Quiche

Pie crust is one of the best things ever invented in my mind!  Since it isn't very good to eat apple, peach, coconut cream, lemon meringue, etc. for a meal, I make quiche.   

If I have leftover ham, I will use that with broccoli.  Today I made it with crumbled sausage, mushrooms and onions.  You can also switch up the cheese if you like.  I like to use a creamy cheese like Swiss or a combination of Swiss and Mozzarella.

The nice thing is with this recipe, you can use whatever combination of vegetables sounds good to you!

INGREDIENTS
1 deep dish frozen pie shell
4 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups milk
3 Tablespoons flour
2 cups combined cooked meat and vegetables
1-1/2 to 2 cups shredded cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
Pepper to taste

1.  Prick the bottom of the pie shell with a fork 3-4 times.
2.  Mix together the rest of ingredients and pour into pie shell
3.  Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

(I usually put the pie shell on a foil-lined cookie sheet, because it may spill over the edge)

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Pork Medallions Marsala

I love Chicken Marsala, so I figured I'd try it with pork instead.  Normally I slow cook pork to keep it from being dry, however cutting the pork loin into smaller pieces and not cooking too long in the skillet kept it moist.  You could always pre-cook a few minutes on the stove and slow cook it with the wine too.  Next time I might try that!

Marsala wine is sold in the grocery store along with other cooking wines.  One time, years ago I tried to buy some cooking wine on a Sunday morning and they wouldn't sell it to me until after Noon or 1:00 (whatever time the alcoholics are allowed to buy their hooch).  Seriously, do a lot people get their drink on with Marsala wine???  Maybe they need to restrict the cough syrup too...I'm just sayin.  

INGREDIENTS 

1 pound pork loin, cut into 1/2 inch slices
All purpose flour
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup Marsala wine
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
Chopped red onion (optional)
(adjust ingredients accordingly if pork loin is larger than 1 lb)


1.  Dredge pork in flour.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pork; cook 3 minutes on each side.  Remove from pan.  Reduce heat to medium.

2.  Add garlic to skillet; cook and stir 1 minute.  Add wine and pork, cover and cook on low for about 10 minutes.  Remove pork from skillet.  Add parsley wine mixture and continue on medium heat.

3.  Mix corn starch with a little water, stir into wine in skillet and continue to stir until thickened. 

4.  Serve over pork, garnish with red onion, if desired. I served with rice, but it would be good with noodles too.

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Turkey Meatloaf

Per the request of one of our readers, here is a solid meatloaf recipe. I use ground turkey instead of beef because I'm not a huge beef fan and because the turkey is leaner and healthier. The peppers and onions help to keep the turkey moist and add flavor to what can sometimes be a boring dish! Before baking I add a mixture of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce to the top...you could also add a TBS or so of brown sugar to make it extra tasty...we all like that sweet crispy part on top, don't deny it!

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 TBS. ketchup
2 TBS. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup peppers, diced (I used green, red and yellow peppers)
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 TBS. olive oil
Salt & Pepper

1. Dice the peppers and onions and cook in a medium-heat saute pan with olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper until peppers and onions are tender.

2. In a bowl, mix together ground turkey, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.

3. When the peppers & onions mixture is cooled, add to turkey mixture and mix all together.

4. Place the mixture on a baking sheet and form into a "loaf" shape.

5. Mix together a little bit of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and spread on top of the meatloaf.

6. Place in a 350 degree oven for 40 - 45 minutes.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts

OK so I know what you’re gonna say… “Ewww brussels sprouts?! Who eats those, seriously?” But please, stay with me on this one! I think brussel sprouts have a bad reputation but if you treat them like any other vegetable (equality for all!) then they can be delicious. For this recipe, I cut the brussels sprouts in half and then roasted them with onions, olive oil and salt and pepper, that’s it! So easy and very delish…a perfect side dish for any meal. (Side note: when you take the leftovers to work, they will stink up the lunch room and everyone will wrinkle their noses at you. Don't worry, they're just jealous of your lunch...hold your head up high, brussels sprout-lover!)

Ingredients

1 bag brussels sprouts or 4 cups
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper

1. Slice brussels sprouts in half and place on baking sheet.

2. Toss with diced onion, olive oil, salt & pepper.

3. Roast in oven for 40 minutes or until crispy and browned all over! Yumm

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Cinnamon Scallops with Fettucini

The one thing about having a recipe/cooking blog is it forces us to look for new things to try. For years, I have accumulated cook books, and used them here and there.  Looking for new things to blog about has made my old cookbooks seem like an endless source of ideas!  It is really the first time in a long time that cooking has been fun!  This recipe originally called for curry powder instead of cinnamon.  Since neither my husband or I are super fond of curry, I decided to substitute cinnamon, not knowing how it would taste. The mild flavor of the cinnamon turned out to be a perfect combo with the scallops and fettucini.

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. fettuccini
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Black pepper, to taste
5-6 mushrooms, cut in half (optional)
1 lb. sea scallops
2 T. Olive oil
1 cup Chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
Parsley

1.  Cook fettucini al dente according to package instructions. Drain
2.  Whisk flour, cinnamon and black pepper.  Dredge scallops in mixture, tapping off any excess.

3.  Heat oil until very hot in nonstick skillet.  Add scallops and mushrooms. Sear scallops 2 minutes per side until golden.  Transfer to platter and keep warm.

4.  Add chicken stock and cream to the pan.  Bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pan with wooden spoon.  Add more pepper if desired.

5.  Cook 2 minutes until slightly thickened.

6.  Add hot fettuccini to sauce; toss.  Transfer to serving platter.  Top with scallops and sprinkle with parsley.  

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Rosemary Roasted Chicken

Recently, a few of my girlfriends and I attended a cooking class sponsored by our university alumni association and it was a complete blast! Three hours of cooking and drinking…what’s not to love?! Anyways, our main dish was this rosemary roasted chicken and it was delicious and extremely easy. Mix everything in a bowl, add chicken, roast in oven…presto! In fact, my girlfriends were initially hesitant because they thought they needed high-level cooking skills and once they mastered this easy chicken recipe, they were so much more confident! (*Note, there will be more recipe-sharing from this cooking class event…coming soon!)

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped rosemary
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In a bowl, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, chopped rosemary, chopped garlic and a dash of salt and pepper.

3. Toss chicken breasts in the bowl to coat.

4. Place chicken on a baking sheet and roast in oven for about 25- 30 minutes or until fully cooked.

(I served with roasted brussel sprouts...yum! Recipe coming soon!)

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Salmon in Pastry

This recipe was in the Parade magazine last year and I thought I'd give it a try.  After all, pastry is one of my favorite things and I figured if I paired it with fish, it would seem mildly healthy.  This is extra yummy because of the butter topped on each fillet.  On second thought, it's probably not all that healthy after all.  I'm not sure the pastry and butter are totally cancelled out by the salmon!  

The salmon is really moist because it cooks in its own little pocket with butter...what's not to like?

INGREDIENTS

12 oz puff pastry sheets (thawed if frozen)
2 (6 - 7 oz) salmon fillets
2 Tbsp parsley
2 Tbsp basil
3 Tbsp butter (softened)
Pepper to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
Parchment paper

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.  Mix butter, parsley and basil together, sprinkle with pepper.  Set aside.

3.  Using a rolling pin, roll pastry into four pieces, each about 5 by 8 inches

4.  Transfer two pieces to a large baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.
5.  If salmon pieces have skin, remove skin and place a fillet in the center of each pastry piece. Spread butter mixture on top of each fillet.

6.  Dip a pastry brush into beaten egg.  Brush edges of pastry around salmon with egg.

7.  Cover each piece with remaining puff pastry.  Pinch pastry together firmly to seal. Press tines of fork along edges for a decorative effect.  Brush top of pastry with remaining egg.

8.  Cut two small slits into top of each pastry so steam can escape.  Bake for 20 minutes or until pastry has risen and is crisp and golden.  

I served with sauteed Brussels sprouts, topped with pecans.  

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Peanut Butter Dog Treats WOOF!

Sadie (top) and Harley enjoy
some recipe sharing

Harley gave this recipe to Sadie which is strange because we didn't think either one of them knew how to operate the stove!

This is a way to make some dog treats where you know all the ingredients.  They are as easy as making cookies and you can use whatever cookie cutter you'd like.  I think Harley has a bone shaped cookie cutter, but wouldn't lend it to Sadie.  What a bitch!

While Sadie's human was making these cookies, she enjoyed watching 101 Dalmatians.......

INGREDIENTS
2 Cups whole wheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup Milk

1.  In a bowl combine the milk and peanut butter.  

2.  In another bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.  
3.  Add the two mixtures together and mix well until the dough forms into the ball.

4.  On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for a minute.  Roll dough to approximately 1/4" thick and use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes.

5. I use parchment paper to make things less messy.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.  

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Eggplant Rollatini

Another good vegetarian dish to add to your recipe box. I found this recipe in a magazine that was centered around recipes that have very few ingredients, so at least you know this one won’t be too complicated! I like roasting the eggplant because it gives a lot of good flavor to the dish…add cheese, marinara sauce and more cheese and it’s a winner! When I made this for the blog, I cut the recipe in half because I was only making it for two people. Usually, you would have a lot more eggplant rolls if you make the full recipe and use 2 whole eggplants.

Ingredients:

- 2 eggplants
- olive oil
- 1 15 oz. container of ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/2 cup marinara sauce
- 1 tsp. oregano
- salt & pepper

1. Slice the eggplants length-wise into strips. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper.

2. Roast eggplant slices in the oven at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

3. In a bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, oregano and a dash of salt and pepper.

4. Once eggplant is out of the oven and slightly cooled, place about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture at one end of the eggplant and roll up until you have a little bundle of deliciousness! Place eggplant rolls into a baking dish with a layer of marinara sauce on the bottom.

5. Top the eggplant with more marinara sauce and the rest of the mozzarella cheese.

6. Place back in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until fully cooked. I served with a little bit of pasta, but you probably don't even need a side with this dish!

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