Puff Pastry! October 24, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch, Snacks/Party Food , add a commentI bought a package of puff pastry on sale, but I had no idea what to do with it. I thought I might make a messy apple pie (galette) or something else, but then I thought of cheese. Mmmmmm… Cheese.
So here’s what I came up with!
Garlic and Cheese Galette
1 piece prepared frozen puff pastry, about 30 cm x 30 cm unrolled
1 cup leftover brown or wild rice
1 cup grated medium cheddar cheese
1 cup grated old cheddar cheese
1 tsp heavy cream (whipping or coffee cream)
1 – 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
~1/3 cup chopped almonds
1 tsp dried basil (or a few tbsp fresh basil if you have, chopped)
Few pinches of salt — I used himalayan rock salt
A pinch of nutritional yeast (optional)
Thaw puff pastry on the counter. Move it to a cookie sheet and unroll it. Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, then pour out into center of the pastry, leaving about 1″ of pastry showing on all sides. Starting at one corner and working your way around clockwise, fold the sides up until the filling is mostly enclosed – it’s okay if there are gaps. Put it in the oven for 25-30 minutes until pastry is golden brown.
You could try lots of other fillings and spices, like mushrooms, chopped bell peppers, cayenne pepper, pine nuts, etc. Let your leftovers inspire you! 
Cheddar Beer Bread January 8, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a commentAnother little gem from the Misericordia O.R. Staff Cookbook (thanks Edie for this great cookbook!)!
Cheddar Beer Bread
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
2 cups grated sharp (old) cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
12 oz. can beer
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients except the beer in a bowl with a fork. Add beer a quarter at a time until all the ingredients are blended. Spoon into a greased 4 X 8 loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.
Spinach Cheese Frittata January 8, 2010
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a commentSpinach Cheese Frittata
Another great find in a cookbook that was a Christmas gift! Delicious casserole! Preheat oven to 300°F.
Ingredients Supplies/Equipment
2 cloves fresh garlic frying pan
1 small cooking onion hand whisk
1 Tbsp butter 9″ square baking dish
9 – 10 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 box (300 g) frozen chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
1 brick (250 g) cream cheese, cut into small cubes
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Cook garlic, onion and butter together in frying pan until garlic is clear and onion is cooked. Let cool. Meanwhile, grate cheddar cheese and cut cream cheese into small cubes. Squeeze liquid out of thawed spinach by rolling in a paper towel. Whisk eggs until frothy. Add milk, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and whisk together. Add garlic and onion mixture, spinach, cream cheese, cheddar cheese and mix together. Pour into a 9″ square
baking dish and bake at 300°F for 30 – 40 minutes until edges are golden brown and center is firm.
The cream cheese is such a soft, gooey delight! It’s wonderful!
Super Yummy Chili! December 3, 2009
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , 1 comment so farI made this yesterday and it was the best chili I think I’ve ever made! Complex flavour spectrum…. (I picked that up on Food Network.) Throw it all into a nice big pot, medium heat, and start adding everything:
Ingredients:
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes
-1 pkg Veggie Ground Round (the best stuff – no browning required!)
- 1 can mixed beans (would also be good with an additional can of kidney beans), drained, rinsed and drained again
- 1/4 bottle of beer (no more or it gets too runny)
Then comes the flavour!! Add some (anywhere from 1/4 – 1 teaspoon) of the following ingredients, depending on your tastes:
- chili powder
- sea salt
- cayenne pepper (and I think I put some fresh ground black pepper in too)
- garlic, chopped fine
- paprika
- chili sauce – Frank’s Red Hot or Louisiana hot sauce (not too much!)
- Tobasco sauce
- Worchestershire sauce
- a dollop of molasses (yes, for real!)
- maple syrup (don’t gasp!), about 1 Tbsp
- about 6 melting chocolates, the ones that are button shaped, about 1 inch across (stir well to melt)
The sweetness counteracts the spicy and makes all the tastebuds on your tongue come alive! Taste often to make sure you haven’t gone too far in any direction, sweet or spicy… you might need more spicy after adding the sweet stuff! Enjoy the best chili that ever took you 10 minutes to make!
When I make this again, I think I’ll start with some onions, and might also add some jalapenos or other hot peppers, if I’ve got ‘em. And it’s always better to let it simmer, but you can also make it super fast!
Cauliflower Salad September 30, 2009
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a commentGot this one from “French Food at Home” on FoodTV. Tried it tonight – it was very good, even though I (accidentally) left out the garlic.
Cauliflower Salad
- 1 x small cauliflower or half a large one
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 generous handfuls of sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
- 2 generous handfuls black olives, sliced
- 2 handfuls of fresh tarragon or basil leaves, chopped
- Zest of a lemon and juice to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Salt and pepper
Directions: Break cauliflower into florettes, discarding the central stem. Slice them thinly and put them in a bowl. Toss with the garlic, tomatoes, olives, tarragon, and lemon zest. Squeeze over lemon juice. Pour over olive oil. And season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust quantities to suit your tastes.
BBQ Pork Ribs May 29, 2009
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a commentThis comes from a recipe on Big Oven, a great site for a zillion recipes. There are lots of places to find recipes, but I really love the “Big oven leftover wizard.”Very cool way to search for recipes based on what you have kicking around!
I didn’t actually make the sauce (I had some in my fridge I had made last week or whenever), but I will have to try it sometime! How will I ever go vegetarian?!
Ingredients
- 2 large pork baby back ribs rack
=== RUB ===
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper
=== BASTE SAUCE ===
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup minced fresh onion
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon liquid Barbecue Smoke?
- 1 teaspoon Jack Daniel’s Whiskey
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup catsup
Instructions
To make the ribs, cut each large rack of ribs in half so that you have 4 half-racks. Trim away any excess fat from ribs. Sprinkle a light coating spice rub over ribs and press into meat. Wrap the ribs in aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 275 degree oven for 3 hours.
As the ribs cook, make the sauce by heating the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saut? the onions for 5 minutes or until they start to brown. Add the remaining ingredients and bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, uncovered, or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and set aside until the ribs are ready. Preheat your barbecue grill.
When ribs are finished in the oven, the meat should have pull back about 1/2-inch from the cut-ends of the bones. Remove the ribs from the oven, let them sit for 10 minutes or so, then remove the racks from the foil and put them on the grill. Grill the ribs for 3 to 4 minutes per side. They should be slightly charred in a few spots when they’re finished. Brush barbecue sauce on the ribs while they’re grilling, just before you serve them. Don’t add the sauce too early or it will burn.
This recipe yields 2 (full-rack) to 4 (half-rack) servings.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 221 Calories; 8g Fat (29.7% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 40g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; trace Cholesterol; 1584mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat; 2 Other Carbohydrates.
Flavourful Asparagus Stir-Fry! May 29, 2009
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a commentAnother great one from 101 Cookbooks (don’t want to lose this recipe)! All below is pasted from the site:
Asparagus Stir-Fry Recipe
I mention this up above in the main post, but be sure you have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start actually stir-frying.
toasted sesame oil
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, cut into slices thick as a pencil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
scant 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger (peeled)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 a bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
a couple big pinches of fine-grain sea salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 big handful of toasted cashews, chopped up a bit
a few handfuls of spinach, or chopped kale, or chopped chard
zest and juice of one lime
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 small handful fresh mint, slivered
1 small handful fresh basil, slivered
Have all your ingredients prepped and within arms reach of the stove. Heat a splash of sesame oil in a large pan, or well-seasoned wok over medium high heat. Alternately, you can do this in a dry non-stick pan – one of the few occasions I still use non-stick. When it is hot, add the tofu, and cook until golden – a few minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan and set aside.
Add another (generous) splash of oil to the pan and, as soon as it is hot, add the onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, asparagus, and salt. Stir fry for about a minute, then add the garlic, cashews, and spinach and stir-fry for another minute, or until the spinach wilts. Return the tofu to the pan. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the hoisin sauce. Cook for another 10-20 seconds, stirring all the while.
Remove from heat and stir in the mint and basil. Taste and add a bit more salt if needed.
Serves 2-4 (main/side)
Creamed Eggs Au Gratin March 30, 2009
Posted by Teresa in : Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch , add a commentThis is a delicious recipe from the Joy of Cooking. You’ll need 4 boiled eggs.
Preheat oven to 350F. Heat until blended in a frying pan over low heat
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Add
- 1/4 cup minced onion or shallots
Cook the onion, stirring, until softened but not browned (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat. The recipe says to put the onion mixture into a bowl and add everything to that, but I just added the ingredients below to the frying pan (it was pretty cool by the time I was ready to add stuff). It saves dirtying another bowl! Add and mix together gently:
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped or sliced
- 1 cup of white sauce (see recipe here, or if you had to, you could use store-bought Alfredo sauce)
- 2 Tbsp of chopped herbs (I used some fresh parsley and dried Basil)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
You can add other things too. I had an avocado that was ripe, so I cut it in half, scooped out one half and threw that in, cut into pieces about the same size as the eggs were cut into. I could also imagine adding a few capers, or grated cheese, and the Joy recommends 1 tsp. curry powder (added to the onions). Once everything is mixed in, transfer it to a baking dish (I used a 9 inch square pan). Sprinkle with
- 3/4 cup (or more, depending on your dish) fresh bread crumbs
- 1 Tbsp butter, cut into small pieces.
Bake until heated through and browned, about 15 to 20 minutes (less if the eggs are warm from just being boiled). If desired, place briefly under the broiler to brown and crisp the crumbs.
I wish I had taken a picture of it — it looked absolutely amazing and tasted that way too!
Superb Macaroni & Cheese March 24, 2009
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner, Lunch , add a commentI got this recipe from the Michael Smith section of foodtv. What an excellent recipe! I didn’t have the lobster of course, but it’s great anyway! I used Cavatappi pasta, which is a nice alternative to macaroni or penne (I am quite tired of penne). Also, as usual, I substituted cheeses, combining aged cheddar, mozzarella, and gouda. I’m crazy, I know! 
A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. For that reason, this is also an account of what happens when I make this dish, so you’ll understand each step. Of course when you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Add more of an ingredient you like or less of something you don’t like. Try substituting one ingredient for another. Remember words have no flavour, you have to add your own!
There are few things as good as a warm bowl of homemade macaroni and cheese especially when it doesn’t come out of a box! I don’t normally put lobster in mine – and this version is great without my favourite crustacean – but it’s a great way to make the ordinary extraordinary!
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Drop the pasta into boiling, salted water and cook until almost tender, about 12 minutes. Make sure the water tastes like a day at the beach, as the pasta will absorb it and become properly seasoned. The pasta should not be fully cooked; it should have just a touch of firmness when tasted. Drain well.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add garlic and cook for several minutes until it softens. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth paste forms. Continue cooking for a few more minutes, in effect toasting the mixture and adding flavour to it. Slowly stir in the wine and continue mixing until smooth and then add both milks, mixing well again. Continue whisking until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Add paprika, Dijon, cayenne, salt, pepper and cheeses and stir until melted.
- Roughly chop lobster meat and add to the cheese mixture along with the pasta. Stir well to combine and season with salt and pepper. Pour into a 9-inch by 13-inch ovenproof casserole or similar dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake until the mixture is heated through and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Mushroom Casserole March 16, 2009
Posted by Teresa in : Dinner , add a commentThis recipe comes from 101cookbooks – a great site for healthy, unique recipes!
Use any cooked grain you like. Feel free to use low-fat cottage cheese or sour cream if you prefer.
1/2 pound (8 ounces) brown mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 large onion, well chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups cooked brown rice, room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a bit of fresh tarragon, chopped
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Rub a medium-large baking dish with a bit of olive oil or butter and set aside. The pan I use is slightly smaller than a classic 9×13 baking dish – just grab for something in this ballpark.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat saute the mushrooms in a glug of olive oil sprinkled with a couple pinches of salt. Stir every minute or so until the mushrooms have released their liquid and have browned a bit. Add the onions and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes or until they are translucent. Stir in the garlic, cook for another minute and remove from heat. Add the rice to the skillet and stir until combined.
In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, and salt.
Combine the rice mixture and cottage cheese mixture in a large bowl, stir until well combined and then turn out into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the Parmesan cheese, cover with foil and place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 or 30 minutes more or hot throughout and golden along the edges. Sprinkle with the chopped tarragon, and the remaining Parmesan and enjoy.
Serves about 8.
