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Uncle Al’s Sausage and Peppers Casserole

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What do you think of when I say “sausage and peppers”?

My first thought goes to pasta. I will routinely fry up some Italian sausage pieces with some peppers and onions and then serve it with pasta and a bit of red sauce. Easy to make and yummy indeed.

The next thought is pizza. Sausage, peppers and onions on a slice of za is just perfect.

Lastly my mind goes to a sausage link on a bun with red sauce, and grilled peppers and onions.

It looks like onions are the silent partner to the other two.

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This recipe is a different take on the pair (trio). No red sauce, per se, although there are some tomatoes in it.

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The surprising ingredient here are the green beans. You’d think they don’t belong, but they work.

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To speed the process for a weeknight dinner, have two pans going at once.

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The pan gets overloaded once you add in the beans.

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Ready to bake.

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Out of the oven.

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A great combination and will now appear in my “sausage and peppers” list.

Uncle Al’s Sausage and Peppers Casserole

Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 46 min | Makes: 8 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 pounds fresh turkey sausage (about 8 links), cut in 1/2
  • 1 medium red onion, quartered and separated
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1- inch-wide strips
  • 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch-wide strips
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1- inch-wide strips
  • 1 pound green beans, ends trimmed and halved
  • 1 (14-ounce) can no-sugar-added diced tomatoes
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves, plus some for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces button mushrooms
  • 4 marinated hot cherry peppers, optional
  • Shaved Parmesan, for garnish
  • Equipment: oval gratin dish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 6 minutes. (Don’t fully cook the sausage, as it will be finished in the oven.) Drain the fat from the skillet.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and peppers and cook, stirring, until tender, about 2 minutes. Add in the remaining ingredients except for the mushrooms, cherry peppers, and Parmesan and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 3 minutes.

Combine the sausage, vegetable mixture, mushrooms, and cherry peppers in the gratin dish. Bake uncovered until well browned, about 40 minutes. Serve garnished with basil leaves and Parmesan.

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-stella/uncle-als-sausage-and-peppers-casserole-recipe/index.html

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Maggie Monday: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Chocolate Glaze

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Chocolate Glaze….(do I really need to add anything more?!?!?!?)….

I bake. Baking is my favorite. I’ve been baking since I was about 10. True confession: I’ve never made cheesecake. Until now. This was a dang good way to start!

I also love Martha Stewart. This is a Martha recipe. And I must say, for being a Martha recipe, it was pretty simple. Martha=usually not simple. This was a nice surprise. And the cake- well, not surprised that it was good. It’s Martha. Of course it’s good. Now we all expect cheesecakes to be rich and heavy. This is no exception. However, there is a lightness in texture and flavor that was unexpected. I love a good New York Cheesecake, almost crumbly. This is much more creamy, but still heavy enough to still have that wonderful cheesecake style.

And, it is gorgeous. If you want to take an impressive dessert to an event, this is a great choice.

As usual, when I bake, the goods usually end up in my office. This cake was no exception. Part of it also made it to a horse show. It was a blue ribbon winner in both settings. I will make this again.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Chocolate Glaze

What you need:

Crust

Cooking spray

1 cup finely ground chocolate wafer cookies

2 Tbs salted butter, melted

2 Tbs sugar

Filling:

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

4 packages (8oz each) cream cheese, room temperature

1 ½ cups sugar

Pinch of coarse salt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

½ cup smooth peanut butter

Chocolate Glaze:

4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (3/4 cup)

3 Tbs butter, cut into small pieces

1 Tbs heavy cream

2 tsp light corn syrup

What you do:

Crust: preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wrap bottom and outside of a a 9” spring form pan with two layers of aluminum foil. Coat inside bottom of pan with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper, then spray again.

IMG_2670Use food processor to finely crush cookie crumbs. I used World Table cookie wafer thins. They were perfect for this. Stir together cookie crumbs, butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Press mixture firmly into bottom of prepared spring form pan. Bake until firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

IMG_2671Place chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave until melted. Start with 30 second intervals and watch closely, as you don’t want it to scorch. Let cool a bit. With a mixer beat cream cheese on medium speed until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add sugar in slow stream until combined. Add salt and vanilla and mix until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time.

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Divide cream cheese mixture in half. Stir peanut butter into one half, and the melted chocolate into the other half. Blend both until well-combined.  Ladle one cup of peanut butter filling into center of crust, and tap pan gently on counter to settle. Lade one cup of chocolate filling directly on top of the peanut butter filling, and tap again. Repeat, switching to ½ cup amounts, and continue to do this, alternating, until all of the filling is used. Tap pan on counter occasionally to remove air bubbles.

Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place cake pan in a large roasting pan, and transfer to oven. Carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until cake is set but still slightly wobbly in the center, about 80 minutes. Remove from roasting pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate cake in pan until cold, at least 6 hours, up to overnight.

IMG_2679Before removing the side of the pan, run a knife around the inner edge, between the cake and the pan. Remove outer ring of pan, then remove the bottom of the pan and parchment. Place cake on serving plate.

Prepare glaze by melting the chocolate and butter in the microwave, at 30-second intervals until just melted. Stir until smooth. Add corn syrup and milk.

IMG_2681Pour over center of cheesecake, allowing it to drip over the edges. You may need to smooth it down a bit if it is a little too thick to drip.

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Maggie

Harvesting a Heat and Eat

4 Comments

I wonder where to draw the line with making parts of my dinner.

On one hand, you have a frozen dinner. All you do is heat and eat. It is barely in the realm of cooking. On the far extreme end, you raise your own cow, grow your own grain and have an extensive garden that you harvest on a daily basis for your dinner. Life for almost all of us is somewhere in between.

There are some things that I’ve given up doing myself in favor of ease of use:

  • Deboned chicken – Unless I want chicken on the bone, I buy the deboned stuff. Could I debone? Yes. Is it worth the aggravation to me? No.
  • Spices – For the most part, I buy dried, pre-ground spices. I refuse to buy dried cilantro and occasionally will get fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano and parsley; I often use the dried kind.
  • Rice – Unless rice is going into the dish, or I need copious amounts of it, the 90 seconds in the microwave work just fine as a quick side dish.
  • Frozen vegetables – I am about 50/50 here. I prefer to buy fresh for anything that is part of a recipe, but if I am just throwing some into the steamer, flash frozen veggies are not too bad. I like to have a variety on hand so I can grab what sounds good for the dish at the time and not have to worry about spoilage.
  • Condiments – I don’t make my own condiments. Store bought ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard. OK, I’ve made Dijon once (more to try it out than anything).

One condiment often ends up getting made as part of a recipe versus being purchased outright – Teriyaki sauce. So many recipes have you make the teriyaki sauce when it is very easy (and generally just as good) to purchase it outright.

This recipe adds some apple juice to the recipe. My general preference is to sub in pineapple juice in its place if I have some.

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A nice juice piece of pork.

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A standard set of ingredients.

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Into the slow cooker.

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Tasty!

Teriyaki Pork Roast Recipe

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 7 hours  | Makes: 8 Servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 pounds), halved
  • 7-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons cold water

Directions:

In a greased 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first seven ingredients. Add roast and turn to coat. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.

Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with meat. Yield: 8 servings.

Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Teriyaki-Pork-Roast

Crisp, Tart and Refreshing

3 Comments

I am the only one in my family that likes traditional cole slaw. Because of that, I rarely make it. When, on the rare occasion, we buy a bucket of chicken from KFC we always choose mashed potatoes and gravy (how could you not choose this) and mac and cheese (which the boys like but it is just a too little radioactive orange to look appealing to me). If it is just my wife and I getting chicken, I can get the cole slaw.

This does not stop me from making different kinds of slaw. I make a mean Asian slaw but those flavors don’t work with all main dish items. This recipe is another take that brings the fresh flavor of apple to bear.

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A crisp, tart and sweet flavor.

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It calls for black truffle oil. I only had white truffle oil, but made it work. It takes time to juiliene the apples.

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The roasted garlic.

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The dressing. I used my immersion blender to make it.

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Fruity and refreshing!

Green Apple-Truffle Slaw

Prep Time: 0 hours 35 minutes | Cook Time: 0 hours 30 minutes | Makes: 10 cups | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

  • 4 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
  • 5 Granny Smith apples, julienned
  • 1/2 small head green cabbage, very thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
  • 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon black truffle oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the garlic on a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil and wrap up. Bake until tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, then squeeze the garlic from its skin.Combine 2 teaspoons water, the roasted garlic, lemon juice, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a blender or mini food processor. With the motor running, slowly pour in 1/4 cup each olive and grapeseed oils through the feed tube, blending until emulsified.Toss the apples, cabbage, walnuts, parsley and truffle oil in a medium bowl. Add the dressing and toss; season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate the slaw until chilled, about 45 minutes.Photograph by Andrew Mccaul

Source: http://m.foodnetwork.com/recipes/recipe/464005

Ten Spots For Kids? Done.

6 Comments

A few years ago, the family was at the dinner table and NBC news had on a story about the top 10 spots every kids should see. As they went through them, we realized that we had fulfilled most of the list. This summer, we will scratch the last one off the list.

  • Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, New York City - New York is an eight hour drive from Cleveland, so we went on a long Easter weekend. The trip to the statue was impressive, but the stories of Ellis Island are what really stuck. This is best for teens who can better appreciate the stories.
  • Fenway Park Baseball Game, Boston – OK. We didn’t technically fulfill this. We did take a tour of the stadium on a non-game day. No matter what you do as a parent sometimes your children take wrong turns; my eldest is a Yankees fan. He proudly wore his Yankees cap through the entire tour receiving a barrage of good-natured insults from the tour guide along the way.
  • Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska - We were very lucky to be able to take a cruise into Glacier Bay. Normally talkative boys were awestruck by the glaciers and whales.
  • Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona - Such a beautiful place. My boys, who abhor getting up early, said that watching the sun rise over the canyon was the best part of the trip.
  • Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral – This was a day trip over from Orlando and taking the entire tour was well worth it.
  • San Diego Zoo, San Diego – So much about this zoo is great, but the Great Apes really stood out. They came right up to the glass to watch us watch them.
  • The Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. – A marathon couple of days through Washington D.C. took us through many of the Smithsonian buildings. The Air and Space museum was a standout.
  • Walt Disney World, Orlando - This was one of the first on the list we had done. From Pirates of the Caribbean to Epcot’s Test Track, there are so many opportunities to have fun.
  • Willis (Sears) Tower, Chicago – It was the Sears Tower when we went. Even the son with a healthy fear of heights went to the top.
  • Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming – Yellowstone, here we come!

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The shallots bring full flavor to this dish.

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I did by already but strips but sliced them in half.

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Cooking the meat.

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Boiling the noodles.

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Frying the shallots.

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Putting it all together.

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Meaty!

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Such an earthy dish.

Beef with Caramelized Shallots

Prep Time: 20 Min | Cook Time: 20 Min | Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 (1 pound) boneless beef sirloin steak, 3/4-inch thick, cut into thin strips
  • 6 medium shallots, cut in quarters
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
  • 2 packets Swanson® Flavor Boost™ Concentrated Beef Broth
  • 1/3 (12 ounce) package medium egg noodles, cooked and drained

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the beef and cook until well browned, stirring often. Remove the beef from the skillet. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Stir the wine and vinegar in the skillet and cook for 5 minutes or until the mixture is reduced by half. Stir in the mustard and concentrated broth. Return the beef to the skillet and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Serve the beef mixture with the noodles.

Nutritional Info:

Amount Per Serving Calories: 424 | Total Fat: 17.6g | Cholesterol: 84mg Powered by ESHA Nutrient Database

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Beef-with-Caramelized-Shallots/Detail.aspx?ms=1&prop25=79380644&prop26=DailyDish&prop27=2012-03-14&prop28=RecipeOption&prop29=FullRecipe&me=1

Diced! Voting is now Open

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Unfortunately we have had two contestants drop out of this rendition of Diced! so the remaining three competitors will battle it out for each of the first two rounds to see who goes to the final round. Vote for your favorite post based on the quality of the post, the desirability of the dish, use of ingredients and any other criteria you may have. Votes from the first two rounds will be added together and the top two will move on. The polls will close one week after they open.

Good luck to the contestants!

Diced! – Josh – Cilantro Chicken Skewers w/ Tangy Cherry Queso

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Today we have an entrant for the first course of the Diced! competition. Contestants were instructed to create or find a recipe for an appetizer, soup or salad containing the following ingredients: Dried CherriesCream Cheese, Chicken Breast and Nilla Wafers (or another vanilla flavored wafer). They were instructed to make their dish and create a blog post about it, including pictures. You can help determine who advances to the next round. After the last post, I will post a poll where you can vote for contestants to move on. Vote for the post you like the best. You can vote because of the inventiveness, the yummyness, the use of ingredients, the quality of the writing and pictures or for any other reason. The poll will be active for one week only. Check back and vote. In the event of a tie, the Ranting Chef will choose who advances. More information about Diced! can be found here.

Today’s contestant, Josh hails from Beaumont, Texas and brings a little kick to his first round Diced! post. A Creative Director by day, Josh is a father of 3, former Marine, and lover of great food art.  His love for experiencing new and unique cuisine inspires a passion for recreating in his own kitchen. Josh blogs over at Some Dudes Kitchen. Check it out. Here’s Josh…

Cilantro Chicken Skewers w/ Tangy Cherry Queso

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Until about 6 years ago my concept of Mexican food was a late-night bean burrito and a stale churro at Taco Bell.  Then we moved from Chicago to San Antonio and my eyes, and palate, were opened.  I’m still not a big fan of Tex-Mex, but anytime I can find some truly authentic fare from across the border – I’m in!

Now I’ll admit, this recipe doesn’t even come close to authentic, but…it certainly has some flavors inspired by our friends to the south.  And as part of the DICED! competition rules, I’ve integrated 4 key ingredients, along with a few others that help tie it all together.  The 4 key ingredients are:

  • Chicken Breast
  • Nilla Wafers
  • Dried Cherries
  • Cream Cheese

1

Two challenges right off the bat were, 1) how to use the cookies, and 2) how to keep it an appetizer and not an entree.  While chicken is an easy ingredient, it’s a little common for an appetizer.  The options I came up with were to either use the Nilla Wafers as a crust (like in a quiche), or as a binder.  I decided on the latter.

In the spirit of the competition, I decided to go with my first attempt and not go back and adjust anything; I also waited to cook until the day submissions were due just to amp up the urgency.  So here we go!

In a blender (or food processor), begin with the following:

3

  • Solid handful of cilantro, my handful is a loose 3/4 cup.

2

  • (2) boneless/skinless chicken breast, uncooked
  • (12) Nilla Wafers
  • (4) scallions, topped and tailed
  • (3) garlic cloves, peeled

4

  • (3) Tbsp Olive Oil
  • (1.5) Tsp Salt
  • (1/2) Tsp fresh cracked pepper

Blend thoroughly

5

Drizzle about (3) Tbsp olive oil in a non-stick fry pan over medium-high heat.  Using a spoon, form chicken mixture into balls a little smaller than a golfball.

Olive oil will begin to smoke at about 375 degrees, once this happens, add meatballs being careful not to overpopulate the pan.

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Continue to cook meatballs on all sides, turning as a golden brown crust develops.  You may have to reduce the heat slightly to avoid burning, depending on your stove.

7

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Once meatballs are browned on all sides, remove from pan and set aside on a paper towel.  To check doneness, cut one in half – notice the great color!

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To prepare the dipping sauce (which I called Tangy Cherry Queso), begin by deseeding and finely chopping (2) jalapeño peppers.

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Next, finely chop 3/4 cup dried cherries.  This can be a little tricky as the sugars really make them stick to your knife.

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In a medium bowl, add the peppers and cherries to 8oz cream cheese along with the juice of a 1/2 lime.

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Mix thoroughly

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Finally, strip some lemon grass stalks until they’re the size of skewers and cut one end at an angle to assist in piercing meatballs.

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Gently place one skewer in each meatball

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To serve, place one chicken skewer atop a dollop of queso mixture.  Garnish with chopped cilantro.

The salt, lime juice, and pepper help balance the sweetness of the cherries and cookies.  The Nilla Wafers act as a binder for the meatballs, while the cream cheese is a nice delivery vehicle for all the tangy flavors.  Hope you enjoy!

Ciao,

Josh

Josh

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