Food and Recipes

Yummy, yummy in my tummy. . .

I love cooking almost as much as I love eating! :) I will share my favorite, yummy recipes with you, and I hope you will share yours with me!

Irish Fried Cabbage

Ingredients

2 slices of bacon
1 small head of cabbage, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1 shredded carrot
3 cloves of garlic, mashed
Ground pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste)

Directions:
Cook bacon in a deep skillet (I used a wok) over medium heat until crisp.  Remove the bacon from the skillet and drain on a paper towel.  Reserve 1/4 cup drippings in skillet.

Add onion, garlic, and shredded carrot to the skillet with the drippings and cook for 5 minutes, stirring all the time.   Add in the cabbage, salt, pepper, garlic, and cook until cabbages are wilted and all the water in them is evaporated.  Crumble bacon on top and serve.

**Serve with your favorite bread:  Irish Soda Bread or Southern Cornbread works well!  Enjoy!

Baked Spaghetti

• 1/2 box of wheat spaghetti noodles
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 large onion
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
• 1 teaspoon of salt and salt
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups of mozzarella cheese
• 2 red bell pepper
• 3 gloves of garlic crushed
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon white wine 
• *Bag of small frozen turkey meatballs (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F.  Lightly grease/spray a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite

Dice the red pepper and onion and set aside.

Open the ground turkey, and began to cook over medium eat.  Stir in the diced red pepper and diced onion, garlic, and white wine.  Cook until the vegetables are soft and translucent and there is no more pink meat.  Once cooked, drain the excess liquid from the meat mixture (if there is any).

Over medium heat, pour your favorite spaghetti sauce, salt and pepper into the meat mixture.  Add in the spices - oregano and Italian seasoning.  Stir everything together and cover with a lid.  Let simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Drain the spaghetti noodles and mix  into the sauce/meat mixture.  Note: You may need to add more salt or seasonings to taste once everything is combined.

Place half of the spaghetti mixture into the baking dish, sprinkle over the parmesan and mozzarella cheese.  Repeat the process using the same technique you would to make a layered lasagna. You should have 4 layers,  the last being cheese. 

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until bubbly.

Blueberry Streusel Cake

Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup self-rising flour
1/3 cup sugar/splenda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter cut into pieces

Cake Batter:
 1 cup self-rising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar/splenda
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon butter extract
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons hotwater
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (defrosted)
1 tablespoon of sugar/spenda


To make the Streusel topping:
Mix together the flour, sugar/splenda, and ground cinnamon.  With a pastry blender, a fork or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like coarse crumbs.  Set aside.

Cake batter:
In a separated bowl, whisk together the flour with the baking powder and salt.

With your electric mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth.  Add the sugar/splenda and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and the butter extract and beat until well incorporated.  Add the milk to the mixture in three sections while still mixing.  When the milk is mixed in well, add the hotwater.  Spread the batter into a buttered, 6 inch cake pan, until it's smooth.  Sprinkle the 1 tablespoon of sugar/splenda over the blueberries and toss lightly.  Add the blueberries on top of the cake batter and sprinkle with the streusel topping.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Serve warm, at room temperature.  Goes great with whipped cream and tea!

Torri's Mexican Tortilla Bake

 Ingredients:

• 1tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 red pepper deseeded and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 2 tbsp salsa (your choice)
• 2 tbsp cilantro
• salt and black pepper

To Assemble:
4 large tortilla wraps
1 cup of mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup of mild cheddar cheese, grated

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degree F
2. Pour the oil into a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the onions and fry for 3 minutes. Turn up the heat, add the ground turkey and fry until brown, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally.
3. Add the red pepper, garlic and spices and fry for 5 minutes, or until all the moisture has evaporated and the mixture is quite dry. Stir in the salsa,  and salt and black pepper to taste. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil. Cook until all liquid is dissolved
4. Spread a third of the cooked turkey mixture over the bottom of the ovenproof dish and lay one tortilla wrap on top. Sprinkle with mozzarella and cheddar cheese.   Repeat until no more tortillas and meat remain. 
5. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until golden-brown and bubbling. Set aside for 5 minutes before serving and garnish with the remaining cilantro.
   
   
   *Recipe based on one by Mary Berry

Banana Cinnamon Muffins - c/o Betty Crocker

Muffin Ingredients 

2/3 cup sugar or splenda
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
2 eggs
2/3 cup of mashed ripe bananas (2 small)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 2/3 cups of all purpose flour
3 teapoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Topping Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar or splenda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Directions

• 1 Heat oven to 375°F. Grease bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffin cups with shortening or spray, or line with paper baking cups.
• 2 In medium bowl, beat 2/3 cup sugar, the oil and eggs with wire whisk. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Stir in remaining muffin ingredients just until moistened. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
• 3 Bake 17 to 21 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately remove from pan to cooling rack.
• 4 In small bowl, mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Dip muffin tops into melted butter, then into cinnamon-sugar. Serve warm. 

Apple Spice Cake

Pepper and Chicken Quesadillas

My Sister's Easy Apple Tart

Ingredients

2 apples
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of pecans
1 Pillsbury pie crust (thawed)

Directions

Peel the apples and slice them into very thin wedges.  Sprinkle the apples with sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside.  Roll out the thawed crust and pour the apple mixture in the center.  Sprinkle pecans over the top. Fold over the edges of the crust.  Bake for 30 minutes on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Serve with whipped cream.

Taiwanese Mapo Tofu

I made my own version of Mapo Tofu, a very popular dish in Taiwan and Japan.  In my version, I used ground chicken not pork.  To find this recipe, please visit this website: Taiwan Duck            

*Serve with white rice.

Blueberry Cake

 

 

Get this recipe here:  Joyofbaking.com

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

• 1 large green cabbage
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 red onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups cooked long-grain brown rice
• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
• 2 cups turkey or chicken stock
• 1 28-ounce can tomato puree
• Sour cream or plain yogurt for topping

1. Bring four cups of water to boil in a stockpot – make sure there is enough water to cover the cabbage. Turn the heat down to low, toss in the cabbage and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Take the cabbage out of the water and set aside until it cools enough to pick it up, reserving 1 cup of cabbage water. Be sure to set it on a place, as it will drain water everywhere. Remove 20 leaves from the cabbage – make sure to grab leaves that have not split – and allow them to cool on paper towels. If the inner part of the cabbage isn’t soft enough to roll, boil it for another few minutes after you’ve removed the outside leaves.
3. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat, and saute onion until it is soft. Toss in garlic and celery, saute for another minute.
4. Combine the following into a large mixing bowl: onions, garlic, celery, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well and add in cooked rice and ground turkey, using your hands to make sure everything is mixed well.
5. In another bowl, combine reserved cabbage water, stock and tomato puree. Set aside.
6. Have the stock pot washed and ready so that you can start rolling your cabbage leaves. In the center of each cooked leaf, place 1/4 cup of filling. Tuck in the sides of the leaf and then starting with the stem end, roll the leaf tightly so that there are no spaces where filling can escape. Place cabbage rolls in the stock pot, stacking them neatly in layers.
7. Cover stuffed cabbage rolls with tomato sauce and bring the whole thing to a boil. Cover tightly and simmer cabbage rolls over low heat for one hour. Remove cabbage rolls to a plate and cover with foil.
8. Turn up the heat to medium and simmer tomato sauce until it is reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper to taste, pour over plated rolls. Top with sour cream or plain yogurt.

By: by Stephanie Stiavetti on February 22, 2010 (Thanks Stephanie!)

Danish Apple Cake

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/4 cup (60ml) butter, room temperature
1/2 (125ml) sugar or splenda
1/2 (125ml) brown sugar or splenda blend
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla
1 cup (250ml) flour
2 teaspoons (10ml) baking powder
1/2 teaspoons (2.5ml) cinnamon
2 cups (750ml apple), peeled and finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).  Beat 2 egg whites.  Remove from the bowl and set aside.  Bet egg yolks, butter, sugars (splenda), and vanilla until mixed.  Add flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Mix well.  Add apples and beaten egg whites and stir until mixed.  Pour into a greased 9-inch (23cm) pie plate and bake for 45 minutes or until brown.  Serve topped with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Galette Des Rois Aux Amandes (Three Kings Almond Tart)

FOR THE PASTRY:

2 Puff Pastry Sheets

FOR THE FILLING:

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup caster (superfine) sugar

3 egg yolks

4 drops almond essence

3 tablespoons kirsch / Cherry water

1/2 cup freshly ground almonds (almond flour)

1 dried bean, gold ring or baby figurine

DIRECTIONS

Roll out the pastry on a floured board to about 1/4-inch thickness. Dot it with one-third of the remaining 4 ounces butter cut into dice. Fold the pastry into three, like a letter, then again into three in the opposite direction. Cover in a cloth and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Repeat this process twice more and leave for another 20 minutes chilling before using. If you can't face all that fun, buy 1 pound of puff pastry instead.


Divide the pastry in half. Roll each half into a round of about 9-inches in diameter and let rest while you make the filling.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whisk in 2 of the yolks, the almond essence, kirsch and the ground almonds. Work together until you have a smooth paste.

Rinse a sheet pan under cold water. Place one of the pastry rounds on the tray and spoon the paste onto it, leaving a 2-inch margin all around. Hide the bean or the other objects in the paste. Beat the remaining egg with a little water and paint the pastry margin. Place the second round of pastry on top and gently press edges together. Chill 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Using a sharp knife make a lattice or star-shaped pattern on the pastry surface, but do not cut through to the filling. Pinch the edges prettily together. Paint the top with the egg wash. Bake the galette for 30 to 40 minutes until the pastry is crisp and brown. Transfer to a rack and cool. Dust with icing sugar.

When cool, serve with a gold crown on top (made with your own fair hands) and a glass of kirsch or some pudding wine. Eat and discover who will be king of the feast, then crown them!

Courtesy:  Two Fat Ladies

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Simple Chicken Marsala

I love Chicken Marsala, but in order to make a fabulous dish of it, there's so much to buy and a lot of time spent, and not to mention if I get it at one of my favorite Italian Restaurants, I have to pay an arm or leg for it (sometimes BOTH).  Hahaha!  Anyway, my sister and I were in the grocery store the other day and she noticed this gravy pack Lawry's.  We just followed the SIMPLE directions on the back and VA-LAH, we had YUMMY chicken Marsala sauce that we served with cream mashed potatoes, brussell sprouts and a fresh baguette!

Kung Pao Chicken and Black Pepper Chicken

Ok, so I mentioned my Wok in the "What's Hot" section of this blog. I got a little bored with just making stir fry all the time so I began to venture out and seek other recipes that could be made in my Wok. In the below picture the dishes are Kung Pao Chicken and Black Pepper Chicken. Both were very good, but spicy! I like spicy though. The heat in both can be altered to the taste! Please click the links to the recipes. Both dishes are great served with rice--DUHHH! :)

Kung Pao Chicken: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GtAKj_khO0&feature=related

Black Pepper Chicken: http://chinese.food.com/recipe/chinese-chicken-with-black-pepper-sauce-45308

Yorkshire Pudding

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup pan drippings from roast prime rib or beef (note: I don't eat beef so I used vegatable oil)
Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F

Sift together the flour and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, beat together the eggs and milk until light and foamy. Stir in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Pour the drippings/vegeable oil into a 9-inch pie pan, cast iron skillet, or square baking dish. Put the pan in oven and get the drippings smoking hot. Carefully take the pan out of the oven and pour in the batter. Put the pan back in the oven and cook until puffed and dry. 15 to 20 minutes.

Recipe Courtesy of Tyler Florence

Tracy's Guilt-free Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
Cooking spray 1 1/2 cups water
2 jars of Mario Batali tomato marinara
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups 1% low-fat cottage cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
9 uncooked lasagna noodles (Whole Wheat)
1 box of Birds Eye Spinach

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook the turkey in a large saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble(drain of there is fat remaining)

Boil lasagna noodles until they are al dente. Set aside.

Add pasta sauce, spinach, and parmasean cheese to turkey and bring to a boil. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine 2 cups mozzarella, cottage cheese, and next 4 ingredients in a bowl.

Spread 1 cup turkey mixture in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over turkey mixture; top with 1 1/2 cups turkey mixture. Spread half of cheese mixture over turkey mixture. Repeat layers, ending with the remaining turkey mixture.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Let lasagna stand 10 minutes before serving.

Torri's Yummy and Health Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1lb of ground turkey
1 large red onion
1 large green bell pepper
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons oregano
2 jars of Mario Batali tomato marinara
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 box of whole wheat spaghetti noodles
1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of black pepper

For noodles:
6 cups of water
2 teapoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Brown ground turkey in a medium saucepan until fully cooked and drain any grease.

2. Dice onions and green pepper into small cubes and add to browned turkey

3. Add remaining ingredients into the skillet containing the turkey, onions, and peppers

4. Let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring frequently.

5. In a large boiler, add 6 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Bring to a boil and added spaghetti. Cook until the noodles are al dente (10 minutes).

Serve with fresh garden salad and onion rings as pictured above

Chicken Milanese

*Courtesy of http://www.olivegarden.com/
Ingredients
Sauce & pasta: ½ cup butter, unsalted
4 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 Tbsp)
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ tsp black pepper, to taste
½ tsp salt 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup spinach, chopped
8 roasted garlic cloves, minced (or 4 Tbsp)
1 20-oz package tortelloni or tortellini, cooked according to package directions
Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup flour
3 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
¼ tsp black pepper
4 Tbsp Colavita Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 lemon wedges
Procedures:
1.FLATTEN chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap by pounding gently until chicken is approximately ½” thick.
2.WHISK eggs and milk together in a flat-bottom bowl.
3.MIX breadcrumbs, cheese, fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, garlic and pepper. Transfer to a flat plate.
4.DREDGE chicken in flour, coating both sides. Dip chicken pieces in egg mixture, coating both sides. Dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating completely on both sides. Set aside.
5.MELT butter in sauce pan over medium heat.
6.ADD minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add flour and stir well until well-blended.
7.ADD white wine, chicken broth, heavy cream and cheese. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture starts to thicken.
8.ADD roasted garlic, pepper and salt. Stir until well blended.
9.ADD tomatoes and spinach to sauce and allow to simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
10.HEAT olive oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Add breaded chicken to pan and cook until both sides are golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
11.ADD cooked, drained tortelloni pasta to sauce and blend well.
12.TRANSFER chicken to a large platter and serve with hot, creamy tortelloni.
13.GARNISH with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.