amount not critical
1 pound turkey cutlets, sliced into bite size pieces(chicken could be used)
2 quarts broccoli, washed and cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 stick of butter, could substitute olive oil
6 ounces of shredded cheddar
1 cup white wine
salt and pepper( if you have followed this blog, you know that i added some cajun seasoning ;)
4 ounces shredded parmesan, romano combo or cheese of your choice for the topping

preheat oven to 400 degrees. meanwhile place broccoli into a bowl with the minced garlic and 1/4 cup of olive oil. stir till the broccoli is coated with the oil. dump out on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil.
bake the broccoli for 20 minutes. remove from the oven, wrap in the foil and set aside. (roasted vegetables have a more intense flavor)

in a large skillet, place the butter and onion. saute until the onion is soft and throw in the turkey. DO NOT OVERCOOK. just saute till it is barely done and then pour in the white wine. bring it to a simmer and remove from the heat.

 cook the pasta until it is just underdone. drain and rinse with cold water, drain and place in a container large enough to hold all ingredients. the pasta will still be warm . add the cheddar cheese. mix, then add the chicken and the broccoli. stir it and adjust the seasonings.

 place it in a lightly greased baking pan. spinkle the remaining cheese on the top and place it in the oven.

                                                                              enjoy!

thai meatballs and peanut sauce

                               this recipe is easy and makes a good appetizer with a bit of 'zing'.

ingredients for the meatballs
1 pound of ground pork
2 tablespoons dried cilantro (sub fresh if you have it on hand)
1 tablespoon lime rind,grated
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, shredded
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper to taste

preheat oven to 400 degrees. line a jellyroll pan with foil and lightly spray.
mix all the ingredients and shape into balls about 1 1/2 inches and place on baking sheet.
bake for 20 minutes.

the peanut sauce can be made ahead and will keep in the refrigerator for several days. it can be served warm or at room temperature.

 ingredients for peanut sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic,minced
1/2 teaspoon chili paste...more if you like heat
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
pinch or 2 of sugar
3/4 cup of water

in a saucepan, saute garlic and chili paste for a minute and add remaining ingredients . Simmer for a few minutes until it thickens.

                                                all that is missing is the toothpicks...enjoy!

white chili and a family gathering

 We had out of town family who came to see a basketball game so i made white chili to have on hand. everyone wanted the recipe so i quickly wrote it down  and promised to blog it . there will only be a picture of the finished product however. i made a ton and used more meat than one would need to use. we had 15 of us around so i made a large batch.

white chili ingredients:
1 pound of cannelloni beans, soaked overnight
5 pounds of of boneless chicken breasts and thighs, cubed in 1 inch pieces
2 onions, chopped
8 cloves of garlic,minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
32 ounces of chicken broth
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 can of niblet corn( frozen could be used)
2 orange peppers, diced
2 poblano chili peppers, dice(for heat)
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
1 bunch fresh cilantro(dried could be used)

i sauted the garlic and onions in the olive oil , then added the peppers followed by the chicken stock , tomatoes with juice corn with juice, and the seasonings except for the cilantro which will be saved till the very end. when this comes to a boil, add the drained beans. i cooked them for about an hour and then added the chicken. when it returned to a simmer, i turned the stove on low and cooked for another 2 hours, covered. i turned the stove off and let it sit for several hours. i reheated it and added the cilantro. i did not add any salt or pepper. it had quite a bite from the poblano peppers and cajun seasoning. it was a big hit!

we had a family birthday.  the birthday girl requested finger food and CAKE. our 12 year old granddaughter made these fresh spring rolls all by her self. we request them from her frequently and they are so good. 

       our son made 2 kinds of venison sausage. low in fat and very tasty. the large slices have cheese in them.

one of our favorites from kristi. turkey sausage stuffed in those tiny peppers that are in the deli sections

 my personal favorite from kristi...she layers pesto, tomatoes and cheese on good local bread and places it under the broiler for a few minutes...soooooooooo good!

 i neglected to take a picture of the tzatziki which was made by our grandson drew to go with his mom's falafel
  
and last but not least...birthday cake...chocolate,chocolate and chocolate...i tried something different for the glaze...bittersweet chocolate and seedless raspberry jam. i will do that again. so have a piece and enjoy!!