Carrie gave the ultimate compliment for my squash casserole (she said it was possibly the best she's ever eaten), so I thought I'd honor her by naming the dish after my first out-of-town friend to visit my house. Here's the recipe; so simple ... I would've never thought y'all would've been interested! I ate it at least 3 times a week growing up.
- Slice and boil the desired amount of squash (about 1 per person or so) in salted water until it's soft (20-30 minutes or so). Drain really well.
- Preheat oven to 350
- Pour squash into a casserole dish and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Stir in one beaten egg (which is why you have to let the squash cool ... so it won't scramble the egg!), a tiny splash of milk (just 1 Tablespoon or so), grated cheddar cheese, pepper, salt if it needs it, and some garlic powder. Mine was a little soggy (I guess I didn't drain well), so I added a small amount of crushed saltines to the mix to soak up the extra liquid.
- Top with a little more cheese and some crumbled saltine crackers. Dab the top with little pieces of butter.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or so, until the top has turned a golden brown. Serve immediately to super-cool houseguests who will shower you with compliments, whether they mean them or not. :)
That's it! Super simple, and tasty.
Showing posts with label Main Dishes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Main Dishes. Show all posts
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes & Pine Nuts
This is fast becoming a lunch favorite of mine because it is so . . . fast. And fresh. And relatively light (if you go easy on the olive oil) and healthy (if you use whole-wheat spaghetti). Kenton only likes it with meat in it (the one time I made it for him, I included beef strips usually reserved for stir-fry), so I consider this a girl meal. Fine by me.
- Course Salt & Ground Pepper, to taste
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced (when I reduce this recipe to one serving just for me, I just use a handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved; they're more flavorful, anyway)
- 1 Garlic Clove, minced (for one serving, I just go with a smaller clove. Can't get enough garlic.)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (for the measuring challenged like me, one-quarter of that is 1.5 tsp)
- 8 oz. angel-hair pasta
- 2 tablespoons Pine Nuts, toasted if desired
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, and oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Let stand at least 10 minutes.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain & return to pot. Add tomato mixture and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts.
Serves 4 / Prep time: 5 min / Total time: 15 min
From July/August '08 issue of Everyday Food Magazine
Rebecca's notes: As you can see, this recipe pretty easily makes one serving at a time, which is why I like it so much. I'd recommend going light on the olive oil. I am partial to grape tomatoes (so sweet and flavorful!), so prefer them to whole tomatoes in this. I found pine nuts hanging on the wall o' nuts in the cooking aisle of the regular grocery store. I'm prone to leave salt out of recipes, but this is one where you really need it; it's rather bland, otherwise. I've toyed with the idea of including a little wilted spinach or some other kind of green. It was good with the beef strips, but no longer a light meal.
- Course Salt & Ground Pepper, to taste
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced (when I reduce this recipe to one serving just for me, I just use a handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved; they're more flavorful, anyway)
- 1 Garlic Clove, minced (for one serving, I just go with a smaller clove. Can't get enough garlic.)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (for the measuring challenged like me, one-quarter of that is 1.5 tsp)
- 8 oz. angel-hair pasta
- 2 tablespoons Pine Nuts, toasted if desired
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, and oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Let stand at least 10 minutes.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain & return to pot. Add tomato mixture and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts.
Serves 4 / Prep time: 5 min / Total time: 15 min
From July/August '08 issue of Everyday Food Magazine
Rebecca's notes: As you can see, this recipe pretty easily makes one serving at a time, which is why I like it so much. I'd recommend going light on the olive oil. I am partial to grape tomatoes (so sweet and flavorful!), so prefer them to whole tomatoes in this. I found pine nuts hanging on the wall o' nuts in the cooking aisle of the regular grocery store. I'm prone to leave salt out of recipes, but this is one where you really need it; it's rather bland, otherwise. I've toyed with the idea of including a little wilted spinach or some other kind of green. It was good with the beef strips, but no longer a light meal.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Lentil Bacon Salad
Stolen again from Katy. Stolen by her from Everyday Food magazine. I haven't tried it yet, but intend to:
Lentil Salad with Bacon (serves 3-4, depending on appetite)
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
4 strips bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
your choice of salad greens, enough for 3-4 people (the original recipe called for frisée, and while I do think that would be a lovely choice, I never have it on hand, and to buy it would somehow negate the inherent money-saving attributes of this meal)
In a medium saucepan, combine lentils and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to simmer and cook until lentils are tender but not mushy, about 15-20 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
Pour off all but about 1 Tbsp of bacon fat from your pan. Add onions and carrots to pan, and cook over medium heat until carrots are tender, about 10 or so minutes. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 2 more minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Using about 1/4-1/3 of the dressing, dress your salad greens in a separate bowl. Add the lentils, onion mixture, and reserved bacon to the remaining dressing in the bowl, and toss to coat. To serve, divide the greens among serving bowls, and top with lentil salad.
Lentil Salad with Bacon (serves 3-4, depending on appetite)
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
4 strips bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
your choice of salad greens, enough for 3-4 people (the original recipe called for frisée, and while I do think that would be a lovely choice, I never have it on hand, and to buy it would somehow negate the inherent money-saving attributes of this meal)
In a medium saucepan, combine lentils and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce to simmer and cook until lentils are tender but not mushy, about 15-20 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain.
Pour off all but about 1 Tbsp of bacon fat from your pan. Add onions and carrots to pan, and cook over medium heat until carrots are tender, about 10 or so minutes. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 2 more minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, and olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Using about 1/4-1/3 of the dressing, dress your salad greens in a separate bowl. Add the lentils, onion mixture, and reserved bacon to the remaining dressing in the bowl, and toss to coat. To serve, divide the greens among serving bowls, and top with lentil salad.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
White Chicken Chili
I LOVE white chili with chicken and figured I should learn how to make it myself. It was my turn to make lunch for my community group today, so I figured I'd give it a go with 12 people (plus kids) as my guinea pigs. It turned out well, I think . . . I got compliments and Sweet Little Chloe had 3 bowls. I thought I'd pass it along. The basic outline of the recipe was found on AllRecipes.com, but I made some additions and changes of my own enough that I'm going to call it mine. Play around with it, if you decide to make it, and let me know what you come up with!!! (Or if you have a white chicken chili recipe of your own, pass it along!)
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cans (~16 oz) Great Northern Beans (I actually substituted in one can of Navy Beans and one of White Kidney Beans.)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespooon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin (plus more to taste)
2-3 cups chicken broth
Roughly a pound of cooked chicken (I used chicken tenderloins which made cooking and shredding into bitesize pieced easier)
Directions:
In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic until tender. Stir in 3 of the cans of beans (hold one out) parsley, lime juice and cumin. Add in broth. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, blend up (I used food processor) one of the cans of Great Northern Beans to a puree and add into the mix. (This adds thickness to the chili.) Reduce heat to simmer and add cooked chicken in bitesize pieces. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Add in more beans, broth, etc as needed to desired consistancy. I also added some pepper and extra cumin to taste.
I served with sour cream to dollop on top and a mix of shredded italian cheeses.
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cans (~16 oz) Great Northern Beans (I actually substituted in one can of Navy Beans and one of White Kidney Beans.)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespooon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin (plus more to taste)
2-3 cups chicken broth
Roughly a pound of cooked chicken (I used chicken tenderloins which made cooking and shredding into bitesize pieced easier)
Directions:
In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic until tender. Stir in 3 of the cans of beans (hold one out) parsley, lime juice and cumin. Add in broth. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, blend up (I used food processor) one of the cans of Great Northern Beans to a puree and add into the mix. (This adds thickness to the chili.) Reduce heat to simmer and add cooked chicken in bitesize pieces. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Add in more beans, broth, etc as needed to desired consistancy. I also added some pepper and extra cumin to taste.
I served with sour cream to dollop on top and a mix of shredded italian cheeses.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Pakistani Kima
(a Lutz special; recipe upon Nellie's request)
Sauté in skillet:
3 T. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Add:
1 lb. ground beef
Brown Well.
Stir in:
1 T. curry power
1 1/2 t salt
dash pepper
dash each cinnamon, ginger, and tumeric*
2 c. cooked tomatoes
2 c. frozen peas
Cover and simmer 25 minutes.
Serve with pita bread.
*The mighty Beth Lutz adds lots more spice than is called for here . . . to taste.
Sauté in skillet:
3 T. butter
1 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Add:
1 lb. ground beef
Brown Well.
Stir in:
1 T. curry power
1 1/2 t salt
dash pepper
dash each cinnamon, ginger, and tumeric*
2 c. cooked tomatoes
2 c. frozen peas
Cover and simmer 25 minutes.
Serve with pita bread.
*The mighty Beth Lutz adds lots more spice than is called for here . . . to taste.
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