JBug's Kitchen Antics

Soup Bowl Cabbage Rolls

I don't know if you've noticed but we're crazy about the flavor of cabbage rolls around here so this is last night's version. 

Not a casserole because this one's cooked on top of the stove; not a roll because...well, they're not rolled or stuffed; not a soup like the last one (below), this version's more like a stew. 

Adapted from Taste of Home, I took the liberty of making a few changes by adding onion and more spices to the mix, particularly after reading some of the reviews that indicated the recipe was on the bland side. Well, let me tell you, there's nothing bland about this one; however, since we're all about honesty here, in my opinion this recipes needs a little work. In addition to the onion, extra spices including oregano, red chile flakes, a lot more garlic, black pepper, salt and beef stock instead of water, should I decide to make it again I'll change the timing a tad. You see by the time the cabbage was appropriately cooked (not soft but just a little firm to the bite) the rice was way over done so I'd be inclined to cook the rice separately and add it at the end or give the cabbage a head start before adding the rice to the pot. 

Anyway, next time you're in the mood for some good old fashioned cabbage comfort food, check out one of these first. I won't be posting last night's version until it gets a re-run but if you're so inclined, hit the link and check out Taste of Home's recipe and tell me what you think. 

Stuffed Cabbage                                  Cabbage Roll Soup

 

 

 

Nothing Stays The Same

The older I get the more I realize that change is inevitable. Just look in a mirror and tell me you look the same as you did 10 years ago. I know I sure don't. Get my drift?

Sometimes change is a good thing and other times not so much. Take this view for example. 

This is what it looked like from our back deck from this glorious spot we moved to on the Oregon Coast a whole year ago. Deeply shaded, cool lush green forest so beautiful it could make you weep with wonder, I for one couldn't believe our good fortune in finding such a place.

Well I'm crying for another reason these days because the new owners of 7 acres adjacent to us are clear cutting their land including their side of the ravine right down to the creek where our two properties meet. 

What looked like this a few days ago isn't anything at all what it looks like today and tomorrow it'll be a whole other scene, so much so that I can't bring myself to show you current photos. Just believe me when I say the devastation is unimaginable.

Now in no way shape or form could you ever call me a tree hugger (other than the choice many I've a mind to planting myself in front of in case the axmen decide to ford the creek and come our way). I mean I don't think twice about grabbing a paper towel and as for TP, well I can't think of anyone that can do without that stuff but believe me this whole thing's been a huge wake up call.

Now, since this is a food blog after all, I guess I'd better fess up about what we had for dinner last night. Remember the Manchurian Cauliflower dish I've bragged about here before? Last night I reworked it by adding mini sweet peppers to the pan along with cauliflower florets and it all hit the oven for the same amount of time as in the original recipe while I seasoned and dredged skinless boneless chicken thighs in flour and sauteed 'em until crispy. I tossed the lot together and here's the result. 

Delicious? You bet'cha and proof positive that some changes are a lot easier to swallow than others. Just sayin'. 

 

 

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Blue Cheese and Bacon

Some people say there's nothing new under the sun but I beg to differ. I mean the brussels sprouts of today aren't anything like the old over cooked boiled slimy grey bundles of bitterness they used to be. Point in fact, take the sprouts pictured here.

Trimmed, slathered in herbed up olive oil and roasted along with slivers of garlic and lardons of bacon, as soon as the nutty balls of flavor leave the oven, they're sprinkled with crumbles of gorgonzola cheese. Covered and left to their own devices for a few minutes so the cheese can melt, they look divine and taste amazing beside our steak tips in mushroom brown gravy. 

I would caution you to use a milder softer blue like gorgonzola or even Cambazola or Saga blue will be great just so the nutty flavor of the sprout comes through. Leave the stronger flavored roquefort or stilton for the cheese tray on another day.  Just sayin'. 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Blue Cheese and Bacon from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from myrecipes.com

4 strips bacon, cut into small cubes

3 cups small fresh Brussels sprouts

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

6 to 10 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup crumbled mild blue cheese (I used Gorgonzola)

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and spread bacon pieces evenly. Bake for 5 minutes. Meanwhile toss sprouts with olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic cloves, salt and pepper. Remove pan from oven and move bacon into center of pan. Spread sprouts mixture evenly onto pan. Return to the oven and bake 20 minutes or until sprouts are cooked to your preference. (We like ours a little firm). Remove from oven and move sprouts to the center of the pan. Sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese and cover with a lid or piece of foil. Allow to sit for 5 minutes until cheese has melted. Toss and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

Sprout and Kale Salad with Maple Balsamic Glazed Salmon

Big Guy cooked dinner last night and it was wonderful. Actually he cooked breakfast and packed my lunch too. We had a bit of a role reversal as I headed to work while he stayed home with the fur kids. Spoiled me rotten, he did. 

He whipped up a crunchy kale and brussels sprout salad dressed up beautifully with toasted nuts and grated parmesan in a Dijon mustard vinaigrette. In fact he mixed the shredded sprouts and crunchy kale with the dressing in advance so they had a chance to marinate and soften before the nuts and cheese hit the party. 

Best of all, he topped the salad with lovely broiled King salmon, glazed in a balsamic, maple syrup, Dijon and garlic concoction that kept the salmon moist and upped the flavor quotient a bunch. It was a blast watching him navigate the kitchen and cook such a fabulous dinner for his very lucky lady. He's a keeper, isn't he?

Sprout and Kale Salad with Maple Balsamic Glazed Salmon from JBug’s Kitchen Antics inspired by and adapted from Gluten Free Girl and Giada via foodnetwork.com

4 cups shredded Brussels sprouts

1 cup finely chopped kale

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 cup toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans or a combination of the two)

9 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salt & pepper

Combine sprouts and kale in a large bowl. Combine oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a container with a tight fitting lid (jar) and shake to combine well. Toss with sprouts and kale, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Just before serving add parmesan cheese and nuts and toss to combine. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Salmon:

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

2 – 6 ounce pieces salmon fillet

Salt & course ground black pepper

In a small pot combine vinegar, maple syrup, mustard and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring often for 10 minutes or until mixture is reduced to a glaze consistency.

Preheat broiler. Place salmon skin side down on a broiler pan. Season with salt and pepper then brush with glaze. Broil for 10 minutes or until salmon is cooked through, brushing with glaze every few minutes. Serves 2.

Creamy Cauliflower Soup and Cheese Buns

Every once in a while I try to slip a meatless meal by my resident carnivore, or as in this case, almost meatless. He complains a lot when I even mention it so I added a couple of slices of bacon to last night's cauliflower soup just to keep him quiet uh ...happy. 

We all have our favorite versions of creamy cauliflower soup but in my opinion there's no other thing that adds flavor to the mix in quite the same way as bacon. I crispfied some iddy biddy little cubes to use as a garnish, and kept the drippings to give the onions color and flavor before the cauliflower, potatoes and chicken stock hit the pot. After the veggies cooked and the immersion blender did its thing, the soup was finished with a little sour cream, a few ounces of American cheese and fresh nutmeg. Garnished with the bacon as well as slivers of sun dried tomatoes for color that was it for the soup and if you think I'm in a hurry to get to the point, you'd be right. The stars of the show last night were the cheese buns.

There's a bakery in my old home town of Calgary that I still dream about. Everything's made on site and it's all amazing but Glamorgan Bakery's cheese buns are out of this world. I used to gladly drive half way across the city on a Saturday morning just to buy the darned things but somehow driving 902 miles for a fix doesn't make sense so I did the next best thing. I whipped 'em up myself with a little help from Rhodes although I could have made the dough from scratch. Could've but didn't - hey lazy and easy sound a lot alike, you know.

Melted butter, a mix of medium white cheddar and parmesan cheese, a little time to rise and here they are in all their oeey gooey cheesy glory. I've no clue how close the flavor is to Glamorgan's because it's been darn near 15 years since I've tasted one and not even my memory can serve me that well but believe you me for as little effort as they took, these are stellar.  

Ohhh ya baby! Here's the flip side so now you know what I'm talkin' about, right?

Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Bacon an original from JBug’s Kitchen Antics

2 slices thick cut bacon, cut into small cubes

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 large head cauliflower, roughly chopped

2 small Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

Salt and course ground black pepper

1 quart low sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup sour cream

5 slices American cheese

Freshly grated nutmeg

Slivered sun dried tomatoes as garnish

 Cook bacon in a large pot over medium low heat until fat renders and bacon is crisp. Remove from pot, leaving drippings. Add butter to pot and when it is melted, add onions. Cook until onions are transparent then sprinkle in flour. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes then add chicken stock, cauliflower and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool slightly, and then using an immersion blender, puree vegetables until smooth. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Add freshly grated nutmeg to taste, then stir in sour cream and cheese, stirring over low heat until cheese has melted and soup is hot. Serve garnished with bacon and sun dried tomatoes. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

 Easy Cheese Buns

 Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls

2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, melted

Spray a 6 cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Mix cheese together and set aside. Using 12 small frozen dough balls from a package of Rhodes dinner rolls, dip each in melted butter and place one in each muffin cup. Sprinkle cheese beside each dough ball and place a second ball of dough in each cup. Pile cheese liberally on top of each cup; place pan on a sheet pan and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Place and a warm spot and let rise for 2 to 3 hours. (I preheat the oven to 170 degrees, turn it off, and then put the pan in the oven and leave the oven light on).

To bake, preheat oven to 375. Remove plastic wrap from top of rolls and bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until rolls are puffed and nicely browned

Spiced Shepherd's Pie With Root Vegetable Mash

We're finally getting some winter here on the Oregon coast with the past 3 days alternating between snow and rain - freezing and otherwise. Perfect in many ways, it's a great excuse to hunker down in the kitchen and cook some comfort food.

Last night's dinner is from Cinda Chavich's book, High Plains, The Joy of Alberta Cuisine and if I were being picky, I'd have to change the name from a "sheperd's" to "cottage" pie because I used ground beef not lamb; however, misnomer aside it is a real winner.

Spiced with curry, cayenne, ginger and turmeric and sweetened with dried cranberries and green apple it is far from ordinary. Add a topping of mashed yukon gold potatoes, yams, parsnip and carrots, all seasoned with more fresh ginger and chopped green onions, and it puts the casserole absolutely over the top in the flavor department.

If you like the taste of curry, I guarantee you'll love it and if you're not sure whether you like the taste of curry, don't deprive yourself of the chance to find out. Try it anyway. It is delicious. Just sayin'. 

Spiced Shepherd’s Pie with Root Vegetable Mash from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Cinda Chavich’s High Plains, The Joy of Alberta Cuisine

1 tablespoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon oil

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 green apple, cored and finely chopped (I left peel on)

1 pound lean ground beef or lamb

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 tablespoons mango chutney

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used panko)

1 egg, beaten

Heat oil in large sauté pan over medium high. Mix together curry powder, cayenne, turmeric, salt and pepper. Add to oil and cook, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add chopped onion, ginger and apple and cook until onion is softened. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Return sauté pan to heat and add ground beef. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess oil and add beef to vegetables in bowl. Stir in lemon juice, cranberries, mango chutney, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and bread crumbs. Toss to combine. Cool slightly. Beat egg well and mix into beef and vegetable mixture. Transfer mixture to a large shallow casserole dish.

Topping: 

3 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 medium sweet potato ruby yam, peeled and cubed

2 carrots, peeled and cubed

2 parsnips, peeled, hard core removed and cubed

1/4 cup butter

4 green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

1/4 cup half and half

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine potatoes, sweet potato, carrots and parsnips in a pot. Cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer until cooked through – about 15 minutes. Drain well and mash until fairly smooth (slightly chunky is OK).  Melt butter in a small sauté pan and cook onions and ginger for 2 to 3 minutes. Add to vegetables along with half and half. Season with salt and pepper and whisk lightly. Place on top of meat in casserole dish and smooth to edges. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Serves 4 to 6.  

 

Cheesy Baked Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower

Every once in a while I try to sneak a meatless meal onto our menu and pass it on by the resident carnivore. It's not easy, believe me. I made him a massive juicy burger for lunch yesterday so I'm not sure he missed the meat so much in last night's dinner. Uh ya - who am I kidding? I can see the evil stare from here and he's not even in the room. Ha.

Anyway, this dish is a take on good old fashioned macaroni cheese but kicked up a notch or ten. I added sour cream and Dijon mustard to the bechamel, made it extra cheesy with white cheddar and parmesan, gave it some color with diced canned tomatoes and added the roasted cauliflower. Along with a crazy kind of corkscrew shaped pasta topped with a blanket of buttered crumbs, the gratin hit the oven until bubbly and ooey cheesy gooey.

You know who said it was "good" which really meant this is OK for a change but don't make a habit out'a it. Somehow I imagine if I'd added a nice thick blue rare rib eye on the side, he'd have been doing handstands. Sheesh. 

Personally, I thought it was quite tasty - creamy, rich, cheesy and satisfying with the nutty mild flavor of roasted cauliflower... I mean why have ordinary old cauliflower with cheese sauce when you can add pasta, right? 

Incidentally, here's a photo of last night's sunset as taken through our living room window. It was a sunny and balmy 69 degrees here yesterday, identical to the day before I might add. It is the same view I enjoy from the island in the kitchen. Does it give you an idea why I'm not spending as much time in the kitchen these days? 

 

Cheesy Baked Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower (Inspired by Bon Appetit)       

1 medium head cauliflower, cored and broken into florets

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 tablespoons butter, divided

2 Tablespoons flour

1 small onion, finely chopped

1-1/2 cups milk or half and half

3 cups grated cheese (I used Tillamook White Cheddar)

1 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Salt and course ground pepper

1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

8 ounces pasta cooked per package directions and well drained

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 425. Toss cauliflower with olive oil and place on a sheet pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden and still slightly firm. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce heat to 350.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in medium sauce pan. Add onion and sauté until softened. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Whisk in half and half and cook, stirring occasionally until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add cheese, sour cream, Dijon mustard and parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as required. Toss cooked pasta, roasted cauliflower and diced tomatoes with sauce and move to a gratin dish or 9 x 13 casserole that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and toss with breadcrumbs. Sprinkle on top of casserole. Place in oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbling and crumbs are toasted.  Makes 6 to 8 servings. 

 

Brats and Sauerkraut

Those of you who regularly visit JBug's Kitchen know by now that I tend to tell it like it is. I'm the first to criticize something I've concocted and constantly looking for ways to improve a recipe to achieve better results. Seldom can I admit that something's the "best". Well, not this time.

This is absolutely the BEST sauerkraut dish I've ever made. It's better than chocolate, almost better than caramel and head and shoulders above any other sauerkraut laden bratwurst dishes you'll find on this blog. It gives a whole new slant to the prepared sauerkraut you'll find in a jar on your grocery store's shelves and in fact is so darned delicious it has driven me to add a section to the index called "JBug's Favorites". How about that? 

Check out the recipe, make your list and head out to your closest market post haste. Trust me. You won't be sorry in the least.

Bratwursts and Sauerkraut (from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Cast Iron Cooking by Joanna Pruess)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 slices thick sliced bacon, cut into cubes

2 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced

12 ounces beer

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated

10 juniper berries, bruised

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1 large jar sauerkraut, drained, rinsed and squeezed dry (I used Libby’s Crispy)

8 bratwursts

Coarse grained mustard (I used Trader Joe’s coarse grained Dijon)

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add bacon and oil and cook until bacon is crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add onions. Reduce heat to low, partially cover pot and cook until onions soften and start to turn golden brown – approx... 15 minutes. Add beer, apple, juniper berries, bay leaves, brown sugar, caraway seeds and sauerkraut. Increase heat to medium and bring mixture to a boil. Add approximately a half teaspoon of salt and a lot of freshly ground black pepper. Cover; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 40 to 45 minutes. Remove cover, add bacon and discard bay leaves.

Meanwhile, prick sausages in several places with a fork and cook in a sauté pan sprayed with cooking spray for approximately 10 minutes or until browned on all sides and no longer pink inside. Serve on sauerkraut with coarse grained mustard.  Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

Build a Better Cabbage and Stuff It!

Stuffed cabbage rolls, while healthy and delicious, are kind of a pain in the butt to make. I figure "go big or go home" so to heck with making all those fiddly little individual cabbage leaves stuffed with ground meat and rice. Why not stuff the whole darned cabbage instead! 

Now I know you're likely thinking it must be really hard to hollow out a cabbage because they're kinda' hard, but think a little outside the box and do it a little different. Deconstruct your cabbage and build a new one - easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Put a big pot of water on to boil and while that's happening, remove the core from a cabbage while keeping the leaves intact.
2. Cover pot and steam the cabbage until the leaves start to turn transparent and peel them off the cabbage one by one - just like you would when making the individual cabbage rolls.
3. Meanwhile, cut 3 pieces of kitchen string into 2 foot lengths and place in a bowl approximately the size of the cabbage. Arrange the string like spokes in a wheel with the string draped over the edges of the bowl. Arrange the cabbage leaves in the bowl on top of the string with tops of the leaves hanging over the top of the bowl. (3 or 4 layers of leaves will be just perfect and slice up the rest of the cabbage to place in the bottom of a casserole dish and/or use a can of sauerkraut like we did once before. 
4. Pack meat filling firmly into the bowl and top with additional steamed cabbage leaves. Fold  overhanging cabbage leaves into center of the bowl then bring each piece of string together on top and tie securely. Place in casserole and bake. 

  

To serve, cut and remove the string, cut slice your "cabbage" into wedges and serve to a gobsmacked audience! I did last night and Big Guy's still talking about it....again! Who knew I could baffle him not once but twice?

Whole Stuffed Cabbage by JBug's Kitchen Antics, a remake on a recipe inspired by Simply Recipes

1 small whole green cabbage (about 2 pounds) 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound lean ground beef

1 cup cooked rice

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1/2  teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence

1 large jar sauerkraut

1 -8 ounce can tomato sauce

3/4 cup water or beef stock

1 - 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

Sour cream as garnish

Fill a pot big enough to hold the head of cabbage with boiling water and heat over medium high heat. Remove any damaged outer leaves from cabbage and cut around the core. Place in boiling water, cover pot and steam to loosen leaves. Remove cabbage from water and remove leaves as they loosen. Arrange leaves in a bowl, overlapping them to cover bottom and sides, using the bowl as a mold. Return cabbage to boiling water and repeat process until you’ve used up all the leaves. Set some aside to cover the top of the cabbage once it is stuffed.

Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat and sauté onion and garlic until onion has softened. Cool slightly and place into a large bowl. Add ground beef, rice, eggs, paprika, salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence and mix together well to combine. Pile the meat mixture into the cabbage lined bowl, packing it in and rounding the top slightly like a giant meatball. Place reserved cabbage leaves on top, then fold over sides of cabbage leaves to cover top. Flip the whole thing out of the bowl and tie tightly with kitchen twine so it stays together as it cooks.

Preheat oven to 350. Empty sauerkraut into a colander and rinse well under running water. Squeeze water out of sauerkraut and place into bottom of a large casserole dish with a cover (or alternatively shred remaining cabbage and place on bottom of casserole). Place tied stuffed cabbage on top of sauerkraut. Top with tomato sauce, water and tomatoes. Cover casserole and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

When cooked, remove string from cabbage and cut into wedges. Serve on sauerkraut tomato mixture and garnish with sour cream. Makes 6 servings.

 

Roasted Cauliflower - Manchurian Style

I'm not sure what makes this cauliflower a Manchurian candidate but I do know it is about as awesome tasting as it gets. I've even told you all about it before way back in 2010 to be exact but this is one dish that deserves to be front and center on a regular rotation. I'm not even sure that a weekly rotation would be enough. Yes, we like it that much.

Sprinkled with Garam Masala and a little olive oil, the cauliflower roasts for 20 minutes before it is coated in a spicy mix of garlic, black and cayenne peppers and ketchup of all things. Back in the oven for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the kind of texture you prefer, it is delectable and darn near explodes in your mouth! Honest!

Once again, we enjoyed our cauliflower on top of chicken paillards but it would be lovely with any mild flavored fish or pork too. I'd even forego the protein entirely because in my opinion, it deserves to be a stand alone but the resident carnivore would surely have a hissy fit if that were the case. 

Incidentally, be careful with the cayenne pepper because if you add too much, it'll have you runnin' post haste for the yogurt...yes, yes I did. Just sayin'. 

Roasted Manchurian Cauliflower (from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Cooking Light)

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1 large head cauliflower – about 6 cups

2 tablespoons Garam Masala                                                                  

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon or more cayenne pepper

8 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray. Remove core from cauliflower and break into florets. Place into a large bowl along with 1 teaspoon olive oil, the Garam Masala and salt. Toss well to coat. Arrange onto sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile heat remaining teaspoon of oil in a nonstick sauté pan. Add garlic and black pepper and cook until garlic starts to soften. Add ketchup and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring often for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove cauliflower from oven and toss with ketchup mixture. Return vegetable to oven and cook for addition 10 minutes to 20 minutes or until cooked to your preferred texture. (We liked it really well done and almost relish like so it returned to the oven for the entire 20 minutes.) 

A year ago - Double Chocolate and Sour Cherry Bread Pudding

Two years ago - Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

Three years ago - Apple Fritters

Kale and Sausage Soup

A hot bowl of soup was exactly what the weatherman ordered yesterday. We had SNOW! Our world is beautiful still although certainly not as green as usual and as I write this, it is midmorning and has warmed only 10 degrees from our overnight low of 19. There's snow everywhere and ice on the decks and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

The day before yesterday I spent some time in the kitchen making a large pot of beef stock and some of it went to good use last night in my version of Nick Stellino's Cabbage and Sausage Soup. It's no secret that Nick's Cucina Amore was one of my favorite public television cooking shows and I try to catch him on Cooking With Friends as often as possible; however, it's more likely you'll find my nose buried in his book, Mediterranean Flavors.

Of course my version differs from his original (see link) and I make no apologies because recipes are just guidelines anyway, right?

• I used my own home made Italian sausage loaded with extra fennel, garlic and red pepper flakes;
• dry sundried tomatoes rather than oil packed;
• dry marsala wine (Trader Joe's) instead of white wine;
• beef stock instead of chicken;
• threw in a can of diced tomatoes for extra zing
• substituted a mess o' chopped kale instead of cabbage.

The result - intensely flavored and wholesome comfort in every spoonful. It is spicy with red pepper flakes, sweet from sun dried tomatoes and full of beefy goodness too. As for the kale, we happen to love the stuff because not only is it a good for us green but it holds up very well in a pot of soup. 

I'd have it again in a heartbeat and a good thing too. Lunch is just around the corner!

Kale and Sausage Soup (from JBug’s Kitchen Antics inspired by Nick Stellino, Mediterranean Flavors)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound hot Italian sausage (bulk)

2 large onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

Coarse ground black pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes

1/2 cup dry Marsala wine

6 cups low sodium beef stock

1 -14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

8 cups chopped kale (stems removed)

Parmesan cheese as garnish

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Crumble in sausage and cook until no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and sundried tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, for 5 to 8 minutes or until onions are soft. Add Marsala wine and cook for 30 seconds to reduce wine slightly, and then add sausage back to the pot along with beef stock and tomatoes. Add salt and coarse ground black pepper and bring pot to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes. Add kale and cook additional 10 to 15 minutes until tender crisp. Serve garnished with grated parmesan cheese. Makes 6 servings. 

A year ago - Beefy, Beany Benchiladas and a Sale Pending! 

Two years ago - Perfect Pear Puddin'

Three years ago - Eggs in Purgatory

Turnip (Rutabaga) Gratin

We're eating more vegetables these days than ever before and I've made it a mission to find new and wonderful ways to fix them. Last night's gratin is certainly new to us, definitely wonderful and fairly low carb too but not necessarily low in caloric content. Wouldn't you know ya' gotta' pay the piper somehow.

While there are several recipes out there for this wonderful dish, I simply peeled a 1 pound rutabaga, sliced it paper thin and layered it in a gratin dish with a meager tablespoon of butter dotted throughout, salt and coarse ground black pepper and topped it off with a cup of heavy cream.  Covered with foil and baked at 425 for 25 minutes, I removed the foil and returned the swedes to the oven for another 25 minutes.

The result - slightly sweet, creamy, fabulous full flavors...holy smokes! Who knew something so simple could be so delicious.  

 

Creamy Kale, Bacon And Mushroom Casserole

We're not fans of green bean casserole around here although when I say "we" I really mean he. Seeing as it's such a popular menu item in this part of the world come Thanksgiving time and personally never having had the pleasure of dining on such a thing, I had some incentive to give it a try or at least a whisper of the real thing.

From what I understand, the original casserole was created in 1955 by the makers of Campbell's soup so it comes as no surprise it contains cream of mushroom soup, green beans, a little milk, a touch of salty soy sauce and a lot of french fried onion rings. I figured I could do that but then again maybe not.

Instead picture if you will, crispy bacon nestled among lightly steamed curly kale in a casserole topped by golden fried mushrooms sauteed with garlic and napped in dry sherry, all smothered in a creamy bechamel like sauce. Topped with shredded swiss cheese, a dusting of parmesan and a blanket of canned fried onions then baked to a rich bubbling golden brown wouldn't you say it makes the original casserole sound a bit like an evil twin? Yeah, we thought so too.

Creamy Kale, Baccon & Mushroom Casserole from JBug’s Kitchen Antics inspired by foodnetwork.com

8 cups coarsely chopped kale

3 slices bacon, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned and quartered

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons instant blending flour (Wondra)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup dry sherry

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Canned fried onions

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a medium sized casserole or gratin dish with butter and set aside. Cook kale in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain well and place in prepared casserole. Heat a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove from pan and sprinkle on top of kale. Add butter to the bacon drippings in sauté pan and when butter has melted, add mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms are golden brown. Sprinkle with instant blending flour, garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg and continue to cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Add sherry to the pan and stir to combine with mushrooms, and then add chicken stock and cream. Heat until thickened. Pour over kale and bacon in casserole. Top with cheese and sprinkle with canned fried onions. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until bubbling and golden.  Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

A year ago - Lamb Ragu on Gnocchi

Two year's ago - Beef and Pepper Panini Sandwiches

Three year's ago - Orange Chicken

Stuffed Squash

We picked up a rather large squash  marked "Danish" during our weekend shopping trip but it looked like an acorn to me. Who was I to know they're one and the same but I guess I do now. Isn't the internet a wonderful thing?

Anyway, it was the perfect size for stuffing so that's what I did following an Alton Brown recipe from foodnetwork.com. Loaded with ground pork, onion, celery and carrot along with cooked rice and chopped spinach too, the stuffing's rather like a meal on it's own. I followed his recipe almost to the letter but added more ground pork along with garlic to the mix, as well as a lot more dried oregano than called for. Oh, I substituted almonds for the pine nuts - have you seen the price of those little nubbins? 

It's a pretty good recipe that received rave reviews online but I wish I'd followed my instincts and roasted the squash before adding the stuffing because the flavor and texture would have been better. In my humble opinion, it's good but not great.

I've over half of the stuffing left and plan to fill a bunch of multi colored mini sweet peppers and bake them in a spicy creamy sauce so we'll see how that goes. You can be sure I'll let you know all about it in the near future.

Hit the link here and it'll take you directly to Alton's recipe. I'll re-post my revisions when I've done it all again.

 A year ago - Buttermilk Peach Pudding

A year ago - Italian Style Meat Sauce with Polenta

Two year's ago - Pork, Pork and Prunes

 

 

Chunky Cauliflower Soup

I took a lesson from Pioneer Woman last night and cooked up this fabulous fall like soup for dinner because it really seemed like a soup kinda' night. I love our cool autumn days and dinners by the fireplace.

Of course it wouldn't be a JBug effort if the cook didn't make changes to the recipe. I added potatoes and ramped up the onion, carrot and celery too, threw in some cayenne pepper for added kick, and changed the method somewhat too. I did not make a bechamel like Ree did, but merely put flour, milk and an ice cube in a plastic container with a fitted lid and shook the heck out of it before adding it to the cooked veggies and chicken stock. Hey, I'm kinda' lazy that way.

What makes this cauliflower soup unusual is the chunky texture because there isn't an immersion blender in site never mind there's the addition of sour cream. Its tart creaminess adds a definite richness to each spoonful and a garnish of grated cheese had us both going back for an extra ladle or two.  

Big Guy's take on the dish - "it was good but I don't want to talk about the lack of meat and the sour cream - who would have ever thought". Next time I'll add a little bacon to the mix and that will take care of the resident carnivore, don't ya' think?

Chunky Cauliflower Soup from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from pioneerwoman.com

1/3 cup butter

1 large onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 large head cauliflower, roughly chopped

3 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 quart low sodium chicken stock

1 – 14 ounce can chicken stock

1 tablespoons chicken bouillon or 2 packages Swanson’s chicken flavor boost

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 ice cube

2 cups whole milk

1 cup half and half

1/2 cup sour cream or more as needed

Grated cheese as garnish

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook until vegetables soften. Add cauliflower, potatoes, salt, pepper and cayenne and stir well to incorporate. Add parsley, chicken stock and bouillon. Stir well, bring to a boil then lower heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until vegetables are cooked. In a small container with a tight fitting lid, combine flour, ice cube and 1 cup of milk. Fasten lid and shake container until mixture is well combined. Add to soup along with remaining 1 cup of milk and half and half. Heat until mixture is almost boiling and thickened. To serve, ladle into bowls. Top with a heaping tablespoon of sour cream and garnish with grated cheese. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

A year ago - " Turkey Leftovers - The Hot Brown Sandwich"

Two year's ago -  Ranch Potatoes

Three year's ago - Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

Root Vegetable Gratin

For all of you stuck in a rut when it comes to scalloped potatoes take a deep breath and yell "yahoo" because I do declare we've discovered something a hundred times better. Bet you didn't know it was possible, huh!

I tell you no lie. In fact when Big Guy took his first bite of this root vegetable gratin last night he declared I wasn't to make an ordinary potato gratin ever again. I knew I had to share it with you right away because it now holds a place of honor on Sunday's menu and some of my Canadian readers may want to take the hint and serve it next to their Thanksgiving bird as well.

Adapted from Epicurious.com, this dish combines parsnip, sweet potatoes and a lowly Idaho baker along with a touch of chicken stock and a fair bit of heavy cream. Spiced up with garlic and freshly grated nutmeg, I have to admit I left out the celery root because I'm not much of a fan. Oh I also cut the recipe roughly in half but wish I hadn't. I'd eat it for breakfast, lunch, supper and a bedtime snack if I could; in fact, Big Guy just caramelized leftovers in a frying pan and we had 'em along with our sausage and eggs a few minutes ago. Superlative!

If you're looking for something to make your socks go up and down, this would be it. Just remember a gratin needs to be made in a large shallow dish so don't be crowding it all into an 8 inch casserole or your gratin won't be a gratin. It will be more like soup. Just sayin'.  

Root Vegetable Gratin from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from epicurious.com

2 large parsnips

1 medium sweet potato

1 large Idaho (russet) potato

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream (and more as needed)

1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 12 inch gratin dish with cooking spray and set aside. Peel parsnips and cut into thirds. Slice lengthwise around the core in 1/8 inch slices. Discard core and place parsnips in a large bowl. Add salt, garlic, black pepper, nutmeg, chicken broth and heavy cream. Peel sweet potato and cut into 1/8 thin slices, adding to the bowl along with parsnip. Do likewise with the Idaho potato. Toss ingredients together to combine and move to the gratin dish. Level the top. Dot with butter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, adding extra cream if the casserole looks dry. Cover and keep warm until serving time. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

A year ago - Turkey and Pumpkin Enchilada Casserole

Two year's ago - Pumpkin PIe Creme Brulee

Three year's ago - Cider Brined Pork Chops with Apples and Creamed Leeks

Kinda' Different Stuffed Sweet Bell Peppers

There's a fox in the hen house as you can see. I had more beefy filling than four yellow peppers could handle so I threw in a red one to round out the casserole. A good thing too because I think we might be onto something. Striking aren't they?

The kitchen police might be mortified and shaking their heads over this one, but who says you have use only green bell peppers when you're craving the stuffed beauties? We happen to like the milder flavored less "burpy" yellow, orange or red ones than the usual old fashioned green. Combined with the fact there's oatmeal in the stuffing instead of rice never mind a creamy tomato sour cream sauce, and I'd have to say these beauties are definitely something different, wouldn't you? Deliciously different too!

Fair warning, they take a little more time to prep than the usual because the peppers are steamed briefly first and the filling partially cooked before it hits the sweet orbs but after all of that they take less than a half hour in the oven to cook. It is just time enough to set the table, make a salad and crack a bottle of wine. 

Next time you're craving stuffed peppers, give this version a try. It's one of Big Guy's favorites and adapted from one that his Mom made when he was a youngster so you know it's gotta be good, right? 

Super Stuffed Peppers adapted from a Big Guy Family Recipe

4 to 5 large peppers – yellow, orange, green or red or combination

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 egg

1 cup quick cooking oatmeal

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves

1/2 tsp. dried red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Sauce: 

1 14 oz. can tomato sauce (divided into 2)

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

Cut tops off peppers & remove seeds, being careful to leave the peppers in one piece. Set tops aside for later. Place peppers into one inch of salted water and simmer, covered for 10 minutes. Remove from water & cool.

Mix together ground beef, egg, raw oatmeal, onion and garlic, red pepepr flakes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and 3/4 cup of tomato sauce until well blended. Brown in a skillet until meat changes color and mixture is almost cooked through.   Stuff cooled peppers with meat mixture. Place top back on pepper. Place in baking dish with small amount of water in bottom and bake uncovered at 375 for 25 minutes.

Mix remaining tomato sauce with sour cream and dried Italian seasoning. Heat carefully – do not boil. Serve with peppers. 

Other stuffed pepper recipes for you to enjoy from JBug's Kitchen:

    

Chicken Stuffed Anaheims    Stuffed Green Chiles       Mediterranean Style

   
  
  with Tequila Shrimp     Turkey Stuffed Anaheims       Italian Stuffed Anaheims

 

Eggplant Stacks

I'm calling last night's dinner eggplant stacks although the honest truth is this new invention really isn't much more than just lowly leftovers. I dare you to say you don't like leftovers after you get a load of this one.

Remember the meatloaf we had the other night? It has fed us well the past couple of days with meatloaf sandwiches made from crunchy ciabatta and melted cheese but last night said same meatloaf morphed into the filling for crispy panko crusted and fried eggplant, smothered in marinara sauce. 

Kinda' cool, eh?

I simply sliced eggplant on the diagonal, salted it then sandwiched it between sheets of paper towel lined cutting boards and weighed it all down with the lid of my cast iron Dutch oven and let it sit for a half hour to get rid of some of the liquid in the veg. Then I dredged the eggplant slices in flour, then an egg wash spiced up with pepper and red chile pepper flakes and finally in panko before they hit a little hot oil in a saute pan. Cooked till crisp on both sides, I kept them warm in the oven while I put the rest of the "stacks" together.

Meatloaf slices hit the frying pan to crisp on both sides then received a topping of pepperjack cheese. I heated about a cup of marinara then put it all together - eggplant slice, meatloaf, drizzle of marinara, eggplant slice, meatloaf, marinara, eggplant slice ...you get the picture right?

End result...delicious! Here's the "man sized" version.

To fill you in on the progress on the house, the guys are almost but not quite finished with the cedar shake siding and the interior window trim. You see, there's something we "Wallyworld" newcomers have to learn.  Here on the coast things kinda' coast along and get done whenever they get done - could be today, could be tomorrow, could be next week ... It'll happen eventually and when it does, I'll be sure to post a photo. Promise!

A year ago - Chipotle Chicken Salad with Peaches and Walnuts

Two year's ago - Creamy Hominy Gratin

Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Mint

In case we need reminding, here's further proof that a picture is worth a thousand words. Is your mouth watering yet?

Another winner from Silver Palate's Goodtimes Cookbook, they call these beauties "Potatoes Fontecchio" but I'm here to tell it like I sees it. They're simply roasted potatoes slathered with good stuff and they are "divoon"!

I've made them for years, but then kind of forgot until yesterday; however, I'm not sure Big Guy will ever let me forget them again. A perfect accompaniment to roast chicken or as in our case, lovely little grilled lamb loin chops, you simply take gorgeous firm little red potatoes fresh from the garden, scrub them clean, then prick and roast 'em for a couple of hours. Fair warning though. If by chance you should forget to prick the little beauties, they'll explode in your oven ...honest, so for heaven's sake don't miss the step. I won't tell you how I know this but you can imagine, right?

When the potatoes leave the oven, cut those sweet little pillows of fluff in half, then coat with olive oil, lots of minced garlic and fresh mint as well as coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Let rest for a half hour so they can absorb all that yummy goodness, and stand guard over them with a wooden spoon to warn off any snitchers, then pile 'em on your plate and dig in.  You'll think you've died and gone to heaven. Oh, you might want to double the recipe while you're at it - I sure wish I had. 

Roasted Potatoes with Garlic and Mint from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from The Silver Palate Goodtimes Cookbook

1 pound small red new potatoes

2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Handful fresh mint leaves only – finely chopped

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Scrub potatoes and prick each one several times with the tip of a sharp knife. Place in a shallow roasting pan and roast for 2 hours. Remove from oven and cut each potato in half. Toss with garlic, oil, mint, salt and pepper. Let stand for 30 minutes to absorb the flavors before serving. Serves 3 or 4. 

A year ago - Fresh Corn and Avocado Salad

Two year's ago - Pasta with Cajun Shrimp and Andouille Alfredo Sauce

Parmesan Taters

Dinner last night was a rather traditional one for the 4th of July, especially since we'd celebrated with another tradition (ribs) the night before. Something quick and easy was the order of the day since we'd spent it mostly relaxing and I've been meaning to try this Guy Fieri recipe for a while, so there you go.

Simply tater tots coated in olive oil and baked till super crispy and finished with crushed garlic, freshly chopped parsley and yummy parmesan cheese, it's a great excuse for a side dish to go along with burgers. I'm not sure I'd make it again quite the same way however, because I'm not much of a fan of garlic in its raw state. I mean the second hand smell of it made Finnigan shake his head and paw at his face last night.

Anyway, I'm sending you all directly to the recipe's Food Network source so you be the judge. Thank goodness the burgers were superb topped with grilled onions and tons of melted blue cheese and although the potatoes weren't special, they were quite edible.

As for today, Big Guy's back from his clamming honey hole already (ya he left at 5:00 AM to take advantage of the minus tide). There's something wonderful heading our way for dinner tonight, fresh from the briney Alsea Bay so stay tuned for more bragging. TTFN

Two year's ago - Southwestern Pasta Salad

Creamed Corn with Jalapenos, Cheese and Bacon

According to my friend Lea, today is National Rib Day but we one-upped her and had them for dinner last night only because we're type A personalities and have to be on time (or early). Just kidding - it was a pure coincidence. I swear.

Speaking of being one-upped, our wonderful new home town one-upped everybody as well and celebrated Independance Day a day early - an incredible show is was too. Their fireworks display is set off on a spit directly across the Bay from our back yard, so we had incredible front row center seats without having to leave our property. It was amazing! Sorry, no photo's because we were simply gobsmacked by the whole thing. 

Anyway about dinner, I can't give you any hints about the St. Louis style side ribs Big Guy whipped up because he keeps it all a secret. All I know is that he puts a mysterious dry rub on them 24 hours before they hit the Weber and an hour later they're moist, tender and beautifully seasoned with a "kick ass" also secret barbecue sauce.

Fair warning though ...I can tell you about my contribution to the feast although my recollections may or may not be colored by a rather large Fuzzy Navel to say nothing of the hot buttered bourbon enjoyed while watching the fireworks....and you believed me when I said I was "gobsmacked"? Uh, ya!

Incredibly creamy subtley spiced and bacon enriched, I could have made this sidedish with fresh corn but the frugalist in me refused to pay the price they were asking so I made it from frozen corn instead. No matter though, because what it means is we can enjoy this creation 365 days a year which wouldn't be a bad idea in Big Guy's book. He loves the stuff. 

Creamed Corn with Jalapenos, Cheese & Bacon an original from JBug’s Kitchen Antics

3 slices bacon, cut into thin pieces

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large jalapeno pepper, seeds & membrane removed, chopped

3 cups frozen corn

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Mexican Cheese Mix)

Salt & course ground black pepper & hot sauce to taste

In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside leaving fat in pan. Add butter and when melted add onion and jalapeno. Saute over medium heat, stirring constantly until onion is transparent. Add corn and toss to coat then cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and cook another 2 minutes, stirring often. Add cream and cook until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Add shredded cheese, season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Serve immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

Two year's ago -  Chili with an OK Twist

Three year's ago - Chili Dogs, Fireworks and Hot Buttered Booze

Four year's ago - Tequila Shrimp in Tacos

Lazy Days of Summer

You're likely all thinking I've faded from the face of the earth but to tell the truth I just haven't been cooking much. That is all about to change because Big Guy's officially on his way to our new Oregon home and not a minute too soon I might add. Three and a half months without that man o' mine's about 3.5 months too long. 

It's a great time for him to be leaving the desert with highs today in Tucson forecast in the area of 115 and 125 in Parker, AZ but if all goes according to my deductions, as I write this he's already north of Parker and heading for Barstow. 

So what does one cook when it's hotter'n the hubs of hell? Well, bring out the fans, turn on the misting system and fire up the barby for one of our favorite treats - a bed of greens loaded with sweet onion and creamy mozzarella balls, topped with slices of perfectly cooked steak and piquant, garlicky chimi churri sauce. 

Oh, and while you've got that grill warmed up, how about roasting some veggies for a lovely pasta salad, loaded with roasted eggplant, peppers and jazzed up with shredded Asiago and and some crunchy pine nuts for a fabulously delicious, cool and meatless dinner. 

Are you craving something cool and sweet? Whip up an Orange Pushup Creamsicle Pie.
It's about as simple to make as you can get, loaded with cream cheese, instant pudding, orange gelatin and "Cool Whip", all piled high in a pre-made crumb crust, it can be frozen or simply refrigerated for a cool, refreshing oh so delicious treat for your tastebuds. 

So now that we have that out of the way, in case you're wondering what I'm planning to serve when Big Guy gets here tomorrow - that would be a stew of course; a nice comforting, stick to your ribs, soul warming, taste filled bowl of pure bliss. After all our forecast high of 73 is darn near 50 degrees cooler than what he'll be accustomed to. He's bound to be freezing, don't ya' think?

A year ago - Honeydew Salad with Chicken Paillards 

Two year's ago - Easy 5 Hour Stew

Deep Very Deep Dish Beef Pot Pie

My friend Sharron was over for dinner a while ago and I very wisely saved the leftover Five Hour Stew we had for dinner that night and hid it in the back of the freezer. 

Normally reserved as our annual first night's cookin' during our one month each summer of heavenly bliss on the Oregon coast, it's the kind of entree that's about to become a regular repeat on our menu now that we're living here full time. Notice I said "we" and "we" certainly will be a "we" once Big Guy gets back here for good in another six weeks. 

Anyway, he happens to love this dish as much as I do and he's a push over for a double crusted pot pie too (who isn't, right?) so earlier this week I used up the rest of the veggies left over from Monday night's dinner (minus the sauce and the peas, although peas would have been dynamite), added some sauteed mushrooms and the rest of the stew and put the whole thing in between layers of pastry in my favorite deep dish fluted pie pan with the removable bottom.

Now I'll admit to having a panic attack when it came time to take the sides off the pan to serve the pie, but the darn thing turned out absolutely perfect. About the only thing that could have made it better would have been a huge spoonful of horseradish on the side - but condiments are on short supply around here at the moment.

Next time you're making a stew and think you've got to eat the leftovers the same way as you did round one - think again! Believe me, whip up one of these beauties and you're sure to be voted the most popular cook in your kitchen. Just sayin'!

Incidentally, hit this link (or this one) and head on over to recipe for this fabulously easy full of flavor stew and put it on your menu as soon as you can. It's a winner. 

A year ago - Butter Chicken

Two year's ago - Lamb Vindaloo 

Three year's ago -  Grilled Eggplant Gratin

Entertaining? Go With What You Know!

When you're entertaining new friends and getting used to a totally different kitchen set-up, the best thing to do is to go with what you know. That's what we did last night.

Big Guy's spent the past few days unpacking his garage full of boxes and one of the first cartons he opened contained his trusty Weber charcoal grills (yup there's 2) and the accompanying rotisserie. A trip to Fred Meyer for some gorgeous fresh 5 pound chickens along with his special magic of combining fresh lemons and rosemary from our garden and the entree was under control.

Add a casserole of quick, fruit filled "cheater" stuffingwe've talked about before that makes great use of a loaf of frozen garlic bread along with cooked crumbled sausage, lovely crisp tart apples and a handfull of dried cranberries and you've the makin's of a special dinner. I changed the recipe up a bit by adding a little of the traditional sauteed onions and celery to the mix along with a little splash of white wine just because it seemed like a good idea along with some Jimmy Dean Sage sausage and a few extra cranberries. Hit the link above and it'll take you to the recipe. 

Small steamed veggies including little round white potatoes, perfect tiny carrots, a package of pearl onions and a few frozen peas all lined up pretty like in a casserole dish and covered in a smooth rich herb flavored bechamel sauce all helped fill the dinner plates quite nicely. After all, there's nothing quite like a little sauce on a plate is there?  Once again, we've had this little number before(HERE) but this time I used a smidge of dried Herbs de Provence instead of the fresh dill because I was too lazy to go down the hill to the store (silly me). The fresh dill is really the right way to go! 

A crisp green salad loaded with colorful sliced peppers, chopped onion and tomato wedges completed the menu - well almost.

Rhubarb's in season right now so I couldn't resist whipping up one of our favorite spring time pies - a combination of fresh strawberries and rhubarb along with a 12 ounce package of frozen raspberries makes for an amazing ruby colored taste of heavenly glory.  Next year I'll be making one (or several) from the strawberries and raspberries we've growing on our three quarters of an acre of heavenly coastal bliss; however, the rhubarb better grow in a hurry because try as I might, I couldn't find a plant anywhere on our property. That's gonna' change, for sure!

 

Rhuberry Pie

Pastry for 1 double crust pie

1 - 12 ounce pkg. frozen raspberries

1 cup strawberries, quartered

1-1/4 cup granulated sugar

3 Tablespoons quick cooking tapioca

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Few grains of salt

Combine above ingredients well and let sit for a minimum of  10 minutes to allow tapioca to soften.

Add & stir gently to combine

2 cups sliced rhubarb

1 teaspoon vanilla

---

1 Tablespoon butter

Line 10 inch pie plate with pastry. Fill with rhuberry filling, dot with butter. Cover with top pastry and decorate as desired. Place in a preheated 450 oven for 8 to 10 minutes, lower heat to 350 and bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until filling runs clear and is bubbling over top crust.

Cool for minimum 4 hours before slicing. Serve at room temperature.

Note – be sure to place a jelly roll pan under pie plate to catch any drips. 

A year ago - Crispy Cod

Two year's ago - Pork 'n Apple Sausage Rolls

Three year's ago - Buffalo Salmon

 

Beefed Up Mushroom Soup

I don't know about you, but I'm guilty of consistently doing things the same way because that's the way I've always done them. My mushroom soup's no exception until last night that is.

My favorite tried and true "man catcher" mushroom soup recipe's much the same as any other homemade versions in that while loaded with mushrooms and cream with a touch of sherry or marsala in it, the end result is rather light with a mild and comforting flavor. This new invention is absolutely without question bold and rich and hearty too.  While the other version's labelled "man catcher" because it's the first thing I ever cooked for Big Guy after we met, I'd say this one's the "man keeper" because he was groaning and grinning ear to ear. 

It starts with chopped onions and pancetta cooked in butter until the onions are golden brown. Then a mix of white button and crimini mushrooms hit the pot to get happy along with minced garlic. I sliced the white button mushrooms and quartered the crimini so we could enjoy the difference in texture when they cooked down. Once the mushrooms were nicely colored, I added flour to make a roux, followed by a really good glug or two of dry marsala wine to help get all the good fond off the bottom of the pot. A pinch or two of sage, salt and pepper and a quart of beef stock enriched with a package of beef stock concentrate (Flavor Boost) almost completed the pot of gloriousness. 

I let it all simmer covered for 20 minutes to tease our tastebuds with the aroma and finished the pot with a half cup of heavy cream just before serving. The result is a bowl of incredible flavor reminiscent of a really rich French Onion broth with the added earthiness of mushrooms - somewhat akin to the tastiest stroganoff you've ever had. Am I making any sense? Well OK - then just try it will ya'. I think you're going to love it like we did. 

Beefed Up Mushroom Soup (an original from JBug’s Kitchen) 

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 ounces pancetta, chopped into quarter inch cubes

3 cups sliced white button mushrooms

3 cups quartered crimini mushrooms

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon dried crumbled sage

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2/3 cup dry marsala wine

1 quart good quality low sodium beef stock

1 package beef concentrate (I used Swanson’s Flavor Boost)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. When hot add onion and cook until onion is golden. Add pancetta and continue to cook until pancetta starts to crisp up. Add white and crimini mushrooms along with minced garlic and cook stirring occasionally until mushrooms have released any liquid and start to brown – about 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour onto mushroom mixture in pot and stir well to incorporate. Add sage, salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of the pot for 1 minute. Add marsala wine and stir well, continuing to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in beef stock and add beef concentrate. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in heavy cream just before serving and cook, stirring for another 30 seconds to bring up to temperature. Makes 4 to 6 servings.  

A year ago - Meat Lovers Pan Pizza 

Two year's ago - Braised Lamb with Bacon and Marsala

Three year's ago - Pork Carnitas 

Snow in the Desert and Soup on the Stove

When you live in the land of sun, scorpions and incessant heat you don't expect to endure a blizzard but Mother Nature sent us one yesterday. Quite honestly, I thought I was back in Alberta there for a minute because it was the kind of snowfall common in Calgary during the spring - you know, big wet flakes and a strong wind.

The view of our world this morning with the sun coming up over a snow covered Tucson.

 

Ian Tyson, our favorite cowboy songwriter sings of "Springtime in Alberta ..."warm sunny days and the sky so blue; then without a warning another winter storm comes raging through" and that kinda' sums up what yesterday's storm looked like. 

Anyway, I digress. It was the only excuse I needed to put a pot of soup on the stove and an Apple Pandowdy in the oven. A rather interesting twist on French Onion Soup from Fine Cooking, this Onion And Ale Soup with Blue Cheese Croutons is all about the onion but the thing that takes it over the top's the gorgonzola melted over sourdough croutons. Actually in my opinion, it's the only thing going for it.

I know I'm a hard nut to crack, but I'll admit to being disappointed over the soup itself. It is definitely a purists kind of onion soup with yellow onions caramelized to a dark amber color before the pan's deglazed with a mere half cup of ale, followed by a mix of chicken and beef stock. Other than salt and pepper and a rather insignificant amount of beer, there's no other seasoning in this one so if your pantry is depleted of herbs and spices, this'll be the one you want to make.

Personally, I like my onion soup jazzed up with a little thyme, a smidge of garlic, some good bacon, red wine and a rich beef stock instead of chicken, but that's just me. I will however concede that the croutons are magnificent - crunchy golden orbs of cheese covered sourdough and I can't wait to try them the next time I make my favorite onion soup recipe.  Cutting the bread in cubes and melting the cheese on them before they hit the soup bowl is a heck of a lot easier to eat never mind you don't have to burn yourself putting the bowls under the broiler to melt the cheese.

That I will definitely do again, but the soup -- meh! Hit the link above and head to finecooking.com for the recipe. The only change I made was that I used a few tablespoons of butter in the pan instead of olive oil to get the onions started. 

A year ago - Red Beans and Rice

Two year's ago - Broccoli Gratin 

 

Corn Chowder with a Kick

There isn't a rule that says you can't kick something up a notch by adding green chile or jalapeno and corn chowder's no exception. It takes very nicely to a little spicy heat. 

A repeat of the chowder we made way back in April 2009, instead of Anaheim peppers in last night's edition, I used a rather large and quite spicy jalapeno instead. Combined with celery, onion, yellow pepper instead of red, cubed potatoes and a package of frozen corn, we were well on our way to an exceptionally good chowder. A quart of good low sodium chicken stock, a couple of packages of Trader Joe's version of Swanson's Flavor boost, and a large can of evaporated skim milk completed the pot.

Garnished with the tail end of a block of Velveeta, this corny sweet spicy heated bacon flavored rich and creamy chowder made our tastebuds sing. Of course a little more hot sauce and the usual "pink mountain" Friday night libations didn't hurt either. 

Corn Chowder  (from JBug's Kitchen adapted from Sable & Rosenfeld, Elegant Entertaining) 

1 - 16 ounce package frozen yellow or white corn

1/4 lb. bacon, chopped

2 Tablespoons sweet butter

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely chopped

1/2 red or yellow sweet bell pepper, finely chopped

2 large red potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups chicken stock

1/3 cup flour

Salt & freshly ground pepper

2 envelopes liquid chicken flavored concentrate (like Swanson's Flavor Boost)

1 large can evaporated skim milk

Extra whole milk, water or stock if needed

4 ounces Velveeta, cut into cubes

Defrost corn and set aside. In large pan, cook bacon on medium low until fat renders and bacon is slightly crisp. Increase heat and add butter to pan. Add celery, onion, potato, jalapeno and bell peppers and sauté until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn kernels. Cook another 3 minutes. Add stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until corn and potatoes are tender. Season well with salt and pepper and add "flavor boost" concentrate. Combine flour with evaporated milk and whisk until smooth. Gradually pour into chowder, stirring until mixture thickens and bubbles. (Add more milk, stock or water if you prefer a thinner soup). Stir in half the Velveeta. Remove pot from heat, cover and let sit for a few minutes until cheese has melted. Garnish servings with remaining cheese and hot sauce if you dare. Serves 6 to 8. 

A year ago - Pork Tenderloin with Red and Yellow Peppers

Two year's ago - Ham Tetrazzini

Three year's ago - Clam's Casino in a Casserole

Pasta with Roasted Eggplant, Ricotta and Italian Sausage

We came across some miniature eggplant at our local market the other day that were priced 10 for a dollar and we couldn't pass them up. Not only were they glowing like ameythst jewels, they're cute as a button too plus try and name one other thing can you get for a dime each in this day and age. Unbelievable huh?

I pictured using them in all kinds of different ways including but not limited to Moussaka which we haven't had on the menu for a while, or Ratatouille either for that matter but somehow after some pretty rich dishes on our holiday menu, it seemed like a good idea to have something a little more simple.  Pasta always comes to mind when I'm thinking "simple".

Inspired by recipes from epicurious, myrecipes.com and a favorite Biba cookbook too, we kinda' winged it and started by roasting our ten little mini eggplants in a hot oven while the "sauce" was put together including onion, garlic, multi colored heirloom cherry tomatoes, a roasted red pepper rescued from the freezer and some white wine. Two hot Italian sausage links and one Sicilian style link cooked in another pan while the pasta cooked in another pot, then we put the whole thing together - hey, I didn't say it was a one pot dinner, now did I?  Lucky for me it's my birthday week and Big Guy did the cleaning up!

Finished with dabs of ricotta cheese, chopped fresh basil, a dusting of parmesan and a drizzle of balsamic, the whole thing tasted like a garden fresh sunny summer day kinda' meal - the kind we all crave during this time of year - rich, velevety roasted eggplant in a light fresh tomato sauce with creamy ricotta and the bite of spicy sausage with summery peppery basil - uh yum!

Pasta with Roasted Eggplant, Ricotta and Italian Sausage (an original from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by epicurious.com, myrecipes.com and Biba)

10 miniature eggplant, cut in half

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

1/2 pound assorted heirloom cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

2/3 cup white wine, divided

3 hot Italian sausage links (1 pound)

8 ounces pasta (I used penne) cooked per package direction

1/2 cup ricotta

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Preheat oven to 450. Drizzle eggplant with olive oil and toss to coat well. Place onto a sheet pan with cut sides up and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes until golden brown in color and cooked through (may have to finish them under the broiler to get color on them – that’s what I did).

Remove from oven and set aside. Meanwhile, cook pasta.

Drizzle a sauté pan with olive oil and place over medium high heat. Add sausage links and cook until browned on both sides, then add 1/3 cup white wine, cover pan and cook slowly for 12 to 14 minutes until sausage is cooked through. Reserve pan juices, but remove sausage from pan and cut on the diagonal into slices.

In another sauté pan heat a drizzle of olive oil until shimmering, then add onion and cook until onion starts to soften. Add garlic and cook additional 30 seconds, then add roasted red pepper, cherry tomatoes, Italian seasoning and white wine. Cook, tossing occasionally until tomatoes give up their juices and start to soften. Stir in cooked pasta along with reserved juice from sausages and toss to coat well. Add spoonful’s of ricotta cheese and Italian sausage slices. Cover pot and cook until cheese has melted and mixture is hot. Toss with roasted eggplant, drizzle with balsamic and garnish with fresh basil. Pass the parmesan. Serves 4 to 6.

A year ago - Leftover Prime Rib Roast in a Beef Pot Pie with Sherry Gravy

Two year's ago - Savory Croissant Breakfast Bread Pudding

Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin

If your significant other's anything like my Big Guy, there's a very good chance he's out doing his Christmas shopping today. You might want to have him stop at the grocery store to pick up some brussels sprouts, provided they're not already on tomorrow's menu.

Another gem from the Oregonian Cookbook, Best Recipes from FoodDay, these sprouts are roasted first, then sprinkled with crispy bacon and smothered in heavy cream. They hit the oven briefly before they're topped in a mixture of bread crumbs (I used panko), grated cheese (Madrigal in my case) and melted butter before toasting under the broiler for a few minutes. Hit the link and you'll find the original recipe fresh from the Oregonian; however, I've listed my version below.

The result's something that will make a non sprout lover a definite fan - sweet, mild bacon flavored sprouts in a creamy sauce with a crunchy topping, they're enough to make a person beg for more. They darn near eclipsed the perfectly grilled ribeye we had last night never mind the roasted smashed potatoes... and you all know how Big Guy loves his steak and I love me my 'taters.

Give 'em a try and I think you'll agree, they're a definite keeper. 

Creamy Brussels Sprouts Gratin (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from The Oregonian Cookbook)

3 slices diced bacon

1 pound Brussels Sprouts

1 tablespoon melted butter

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup freshly grated Swiss or gruyere cheese (I used French Madrigal)

1/2 cup Panko crumbs

2 tablespoons reserved bacon drippings

Preheat oven to 425. Cook bacon until crisp. Move to a paper towel lined plate and reserve drippings. Clean sprouts and cut in half. Place in a casserole dish that has been coated with cooking spray. Season sprouts with salt and pepper and toss with melted butter. Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until tender crisp and just starting to brown in spots. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with bacon. Drizzle with heavy cream and return to oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until cream has reduced slightly. Meanwhile combine grated cheese, panko crumbs, and bacon drippings. Sprinkle on top of casserole and place under broiler, watching carefully until crumbs are golden brown. Makes 3 to 4 servings. 

A year ago - Cranberry Turkey Meatballs with Potato Latkes

Two year's ago - Baked Pasta with Eggplant Sauce

Panko Crusted Thin Cut Pork Chops with Gratineed Mustard Creamed Onions

You know those little thin cut bone in pork chops that people have no idea what to do with other than slap 'em on a breakfast plate? Well, here's the thing. They're perfect for busy people because they take mere minutes to cook and quite honestly, last night's version was darn near perfection. OK - it was perfection.

Adapted from a post on the blog "The Hungry Mouse", unfortunately Jessie neglected to name her source so I've no idea, but I will say we've done a take on this method before using egg and Dijon mustard with panko to create a fabulous crust on chicken paillards or even Japanese style pork katsu made simply with an egg wash and panko.

This time there's buttermilk, garlic powder and dried parsley in the wash, although I used Herbs de Provence instead. I also couldn't pass up the opporutnity to add a heaping tablespoon of Dijon to the mix for additional flavor. I marinated the chops in the mixture for approximately half an hour in the refrigerator before coating them with panko. They sat for 15 minutes so the coating had a chance to set before they hit a hot cast iron pan.

Fried in a small amount of oil for a scant 4 minutes total, they're golden brown, crisp , incredibly tender and particularly delicious topped with a drizzle of homemade sweet mustard.

To top off our plates, I served the leftovers from our Thanksgiving side dish of Gratineed Mustard Creamed Onions. From Gourmet via epicurious.com, this recipe really is the ultimate, although I'll admit I used Trader Joe's frozen pearl onions instead of going through the agony of peeling a bunch of 'em myself. I also cut the onion quantity in half (used just 1 package), but made the whole recipe of the sauce because we're kinda' saucy people if you know what I mean.

While we enjoyed them on Thanksgiving, they tasted a whole let better last night because I put them back into a buttered casserole dish, shaved big pieces of parmesan on top and baked 'em in a 400 oven for 30 minutes to reheat and get all browned on top. As you can see, it was mighty successful.

Panko Crusted Thin Cut Pork Chops (from JBug’s Kitchen, adapted from thehungrymouse.com)

6 to 8 thin cut pork chops, bone

2 eggs

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

Coarse ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 cup Panko crumbs or more if required

Vegetable oil

Beat eggs with buttermilk, garlic powder, salt, pepper, Herbs de Province, and mustard until well combined. Place pork chops into a zip bag and pour in the egg wash. Allow to sit in refrigerator for a minimum half hour before continuing.

Remove chops from zip bag leaving as much liquid on them as possible. Coat chops on both sides with panko crumbs, patting down so crumbs adhere. Place on a wire rack over a sheet pan and allow to sit for 15 minutes to set coating before continuing.

Place enough oil into a heavy skillet to just cover the bottom and heat over medium high until shimmering. Fry pork chops on both sides for 2 minutes a side until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Serves 4. 

 

Gratineed Mustard Creamed Onions (from JBug’s Kitchen, adapted from Gourmet via epicurious.com)

1 pound frozen pearl onions, defrosted & drained of any liquid

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

1-1/2 cups milk

3 tablespoons cream Sherry (I used Harvey’s Bristol Cream)

1 tablespoon grainy mustard

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Salt & pepper as required

1/2 cup grated or shaved parmesan cheese

Spray a shallow casserole or gratin dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400. In a small pot melt butter and when hot whisk in flour. Cook whisking constantly for 2 minutes. Heat milk in microwave until hot but not boiling. Whisk into flour mixture and cook, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Add pearl onions, sherry, mustards and nutmeg. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as required. Return mixture to a boil, and then transfer to prepared gratin dish. Top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 for 30 to 40 minutes or until onions are cooked through and top is golden brown and bubbling. Serves 4 to 6.

 A year ago - Double Chocolate Zucchini Spice Muffins

 

Ham and Bean Soup

First off I must apologize for missing a post yesterday. That old man Murphy with his law and Father Time were having a field day plotting and scheming and the result was "one of those days". Thank you all for your patience.

When your day is filled with impossibilities, one of the best things you can do other than make dinner reservations is to put a pot of soup on the stove and just forget about it. I don't know about you, but I don't necessarily need to follow a recipe when I'm making a pot of soup although in this case because it made use of a package of assorted dried beans along with some barley (Trader Joe's of course), the beans needed a little special treatment before they hit the pot. Since I forgot to soak them overnight, I did the quick soak treatment instead by boiling the lot in a big pot of water for a full 2 minutes, then allowing them to sit for a couple of hours before completing the soup. 

After the beans were plumped up, I sauteed some onion and garlic in a big soup pot, then added a host of veggies like carrot, celery, green and red pepper as well as canned tomatoes and tomato paste along with veggie stock and the ham bone from Sunday's dinner. It all simmered, bubbled and gurgled on the stove for the balance of the afternoon until I hit the pot with a couple of handfuls of dried pasta to beef it up, so to speak.

Next time you're looking for a low maintenance kind of meal, think about putting a pot of soup on the stove ...or heaven forbid, in the slow cooker.  Who just said that? Musta' been that darned old Murphy. 

Ham and Bean Soup (from JBug’s Kitchen, inspired by Purity Cookbook)

1 package dried bean mix (I used Trader Joe’s 17 bean plus barley mix)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 bay leaf

1 -28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

1 quart veggie or low sodium chicken stock

2 cups water or more as needed to fill pot

3 ounces tomato paste

1 large meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks

1 cup dried pasta (any large pasta will do)

Shredded cheese for garnish

Pre-soak beans according to package directions. Rinse and drain well. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot until shimmering. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions start to soften – about 4 or 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery, red and green pepper and sauté for another 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in Italian seasoning, oregano, pepper, salt, red pepper flakes and bay leaf. Add canned tomatoes and ham bone, and then add stock and water as needed to fill pot within 2 inches of top. Stir in tomato paste, bring pot to a boil, then lower heat, cover pot and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, until beans are soft. Fifteen minutes before serving, add dried pasta to the pot. Simmer until pasta is cooked and soup has thickened to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Remove bay leaf. Ladle into bowls and garnish with shredded cheese.  Makes 8 to 10 servings. (Freezes well)

A year ago - Dairy Free Rich Chocolate Mousse

Two year's ago - Potato Gratin