Pear puff pastry delight

Want a very easy dessert idea? Here's one for you!

One 15 oz can of pear halves, drained.
1 half package of frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into 6 rectangles
cinnamon/sugar
melted butter

~preheat oven to 375 degrees.
~spray cookie sheet with oil.
~place 6 rectangles on sheet with space between them.
~brush with melted butter, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon/sugar.
~cut each pear into 5 slices, leaving them attached at top of pear, place on pastry and fan out.
~sprinkle with more cinnamon/sugar.
~bake for 20 minutes.
Six servings. 230 calories per serving.

Serve with whipped cream.

Chocolate Cake

Here is a recipe for a delicious chocolate cake that I have used for many years. I originally got it from my sister, who would make this for her daughter who had milk allergies. It is very simple to make and it is egg-less, butter-less, milk-free and completely yummy!

1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons (good)cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 cup cold water

~Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 9 inch round cake pan.
~Sift dry ingredients.
~Add oil, vanilla, vinegar.
~Pour cold water over all and mix well.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.
280 calories per serving, eight servings.

I like to dust this cake with powdered sugar to keep the calorie count low...you can also glaze it or frost it.
Double to make a two layer cake.

Look how black with chocolate it is!! It tastes as rich as it looks! Imagine this with a rich white icing....oh ya.

Fail

Last night, I made a turkey breast with stuffing, gravy and roasted squash...Sounds good, right? It was a total fail. The turkey was flavor-less, the gravy was lumpy; which made the stuffing awful, and the squash was undercooked.

It was one of those meals that we just ate, just to have something to fill up on. Nothing impressive.

So, the point here is, sometimes things just don't go right in the kitchen! All the experience in the world doesn't cook a perfect meal every time!

The good news is that there is always another meal to prepare! So, another chance to make it good.

Here's to second chances!

p.s. The other good news is that I made a yummy new dessert that almost made up for the "lead balloon" dinner I served!

Taste of Summer

Sliced zucchini in greased baking dish:


Brush with olive oil:


Layer with thin sliced sweet onion, season with italian seasonings, salt and pepper:


Top layer, thin sliced tomato:


Cover with 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (or if using freshly made bread crumbs, season again:


Bake in 375 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until tender:


Versatile roll recipe (found Here)used for hamburger rolls:


Taste of summer on a plate:

Barbecued Chicken in the crockpot and Oven Roasted Root Vegetables

I love to roast root vegetables. Tonight I cut up white potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions into the same size chunks. I put them in a gallon bag and added about 1/4cup vegetable oil. Then just seal the bag and coat them thoroughly. Put them into the bottom of the broiler pan that has been sprayed with oil. Season with garlic powder, onion powder and sea salt. (or any other seasonings you might like...some like a bit of spice...you could use chili powder, for instance)
Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes or until soft. Turn up heat to 375 degrees in the end for 15 or so minutes to crisp up a bit. You can also add softer vegetables in the last 30 minutes, too. (zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, peppers, apples, etc....)


AND, I tried a new recipe today! I had bought chicken thighs, which I don't usually buy....and put them in the crockpot. I drizzled them with barbecue sauce and cooked them on low for 6 hours. Afterwards, I put them on a greased baking sheet in the oven with the root vegetables for about 10 minutes to crisp up the skins...Oh so good!! Ordinary chicken thighs turned into extra-ordinary yummy-ness! The whole family ooh-ed and aah-ed over the way the meat fell off the bones! (I know I used WAY too many exclamation points, but I just couldn't help it! This meal was delectable!!)





I'm hoping to post some scrumptious desserts soon...

Meat and Potatoes...gotta have 'em!

A comfort food for sure! I serve my meatloaf with mushroom gravy. So yummy on the mashed potatoes!

1 Cup sliced mushrooms
4 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons flour
2 Cups beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

~Melt butter in large saucepan; add mushrooms and flour. Cook for one minute.
~Slowly add broth, stirring constantly. Thicken and bring to boil. Boil for one minute. Add seasonings.

Banana muffins

I don't know about you, but in this house, we have times where the bananas get brown pretty fast and nobody wants to eat them like that. So, either I peel them and freeze them three to a bag for future use, or I make my muffin/cake recipe. And cake and muffins NEVER last long in this house!



BANANA MUFFINS/CAKE (190 calories per muffin)

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large ripe bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup oil

~Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

~In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.

~In a smaller bowl, combine bananas, sugar, egg and oil.

~Stir banana mixture into flour mixture. Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 cup full. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately.

*A richer version features the following brown sugar topping added before you bake muffins.
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon butter
~combine first three topping ingredients; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins and bake.

*You can also bake in a greased 13X9 baking dish and glaze or frost with vanilla icing. YUM. (try adding some chocolate chips to batter...)

Pork Pie recipe

Here is the recipe for my pork pie. I don't think it was clearly stated in the video, so I will post it here for easier reference.

Pork Pie

1 stick butter
1 onion minced
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk or cream (depending on how rich you want it to be)
3 cups cooked, finely chopped pork
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped small
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
1 double crust recipe for pie crust. (found HERE )


~Melt butter in a large pan and add onion; cook, stirring often, until onion is soft. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to blend, cooking over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly; cook continuing to stir, until the sauce is thick and smooth.
~Add the pork, apple, lemon juice and rosemary. Stir to blend and heat through. (low heat)
~Pour into a 13x9 baking dish.
~Prepare pie crust, rolling out in one piece to cover baking dish. Prick with fork.
~Bake at 425 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Great for lunch leftovers the next day! Heat slowly on medium temp in microwave oven.

Confessions of an amateur chef:

I am not a professional cook. I barely know any cooking terminology. I have to admit that most of my success has been because of trial and error. For 22+ years I have been learning how to cook. The dishes that have stayed in my file are the ones that I have gotten good at. Those are the ones that I have tweaked and perfected to the point that, somehow, I appear to know what I'm doing! I really don't!! I have some knowledge and understanding about cooking, but when I browse around online, I am embarrassed at how little I know! Seriously, I didn't know what a sous chef was until I saw it in a movie! But that's okay...I'm the executive chef in my kitchen!!

So, the skills I have in the kitchen are very limited, but I am always learning something new and always adding new ideas to my collection. One thing I have learned recently is that ALL leftovers can be used! I try not to waste anything, as it is very expensive to feed a family of six. You will see me use one cut of meat for two meals, at the very least. For instance, Pot Roast leftovers can be turned into a very rich hash, that when served with biscuits and a salad is a very satisfying meal that my family loves.

The following pictures are of tonight's meal. I had 3 pieces of lunchmeat left...not enough for all the kids to have sandwiches...so, I used them to make my version of a stromboli. (cold cuts rolled up inside pizza dough)

Also, remember the Chicken Cacciatori I had last night for dinner? Well, there was a bit left, but not enough for a meal...so, I took the rest of it and used it on my pizza. You can see from the last picture that it was a success. (actually, the pizza with the most on it is usually the favorite one in this house.)







Remember, I'm just another amateur chef...it's my family who makes me feel like I'm a successful restaurant owner!

Cookbook labels

I have just cataloged all of my recipes for easier reference. On the sidebar, you will find my "cookbook" with labels of all the recipes I have previously posted. I hope this will make it more simple to find what you are looking for. The labels are pretty basic (bread, beef, chicken, etc), so if you are looking for something specific, you might have to browse a bit...but at least it will bring you to basically the right place!

Happy Friday!

Success!

DINNER~CHICKEN CACCIATORI (a new family fav. I will be making this one again very soon!)

In slow cooker, layer 3 sliced onions, 4 skinned chicken thighs, 2 skinned chicken breasts, 5 cloves chopped garlic, 1 28oz can chopped plum tomatoes, 1/2 cup white wine or chicken broth. Cook on low for 6 hours.



At the end of the cooking time, add 20-25 roughly chopped pitted kalamata olives and one Tablespoon dried basil. (or a bunch of fresh basil, roughly chopped)


Serve with vermicelli. The flavors are fantastic!


DESSERT~MARTHA WASHINGTON CAKE

Make Dinette cake recipe. (Recipe follows) Slice into two layers with a long bread knife.



Place on serving platter, spread 1/2 cup of strawberry or seedless raspberry jam over bottom half.


Replace top half.


Glaze with any simple vanilla glaze.


Enjoy! (TacCom's favorite dessert!)



Dinette Cake

1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup softened butter
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a one round 8 inch cake pan. Mix all ingredients together until very smooth. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack. Follow above directions to assemble Martha Washington Cake.

Court Bouillon and Salmon Pie

To poach salmon fillet, first you should make Court bouillon. Court bouillon is a flavored liquid for poaching or quick-cooking foods. It is basically chicken broth or white wine, onions, celery, a few herbs, and some salt and peppercorns...all brought to a boil and then simmered for 8 or 10 minutes.


Strain the bouillon into a large skillet and bring to a simmer.


Add Salmon, poach for 10 minutes. Cool.


Boil 4 medium potatoes and use them to make mashed potatoes.

Saute' one finely chopped onion in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil until soft...add 1 Tablespoon minced garlic to onion.


Mix onion mixture with flaked salmon and mashed potatoes. Spread in 13x9 baking dish.


Cover with pie crust, bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.



Fulone family review:
~Enjoyed it, but not as much as chicken pot pie...crust is phenomenal. (TacCom)
~Yummy, but like salmon grilled better. (Mom)
~Tasty, but a bit of a dry consistency. (Melody)
~Pretty good, but not as good as pork pie. (Olivia)
~I loved it, but it was filling because of the mashed potatoes. (Paulie)
~Um, I loved it? (Wynne)

I would recommend a bechamel sauce (which is basically a white sauce)to serve on top...it might take the dryness away and make it even more rich!

A few of my favorite things:

My antiquated version of Fanny Farmer cookbook that my mom gave me when I got married. (okay, I actually stole it from her...but I don't think she minded too much!) A few of the tools of my trade that I couldn't live without: a wire whisk, wooden spoon and rubber spatula. AND one of the prettiest aprons you'll ever see...this one created by my mom just for me a couple of years ago.

Beef Bourguignon

My shiny, new crockpot! Just the base model...that's all I need...something to slow cook my meal!


Beef Chuck stew meat. Put in a gallon ziploc bag with 1/2 cup flour to coat:


Fry 5 or 6 strips of bacon in a large skillet:


After bacon is crisp, use same skillet and bacon fat to sear beef in:


Tomato paste, Red wine and beef broth:


Everything goes in the pot. (ingredient list and recipe follow):


And we have been hovering over the pot all day long, waiting for the dinner hour:


Finally the cover comes off:


Fresh bread from the oven to accompany:


Our meal:


Look at that broth:


And we are satisfied...but Wynne can't get enough!



Beef Bourguignon

1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper
3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
6 strips cooked bacon
1 1/4 cups beef broth
2 cups red or Burgundy wine
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 bay leaf
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

~Fry bacon in large skillet.
~Coat beef in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Sear beef in same skillet bacon was cooked in.
~Place meat in slow cooker and add remaining ingredients.
~Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat is tender.

Serves 6-8

Leftover Chicken Idea:

We had a chicken dinner last night. Instead of the usual chicken pot pie, I have been making a tetrazzini dish that is most definitely considered to be a comfort food in this house.



Start with a small chopped onion:


A cup of sliced mushrooms:


Saute' together with 3 Tablespoons of butter until soft:


About a half pound of vermicelli, broken in half and cooked ahead:


Either make a white sauce or do what I did...use a 16oz jar of prepared alfredo sauce:


Two kinds of cheese; cheddar, which is added to the white sauce:


And mozzerella, which is sprinkled on top before baking:


Right out of the oven:



Chicken/Turkey Tetrazzini

8oz cooked vermicelli or thin spaghetti
2 cups cubed chicken or turkey
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small chopped onion
3 Tablespoons butter
2 cups of white sauce or 1 16oz jar prepared alfredo sauce
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/8 teaspoon ground mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

~Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well and place in a greased 11x7inch baking dish. Top with turkey/chicken and set aside.
~In a large skillet or saucepan, saute' mushrooms and onions in 3 Tablespoons butter until tender. Whisk in white sauce (or prepared alfredo sauce), milk, sage and ground mustard. Add cheddar cheese and stir until melted. Pour over turkey/chicken.
~Sprinkle with mozzerella cheese. Bake in 350degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

*Coming soon: Beef Bourguignon