This is a great dish to serve on a hot summer day, with the barbecue going, appetizers served and of course, cold beer or wine waiting on the sidelines.
- 3 cups thinly sliced onions
- 4 medium size tomatoes, peeled and sliced (about 2 lbs)
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
- 6 slices processed American cheese (yeah, I know), cut in half
- 1/2 cup Panko crumbs
- 3 tbsp. melted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
. Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole. In 1 inch of boiling water cook the onion, covered, for 10 minutes; drain.
Layer, in order, half of the tomatoes and onion. Sprinkle with half the salt, pepper and basil. Top with one half of the cheese. Repeat the layers.
Mix the Panko crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over the top of the dish.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender.
Serve with warm roasted garlic bread. Well, if you insist, along with the hamburgers, corn on the cob would be fantastic.
I love summers.
Mushrooms in Sour Cream
I have to tell a little secret…I love mushrooms any way – cooked, raw, sauteed, stuffed…it doesn ‘t matter. You should try this one as it is a real winner.
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 1/2 lb. fresh white mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. paprika
- pinch of pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 1/4 cup sour cream
Melt the butter in a skillet and saute the onion until golden. Add the mushrooms and 1/2 cup water. Simmer, covered until mushrooms are tender (about 15 minutes). You might have to add a bit of more water.
Add the salt, pepper, paprika, 2 tbsp. chopped parsley and sour cream. Heat very slowly (do not let this boil or the cream will separate) until hot through all.
Before bringing to the table, sprinkle with the remaining parsley.
Green Beans With Shitake Mushrooms
The secret to this humble bean is to blanche it ahead of time and chill. When ready to serve, saute it quickly.
- 1 lb. green beans, trimmed
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts, sliced
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. avocado oil
- 4 oz. shitake mushrooms, stems removed, and caps sliced
- freshly ground pepper
- 1/4-1/3 cup white wine
Melt the butter and avocado oil together, add the hazelnuts, mushrooms, and wine and heat through. Add the beans and cook for another minute, to heat through. The beans should still be tender-crisp and keeping its vibrant colour.
The wine to accompany this would be a perfectly chilled Pinot Gris.
Who said vegetables had to be boring? Not me!
Braised Red Cabbage
This is a great complement for game or even holiday turkey.
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 cup, finely chopped red onion
- 1 large red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cloves
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup good red wine (full bodied)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegr
- 2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup grated apple
- 1/4 cup red currant jelly
Heat the butter in a heavy saucepan and saute the onions until softened (about 2 minutes). Add the cabbage and saute until coated with the oil. Add the bay leaf, cloves and allspice and season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the wine and vinegar and sprinkle in the brown sugar. Toss together and bring to a boil, stirring only occasionally.
Turn the heat to low, add the apples , over and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If you need to, add water to prevent sticking. Add the jelly and cook a further 20 minutes covered.
Taste and adjust the seasonings if you need to.
Corn Oysters
You say…corn oysters? Yup! There isn ‘t an oyster or anything that could be attributed to an oyster in this recipe. It is the shape it takes when cooking.
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 2 cups freshly cut corn
- 1/8 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
- pinch each of salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tbsp. Crisco oil
In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry and set aside.
In another bowl, beat the yolks slightly, and add the corn, Worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper and mix well. Stir in the flour and baking powder and mix well. Fold in the egg whites carefully.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and drop the mixture by tablespoonfuls, cooking until it turns golden. Turn them over and repeat. This should take about 3 minutes per side. If you need to, add a little more oil.
Keep them hot while cooking the remaining batter. This makes 12 ‘oysters’. Makes a really nice side dish for any meal, especially barbecue
Potato Gnocchi
Gnocchi appears to be the latest ‘in’ food item. Homemade is great and you can change the ingredients and herbs for different, yet exciting flavours.
This recipe will serve 6-7 people
- 1 1/2 lbs. Russet potatoes scrubbed
- 1 cup flour (you might need more)
- 1 large egg yolk, beaten
- pinch of salt
- generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tbsp. good olive oil
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Pierce the potatoes in several places and bake until tender (about 1 hour).
Cool slightly and cut the potatoes in half, scooping out the flesh into a potato ricer. Rice the potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet and let cool.
Line another large baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Add the flour and toss to coat.
Form a well in the center and add the egg yolk, nutmeg and salt,. Stir this with a fork until evenly moistened. “It will look a little shaggy”.
Turn this out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it comes together, sprinkling with flour, very lightly, if it is sticky.
Form this dough into a ball and cut into 4 wedges.
Roll the dough between both hands and work surface to form a 3/4 inch thick rope. Cut each rope into 3/4 inch pieces and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Working in batches, cook the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling water until they rise to the surface. Continue to simmer until completely cooked through and tender (about 4 minutes).
Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. At this step, you can lightly saute until it just starts to turn golden OR just drizzle olive oil and toss to coat.
**You can add 1/2-3/4 cup of pure pumpkin puree and some sage for a different flavour and serve with roast chicken.
Sweet Potato Mash With Lime
I absolutely love the sweet potato and yam…between the USA and Canada, they appear to mean the opposite, so I will go by colour.
- 1 large sweet potato (white one)
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
- 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- pinch of salt
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prick potato all over and bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet until completely tender if poked with a knife. This normally takes 45-60 minutes.
Remove from oven and slice in half lengthwise to scoop out the flesh.
In a small bowl, mash until smooth and add the remaining ingredients
This would be awsome with roasted chicken or barbecued chicken, using the drippings to drizzle over the potato. If more than 2 people, simply add another sweet potato or two and increase the ingredients accordingly.
Yam and Russet Mashed Potatoes
Last night we had company for dinner and always wanting something a little different, I used yams (orange kind) and large russet potatoes. Try this….
- 2 medium-large yams
- 2 large russet potatoes
- 1 large egg
- several tbsp. butter
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup cream cheese
- generous splash of whipping cream (okay,I didn’t say this was diet food, did I?)
Peel and chop into 2 inch pieces both the yam and potatoes and put in a large pot with water. Cook until they are soft right through. Drain. Mash with a potato masher first. This way you don’t get lumps.
Transfer to bowl of mixer, beat until smooth and add the butter, cream cheese, whipping cream and sour cream and mix thoroughly.
Spoon into casserole bowl with lid. If not using right away, cover and put in fridge until dinner time. Add a dollop of butter on top of potatoes and before serving, put in oven of 325 degrees for about 30-40 minutes to heat through.
The colour, of course, is still orange, but the flavour is really scrumptuous.
We served this with freshly steamed asparagus and corn. We had roasted chickens as well.
When we put on dinners, we always plan ahead and prepare ahead as much as possible. This allows you, the host, to spend time with your guests and still be on top of things in the kitchen. Try it!
Yummy!
Brown Butter Carrots
My mother always said carrots were good for the eyesight. So, always wanting to help you, my reader for the moment, to retain good eyesight, this one’s for you.
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup shallots, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
- pinch of salt
- 6-7 fresh sage leaves, coarsely torn
- pinch of pepper
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
- bag of baby carrots, washed and cut in half, steamed
In a medium frypan, melt the butter and add the garlic, cooking until the butter becomes a nut-brown colour.
Stir in the shallots, and remaining ingredients except the carrots and cranberries.
When the sage leaves begin to wilt, add the carrots and cranberries, stirring to coat well.
Serve immediately with the rest of your entree.
All kidding aside, this is a tasty dish and even the kids would like it. The cranberries add a little sweet/tang that is pleasing to the palette. With the spices, it has a Mediterranean kick. Enjoy!
Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
There is nothing better, I swear, than a bowl of PERFECTLY mashed potatoes on the plate with gravy, steak or poultry. YUM!
- 4 1/2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes (best for mashed potatoes), peeled,
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 cup or more of whipping cream
- 1 1/4 cups of grated parmesan cheese
- Italian parsley – optional
Cut the potatoes in cubes and cook for about 20 minutes in a pot of boiling water. Drain well and put in potato ricer, then put potatoes in bowl of electric mixer, add the cream and cheese and mix well.
Add a pinch of salt and mix in. Taste…..okay, that’s enough! Leave some for the table.
If dining ‘family style’ add a few sprigs of italian parsley.
If plating in the kitchen, use your imagination and make it look really good. After all, we eat with our eyes first, then the stomach.
Potato Mushroom Bake Ahead
This recipe will serve 8 and could be made the day before the dinner.
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut lengthwise into 1/8†slices
- 1 tsp salt plus a pinch for the mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided (plus more if needed)
- 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced very thin
- 1 lb white button mushrooms
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Brush a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with olive oil. Arrange one third of the potatoes in the dish, slightly overlapping. Sprinkle with a little of the salt. Pour about one third of the whipping cream over the top and about one quarter of the cheese. Repeat layering as above three more times. Bake uncovered for about forty to forty-five minutes. Adding more cream, if necessary, to keep moist.
Slice mushrooms and toss with remaining oil and layer over the top of the potatoes, around the edges. Drizzle one quarter cup of cream over top of the mushrooms and one-quarter cup of cheese.
Continue to bake another twenty minutes until potato edges are golden.
To make ahead: Make as above. Cool one hour, then cover and place in fridge. Before serving, cut into serving portions, place on a cookie sheet, cover with foil and heat in a 350 degree oven for about fifteen to twenty minutes. For a fancier presentation, use large cookie cutters in any “cut” you want.
This is yummy, yummy, yummy.
Roasted Butternut Squash
Not everyone is a lover of squash, but this recipe is a super-duper winner! I absolutely loved this when I had it for the first time and I know you will too.
- 2 1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
- 1 tsp. savory
- generous pinch of salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1/3 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- 1/3 cup finely grated asiago cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Toss the squash with the cream, savory, salt and pepper in a 2 quart shallow baking dish. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes.
Stir in half the cheese and sprinkle the remainder on top. Roast uncovered until the squash is tender and just beginning to brown. This should take about 20 minutes.
Let stand about 5 minutes to allow the cream to thicken and serve with your favourite fish or chicken dinner. Actually, serving it at anytime with anything is good. This is fabulously delicious.