Twice-Baked Potatoes

October 6, 2012 in Side Dish | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

I love twice-baked potatoes. They can be made using many different ingredients, whatever flips your switch. This recipe calls for sour cream and shallot, but you could use cream cheese and onion instead. You’re only limited by your imagination. This dish doesn’t take a lot of hands-on time. You can bake the potatoes ahead of time and then the rest of the preparation goes quickly.

Start by washing russet “baker” potatoes and running a knife lengthwise along one side of each, just piercing the skin. Then give one deep jab along the score. One time I didn’t do this and had the potatoes explode in the oven and make a mess, so do it. Just sayin’. The russets I use are quite large and I bake at 350 degrees for an hour and a half. They should be soft when squeezed. Remove from the oven and let cool awhile, until you can pick them up. It’s much easier to scoop out the insides if they are still warm. This is what they look like when cooked.

In a small skillet saute a chopped shallot and a chopped garlic clove in butter until tender.

Scoop out the white part of the potatoes with a spoon into a large bowl, being careful not to pierce the skin.

Mash the potato as well as possible (my bowl was too small).

Here are the potato skins, ready to be stuffed.

Add the shallot, garlic, butter mixture to the potatoes. Add salt and pepper. Add a few tablespoons of bacon bits. Stir together with dollops of sour cream, enough to bind it all together.

Stir in sharp cheddar cheese.

Mix together well.

Stuff the mixture into the potato skins.

Sprinkle with grated sharp cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and potatoes are heated throughout, 15-20 minutes.

Ingredient List

Russet “Baker” potatoes

Shallot

Garlic

Butter

Salt and pepper

Bacon bits

Sour Cream

Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Cajun Pot Roast

September 30, 2012 in Main Dish | Tags: , , , , | 2 comments

Cajun Pot Roast

This is another recipe from Justin Wilson. It’s prepared in a Reynolds oven bag. You can buy any size chuck roast that you like. My husband and I are still empty-nesting so the pictures illustrate a very small 2-lb roast, with a couple potatoes, handful of carrots and mushrooms. For such a small dinner you may use a large oven bag, but if your roast and all the fixins added up to 8 or more pounds, then you’d want to use a turkey-size bag. Justin Wilson’s recipes often call for wine. I used red wine (Beaujolais) today because it was what I had on hand. I’ve made this recipe for many years and it’s the first time I used red wine instead of white. Turned out just fine, very tasty.

According to the oven bag directions, add 2 Tbsp. flour to the bag and shake it around.

Cut slits in each side of the roast

and stuff the slits with pieces of green onion and sliced garlic.

Lightly sprinkle the roast with cayenne (red pepper).

Place roast into the bag.

Inside the bag, beside and atop the roast, add potatoes, carrots, and whole mushrooms (enough for the number of people you will serve).

Stir 2 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce into 1 cup white wine and pour it into the bag. Seal the bag with the enclosed tie. Cut about a dozen small slits in the top of the bag to let off steam. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours.

Remove the roast

and vegetables from the bag to a platter.

Make gravy by pouring the juice out of the bag into a saucepan. Add beef broth until the amount seems enough and salt to taste. Stir cornstarch into cold broth or water and stir until dissolved. Bring gravy juices to a boil in the saucepan and then stir in the cornstarch-broth mixture until gravy is thickened.

I like to mash my serving of potato and cover with gravy. Horseradish sauce is a great condiment for the pot roast . . . or more gravy. It’s all good!

What you’ll need for Cajun Pot Roast

Reynolds oven bag, either large or turkey size

2 Tbsp. flour

Beef chuck roast

2 green onions (scallions)

1 garlic clove, sliced

Cayenne (red) pepper

Pototoes

Carrots

Whole mushrooms

1 cup white wine (Sauterne)

2 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce

Beef broth (for gravy)

Cornstarch mixed with a little beef broth or water (to thicken gravy)

Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes

September 22, 2012 in Main Dish | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes

It’s getting to be sweet potato season, I guess. Here is another recipe that calls for sweet potatoes in a savory, not sweet, dish.

Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a deep skillet. Brown 6 pork chops on both sides (this time I used four boneless pork chops, but loin or rib chops are fine and the amounts are easily adjusted). Season with salt and pepper.

Place about a teaspoon of ketchup on each chop. Cover and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Peel and halve 6 medium sweet potatoes (I used 3 fairly large ones and I cut them into large chunks). Remove chops from skillet; add ¾ cup water. Place potatoes in skillet. Turn to coat with liquid. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Pour about ½ cup ketchup over potatoes.

Top potatoes with chops.

Cover and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft and chops are tender.

To serve, spoon sauce over potatoes and chops. Yield 6 servings.

Pork Chops with Sweet Potatoes Recipe

2 Tbsp. butter

6 pork chops

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup ketchup

6 medium sweet potatoes

¾ cup water

Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a deep skillet. Brown 6 pork chops on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Place about a teaspoon of ketchup on each chop. Cover and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes. Peel and halve 6 medium sweet potatoes. Remove chops from skillet; add ¾ cup water. Place potatoes in skillet. Turn to coat with liquid. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour about ½ cup ketchup over potatoes. Top potatoes with chops. Cover and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft and chops are tender. To serve, spoon sauce over potatoes and chops. Yield 6 servings.

Eggplant Parmesan

September 17, 2012 in Main Dish | Tags: , , | 1 comment

Eggplant Parmesan

I know, I know, it’s another Parmesan recipe. And mine are all pretty much the same. I’m including this one because of the eggplant. It’s an easy dish. There is no salting and draining. You can reduce the ingredient amounts and use a smaller baking dish in order to serve fewer people. It’s simple to make adjustments.

Beat three eggs with 3-4 Tbsp. of water in a flat-bottomed pan, like the pie plate pictured here.

Scoop flour (about a cup) into a flat-bottomed pan like the pie plate pictured here.

Slice two medium eggplants lengthwise into apx. 1/4″ slices. (I used one large eggplant.)

Coat a griddle or large skillet with olive oil and heat on medium high.

Dredge a slice of eggplant through the flour, coating each side of eggplant.

Immerse eggplant slice in egg mixture.

Make sure each side of eggplant is covered with egg mixture.

Move the eggplant slice to the hot griddle.

Turn over once browned. Continue browning eggplant slices, adding olive oil as needed.

Once browned and softened, remove the eggplant slices to a paper-towel-lined plate. Stack the slices in layers on paper towels (to absorb extra oil). Let cool.

I use the whole eggplant, even with the peel on it. It doesn’t matter. As you can see, my slices are not uniform either. It really doesn’t matter.

In the meantime, while the eggplant slices are cooking, fry about a pound of Italian sausage. If you’re serving vegetarians you may skip this step.

Once the sausage is browned, add a jar of pasta sauce (about 24 ounces). I rinse the jar with red wine. Simmer until it is very thick.

Slice about a pound of mozzarella cheese. I like to use fresh mozzarella and this was only 12 ounces, but it was quite enough. I’ve also used shredded Mozzarella, it all works.

In a 9 x 13″ greased baking dish, layer 1/2 of the eggplant slices to cover the bottom of the dish. Like I said earlier, if you want to use a smaller eggplant and less of the other ingredients you could use a 9 x 9″ pan or smaller. This is really not fussy.

Layer 1/2 of the pasta sauce and 1/2 of the Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with a bit of grated or shredded Parmesan cheese.

Layer the remaining eggplant slices on top.

Finish up with the remaining sauce and Mozzarella. Sprinkle the top with about 1/2 cup of grated or shredded Parmesan.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Serves about 6 people.

I served this with shrimp salad and garlic bread. Delicious!

Dutch Apple Pie

September 9, 2012 in Dessert | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Dutch Apple Pie

Yesterday we picked apples at an orchard down the hill from where I live. The type is called Lodi. The largest ones were as big as tennis balls. This is Alaska after all, the growing season is too short for that type of fruit. Normally, I would peel 5 or 6 Granny Smiths in order to make this sublime Dutch Apple Pie, but because these apples were so small I only cored them. I think it will be fine with the peel on. Another confession: I cannot make a pie crust from scratch. I have tried many times and never succeeded. So, I always use the kind found in the refrigerated section at the store, the ones that need to be unrolled. Terrible cheating, I know. What makes it a “Dutch” apple pie? It’s the cream added at the end. Oh, yummy! This recipe is based upon one found online at Teri’s Kitchen.

8 cups pared, sliced tart baking apples (about 3#)

Like I said above, usually I would peel the apples, but these were so small that I didn’t. You will need to use a very, very large bowl.

Combine 1 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. nutmeg, ¼ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. grated lemon peel, 2 to 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice with the apples in the large bowl.

Place bottom crust into 9″ pie plate. Note my pie plate is a little big, but it works well, no problem.

Place the apple mixture into the bottom crust.

Dot with 2 Tbsp. butter.

Cut slits in top crust.

Make an egg wash by mixing 1 egg yolk with 1 Tbsp. water.

Place crust on top of apples and crimp with bottom crust to seal. Brush top crust with egg wash. It makes a beautiful shiny brown color when finished.

Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and enlarge slits as needed.

Pour 1/2 cup heavy cream into the slits. You may find it helpful to stick a knife into the opening and then pour the cream along the knife. It’s a little less messy. This is how my dad taught me to add oil to my motorcycle. Just a useful little tidbit of information.

Pop it back into the oven and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Dutch Apple Pie

Makes one 9” pie

8 cups pared, sliced tart baking apples (about 3#)

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp. flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. grated lemon peel

2 to 3 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. butter

Pastry for a 9” double-crust pie

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp. water

½ cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place crust in 9” pie plate. Combine apple slices, sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, lemon peel, and lemon juice in large bowl. Turn into pie plate. Dot with butter. Cut slits in top crust and then place crust on top of apples and crimp with bottom crust to seal. Brush top crust with egg yolk mixed with 1 Tbsp. water. Bake on bottom rack of oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and enlarge slits as needed and pour cream into the slits. Bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Spicy Sweet Potatoes

September 3, 2012 in Side Dish | Tags: , | 2 comments

I really like sweet potatoes except for canned sweet potatoes with copious amounts of sweetener added. The whole marshmallow topping thing is so unctuously sweet that . . . okay, enough of the trash talk. Here is what I like. I’ve used this recipe for many years and can’t remember where I originally got it, but just found it online at food.com. The recipe calls for fresh sweet potatoes (red yams) and very little sweetener. The pictures illustrate a smaller batch than is called for in the recipe, so use them as a guide on how to do it, but use the recipe for the amounts. I served the dish with shrimp salad, corn muffins, and pork roast that had been slowly baked in mango salsa. A couple days later I took the leftover pork and sweet potatoes, added grated cheese and refried beans and rolled it all up into tortillas for tasty burritos. Two days worth of good eats!

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled

Cut into 1” cubes (about 6 cups)

In a large resealable plastic bag, toss sweet potatoes and 2 Tbsp. olive oil.

Add 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 tsp. chili powder, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. cayenne and toss to coat.

Transfer to a greased 11×7” baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender, stirring every 15 minutes. Yield 8 servings.

Spicy Sweet Potatoes Recipe

3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes (about 6 cups)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cayenne

In a large resealable plastic bag, toss sweet potatoes and oil. Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 11×7” baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender, stirring every 15 minutes. Yield 8 servings.

Salmon Pickles

August 26, 2012 in Miscellaneous | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

I debated posting this as I don’t think most people are really interested, but then Reno asked me for the recipe today and I thought it would be easier and make a nice permanent record. So . . . here goes with Salmon Pickles. This is a salty pickle, not a sweet pickle. The fish is not cooked, but instead it is preserved with salt and vinegar.

Sanitize quart jars. Making these pickles is a two-step process and I start with quart jars, then finish in a few days with pint jars.

Mix together in a pitcher, or other pouring vessel,  1/3 cup pickling salt and 1 quart cold water. Add 1 quart vinegar . The ratio is one part salt brine to one part vinegar. The vinegar can be any kind as long as it is at least 4 percent (40 grains). I have made this using white vinegar, cider vinegar, and rice vinegar. My favorite is cider vinegar. If you make too much brine-vinegar solution, save it, you’ll need it in four days.

Remove skin from red (sockeye) or silver (coho) salmon, don’t worry about medium and small bones because they soften and are quite edible. Cut salmon into strips, about 1”x4”. You will cut the fish into bite-size tidbits during the second step of the process in a few days.

Place salmon strips loosely into quart jars. Pour the brine-vinegar solution to the top. The salmon strips need to be coated on all sides with brine-vinegar so don’t pack them in. Put lids on the jars and refrigerate for four days. I tip the jars occasionally, even placing them upside down for awhile.

For the second step of the process, sanitize pint jars. Prepare leftover brine-vinegar or a new batch. Drain quart jars, saving the salmon strips, but discarding the used brine-vinegar solution. The salmon is now a pink color and feels firm.

Cut the salmon into tidbits. Slice onions. Slice oranges (or lemons). Have pickling spice handy.

In pint jars layer salmon tidbits, sliced onion, sliced orange, and pickling spice.

Pour brine-vinegar solution to the top, make sure to release bubbles so that everything is thoroughly coated. Put lids on jars and refrigerate for four days. Serve!

Keep refrigerated. Keeps for six weeks under refrigeration.

Side note: Better salmon pickles are made by withdrawing a filet from a salt barrel (salmon filets that have been layered with pickling salt for months . . . or dare I say, years?), let it soak in cold water that is refreshed occasionally for 24 hours. Cut into tidbits and layer with onion, pickling spice, and orange in pint jars. Pour in vinegar that has been cut to about 85 percent vinegar to 15 percent water. Let sit in refrigerator for a few days and then serve. But who has a salt barrel these days? Anyway, that is the way I was taught to make salmon pickles back in the dark ages.

Savory Spinach and Artichoke Bread Pudding

August 9, 2012 in Side Dish | Tags: , , , | 1 comment

Savory Spinach and Artichoke Bread Pudding

This is a dish I’ve adapted from one posted on Food Network by Emeril Lagasse. It has a lot of ingredients, but is really very simple to make. Instead of Italian seasoning, I dash dried basil and oregano into it at the appropriate times. One thing that I think would enhance this dish is a sauce, but I haven’t quite come up with anything. I think a marinara would overwhelm it. Maybe a balsamic reduction would be good. If anyone comes up with something interesting, let me know! I served this with baked salmon the other night and it was a good accompaniment.

The first thing to do is prepare the spinach by steaming it, cooling, draining and wringing it as dry as possible, then chopping. Set aside.

Saute onion in olive oil until golden brown and tender.

Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds longer.

Add 2 tsp. Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix in artichokes. Heat for another 2 minutes. Set aside.

Prepare 7 cups French bread by slicing into cubes. Add onion mixture to bread cubes.

Cut Brie into cubes and stir into bread mixture, along with spinach.

Mix together eggs, cream, milk, lemon juice, more Italian seasoning (about 2 tsp.). Add to bread mixture, along with minced parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Let mixture rest for 20 minutes.

Pour into greased (sprayed or with olive oil) 13 X 9″ baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Drizzle olive oil over top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.Serve warm. Yields about eight servings.

Savory Spinach and Artichoke Bread Pudding Ingredient List

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper (divided in half)

1 14-oz. can quartered artichoke hearts

7 cups cubed French bread

1# spinach (steamed, cooled, wrung, and chopped)

½ # Brie, rind removed, cut into cubes

3 eggs

1-1/2 cup cream

1 cup milk

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. minced parsley

Olive oil for pan and drizzle

Chicken a la King

August 4, 2012 in Main Dish | Tags: , , , | 1 comment

Chicken a la King

There are many ways to make Chicken a la King. This way is my favorite. It is based upon the recipe in Betty Crocker’s Cookbook (Golden Press 1972). In a pinch, you could use leftover chicken or turkey and canned broth. You could also use canned mushrooms. My way has better flavor. Served over popovers makes it fun. I will post the popover recipe as well.

Add water, at least two cups, to cover chicken in medium pan and simmer until chicken is cooked.

In the meantime, melt butter and sauté mushrooms in batches until nicely browned. Set aside mushrooms.

Saute bell pepper in the butter (don’t use more than 1/2 cup butter total while cooking this dish).

Add mushrooms to bell pepper and sprinkle with 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper. Stir, over low heat, until flour is absorbed by melted butter and coats vegetables. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from water and save the water which is now chicken broth.

Into the mushroom, bell pepper, flour mixture, stir in 2 cups cream and 2 cups reserved broth. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir one minute. Shred or dice chicken. Stir chicken and 4-oz. pimientos into cream sauce. Heat through.

Serve hot over rice, toast cups, or popovers. Serves 4-6 people.

Chicken a la King Ingredient List

2 chicken breasts or other chicken parts

½ cup butter

1/3 lb. sliced mushrooms

½ cup diced bell pepper

½ cup flour

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

2 cups cream

1 4-oz. jar pimientos

Popovers

August 4, 2012 in Bread | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

Popovers

I have tried several different popover recipes and I’ll give you the one that works best. I’m still on the hunt for a better one, though. This is based upon a recipe by Ina Garten (2001 Barefoot Contessa Parties). Popovers are a little like puffs (think cream puffs), in that they are egg based. In a perfect world I suppose that you could quickly remove your perfectly rounded popovers from the oven, slice off the tops, and fill the popovers with Chicken a la King. I have never been so lucky. This does not detract whatsoever from how good they are. The recipe calls for room temperature eggs and milk. I am never so advanced in planning. One trick I do use is to preheat the muffin tins for 2 minutes before pouring in the batter.

Whisk together 1-1/2 cups flour, 3/4 tsp. salt, 3 extra-large eggs, 1-1/2 Tbsp. melted butter and 1-1/2 cups milk. I use a 4-cup measurer as a bowl so I can pour the batter into the muffin tins without a mess.

Place buttered, greased, or sprayed muffin tins (18) in 425 degree oven for 2 minutes exactly. Fill each hot muffin cup half full of batter and bake for 20-25 minutes. DO NOT PEEK!

Remove from oven. Don’t they look crazy! Serve as quickly as possible. They fall very fast. Have your guests open with a fork, being careful not to burn themselves, and spoon Chicken a la King over the top. Delicious!

Popovers Ingredient List

1-1/2 cups flour

3/4 tsp. salt

3 extra-large eggs at room temperature

1-1/2 Tbsp. melted butter

1-1/2 cups milk at room temperature

Whisk all together. Makes 18.

What kind?