Category: Recipes

Spinach Cheese Balls

 

Spinach Cheese Balls

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Servings: 10 people
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 30 oz frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained
  • 4 1/2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb stuffing mix
  • 1 1/2 cups Parmesan Cheese grated
  • 4 1/2 eggs beaten
  • 1 1/8 cups butter melted
  • 1/2 tsp thyme

Equipment

  • 1 bowl
  • 1 baking sheet
  • 1 wooden spoon

Method
 

  1. Mix all ingredients
  2. Form into bite-size balls
  3. (optional) freeze
  4. Preheat oven to 350
  5. Bake for 15-18 minutes

Notes

Delicious appetizer from our family friend Joy Becker.  She said she got it from her mother-in-law.

Bolognese

Bolognese Sauce

Inspired by one of several bolognese recipes from the Food Network
Print Recipe
Servings: 6 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tbsp olive oil divided
  • 1 onion, yellow, medium chopped or diced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 stalk celery chopped
  • 1 carrot chopped
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 28 oz tomatoes, crushed San Marzano if available, with basil
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan and/or Romano cheese

Equipment

  • 1 pot
  • 1 pan large
  • 1 garlic press

Method
 

  1. Heat pan with olive oil over medium heat
  2. Add onions, and sauté until soft, 5-10 minutes
  3. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute
  4. Add celery and carrot, sauté for about 5 minutes
  5. Increase heat to medium-high and add beef
    Break up clumps and cook until not pink, about 10 minutes
  6. Turn heat down to medium-low and add tomatoes
    Cook until sauce thickens, roughly 30 minutes
  7. Top with cheese, and serve over pasta

Inspired by https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/simple-bolognese-recipe2-1956219.

Baked Tofu

Baked Tofu

This is a base recipe for putting tofu into other things
Print Recipe
Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 14 oz tofu extra firm
  • 1 tbsp oil neutral
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch

Equipment

  • 1 cookie sheet or any large, flat pan
  • parchment paper
  • tofu press or two large flat plates and a heavy pot
  • 2 towels

Method
 

  1. Press the tofu
    If you don't have a tofu press, and who does?
    Place 3 layers of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel on a plate. Place tofu on towels and cover with another 3 layers of towels or another clean kitchen towel. Place a heavy can or skillet on top of tofu to press moisture out, pouring off excess water and replacing towels as they get soaked, 30 to 45 minutes
  2. Preheat oven to 425F
    If you're using a cast iron pan, preheat with the oven
  3. Break or cut tofu into 1" cubes and toss into a bowl or bag
  4. Drizzle tofu with oil, and toss to coat
  5. Sprinkle on cornstarch, and toss to coat
  6. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, and arrange tofu cubes so they don't touch each other
  7. Bake for 12 minutes, flip the cubes over, and bake for another 12 minutes

Garlic Butter Chicken Bites

 

Garlic Butter Chicken

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 5 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs chicken cut to 1-2 inch pieces
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 pinch salt optional
  • 1 pinch black pepper optional
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp butter unsalted
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp parsley finely chopped

Equipment

  • 1 Skillet
  • 1 bowl, medium sized or use a 1-gallon ziploc bag
  • 1 wooden spoon or spatula

Method
 

  1. Preheat skillet over medium-high heat
  2. Mix flour, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and chicken into bowl.
    Toss until chicken is completely coated and there's no flour left.
    Do this right before you're ready to move the chicken to the pan. Don't do this too far in advance or the chicken bits will start sticking to each other again.
  3. Add olive oil and 1 tbsp butter to pan, ensure bottom has an even coat
  4. Add chicken to pan. Spread to an even layer with a little bit of space between pieces.
    You want to brown the chicken, not steam it.
  5. Cook until bottom starts to turn golden brown, 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook another 2 minutes
  6. Add remaining butter, garlic, and parsley. Cook 1 minute longer.
  7. Serve while still hot

Notes

This pairs excellently with buttered egg noodles or rice for that pleasant "hardened arteries" feeling.

Originally found at https://www.cookingclassy.com/garlic-butter-chicken-bites/

Garlic-Parmesan Broccoli

 

Garlic Parmesan Broccoli

Quick prep, and cooks in 12 minutes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Side Dish
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 heads broccoli
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice

Equipment

  • 1 baking sheet
  • 1 bowl large, for mixing broccoli w/ oil and garlic
  • 1 oven

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 425F
  2. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized florets
  3. Toss broccoli with olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste
  4. Spray baking sheet or pan with non-stick spray or oil
  5. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until tender and very slightly crisped around the edges
  6. Sprinkle with parmesan

Notes

Pairs very well with Garlic Baked Whitefish.  You can cook both in the same oven at the same time, just cook the broccoli at 400F a little longer (3-4 minutes)

Inspired by damndelicious.net

Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

 

Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

Very fast chicken in a delicious cream sauce
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts boneless, skinless, thin sliced
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes julienned, packed in oil, drained

Equipment

  • 1 Skillet
  • 1 whisk optional, a wooden spoon is ok too

Method
 

  1. Add oil to pan over medium heat
  2. Cook chicken, 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked through. Sides should be a little browned.
    Remove from pan, set aside on a plate
  3. Add cream, chicken broth, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese to skillet.
    Whisk or stir over medium-high heat until it starts to thicken (4-5 minutes)
  4. Add spinach and sun dried tomatoes, cook until spinach starts to wilt (1-2 minutes)
  5. Add chicken back to pan, until warmed back up.
    Spoon sauce over chicken before serving.

Notes

You can use full-sized chicken breasts, but your cook times will be much longer.
This pairs well with egg noodles and glazed carrots.
Originally taken from https://therecipecritic.com/creamy-tuscan-garlic-chicken/

Bread Dough

This recipe is adapted from an excellent cook book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  Our friend Becky gifted it to us years ago, and I’m still rocking the many sub-recipes within.

We don’t make much bread during the summer, due to the heat the oven adds to the house, but during the winter we have fresh bread constantly.  It’s so much better than even the “fresh-baked” baguettes from the grocery store, which still has dough conditioners, sugars, and other extra ingredients.

Basic Bread Dough

Basic bread dough recipe
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Rising time 2 hours 40 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 25 minutes
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups water lukewarm (100F)
  • 1.5 tbsp yeast granulated
  • 1.5 tbsp salt kosher or other coarse grind
  • 6.5 cups flour all-purpose

Equipment

  • 1 bucket (we use plastic TupperWare that holds 16 cups)

Method
 

  1. Add water to bucket
  2. Add yeast and salt
  3. Add flour, mix until uniformly moist
  4. Allow to rise for 2 or more hours
  5. Cut out a 1 pound piece
  6. "Cloak" the dough for 30-60 seconds
  7. Allow to rise for 40 minutes
    At 20 minute mark, preheat oven to 450F with pizza stone and broiler pan
  8. Dust and slash dough ball
  9. Transfer dough ball to pizza stone; add 1 cup of hot water to broiler pan
  10. Bake for 30 minutes

Notes

The instructions here are for adequate for reproducing the recipe if you've read the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and know the overall instructions.  You really should read the book!

Meatball Marsala

To make a complete menu: start with my meatball recipe, make some mashed potatoes, then top with this Marsala.

Meatball Marsala

A classic meatball marsala, just add meatballs
Print Recipe
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: European
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 3 tbsp butter salted
  • 16 oz sliced mushrooms
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Marsala wine
  • 1 pinch black pepper optional

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron pan, 15"
  • 1 measuring cup

Method
 

  1. Melt the butter over medium heat
  2. Toss in the mushrooms, flip around to coat with butter
  3. Cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until they soften and start to brown, about 10 minutes
  4. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat the mushrooms
  5. Stir in the Marsala wine, and bring back to a boil
  6. Stir in the chicken broth, and bring back to a boil.
  7. Turn down the heat and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken, 5-10 minutes.
  8. Add the cooked meatballs, stir to coat the meatballs, remove from heat, and serve

 

Adapted from food.com.

Stew Beef and Egg Noodles

This is a family favorite.  It’s delicious, but it’s not healthy.  Each serving takes about six months off your life expectancy.

We frequently pair it with glazed carrots, but it also goes well with buttered peas or a green salad.

Stew Beef and Egg Noodles

Pan-fried stew beef served over buttered egg noodles
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings: 5 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb stew beef
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp butter divided
  • 4-8 tbsp olive oil
  • 12 oz egg noodles 12 oz = 1 standard bag

Equipment

  • 1 pan, large I generally use a 15" cast iron pan
  • 1 stock pot
  • 1 bowl medium-sized for dredging beef
  • 1 wooden spoon

Method
 

  1. Prepare the stew beef by cutting it into bite-sized pieces (about 1 inch cubes)
  2. Put on a pot of water to boil
  3. Mix flour, pepper, and garlic power together in a bowl
  4. Dredge the cut-up stew beef through the flour mixture until all pieces are well coated
  5. Heat pan at medium heat with a tbsp of butter and a tbsp olive oil
  6. Once butter is melted and oil starts to shimmer, you're ready to start cooking the beef.
Cook the beef in batches
  1. add beef one piece at a time
  2. Let each side brown for about a minute, flip to brown next side, repeat until all sides are brown, and then push to the side of the pan.
    You can generally add about 10-20 pieces at a time before it's time to flip the first piece. Flip everything until all sides are brown, then push to the side and start the next batch.
  3. Add more oil as needed to keep the "landing area" for new beef coated in a thin layer of oil.
    The flour will tend to soak up the oil. You don't want the pan to get dry, or the new pieces won't brown properly.
  4. Once all pieces are browned, spread evenly across the pan and allow to cook for 10 more minutes or until pieces are cooked through.
Make the Egg Noodles
  1. Cook according to package directions, drain, then return to the pot and add a tbsp of butter. Mix to coat noodles with butter.
Serve
  1. Spoon noodles onto plates and top with beef.
    Scrape the bottom of the pan to get the cooked-on bits unstuck, and divide among your servings. (they carry a lot of flavor.)

Notes

This recipe scales very well.  Increase ingredients proportionally.  I've made it with just over two pounds of meat; much more and I would have needed a larger pan, or a second pan.

Every time I make this recipe I can’t help but wonder when egg noodle companies cut their bag weight from an even pound of noodles to 12 oz.

Coconut Macaroons

We make this recipe every Christmas for my dad.  He freezes them and eats them over the next few months.  We don’t tell his cardiologist.

Coconut Macaroons

Betty Crocker's coconut macaroons
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Cooling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 4 dozen
Course: Dessert
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 21 oz flaked coconut (3 packages, around 7 2/3 cups)
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
  • 2/3 cup cream of coconut NOT coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1 egg large
  • 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 bag)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Equipment

  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 medium mixing bowl
  • 1-5 cookie sheets the more cookie sheets you have, the faster you can swap macaroons into the over
  • 1 ice cream scoop optional, should be around 1 tablespoon in size
  • aluminum foil
  • cooling racks
  • 1 small sauce pan

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Line cookie sheet(s) with aluminum foil, and sprinkle 1 cup of the coconut flakes over the pan.
    Bake for 2-7 minutes, take out as soon as it's golden.
    Cool the toasted coconut.
    Reserve the foil for later.
  3. Mix toasted coconut, flour, and salt in large bowl.
  4. Beat milk, cream of coconut, vanilla, almond extract, and egg in a medium bowl, then pour it over the dry ingredients and stir.
  5. Drop batter onto foil-lined cookie sheets by heaping tablespoons.
  6. Bake 12-14 minutes, or until golden. Move macaroons, still on their foil sheet, to a cooling rack.
    Repeat until all dough is cooked.
  7. Allow all macaroons to cool for at least 30 minutes.
  8. Melt chocolate chips and oil in a small sauce pan over low heat. Stir constantly until melted.
  9. Drizzle chocolate over cookies. Allow to cool until it sets, about 30 minutes.