How to easily chop an onion

It is very important to chop any ingredients to a uniform size for even cooking. If you don't then bits will start to brown or burn while larger pieces aren't yet tender. Here is a short 1 minute video on how to chop an onion easily and maintain uniformity.

Parisian Eggs

I found this is the newspaper. I googled to find other recipes for "Parisian Eggs" and honestly I couldn't find that recipe name out there. However, I've eaten this many times and it is excellent. As a bonus it is quick to make.

Parisian Eggs
Serves 1

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 or 2 strips of bacon
shredded swiss cheese

Directions:
NOTE: You need a skillet that can be put in the oven on broil - no plastic handles!

1. Pre-heat oven broiler (I use low broil.)
2. Cook bacon in skillets on medium to medium-high until it becomes opaque but not fully cooked.
3. Crack 2 eggs over the bacon and cook until whites are just opaque. (no clear parts)
4. Sprinkle swiss on top of eggs. Be as generous as you like.
5. Move skillet to oven on broil. Take out in 1-1 1/2 minutes promptly. Cheese should be just lightly browned. If you wait much longer the yellows will get too hard.
6. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Waffles

You can't beat buttermilk waffles for breakfast covered in blueberry or strawberry syrup. (Actually you can but we'll ignore that point for now.) You can use maple syrup if you want but I can't live without fruit syrup. So what's different about these waffles from all the rest... Well the corn meal gives it a very uniform yellow/gold appearance, it is crisp on the outside and moist on the inside like any good waffle should be. I tried them with semi-sweet chocolate chips to humor the kids and it worked. I just don't like cleaning the melted chocolate remnants from the waffle iron afterward. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Waffles

Based on a blog that I will credit when I find it again.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 cups All purpose flour

3 tablespoons corn meal

3/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoons baking soda

3 eggs

3 cups buttermilk

6 tablespoons melted butter or oil

Optional: dried fruit, citrus zest, chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and mix together.


2. In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs then add remaining wet ingredients and mix.


3. Pour the wet mixture into the bowel of dry ingredients and stir until just mixed together.


4. Cook according to waffle iron directions.

Bacon and Cheddar Quiche

This is a favorite at my house. Real men, women and children do eat quiche. (You'll have to be an 80s fan to get that.)

Bacon and Cheddar Quiche
Based on some recipe I found on the internet and didn't keep track of.
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

pre-made pie shell - (go fresh if you like)
1-1.5 cups cooked bacon (crumbled)
4 large eggs
1.5 cups half-and-half or whole milk
1/4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1-1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line pie pan with pre-made pie shell or fresh if you like and bake for 8 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and put shredded cheddar and sliced mushrooms at the bottom.
4. Beat eggs by hand and add milk/half&half, thyme, and pepper.
5. Pour into pie shell.
6. Evenly distribute crumbled bacon on top of egg mixture.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or up to an hour until the center is firm.

Dry Rubbed Flank Steak

Some days you just don't have time to marinate the steak for a couple hours. This rub is extremely flavorful and can be done within 10 minutes of putting on the grill.

Dry Rubbed Flank Steak

Based on Food Network - Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground mustard

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon allspice

2-3 pounds flank steak

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the grill to high.
   
2. Combine all spices in bowl.


3. Rub on both sides of steak. Depending on size of steak you may only need half of spice mixture.


4. Let site for 10 minutes.


5. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side depending on desired doneness and steak size.


6. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Chicken Cutlets Sauteed in Lemon

This is one of my families favorite recipes. It's easy and so tasty. You can also create variations - try substituting white white for lemon. For sides, mushrooms cooked in red wine or a spinach recipe and pasta. Don't over cook the chicken!

Chicken Cutlets Sauteed in Lemon

Based on Carol Barrow's recipe from her time in Tuscany

Serves 4+

Ingredients:

Chicken cutlets (half a large breast per person sliced until 1/3 to 1/2 inch think)

flour (enough to dust both sides of cutlets; whole wheat or all purpose)

salt

pepper

butter (and/or olive oil)

lemon

Directions:

1. Prepare your chicken cutlets by slicing in half or thirds depending on thickness of breast. Also cut breast in half lengthwise.
2. Salt and pepper the cutlets then dredge both sides in flour.
3. Melt butter in large skillet on medium high heat. The amount varies by the number of cutlets. 1/2 stick may be fine for 2 breasts. Just monitor how dry the bottom of the pan is and add more as needed. To make it a little healthier I use olive oil with a few pats (couple teaspoons) of butter for flavor. Because they cutlets are thin they cook pretty fast.
4. Watch for the flesh to turn white with just a little pink on top and the bottom side to lightly browned.
5. Flip them over for another minute or two. Immediately after flipping squeeze the lemon on the cutlets. I use the juice of one lemon for 2-3 breasts. You don't want to overcook or they will be dry.
6. Serve!

Italian Stuffed Zucchini

This recipe is based on a traditional Italian recipe. I am not a big fan of typical squash and zucchini recipes so I am always searching for creative and interesting ways of preparing them. It gets back to the CSA where you get a box of veggies every week and you've got to figure out what to do with them and enjoy it. The good news is I've found lots of good uses for each.

This one is really good. The kids don't like the zucchini shell so in the second picture you'll see I've chopped up the zucchini with the filling and cooked it in a small round casserole dish. Sometimes I even do that for myself.

Italian Stuffed Zucchini

Based on Closet Cooking Blog recipe

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

2-3 large zucchini

2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 Italian sausage, mild or hot (remove casings)

1 medium onion (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons white wine

2 Roma tomatoes (diced)

1/2-1 teaspoon oregano

salt

pepper

1 tablespoon basil (chopped or 1/3 teaspoon dried)

1/2 cup mozzarella (shredded)

1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (grated)

Directions:

1. Slice zucchini in half and scoop out the middle with a spoon.
2. Bake zucchini's at 400 while you cook in the skillet (assuming ~10-15 minutes).
3. Chop up scooped zucchini and set aside.
4. Brown sausage in skillet at med/hi.
5. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender.
6. Deglaze the bottom of the skillet with the white wine.
7. Add chopped zucchini, tomato, oregano, salt and pepper to the skillet. Cook until little liquid remains.
8. Take off heat, add basil and half of both cheeses.
9. Remove  zucchinis from oven and stuff with the filling and top with remaining cheese.
10. Return to oven and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is brown and zucchini is tender.
11. Take left over filling if there is any (I always have some) and put in small casserole dish and top with cheese.

Note: If you hate having to open a bottle of white wine just to squeeze out 2 tablespoons you may want to buy a four pack of white wine. If I want to drink white then I open the big bottle otherwise I use the little baby bottles.

Fusilli, Ham and Cheddar Cheese

Sometimes a kids dish can be transported into a great dish for more sophisticated palates. Think of it a meeting of the minds or compromise with the rug rats that will satisfy everyone. Pick any pasta - even plain old macaroni noodles. I like Fusilli Bucati - 'bucati' means the noodle is hollow. For cheese - go crazy and use white cheddar, or any other variation. I am biased towards lots of flavor - so the sharper the better. For the mushrooms, the regular white variety works but so does shiitake, etc.


Fusilli, Ham and Cheddar Cheese

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
8-16 ounces fusilli bucati (or other pasta)
1 8-ounce package of sharp cheddar (shredded)
8 ounce diced ham
8 ounce mushrooms (sliced)
1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Stir it all together.
3. Pour into lightly greased baking dish (2.5-3 quart).
4. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Tuna Puttanesca with Fusilli

Pasta alla Puttanesca means something like "Pasta the way a whore would make it" and pays respects to the whores of Naples. There are many legends of how this came to be. One is that the name refers to the sauce's "hot, spicy flavor and pungent smell". Alternatively the dish was offered to prospects at a low price to entice them. However, the simplest answer is often the best one - that its name came from the fact that it was a quick, cheap meal to nourish the prostitutes' soul between customers.

For the diced tomatoes I like it best when I can find Muir Glen Fire roasted diced tomatoes but others will suffice.

Tuna Puttanesca with Fusilli

Adapted from a cooking class which adapted from Cooks Illustrated April 2002

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

3-6 cloves of garlic (minced) (to taste)

0 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)

28 oz can diced tomatoes (drained with liquid reserved)

2 cans tuna in olive oil (flaked)

2 tablespoons capers (rinsed)

1/2 cup kalamata olives (sliced or chopped)

Minced Fresh Italian Parsley leaves or dried

Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano if available) 

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat; add garlic, red pepper flakes until garlic is golden (not brown)
2. Add tomatoes, capers, olives, flaked tuna and stim. Simmer until thickened.
3. Add more  reserved liquid as needed and salt to taste. 
4. Toss with pasta. Garnish with parsley and parmesan. 

Mushroom and Smoked Cheese Pizza

Of course, the kids love pizza but I like something more interesting than peperoni pizza. So Moosewood comes to the rescue again and has some great veggie options that kids also love (assuming mushrooms aren't considered a poison from aliens to eliminate children).

It may seem like a lot of mushrooms but remember they cook down quite a bit - and besides the idea is to cover that pizza edge to edge with mushrooms. I used white mushrooms yesterday but I want to try a mix of mushrooms next time.

Mushroom and Smoked Cheese Pizza

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooking at Home

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

2 prebaked (whole wheat) pizza shells (feel free to use your favorite homemade dough recipe)

2 pounds mushrooms (slided)

2-3 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons  fresh sage and/or dill (2 teaspoon if dried)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 cups grated smoked cheese (cheddar, provolone, Swiss)

2 cups grated mozzarella (or muenster)

1/2-1 cup scallions (chopped)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven according to pizza shell instructions.
2. Saute mushrooms in skillet in oil on high heat, stirring, until juice is released from mushrooms. 
3. Add dash of salt and pepper, sage and/or dill, mustard. Cook and stir until all liquid has evaporated.
4. In bowl, combine mushrooms and HALF of both types of cheese. Spread evenly over both pizza shells. 
5. Sprinkle scallions and remaining cheese on top of mushrooms on both pizzas. 
6. Bake according to pizza shell directions.

African Pineapple Peanut Stew

Moosewood  Restaurant cook books are among the best if you like flavorful veggie dishes. I truly could almost live without meat if someone would cook me from a Moosewood cookbook everyday. Unfortunately time doesn't always allow that. The good news is their Cooks at Home book is focused on shorter easier fare. This is one of my family's favorites. My son asked for 3 servings last night - needless to say, as you will learn, my daughter took a pass and went with PBJ.

African Pineapple Peanut Stew

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Cooking at Home

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

1 cup dry (brown) rice or (whole grain) couscous

2 medium onions (chopped)

3 garlic cloves (minced)

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 bunches of kale or chard (1" slices)

20 ounce can crushed pineapple

3/4 cup peanut butter

0 to 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (depending on preference)

3/4 cup cilantro (chopped)

salt to taste

Toppings:

1/2 cup peanuts (crushed)

1/2 cup scallions (chopped)

Directions:

1. Cook rice or couscous according to directions.
2. Saute onions and garlic in oil until translucent or slightly browned.
3. Meanwhile, remove large stems from greens, stack and slide in 1" strips.
4. Add pineapple to onions and simmer.
5. Add greens, cover, simmer for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir occasionally.
6. Mix in peanut butter, hot sauce, cilantro and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Salt to taste. 
8. Serve over rice or couscous and garnish with chopped peanuts and scallions. Add more hot sauce if you like it hot.

Moroccan Couscous

If you like big flavor then this is a new way to enjoy couscous which can sometimes be bland. And best of all is takes about 7 minutes to make.

Moroccan Couscous

I would attribute except that I had it hand scribbled on a scrap of paper. 

Ingredients:

1.5 cup chicken broth

1 cup whole wheat couscous

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/16 teaspoon cumin

Small handful of Raisins

Small handful of toasted pine nuts

Finely chopped Parsley (optional garnish)

Directions:

1. Boil chicken broth, add couscous, cover and take off burner.
2. After 5 minutes, add all other ingredients except parsley and mix.
3. When serving, garnish with parsley if you like.

Happiness Soup

In the summer we belong to the Mattawoman Creek Farms CSA (http://www.mattawomancreekfarms.com/ - Community Supported Agriculture) and get a box of incredible and fresh ingredients once a week for ~20 weeks. Thus I have to find tasty recipes for lots of squash, zucchini, kale, eggplant, etc. The good news is I have uncovered some gems and will be sharing the recipes with you.

This is an incredible bright yellow fresh tasting soup. One of the best things I have ever eaten with squash as the main ingredient. Reminiscent of egg drop soup.

Happiness Soup
Adapted from Nigella Lawson, Forever Summer
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 lb yellow squash (2 large, shredded)
1 lemon, zest and juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 quart chicken stock
½ cup basmati rice
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Simmer the rice in the chicken stock for 10 minutes.
2. Put squash into a frying pan with lemon zest and oil, stir to coat, then cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes (while rice is simmering), stirring occasionally, until just softened.
3. Stir turmeric into the stock with rice and add lemon juice and squash. Cook, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, or until the squash and rice are tender.
4. Let slightly cool before serving so you can eat the soup warm. Salt and pepper to taste.

Fresh Blueberry Cream Pie

It's become a Fourth of July tradition for me to bring this pie to the fire house picnic near Lake Gaston, NC. If I don't get in line early then I may not get to sample the creation.

Fresh Blueberry Cream Pie
Copied and adapted from a newpaper clipping a long while back

Ingredients - filling:
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons flour
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg (beaten)
----
2 ½ cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 (9-inch) pie shell (graham-cracker or regular)

Ingredients - topping:
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, salt and egg. Beat 5 minutes at medium speed or until smooth.
2. Fold in blueberries. Pour into shell.
3. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes. (Just until firm except a quarter size in center like a chess pie.)
4. Combine topping ingredients. Sprinkle over top of pie.
5. Bake 10 more minutes.
6. Chill before serving.

Italian Ditalini and Bean Soup

It's cold now that January has arrived and not much beats a hearty soup for dinner - especially if it is quick yet tasty.

Italian Ditalini and Bean Soup

Adapted from Cook's Country

Serves 6 if primary course

Ingredients:
3 cans (15.5 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 pound Italian sausage (2-3 links), remove casings (hot or mild)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions (chopped)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (chopped) (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
Salt (1 teaspoon or to taste)
Pepper (1/2 teaspoon or to taste)
---
1-1.5 cups ditalini (or other small pasta)
1/2 cup fresh basil (chopped) (or 2 tablespoons dried)
1 cut grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Puree half of beans with 2 cups chicken broth in blender
2. Cook sausage over medium-high heat, breaking up into pieces, about 5 minutes until no longer pink. Drain onto paper towel to absorb oil.
3. Heat oil to medium-high and cook onions for about 10 minutes until soft.
4. Add garlic, rosemary to onions for 30 seconds.
5. Add tomatoes, remaining cannellini beans and chicken broth, bean puree mixture, sausage, salt and pepper.
6. Bring to boil then simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
7. Simultaneously with step 6 bring water with 1 tablespoon of salt to boil in another pot. Cook pasta according to directions. When done, drain BUT don't add pasta to soup.
8. Serve soup into bowls mixing in a serving of pasta to each bowl, top with basil, and Parmesan. You may drizzle with more olive oil for a traditional Italian style serving. I also dash with crushed red pepper flakes when using mild sausage since the kids don't always like spicy food.

Note: You can add the pasta to the pot of soup if you plan to eat it all at one sitting - but keeping them separate allows for leftovers where the pasta isn't mushy. If you make the soup ahead you definitely want to keep the pasta separate and combine when serving.