Phil's Brussels Sprouts

I never got the nerve up to taste Brussels Sprouts until a couple years ago.....actually, the first time I tasted them was the night I got engaged to Phil at the top of the Hancock Tower downtown Chicago (Signature Room on the 95th floor). I really enjoyed them and now, like to make them on occasion.

One way we like to eat these is roasted in the oven with a little olive oil and salt and pepper OR roast them and drizzle my soy and honey glaze over.

This time, Phil boiled them in water with a few added ingredients. We were making an Asian-inspired meal, so had some teriyaki sauce nearby. He put some of that in the water along with some chopped red onions. Salt and pepper to taste. They turned out very good. We served along with some long-grain rice I had made with pork, celery, onions, and teriyaki sauce. Turned out to be a very good meal!

Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

We had our weekly "dinner with the nabes" (as we call it; nabes = neighbors) yesterday evening and I volunteered to prepare it. Awhile back, I found this recipe at a website called caloriecount.com and was intrigued enough to try it. It was good enough that I added it to my recipe collection and last night was the second time I tried it. Again, it was a hit ... everyone loved it. It is a really good soup to serve at this time of the year when the nights are getting colder and you want something to really warm you. Definitely falls under the umbrella of comfort food. I served toasted rye bread with the soup -- it complements the flavor of the soup quite well.

Speaking of this time of the year, it is definitely my favorite. I love autumn! Colorful leaves, mugs of warm apple cider, bonfires, cozy sweaters .... I love it all!

 

But, back to the subject of last night's menu.......(and I doubled it by the way, but the recipe that follows is a single batch which would yield about 4 servings)

The ingredients.....

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 3/4 cup chopped carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup cooked wild rice (I use the Uncle Ben's kind that is already cooked)
• 3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

 Heat oil; add mushrooms, celery, carrots, and shallots and cook until softened. Add flour, salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes more.

Add broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Add rice and chicken and let simmer awhile. Add sour cream and parsley at the end and heat through.

Roasted Vegetables & Pecans With Soy/Honey Glaze

My original idea was that I would use brussel sprouts for this dish, which I thought would be delicious roasted in the oven with toasted pecans and some kind of a sweet glaze on them. I was originally thinking I would use maple syrup for the sweetness, but then stumbled onto something that tasted much better!

The reason I used cauliflower and carrots was because my dear husband absolutely could not find brussel sprouts at the supermarket (although I swore to him I had just seen them a few days prior, but I digress). This recipe is pretty versatile though relative to what vegetables you use. The glaze is really the star. And, it's super easy.

Equal parts of soy sauce and honey with a couple garlic cloves (minced). Whisk together and voila! Now, how easy is that?

I started with putting my vegetables in a large bowl and drizzling enough olive oil to slightly coat the vegetables. Then, I put salt and some fresh ground pepper over them and mixed them to evenly allocate. I then put them on a cookie sheet and put in the oven at 425 degrees.

The vegetables roasted for 30 minutes (stirred every few minutes for even browning). At the 30 minute mark, I added a handful of whole pecans and drizzled my glaze (enough to coat). From there, I roasted for approximately another 30 minutes (making sure to stir often so the vegetables, etc. didn't burn).

The sauce (glaze) was so yummy that I put it on the table for every one's drizzling pleasure :o).

I also use this glaze on salmon and the flavors work very well together.

Make it Healthy

Within the last couple days, I have come face to face with the fact that my nutrition is somewhat lacking. I feel that I need to be more conscious as a whole when making food choices, thus, this week, I am going to attempt to experiment with healthier menus. Healthy cuisine does not have to be dull. I'm going to see how I can jazz it up!

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” -La Rochefoucauld

Rye, Sweet Onion & Bacon Stuffing

The first time I seen this recipe in Food & Wine magazine, I knew I must try it. And, might I add, I'm glad I did. It is a home run! 


Senses are sure to be teased with the aroma of caramelized sweet onions married with the smoky goodness of bacon (not to mention the scent of fresh herbs mingling in). Talk about cooking sensually -- this one takes the cake!


This is a great autumn/winter dish to make. Comfort food supreme -- takes a little prep work, but trust me, it is so worth it! I was never a big fan of stuffing, but this is incredible.


Keep in mind that the best way to prep this dish is to do so the evening before and let the flavors marry overnight. 


Let's dig in.....

• One 9-in long loaf seeded rye bread, cut into 1-in cubes
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 large sweet onion such as Vidalia, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• Approximately 1 tbsp fresh chopped sage
• Approximately 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
• 1/2 pound piece of slab bacon, sliced 1/2 in thick and cut into 1/2 in dice
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (reserve some extra as well to splash on during baking if needed)
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter 2 cookie sheets (rimmed) and place the rye bread cubes in a single layer. Toast the bread for 15 minutes, tossing halfway through (keep an eye on near the end so that the bread doesn't burn!). Transfer the bread to a large mixing bowl.

In a skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and celery; cook over medium heat until tender (probably about 10 minutes). Add the sage and thyme and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Scrape into the bowl with the bread.

Wipe out the skillet. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat until browned (about 10 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon into the bowl with the bread. In a medium bowl, whisk the chicken broth with the egg. Pour over the bread mixture and add the salt and pepper. Toss until the bread soaks up the liquid.

Cover the dish and put it in the fridge overnight (or if you don't have the time; allow the mixture to soak for at least a couple hours).


Bake the stuffing for 30 minutes (covered). Remove the lid and bake for about another 30 minutes until the top is lightly golden. Make sure the stuffing doesn't dry out. If you don't feel you have enough moisture, splash on a little more broth before or during baking.


And that's a wrap! I trust you enjoy this as much as my family & I have. Happy eating!


By the way, here's what happened with the extra bacon we had........ BLT's!! And yes those tomatoes came fresh from the garden.

Jalapeno Poppers

I went with my first instinct and made jalapeno poppers and they were absolutely delish! Best I've had in fact.

Between Phil and me, along with our euchre partners, the neighbors, these were devoured over the past hour!

Ingredients:

1/2 box cream cheese, softened (I wouldn't recommend using fat free; just doesn't have the flavor)
Approximately 1/2 cup provolone/mozzarella blend shredded cheese
Ground Cumin (I just sprinkled some over the cheese; probably equaled about 1/4 teaspoon)
10 Jalapeno Peppers, halved and seeded
10 slices partially cooked bacon (will use 1/2 slice for each popper)
Toothpicks (for holding bacon on poppers during baking)

Wash jalapenos and slice each in half longways. Scrape out the seeds and cut out as much of the vein as you can so the pepper is not quite as spicy (or if you like a good amount of heat, leave the vein intact).

Mix the cheeses and cumin. Place the mixture into a plastic baggie and snip the bottom corner. You can then hold like an icing bag and squeeze out of the bag onto the 20 jalapeno halves (don't put too much cream cheese on the pepper or it will just melt and escape during baking). Take a 1/2 slice of bacon and put it parallel with the pepper (will cover the cut end of the pepper and go down under so it helps keep the cheeses from running out the end during baking). Basically, the bacon covers the entire top of the cream cheese and goes down under the pepper so it can be pierced all the way through (pepper, cheese, bacon) with a toothpick.

Place all of the peppers on a greased baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.

So yummy!

Until next time................

Jalapenos!!

Had a good little bunch of jalapenos pulled from the garden yesterday. I am currently hatching plans for using these within the next day or two.....

I'm kind of leaning towards jalapeno poppers, but have also considered pickling them.

Stay tuned!

Homemade Pizza

A fond memory from my childhood is going to my Aunt Linda's for her homemade pizza. It was always a treat! So, today, I attempted to make my own homemade pizza. One of the best things about my aunt's pizza is her canned pizza sauce, which unfortunately I do not have (canned some last summer, but just used the last jar a couple weeks ago).

My dough recipe was compliments of my Betty Crocker cookbook. It goes like this....

2.5 to 3 c. all-purpose flour
1 pkg active dry yeast
0.5 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water (120 to 130 degrees F)
2 tbsp. olive oil
Cornmeal (optional)

In large bowl combine 1 1/4 c. of the flour, the yeast, and salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 min. total). Divide dough in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Grease two pizza pans or baking sheets; sprinkle with cornmeal (optional). On lightly floured surface, roll each dough into an 11-in. circle; transfer to prepared pans. Build up edges slightly. Cover and let rise in warm place until nearly double (30 to 45 min.). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick dough with a fork. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until light brown.

On to assembling the pie...first, the ingredient list:

2 lb. Italian sausage

2 jars pizza sauce

Pepperoni

Canned mushrooms

Artichoke hearts packed in oil

Chopped green peppers

1 or 2 leeks, chopped (you can replace with onion if you don't have leeks)

Mozzarella and provolone shredded cheese mix

Italian seasoning

Cook Italian sausage with chopped leeks in a skillet.

Generously add pizza sauce to the crust. Add meat mixture on top of sauce with pepperoni layered on top. Add vegetables on top of meat. Finish with a generous layer of the cheese mix. 

                          

Sprinkle top of cheese with Italian seasoning.

Bake in 400 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes or until cheese melt and starts to get slightly golden.

Let the pie rest for a few minutes before cutting and serving. Each pizza will make four 2-slice servings.

By the way, I love using leeks in recipes like this. If you're not familiar with leeks, they are very similar to onions, but are more delicate and sweeter in flavor. They are delicious and very aromatic when cooking! To prep them, pull the outer layers off and discard. Slice the leek at the top of the white area (where it starts to be tinged slightly green). Then slice the leek in half longways. You will then need to 'fan out' each half and wash under running water (often dirt is trapped here). Then put on cutting board (cut side down) and slice in approx. 1/4 in. slices.

Enjoy!

Fresh Garden Salsa

Summer has come and gone, but the garden continues to produce although it is nearing the end of the growing season. We have had buckets upon buckets of red plump tomatoes this year ... some that Chloe planted from seed that were gigantic (one was, no lie, about as big as her head)!

I am going to attempt to use the last of the summer vegetables as well as some of the many herbs from our garden over the next few days. So....

Today, I used vine-ripened tomatoes and jalapenos to make fresh garden salsa. (We like to eat the salsa with tortilla 'scoops'). The remainder of the vegetables had to be purchased from the supermarket (I have a very healthy herb garden, but cilantro did not do well this year).

This is a pretty simple combination; I use: 2 medium red tomatoes; 1/3 red onion; 1 fresh jalapeno; 2 to 3 garlic cloves; about 2 tbsp. lime juice; fresh cilantro; and 1/4 tsp salt (or, to taste).

Finely chop the tomatoes (I seed mine as well), red onion, jalapeno (I seed mine, but depends on how much heat you want); and cilantro and combine in bowl. Mince the garlic and add to the mix. Add the lime juice and the salt.

Note: when I cut my jalapenos, if I don't have a plastic glove to wear, I place a sandwich baggie over the hand so that I don't get the 'fire juice' on my hand (I got tired of having my hands burn or my face burn after I touched it with the oils there!).

When all ingredients are together, mix and cover with plastic wrap. The flavors need to marry, so I usually allow it to sit (in the fridge) for a couple hours at least before serving.

This is the finished result. Fresh, healthy, delicious!