Stuffed Sole with Shrimpy Newburg Sauce

01/12/2017 by Laura 3 Comments

Brrr, it’s cold here in Seattle. I cannot remember the last time we had so many days below freezing. I ran in to Whole Foods yesterday, to get Andouille Sausages for Birthday Boys Red Beans and Rice. As I passed the fish counter I noticed sole and shrimp on sale, confirming the next days dinner. Stuffed sole is one of our favorites. Especially good this week, providing rich, creamy comfort to warm you inside and out!

For the Stuffed Sole

6 good sized sole filets

1/2 pound small salad shrimp (1/2 cup for the stuffing, remainder for the sauce)

2 cups small, cubed toasted bread or stuffing

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced shallot

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup chopped salad shrimp

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh, minced parsley

1 pinch pepper

1 pinch salt

Sauté the peppers, celery and shallot in the butter over medium heat, until soft. Add to the cubed bread. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Place a heaping spoonful on each sole fillet. Roll the sole and secure with a toothpick. Place the fillets in a buttered baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator while you make the Newburg Sauce.

For the Newburg Sauce

I used to use Knorr Newburg Sauce mix, which was a fabulous shortcut. However, they seem to have discontinued it! It’s not a lot of work to make from scratch, but it does add time and ingredients to this recipe!

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour, like Wondra

1 1/2 cups of half and half or milk, your choice

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3 Tablespoons good quality tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup good quality dry sherry

remaining salad shrimp, from above

Salt and Pepper to taste

paprika and minced parsley for garnishing

Preheat oven to 350′.

Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, to make a light rue. Cook 2 minutes. Add the milk, stir and simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add in the seasonings and dry sherry. Stir and simmer another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the shrimp. Adjust the sauce for seasoning. If too thick, add a little more milk.

Pour the sauce over the sole in the baking dish. Sprinkle the top with paprika and minced parsley. Cook in 350′ oven about 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and lightly browned on top..

Enjoy!

Have a great evening,

Laura

The Best EVER Spaghetti and Meatballs

12/17/2016 by Laura 3 Comments

I have never been a big of a fan of spaghetti and meatballs, UNTIL NOW! I’ve made many meatballs in my time… all coming close to what I imagined, but never really “nailing it”. That all changed with this recipe. Inspired by a recent meal at our neighborhood Italian restaurant, we decided we must learn to make fabulous spaghetti and meatballs at home. Don’t get me wrong, the meatballs at the restaurant in the ‘hood were great… but, a plate of spaghetti and 2 meatballs for $16 is not sustainable! I set about researching recipes, and there it was on my own bookshelf! I found Frank Pellogrino’s, of the Rao’s family, recipe in my Fine Cooking – Italian cookbook! Since getting a table at Rao’s is virtually impossible…it’s great to have this recipe at hand.

For the meatballs:

We tripled the recipe…plenty for the freezer!

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork

1/2 lb. ground veal

1 Tbs. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup finely grated imported Locatelli Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano (or half and half); more for serving

1-1/2 cups plain dry breadcrumbs, (I used fresh breadcrumbs made from a baguette)

1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup olive oil or vegetable oil; more as needed

1 lb. dried spaghetti

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Break up the ground meat into a large bowl. Sprinkle on the salt, pepper, minced garlic, eggs, grated cheese, breadcrumbs, 1-1/2 cups water, and parsley. Mix with your hands until everything is evenly distributed, but don’t over mix. Shape into meatballs by gently scooping up a handful of meat and rolling it into a nice even ball; each meatball should weigh about 4 oz. and be about 2-1/2 inches in diameter.

In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Gently set six of the meatballs in the oil and fry until they’re lightly browned on the bottom half, 5 to 6 min. Carefully turn them over using a slotted spatula and brown the other side. You are not cooking them all the way through. They will finish cooking in the sauce. This was a big lesson for me….I had always overcooked them, resulting in a dry, tough meatball!

Drain the meatballs on a few paper towels to soak up excess oil. Fry the remaining meatballs the same way.

For the marinara:

I changed this a bit, as we always have #10 cans of Italian tomatoes on hand…yes, seriously

1 #10 can, or 4 28 ounce cans, authentic San Marzano Italian tomatoes (I use Strianese Brand)

1/2 cup good quality, Italian olive oil (I use Partanna Brand)

10 cloves garlic, lightly smashed

2 Tbs. kosher salt; more as needed

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano

optional – 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes – if you like a little heat

In a very large stockpot or heavy dutch oven, sauté the garlic in the olive oil, over low heat. Break up the tomatoes with your hands, while in the can. Add them to the stock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer 2-3 hours while you make the meatballs. Add the chopped fresh herbs during the last hour of cooking. Add the crushed red pepper flakes if using. Add the meatballs during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Simmer very gently.

for the pasta:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the meatballs and sauce have been simmering for about 20 min., add the spaghetti to the boiling water and boil until it’s just about al dente, undercooked a bit.

The next step is called the segreto method, and is key to the success of the entire dish. I had never done this before and it made a huge difference!

When the spaghetti is done, drain it and return it to the pot it was cooked in. (DO NOT RINSE THE PASTA) Add a couple of ladlefuls of the marinara sauce to the spaghetti. Put the pot over high heat and, with a wooden spoon or tongs, constantly toss the pasta until each piece is coated with sauce, about 1 min. Transfer to serving bowls and ladle more sauce over the spaghetti, along with two to three meatballs. Serve with grated cheese.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! Dave did…5 meals in a row!

Buona serata,

Laura

French Onion Soup on a snowy Seattle day!

12/10/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

There’s nothing like a snow storm to make you crave hot soup and crusty bread. Dave loves French Onion Soup and we had never made it from scratch before. We bought the bowls a couple years ago and this was the first time they were used for their intended purpose! I am frequently inspired by the recipes posted daily by the NY Times Cooking team. This recipe is based on one posted by Melissa Clark. Melissa’s recipe gives directions to avoid broiling individual servings, with the pre-made cheesy crouton added after the soup is spooned into individual bowls. Great for a crowd and also useful if you do not have broiler proof bowls! I like to dish up the soup and place it under the broiler, the old fashioned way. As always, it’s nice to have a choice.

For the Soup

adapted from this recipe

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

4 pounds total combination of beef bones and beef shoulder

32 ounces of good quality beef stock

32 ounces of water

1 medium onion roughly chopped

4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped

4 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 bay leaves

8 thyme sprigs

6 medium onions, sliced in half and then thinly sliced

1 stick unsalted butter – 8 ounces

1/2 cup port wine

6 ounces baguette loaf, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

8 ounces Gruyère cheese

Brown the meat and bones in a few tablespoons of olive oil, over medium heat in a heavy soup pot. Season both sides of meat generously with salt and pepper.

Once the meat and bones have been browned on both sides, set aside. If needed, add a little more olive oil to the pot. Add the rough chopped onion, carrot and celery and sauté until the vegetables are softened…about 10 minutes. Add the thyme sprigs and the bay leaves. Add the meat back into the pot. Add the stock and the water. Bring to a simmer and cook approximately 2 hours.

While the stock is simmer, prepare the onions. Slice the onions in half through the root end, and then thinly slice each half.

Set a second, heavy soup pot on the stove over medium heat. Melt the butter slowly in the pot. Add the sliced onions, and slowly caramelize them. Do not turn the heat up too high and do check / stir them frequently. It will take 45-60 minutes for them to caramelize completely. When completely carmelized, add the Port wine and season with salt and pepper.

When the stock has finished cooking, strain the liquid into the pot with the onions. You can reserve the meat for another use, or change it up a bit and add it to the onions and broth. We found this to be delicious and made the soup into a heartier main course.

Keep the soup warm, over low heat.

Slice the baguette bread into a thick slice, one for each serving. Ladle the soup into the serving bowl. Place a slice of cheese on the bread, place the bread on top of the soup. Add additional grated cheese to cover. Place under the broiler for 4-5 minutes until the cheese is brown and bubbly. Garnish with a few thyme leaves. Enjoy!

Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful evening!

Laura

Corned Beef on Rye, please!

06/27/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

Cooking officially turns into a project when it results in three trips to the store for ingredients, an hour searching for necessary equipment, and having the stove on all day. Dave did not realize what he had done by pulling a corned beef brisket out of the freezer on Saturday! I had bought it in March for a traditional St. Patrick’s dinner. He was not up to that kind of food, back then, so in the freezer it went. A traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner just did not sound good at the end of June.

What did sound good? Corned beef from Katz’s and Swirl Rye from Zabar’s! Since flying to NYC was not an option, I went in search of the swirl rye that shows up occasionally at one of our local supermarkets. No luck! With the corned beef simmering away in the crockpot, and the swirl rye determination of Jerry, I had no choice but to make the bread myself. I had everything on had except rye flour. For some reason Safeway had four different offerings of almond and coconut flour in three different sections of the store, and no rye flour anywhere. As a matter of fact – there were very few whole grain offerings, but that is another story. As an industry professional, I could fully explain the “reasoning” and/or “logic” behind what does and does not get stocked in the store, but you would all fall asleep in two minutes. So, off to Whole Foods I went. I easily found the necessary rye flour and some beautiful organic blackberries that I decided, on the spot, would go into a cobbler along with the “less than beautiful” apricots hidden in the back of our fridge. See – this is how it goes. All I wanted was a decent corned beef on rye, on a Sunday afternoon! Now I’m baking bread and making cobbler.

I consider myself a fairly accomplished bread baker, although I do not recall ever making a swirl rye. I used the recipe I found on line from Red Star Yeast. My biggest surprise was that darker dough is the same as the lighter dough, with the addition of some cocoa powder! The recipe can be found here.

Roll out the dark dough. Fold over and set aside

Roll out the light dough.

Place the dark dough on the light dough. Trim the sides and edges as needed.

Roll into a loaf. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet that has been oiled.

I made some mini bread sticks with the trimmings. The back deck is a great “proofer” in the summer. I got a great rise on the loaf.

Bake according to directions.

To assemble the sandwich, I sliced the bread a little thick. I spread both sides with mustard. I warmed the sliced corned beef in a small pan with Swiss cheese on top, until it got soft and gooey. I placed the meat and cheese on the bread. I served store bought coleslaw alongside.

I mentioned cobbler, didn’t I! Well, sharing this is going to result in coming clean with one of my short cuts. I use a cobbler mix. It’s fantastic. You can even make this with canned fruit and people will think you spent hours baking. There are a few mixes out there. I used one in a small bag that looks a lot like the fish fry product they also produce. Use any fruit you like. I used chopped apricots and blackberries. Bake according to the directions on the package. By the time I was ready to snap a shot of the finished product, half the pan of cobbler and a pint of ice cream had gone missing. Dave assures you, it was good!

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a great evening,

Laura

Spicy Sesame Pork and Noodle Soup

03/07/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

This recipe exemplifies “WHY” I love to cook! Calling for unfamiliar ingredients and new techniques, all leading me to new discoveries at the Asian market. I know these are the same things that will prevent many from making this recipe!

Starting as a kid, with the Time Life Foods of the World cookbooks, food has always allowed me to explore unknown places and cultures, without leaving my kitchen. The pictures, the recipes and finally; the meals, opened me up to new taste experiences. Luckily, the shrinking world (and Food TV) has made it easier to find “exotic” spices, seasonings, herbs, fruits and vegetables, that were a struggle to locate 30 years ago.

I am a big fan of warm, comforting bowls of broth, meat and noodles. They taste especially good after a week on the road, eating the nightly “specials” at some non-descript hotel! When this recipe showed up in my in box from Food 52, I knew I had to make it. It was originally posted by a food blogger from Hawaii, Gingerroot. The three day prep time, an extra trip to the Asian market and using every stock pot I own, were all worth it. This is absolutely delicious. I am excited that I have extras in the freezer, waiting for me to return from the next road trip!

Unlike most of my posts, I am not going to include detailed, step by step instructions. Food 52 did an amazing job, so refer to the link if you need help.

Spicy Sesame Pork with Noodles

adapted from this recipe

For Stock

3 pounds meaty pork neck bones – I used Pork Shanks
1 medium onion, rough chopped
2 medium carrots, preferably organic, scrubbed and rough chopped
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 smoked ham hock
5 whole cilantro plants, including roots, well washed – I used one bunch of Cilantro
5 whole scallions, including roots, well washed

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Brown pork bones in a little oil, on both sides, over medium heat, in a large stock pot, that will fit in the oven. Cook about 15 minutes. Add carrots and onions to pan, piling vegetables on top of the bones. Roast for 30-45 minutes, until vegetables begin to char around edges and bones begin to caramelize. Add 14 cups water. Water should be covering bones by about an inch. Be sure and scrape up all browned bits from the bottom of pan.

In a small bowl, whisk tamarind paste, tomato paste, and 2 tablespoons water from the stockpot. Whisk this mixture into the stockpot. Heat stock over medium-high heat until nearly boiling, and then reduce to a slow simmer. Continue simmering (uncovered) for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, using a sieve, strain out vegetables, pressing down on solids so liquids go back into stockpot. One at a time, carefully take out bones and put them on a plate near your stockpot. Using small tongs and a fork (or two forks) remove the meat. Transfer meat (should have between 3-4 cups depending on how meaty your bones were) to a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate. Return bones, including cartilage and fat, and any liquid that may have accumulated on the plate, to stockpot. Continue simmering for 1 hour. At this point, you can allow mixture to cool slightly before refrigerating overnight. The next day, remove congealed fat layer from surface of stock before simmering for a final hour, adding the smoked ham hock, whole cilantro plants and scallions. Strain out hock and aromatics with a sieve, pressing down on solids to allow liquids back into stock. Repeat cooling and refrigerating step.

Alternatively, you can make the stock in one day by adding the smoked hock and aromatics after three hours of simmering (skipping the extra overnight in the fridge), and continue cooking for the final hour. Cool stock enough to refrigerate overnight (see above in step 8).

Seasonings For the Soup

14-16 ounces rice vermicelli (from an Asian market or section of the grocery store – Do not substitute gluten free rice noodles) *Feel free to substitute your favorite Asian noodle instead, such as ramen
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 chopped cilantro
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 cups shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage
3 cups reserved pork meat, chopped
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 1/2 tablespoons Aka (Red) Miso paste found in the Japanese section of an Asian market or some grocery stores
1-2 tablespoons Gochujang** (fermented Korean chili paste) found in the Korean section of an Asian market or some grocery stores
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup Katsuo Furikake (Roasted Sesame Seed and Dried Bonito mix) *found in the Japanese section of an Asian market or some grocery stores

Take stock out of refrigerator and remove congealed fat layer from the surface of soup (stock should be more like jelly than liquid).

Heat stock over medium-high heat until nearly boiling, and then reduce to a slow simmer.

If you have them, use a suribachi (ceramic Japanese mortar with rough grooves on the inside of the bowl) and surikogi (wooden pestle) to grind katsuo furikake into a paste. If you do not, a regular mortar and pestle will also work. Add ½ t sesame oil midway through grinding to help mixture come together.

When almost all of the sesame seeds are mashed, add in 1 T of gojuchang. If you know you love heat, add 2 T. As you turn the pestle around the mortar, the gojuchang will ball up around the sesame seed mixture. Whisk this into the stock and allow soup to simmer for 20 minutes. If there is still a lot of sesame-gojuchang paste stuck in the mortar, add a little bit of stock to the bowl, stir, and pour mixture into the pot.

Turn off heat.

Place miso paste in a small bowl and whisk in enough hot stock (2-3 T) to liquefy the miso. Pour this into stock and stir to incorporate. Allow mixture to cool and refrigerate overnight.

Finishing the Soup

Remove your soup from the refrigerator and slowly heat it up.

In another pot, cook rice vermicelli according to directions on the package, and then drain in a colander, rinsing with some cold water to stop the noodles from cooking.

In a skillet large enough to hold pork and cabbage, heat sesame oil over medium heat.

Add chopped pork and stir to heat through. Add cabbage and stir to take off raw edge. Turn off heat, stir in balsamic and a pinch of salt.

Portion rice noodles into soup bowls.

Top each bowl with pork and cabbage.

Ladle steaming broth over each bowl.

Generously add chopped green onions and cilantro to each bowl and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting. Have a wonderful evening!

Laura

**Gochujang – Awesome Korean Spicy condiment. A little sweeter than Siricha.

“Familiar” Lunchbox Cupcakes

01/25/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

I’m still cooking for one and it is not any easier than it was a couple months ago. Dave is doing amazingly well; unfortunately his throat is still too swollen to swallow more than a smoothie, or an occasional IPA! The doctors tell us this is not unusual as it takes a long time to heal from intense radiation treatments. Dave being Dave, he has taken to making my dinner. It’s a nice break for me, but I believe it must be torture for him!

Flipping through Food & Wine magazine Friday night, I became intrigued with Mindy Segal’s Chocolate Buttermilk Snack Cakes. The truth is, I really miss baking. I used to bake before Fentons band practice as I knew whatever I came up with, would be gone in a few hours. I actually like “the baking” more than I like “the eating”. I am happy with one or two cookies, or as in this case, one cupcake. I knew our friend Jeff would be thrilled with a “clean” version of that familiar and “toxic” lunch box treat. Jeff and I frequently discuss possible recreations of our childhood favorites! I baked the cakes on Saturday, filled, frosted and delivered them on Sunday. The only resemblance to the elementary school lunch-box version, is the squiggle on top! The rich, moist dark chocolate cupcake is filled with creamy marscapone cheese and sweetened whipped cream and topped with a bittersweet dark chocolate glaze. My adaptation of Mindy’s recipe is below. And yes – that is Dave’s original lunch box!

For the cupcakes

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup strong, brewed coffee, cooled

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup canola oil

1 large egg

Pour the buttermilk and the coffee into a 2-cup measuring cup. Add the vanilla. Set aside.

Place the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Fluff with a whisk to break up any clumps and mix all ingredients together. Set aside.

In a large stand mixer, beat the sugar and the oil until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated.

With the mixer running on low, add 1/3 the flour mixture and 1/3 the milk mixture. Repeat until all ingredients are incorporated.

Heat the oven to 350′. Oil two 12 cup cupcake tins, with coconut or canola oil spray. Place 2-3 Tablespoons of batter in each cupcake cup.

Bake for 6 minutes, rotate pans and bake another 6 minutes. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cupcakes cool slightly and remove to a rack, placed over a baking sheet. Meanwhile, make the filling.

For the filling

1 cup mascarpone cheese

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt

Beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar for a few minutes to thicken up a bit. Add the vanilla and the mascarpone cheese and continue to whip until smooth and thick.

Two options for filling the cupcakes:

Slice the cupcake 2/3 of the way through and place filling in the middle of each one with a spoon.
Remove the center “core” of the cupcake and fill them using a pastry bag fitted with a metal tip. This is what we did. We used a large straw to “core” the cupcake.

Fill all cupcakes, and return to the wire rack placed over a baking pan. Meanwhile, make the glaze.

For the dark chocolate glaze

(inspired by this recipe)

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

pinch of Salt

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream with the sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let stand until melted, about 5 minutes; whisk until smooth. Whisk in the butter, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Let the dark chocolate glaze cool until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.

Drizzle a large spoonful of glaze over each cupcake. Please the cupcakes in the refrigerator to cool, at least 30 minutes.

I used Betty Crocker white frosting in the tube, with the tip provided, to make the squiggles on top. You could use homemade Royal icing. I chose not to, as I needed such a small amount.

I hope you enjoy these!

Have a wonderful evening,

Laura

50’s Flashback – Chicken (or Tuna) Noodle Casserole

01/15/2016 by Laura Leave a Comment

We all have comfort food favorites and Chicken (or Tuna) Noodle Casserole is definitely near the top of my list. I’ve been reluctant to post this recipe knowing it’s not that interesting or adventurous, and would also require my admitting to use of “that canned soup”. With encouragement from friends who’ve received this casserole after surgeries, babies, illnesses or other trying times, I decided to share the recipe. It’s something I always have the ingredients on hand for and comes together quickly whether in crisis mode or not! It’s as good with tuna as it is with chicken. It freezes well and is great the next day for lunch, or a second dinner. If you hate mushrooms don’t use them, and use Cream of Celery soup instead. I’ve stepped it up from the 4 ingredient tuna casserole version of my childhood, by adding cheese, sour cream, and vegetables. I hope you’ll like it as much as we do!

For the Chicken (or Tuna) Noodle Casserole

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped into bite size pieces OR 3 7oz. cans of rinsed, drained tuna

2 cans Cream of Chicken, or Cream of Celery or Cream of Mushroom soup

1 1/2 cups of milk

1 cup of sour cream

1 cup shredded white cheddar, or mozzarella, or Monterey jack or any combination of cheese you like

3/4 cup diced celery

3/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1 cup sliced mushrooms (ok to skip mushrooms if you aren’t a fan)

1 teaspoon minced, dry onion

1 cup frozen, petite peas

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (potato chip upgrade, but you can use them if you must!)

olive oil spray

EVOO for sautéing the vegetables

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 package (12 ounces) Wide Egg Noodles

Heat the oven to 375′. Spray a casserole dish with oil to prevent sticking. Cook the noodles according to package directions in a large pot of salted boiling water. Drain in a colander and set aside.

In the same pot that you cooked the noodles, sauté the celery, peppers, mushrooms and dry onion in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until soft and tender. (By sautéing the veggies and mixing the ingredients in the same pan you boiled the noodles in – you have only one pan to wash!)

Remove from the heat. Stir in the soup, milk, sour cream. Add the noodles and mix well. Add the chicken (OR tuna), the shredded cheese and the peas. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

When all ingredients are combined, pour into the casserole dish. Sprinkle the Panko bread crumbs evenly over the top. Spray the crumbs with a little oil to aid in even browning.

Bake for about 40 minutes until casserole is bubbly and the top is slightly browned, about 180′ on a thermometer.

Serve with fresh fruit or a tossed green salad.

Have a wonderful evening,

Laura

I love sharing my bird photos. Here are the jays that enjoy the peanuts we put out for them!

Quick, Comforting, One Pan Chicken with Delicata Squash and Brussels Sprouts

11/24/2015 by Laura 2 Comments

Thanksgiving week. I cannot believe it is here already. So much has happened in the last few months. I’m still waiting to exhale; to take in a deep breath and let it out, without stopping half way. Those of you who follow my blog know Dave had major surgery in August. You can read about it here. In the midst of all this, I lost my Dad. He passed peacefully on September 25th, after a long illness. Like all families (eventually) do, ours has experienced a shit storm in 2015. A Job change, cancer and the loss of a parent. It has been one of the most challenging periods in my life. I am grateful for going through it, and coming out on “the other side”. I honestly wasn’t sure I could, but I did! We did. Thank you for your support.

Dave began 8 weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments in mid-September. It was extremely rough. Nothing you can prepare for, but something you have to endure; one day at a time. And that is what Dave did, he endured and persevered. He ended up spending his last two weeks of treatment in the hospital. Dave (and I) received fantastic care throughout this entire process. I will be forever grateful to the staff on 12-East at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, as well as the Swedish Cancer Care Treatment Center. Dave is improving everyday. It is a slow process. There is still a long way to go after treatment stops.

It has been hard cooking for just myself, for a lot of reasons. Dave and I have always looked forward to cooking meals and eating together; Dave doing the shopping and the clean up! I learned so much about things I never thought about, prior to Dave’s illness, mostly because I just never had to. Like….what day the garbage gets picked up, how much “output” is created by 2 large golden retrievers, how many pans I dirty when I cook, and that I have no clue how to turn on the music or watch a movie on our system! Thankfully, the music is on again, and I am catching up on Netflix!

I’m posting this recipe as it was something I made once or twice over the past few months. It goes together quickly, it’s comfort food and even a little on the healthy side. You can easily control the portions and amount of leftovers. For me, I stretched this recipe into two dinners and one lunch. For some reason, I always seem to have Brussels Sprouts and Delicata squash around, this time of year. Both are also great added to a salad with a few walnuts, goat cheese and dried cranberries, or to this chicken dish!

For the One Pan Chicken with Delicata Squash and Brussels Sprouts

2, 4, 6, or 8 chicken thighs, depending on how many people you are feeding (I used 4)

olive oil

salt, pepper

one, finely sliced shallot

1, 2, or 3 Delicata squash, halved, seeded and sliced

6-8 Brussels sprouts, per serving, halved

1/2 cup dry white wine

Heat the oven to 350′. Trim the chicken thighs of excess fat and skin, and pat dry. Season well with salt and pepper on both sides. Warm 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a heavy, oven proof skillet. Brown the thighs on both sides over medium heat. Add the sliced shallots to the pan to brown with the chicken. Remove to a plate, and set aside. Wipe the pan to remove any burnt, potentially bitter bits, and excess oil. Return the pan to the heat, give the Brussels sprouts about five minutes in the pan, sautéing gently. Remove to a plate and set aside. Repeat with the Delicata squash, adding a little more oil, if needed. Return the chicken to the pan, then add the Brussels sprouts and top with the shallots. Add a little more salt and pepper, the 1/2 cup of dry, white wine and place the entire skillet in the oven. Cook about 30 minutes, until thighs register 165′ on a meat thermometer. Let rest about 10 minutes and serve.

Of all the things I’ve learned over the past few months, I learned that Dave and I can make it through anything! His last treatment was November 2. We are going to Hawaii on January 5th, where we will celebrate his birthday with both our Mom’s. We will return to cooking, photographing, blogging and eating together soon!

Have a great evening and a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Laura

These beauties are Stellar’s Jays. We have had a pair hanging around for years. The go crazy for peanuts!

Boeuf Bourguignon – Updated

08/30/2015 by Laura Leave a Comment

What a blustery, wintry weekend here in Seattle. We have not had heavy wind and rain like this for months. The weather put me in the mood for a comforting, hearty meal like Boeuf Bourguignon. I was really surprised when I brought this recipe up for reference yesterday. I could not believe it had been over two years since I first posted it! And, like may bloggers whose skills have improved over time, I was totally appalled by the earlier photos. So, here is one of our very favorite meals, looking a lot better than it did a couple of years ago.

Ingredients

Olive oil for sautéing

1/4 pound slab bacon, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (Regular “Sunday” bacon is ok too!)

4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch cubes and patted dry with paper towels

Salt and Pepper

1 large onion, diced

2 large carrots, diced*

4 stalks celery, diced

6 sprigs of thyme

3 bay leaves

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 cup chopped, fresh parsley leaves, plus extra for garnish

1 bottle dry red wine, pinot noir preferred

12-15 small, button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

12-15 pearl onions – I like the convenience of the frozen ones

4 tablespoons of butter, divided, for sautéing onions and mushrooms

2-3 teaspoons of Bisto for thickening

Cook the bacon cubes in a little oil in a heavy Dutch oven that has a lid. When bacon cubes are crisp, remove from pan and set aside. Add meat in batches, not overcrowding the pan, and brown on all sides over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Remove from pan and set aside.

Turn heat down to medium and add onions, carrots, celery, thyme, bay leaves, garlic and parsley. (I tie the herbs together with a cooking twine, making it easy to remove the stems, when finished cooking.) Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add wine and simmer 5 more minutes.

Return meat to pan. Bring back to a slow simmer. Cover and cook about an hour. (Because I had extra cooking time available, I continued this phase about three hours. You could also transfer this to a crock pot and cook on low, 6 hours at this stage.)

In a separate pan, sauté the onions in 2 tablespoons of butter until they are browned. Do the same with the mushrooms.

Add the onions, mushrooms and bacon to the pan. Return to simmer and cook an additional 30-40 minutes.

Adjust salt and pepper to taste. I chose to thicken the stew up a bit with, you guessed it, a little Bisto. Serve with mashed potatoes, great bread and a hearty red wine. My absolute favorite Washington Syrah, from L’Ecole 41 pairs perfectly with this dish!

Have a wonderful evening,

Laura

*Here’s a mini dicing lesson….

Peel the carrots and then cut them into uniform lengths, based on their thickness.

Slice the rounded edges off to form a rectangular carrot. Slice the rectangle into planks. Cut the planks into strips. Proceed to dice.

“…and I’d like that pureed” Part II

08/28/2015 by Laura Leave a Comment

I promised tips and suggestions for pureed, soft foods and smoothies and here they are! We learned a lot the past few weeks during Dave’s recovery from surgery. The meal below, was his first meal at home after leaving the hospital. What you see are peas, mashed potatoes and roast chicken with gravy. Making the plate as pretty as possible helps stimulate the appetite! The other foods that pureed well included pot roast, carrots, butternut squash, roast pork tenderloin and Swedish meatballs. There was no need to make separate foods for our dinner, although I had to restrict my mashed potato and gravy consumption!

I am not listing specific recipes, as they are all included in previous posts.

The Must-have Blender

I had been gifted a Nutri Ninja Blender System with Auto IQ, last year. Honestly, I had not used it much until Dave’s surgery. It has not left the counter since August 10th. This system has pre-programmed times/power levels for smoothies, puree’s, grinding meat etc…. and is amazing! There is a large food processor type bowl, a traditional blender container and multiple containers for making individual drinks, shakes, smoothies. This is one of the most powerful kitchen tools I have ever used! I highly recommend this blender, as you will not get the same results with a “bullet” or “traditional” type blender.

I stocked up on all the typical soft foods before Dave came home. Applesauce, pudding, jello, popsicles, ice cream. We learned the bumps in tapioca pudding and the rice in rice pudding, were too much for the first few days. We also learned that chocolate kind of burned his throat.

In the hospital, mashed potatoes and gravy were some of Dave’s first foods. Making gravy at every meal can be a lot of work. I promised shortcuts and here is one of my favorites! You will need Bisto! Bisto is a British product used to thicken gravies and sauces. I have used it for years. You can find it at Amazon or in the British/Irish section of many grocery stores. It comes in multiple flavours, although the “beef” or brown product works well with chicken, turkey and beef stock. During Dave’s recovery, I made gravy and kept it on hand to warm up and serve with potatoes, at any time.

Laura’s Short Cut Gravy

One carton (32 ounces) stock – chicken, beef, or turkey

3 Tablespoons of Bisto

Bring the stock to boil in a saucepan. Let it simmer about 5 minutes to intensify the flavor. Whisk in the Bisto granules. Continue to stir until gravy reaches desired consistency. If it is not thick enough, add a little more Bisto. There you go! You just made “homemade” gravy. Store it in the fridge in a covered container and warm up in the microwave in whatever portion you need.

Laura’s time saving mashed potato tip

If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, you must pick up their frozen mashed potatoes! The potatoes are prepared with butter and cream and then frozen into individual discs, about the size of a prune. You can heat one, two or the entire package in the microwave, in 4-5 minutes, and then stir with a fork. These potatoes are smooth and lump free! Since Dave needed extra calories, I added additional butter and cream. I am very picky about mashed potatoes, and I challenge you to find a difference between these and “made from scratch” potatoes.

*If you do make mashed potatoes from scratch, do not run them through a blender or food processor. You will be left with a pot of “glue”! Use a ricer and then “mash” with a potato masher and add butter and cream to make them extra smooth.

Pureeing Meat, Poultry, and Fish

You can easily puree any roasted, poached, broiled meat, poultry, fish, meatball or sausage. Depending on the persons swallowing ability and soreness in the mouth, you will need to adjust how smooth you puree the foods, to meet their specific needs. Add gravy, broth, cream or butter to soften the foods and increase flavor. Serve with additional gravy. Gravy is like a lubricant, that helps make things easier to swallow.

Pureeing Vegetables

Steam the vegetables first. Add them to the blender jar and puree with butter and cream and a little salt and pepper. Dave especially liked sweet corn, peas, butternut squash and cauliflower prepared this way. Trader Joe’s has a riced cauliflower that cooks quickly and blends up smoothly. Add a little butter, cream and parmesan cheese for a great side dish!

Soups

One thing I learned for sure, it is not the right time to introduce “new” foods or flavors. I thought some of the creamy soups in the cartons would be a win. I heated, pureed, served and dumped three different ones, one afternoon. What did work was warming and then blending Dave’s favorite canned chicken noodle soup. Beef barley and split pea also worked well. Adding a scoop of protein powder and a little cream increases the calories and nutrition.

Eggs

You would think scrambled eggs would not be a problem, but they were the first week. I made the eggs as normal, added grated cheese and ran them through the blender for a few seconds. Again, adding extra cream and butter during preparation helps increase the calories and the softness.

Smoothies

There are hundreds of smoothie recipes out there, so I am not going to go into detail. I went with Dave’s favorite foods to find one he liked. I used vanilla ice cream, a frozen banana (peel, chop and freeze bananas for ready use), a scoop of whey protein powder, a large tablespoon of peanut butter, and a little cream to make a high calorie, high protein shake.

Today marks three weeks since Dave’s surgery. I am happy to say, he had his favorite pizza and salad last night! Though his throat is still a little sore, and there is a little difficulty swallowing, he is now able to enjoy a few of his favorite foods. Our next challenge will come when radiation and chemotherapy begin on September 14th. The treatments will cause a change in the taste of foods, a very sore mouth and difficulty swallowing. I will keep you all posted on what works and does not work. Our goal in sharing this story is to help others who may be going through something similar.

We thank you for your support and encouragement.

Have a great evening,

Laura