rolled fillet of sole with sweet potato oven fries

 i would like to take credit for creating this stuffed fish  recipe but i got the idea from a blog called 'beyond salmon' and made a few changes. it is a keeper and it its easy.  it would work equally as well with flounder but the grocery store had this beautiful wild pacific sole.

Ingredients for the stuffing
1 bag of baby spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup crab meat, picked
4 ounces light cream cheese, whipped  is easier

remaining ingredients
1-1 1/2 pound sole or flounder
1/3 cup white wine, i used prosecco
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 8th's lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt

preheat oven to 400 degrees

Filling preparation
heat a large frying pan, i use my cast iron skillet , and add oil. dump rinsed and very well drained spinach and stir until just wilted. remove from the pan and cool. remove any liquid from the spinach and combine with cream cheese and crab meat.

rinse and dry fish with paper towels. lay the fillets out on a surface with the smooth side down.( i sprinkled  the fish with my favorite cajun seasoning ). place about 2 tablespoons of filling  onto the thick part of the fillet. roll it. place the rolled fillets in a greased dish with the seam side down. pour the  wine and water into pan with the fillets

 cut sweet potatoes into lengthwise pieces and toss with the olive oil. place on a foil lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt.

place fish and potatoes in the 400 degree preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.

                                                                             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!

hummers and vines

i do not know when it  started but as long as i can remember, i have had a thing for hummingbirds. i have had feeders for years and years and have always planted flowers to attract them. we even had one little guy return for 4 years in a row. he perched in the high bush cranberry by the pool and ferociously chased away any competition.

the last few years, we have placed a feeder right next to our outdoor table on the deck. we have been fortunate to get at least 4 a year that visit regularly. i can identify the different ones and after a while end up giving them names.

we have flowers everywhere that are in bloom from may till the frost but there are 2 vines that i like to grow that really attract the hummers. the first one is in the morning glory family. and yes, it acts just like a morning glory in that the blossoms open in the morning and close late afternoon. in between, the hummingbirds and hummingbird moths go crazy. the plant's common name is 'cardinal climber' but it is known as ipomoea x multifida.

 the plant takes a while to get going in our zone but it grows rapidly when the weather turns warm. it has this light and feathery foliage so i let it grow up the arborvitae hedge facing south. the lacy leaves and brilliant red flowers make it a stunning addition to any garden. the seeds can be ordered from most garden catalogs. i let some of the pods  grow and save the seeds from year to year. they claim that the seeds self sow but i have never had that happen.

the other vine that i grow is ' red runner beans'. this is a very old plant and can be traced back to the 1700's .it grows very vigorously. my fence is too short so i just keep guiding it to a different spot. the vines produce flaming red-orange flowers through out the season. The hummers love them.

they produce a green bean that can be eaten when they are very young.  we eat a helping or 3 and then let them mature for the dried beans. the pods are quite large and they produce dried beans that are both beautful and very large.

 if you love hummingbirds and have a place for these vines, get out the seed catalogs or find them on line.

                                                                order up and 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!!

italian sausage sandwiches for after the ?

we are lucky enough to have our family all in the same community. there are many events that occur around dinner time. so, out comes the slow cooker again! this recipe is more about technique and advance preparation. the amount of the ingredients is not critical.  we were serving our usual dozen.

ingredients: italian sausage, sauce, onions and peppers, olive oil,and rolls...i also used some fresh garlic, fresh tomatoes and some red wine
this time i used 48 ounces of  commercial sauce that we doctored with 8 fresh cloves of garlic, some fresh tomatoes, and 1 cup of red wine. my helper granddaughter is sauteing the garlic and tomatoes in a touch of olive oil. the hot pan will be cleansed with the red wine and all will go in the pot with the sauce

the sausage is a combination of regular italian and 4 long links of hot sausage. i line a large roasting pan with foil. spray it lightly and place the sausages in the pan. i put the sausages in a preheated 500 degree oven for 20 minutes. this browns the sausages and releases most of the fat. the sausages are then placed on paper towels to  get rid of any fat that is lingering on them.

 what a job my 'prep chef' husband did on the onions and peppers. he does not cook but he is a great help with the chopping. for this amount of sausages we used 2 very large onions, 2 each of red, yellow, orange and poblano chili peppers. after the peppers and onions were prepped, they were placed in a plastic bag and refrigerated till after the game.

 we were going to be gone for 4 or 5 hours so shortly before we left the house we turned the slow cooker on low

when we returned , all we needed to do was saute the peppers and onions in a small amount of olive oil

                                        make yourself a sausage sandwich and enjoy!

deviled eggs

super bowl sunday gathering and i brought smoked salmon and deviled eggs...lots of deviled eggs and they were gone in a heartbeat and everyone wanted to know my 'secret'. years ago my friend marg maurer told me that she used chopped sweet pickle in her eggs. i tried it and loved the combination of sweet with a bite and have done that ever since with one small change. i switched to sweet pickle relish which is a little easier.

 i boiled 14 eggs for this batch and for the first time ever, measured the ingredients. they measurements will    vary depending on the size of the eggs and also the number of eggs  but if the proportions are close it should work

ingredients:
1 cup light mayo
2 heaping tablespoons dijon mustard
1/3 cup chopped and drained pickle relish
1 teaspoon creole seasoning

boil, chill and peel the eggs and cut in half.( i put them in ice water immediately after they are hard boiled to stop the cooking time. it also makes them easier to peel.) place the yolks in a bowl and crumble with a fork. add mayo, mustard, relish and seasoning and blend.

i place the relish on paper towels to get rid of the excess moisture. i even chop it on the paper towels. scrap it off with the chopping knife.

i filled the eggs with a pastry bag because they were 'going out' otherwise i just fill using 2 spoons. add a sprinkle of cajun seasoning and enjoy!