Basic Marinara

This is a basic marinara sauce, and is a great starting point for creating your own recipe or just experimenting with new flavors. You can use this sauce in a variety of dishes from basic pasta to a chicken or veal Parmesan.

Ingredients:

• 1 (26 oz.) can peeled whole tomatoes
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup flat chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried basil (1/2 cup fresh chopped)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion

Directions:

Heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden being careful not to burn. Add onions, basil, parsley and pepper flakes. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes with liquid. Break up tomatoes with fork. Cook over medium heat for 1 hour stirring occasionally. The sauce can keep up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

For variations you can add 1/2 to 1 pound of fine ground meat such as Italian sausage, chuck, sirloin, chorizo, chopped pancetta or even chopped pepperoni.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Green Eggs and Ham Quiche

Green Eggs and Ham, by Dr. Seuss

This dish was inspired by a request from a Fackbook fan and my recent article on eggs (I made a reference to Dr. Seuss’s “Green Eggs and Ham“). These are great traditional quiches and a great treat for the kids.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 1 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tablespoon shortening
• 1 cup chopped or diced ham
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 Roma tomato, thickly sliced

Directions:

Prepare 4, 4 inch x 1 inch crust as described in Cheesy Quiche Crust.

Just out of the oven

Prepare the custard by mixing spinach and onion in a food processor. Add eggs, milk, flour and shortening and mix thoroughly.

Green Eggs and Ham Quiche

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place all 4 crusts on a baking sheet for ease in handling. Bake crust for 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and fill with custard. Bake custard for 15 minutes, then remove from oven. Top each quiche with a thin to moderate amount of cheese. Finish topping with chopped or diced ham. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Plate with slice of Romano tomato.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Slow Cooked Apple and Onion Stuffed Chicken

Apple and Onion Stuffed Chicken with Bacon and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

When I first conceived this recipe, I was going to fry the chicken in butter for about 4-5 minutes a side. However, I had purchased a new slow cooker and was looking for an interesting way to use it. It was suggested that I do a stuffed chicken recipe. Serendipity at its best. I already had all of the ingredients.  So below you will find the altered recipe. The slow cooker gave me plenty of time to relax and fix a side dish of bacon and garlic mashed potatoes, and Bananas Foster for dessert.

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Green Apple, diced (Granny Smith recommended)
• 1 Small Red Onion, diced
• 2 teaspoons Oregano
• 2 Pieces of bread, toasted, (you can substitute 3/4 cup store bought bread crumbs)
• 8-10 ounces diced Tomato
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 cup Chicken Broth
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed or quartered
• 1 tablespoon dried Oregano

Directions:

Pounding Chicken Thighs

Between two pieces of plastic wrap, unroll and pound flat chicken thighs.

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and apple and cook 6-8 minutes until onion is translucent and apples are slightly softened. Cut toasted bread in to small chunks and add to onions and apples. Add 1-2 teaspoons of salt an pepper. Stir until well mixed then add diced tomatoes. Continue stirring, then remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.

Stuffed Chicken in Slow Cooker

Place a spoon full or more of the onion/apple mixture on each thigh and secure with toothpicks. Place each rolled thigh in a slow cooker. Pour remaining mixture over thighs and add chicken broth and garlic. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste (1-2 teaspoons). Start cooker and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours. In the last 15 minutes of cooking add oregano.

Finished Product Ready to Slow Cook

Serve by plating Stuffed Chicken first then topping with remaining mix. The left over cooking juice can be used as a gravy or additional sauce for the chicken.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Cheezie Chicken Enchiladas

Tabasco Salsa

Facebook fan, Desiree Rempel, recently shared one of her favorite recipes. I whipped it up the other night with one small change — I used diced tomatoes, rather than pimientos. It was a very wonderful dish. I chose to top it with green chili sauce. I had received a jar of Tabasco Salsa a couple of weeks ago and had that on the side along with some vegetable rice.

Serves: 2-4

Depending on the size of the tortillas, the recipe will yield 4-6 enchiladas. I use 8 inch diameter tortillas and am able to make 5 enchiladas with plenty left over for topping.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 onion, chopped (red preferred)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken
• 1 can chopped green chilies, drained
• 8 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• Flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:

Prepared Enchiladas ready for oven

Cut chicken into small cubes no larger than 1 inch. In boiling water, cook chicken for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Chicken can then be easily chopped into smaller pieces. Set chicken aside.

In a medium pot, over medium/medium-high heat, melt butter being careful not to burn. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Add flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes stirring constantly. Add broth and cook until slightly thickened again stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until well mixed. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese, chicken, chilies and diced tomatoes. Mix well, making sure cheese is melted.

Cheezie Enchiladas with Vegetable Rice and Salsa

Spoon about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of mixture onto each tortilla. Roll each up and place side by side, seam side down in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Pour and spread remaining mixture over enchiladas. Top with remaining 1 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

Bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serve 1 to 2 enchiladas per plate. Suggested toppings, fresh chopped cilantro, green chili sauce, roasted red pepper or salsa.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Italian Sausage Faux Risotto

Some may not consider this a real risotto but it’s close.  All of the ingredients are there but the exact preparation is not quite true to a traditional risotto. In this recipe the fat comes from the sausage, the wine is added at the end rather than the beginning, and the Romano is not stirred in. In any case, it’s a very tasty dish.

Italian Sausage Risotto

In a traditional risotto, the rice is cooked briefly in butter or olive oil to coat the grains with fat. White wine is added and absorbed by the grains. When the wine evaporates, the heat is raised to medium high and hot stock is gradually added in small amounts while stirring gently, almost constantly.  Stirring loosens the starch molecules from the outside of the rice grains into the surrounding liquid, creating a smooth creamy-textured liquid. At about 17 minutes from when the wine evaporated,  take the rice off the heat and dice cold butter and finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese.  Whip in the cheese and butter to make the texture as creamy and smooth as possible.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb mild Italian sausage or hot Italian sausage, (2-3 links) casing removed
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 chopped onion, red preferred
• 1 bell pepper, rough chop
• 2 Anaheim peppers, rough chop
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 chopped tomato
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions:

In a large frying pan, cook sausage over medium-high heat, breaking into small pieces, approximately 4 minutes or until browned. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper, Anaheim peppers, oregano, salt and pepper. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring often, approximately 3 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Add rice and mix well. Add chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring once. Add white wine, stirring often and simmer approximately 5 minutes or until rice is tender and creamy. Stir in tomato. Top with Romano cheese and serve immediately.

Popularity: 11% [?]