Oh Farmers' Market, how do I love thee...

I love summer because the bounty at the local farmers' markets is fabulous. My hubby and I have a tradition every Saturday morning from May through October (the period during which our local farmers' market operates) of heading to the market. It is within walking distance of our house and the vendors are just wonderful. We always stop and pick up a chocolate croissant from a great bread company that sets up a booth there. Their breads are wonderful as well (I recommend the garlic asiago foccacia and the cinnamon swirl) but their chocolate croissants are to die for. I look forward to it every weekend. The vendors are also great. Really kind, genuine folks working hard to bring wonderful produce to the market. We've really enjoyed getting to know some of the vendors over the past year and a half and we're such regulars that they notice if we miss a weekend (which only happens if we are out of town). Heck, they even notice if we are later than usual on a Saturday morning. This is just one of the things I love about my small, suburban town. I'm within 15 minutes of the "city" and all it has to offer (including the large state farmers' market, which is also great) but I can enjoy the quiet, small town life too.

This summer at the market has been great with some new vendors stopping by. I've been able to really get most all of the produce that I need each week. In May and June there were fresh strawberries, and now in the heat of summer we have lots of goodies--squash, zucchini, peppers, fresh herbs, corn, red potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, green beans and okra, just to name a few of my purchases in the past few weeks. Almost every week during the summer, we have "farmers' market special" dinners where we cook up a lot of the fresh veggies we got at the market that week. One of my favorite ways to use my squash is to make squash casserole. This is my parents' recipe and both my husband and I love it. I don't use exact measurements, but the basic recipe is:

Squash Casserole

5-7 small to medium size squash, sliced
1/2 to 1 onion, chopped (depends on how big your onion is, use your best judgment)
1 cup sour cream (light works fine)
1 can cream of celery soup (I always use the Healthy Request version)
1-2 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing
1 tbsp of olive oil (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium heat (you could opt to use another fat like butter or bacon grease here or you might be able to get away with cooking spray). Sautee the squash and onions in the olive oil until they are soft and slightly browning. Pour into a baking dish and combine with remaining ingredients. It should be slightly creamy (I recommend mixing in your sour cream and soup first, then adding the stuffing until you reach the consistency you desire). Bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.

I've been MIA, but I've been cooking

I'm back again, trying to get the blog updated with all of my cooking from the past month or so. I've been busy and just haven't been able to find the time to get everything posted for your viewing and eating pleasure. I promise to get better at this!

Now, on to the food...

One of my favorite restaurants in our area is called Daniel's Pizza and Pasta. It is a locally owned restaurant and their food is fantastic. My favorite dish is called Penne Alla Casa and it blends a creamy tomato sauce with sundried tomatoes, garlic and spinach. It isn't the healthiest, but it is oh so good and worth the caloric splurge now and then. Luckily for my tastebuds (though not so luckily for my hips) our local newspaper published the recipe for this exact dish a while back in their "Specialty of the House" column. This is where readers can write in and request recipes from their favorite restaurants. It is a great column and I check it every week to see what gems it might turn up.

I highly recommend giving this a try. But eat in moderation... (Nutrition facts available upon request...trust me...just enjoy it and don't think about it!)

Penne Alla Casa

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup freshly chopped garlic

2 cups heavy cream (I've tried fat free half and half and it just doesn't work so well)

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienne

1 1/2 cups marinara sauce

salt, pepper and granulated garlic, to taste (I omitted the granulated garlic because I didn't have any)

1/2 pound fresh spinach

1/2 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

1 pound penne pasta cooked al dente and drained

Heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat then add the garlic and saute just until it begins to brown (careful not to burn the garlic...that won't be tasty). This should take about 1 minute. Add the cream and sun-dried tomatoes and bring to a boil then add the marinara sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and is reduced by one-fourth. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and granulated garlic then fold in the spinach and Romano. Heat just until spinach is wilted and the cheese melts. Toss with the pasta and serve hot. Serves 4.

Source: Daniel's Pizza and Pasta

Another dish I'd been wanting to try was stuffed peppers. I'd seen them in Jaime and Beth Anne's blogs and decided to give them a try. I thought they were pretty tasty and they are really quite healthy. My hubby, who is less of a green pepper fan than I am, liked the filling but felt like we had wasted a bunch of pepper since he only ate a portion of his actual pepper. His vote was that next time I just make the filling and throw some cooked green pepper in with it. If you like green peppers though, try it as is.

Stuffed Peppers

1lb ground beef (I used 1% fat ground turkey)

1 large onion, chopped

1 15 oz can tomato sauce, divided

1 1/4 c water, divided

1 envelope Good Seasoning Garlic & Herb Dressing & Recipe mix

1 cup instant brown rice, uncooked

4 large green peppers

1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Brown meat with onion in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in 1 cup of tomato sauce, 1 cup of water & salad dressing mix. Bring to a boil, stir in rice & cover. Remove from heat and let stand 5 min. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove seeds. Mix remaining sauce and 1/4 c water in the bottom of a 9 in square baking dish. Place peppers in baking dish. Stir 1/4 cup cheese into meat mixture and then spoon meat mixture into peppers. Use the remaining 1/4 cup cheese to top each pepper with a little bit of cheese. Cover with foil and bake 35 to 40 min or until peppers are tender. Spoon sauce from bottom of dish over peppers just before serving.

I'm baaack...

Wow, long time no post. We've been so busy with a family wedding, friend and family birthdays, our open house, holidays and our vacation that there just hasn't been much time to post. Luckily, life is slowing down a bit. Though I was busy, I was still cooking. Here are a few recipes to end the dry spell:


Hamburger (er...Turkey) Stroganoff

Growing up, my mom made this quite a bit and it was always one of my favorites. She of course always made it with hamburger, as the original recipe calls for. I try to lighten things up of course, so I make mine using ground turkey.

1/2 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced (optional...my mom omits, I add extra)
4 Tbsp butter or margarine (I never use this much...maybe 1 or 2 Tbsp max)
1 lb ground beef (or ground turkey...the picture was using 99% FF ground turkey breast)
2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp salt (I only use 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (8 oz) can mushrooms, drained (I saute some fresh)
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted (I use Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom)
1 c. commercial sour cream (I use light and it works fine)

Saute onion and garlic in butter over medium heat. Stir in meat and brown. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and mushrooms. Cook 5 minutes. Stir in soup. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Heat through. Serve over egg noodles.

Source: Cooking in the Original Washington

Dive! Brick Oven Mushroom and Turkey Cheese Sub

I found this recipe in a cookbook and decided to try it a few years ago. It is one we quite enjoy but had forgotten about until recently when we had a few of the ingredients it calls for that we needed to use up. It is very tasty but also quite rich.

4 mushrooms, sliced (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1 Tbsp butter
salt
pepper
6 oz deli-slice turkey breast (we prefer smoked, recipe calls for roasted)
1/4 cup White Cheddar Dipping Sauce (recipe below)
One 7-inch baguette, sliced open
2 ounces Swiss cheese, sliced

White Cheddar Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 oz white cheddar cheese, grated or chopped
1 Tbsp butter

Prepare the sauce by combining all of the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. The sauce should thicken.

Prepare the sandwich by preheating the oven to 450 degrees. Saute the mushroom slices in the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat the turkey breast in the microwave until warm. Split the baguette open without cutting all of the way through. Hinge the bread open and spread some of the hot White Cheddar Dipping Sauce on the faces of the bread. Load the turkey onto the baguette. Salt and pepper it. Pour the remaining cheese sauce over the turkey. Spread the mushrooms over the cheese sauce. Bake the open sandwich for 4 minutes. Put the Swiss cheese on top of the other ingredients and bake for 2 minutes more or just until the cheese is melted. Slice the sandwich in half before serving.

Source: A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes

Pasta Pomodoro

This is one of my favorite meals as it is not only easy, but tasty. It also isn't terrible for you, which is always a plus. I think it tastes even better the next day. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

1 8oz package of angel hair pasta (recipe calls for 2 but it's too much...we use whole wheat pasta)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans diced tomatoes, any flavor you like (recipe calls for 2 cups diced roma tomatoes)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 (10.75 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth

crushed red pepper to taste (we generally omit)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (we substitute 2 tsp dried basil)

Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente; drain. Pour olive oil in a large deep skillet over high-heat. Saute onions and garlic until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium high and add tomatoes, vinegar and chicken broth. Simmer for about 8 minutes. Stir in red pepper, black pepper, basil and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Source: allrecipes.com

Stuffed Shells

I love stuffed shells. All the yummy cheese spilling out just makes them wonderful. I was craving them one night and happened to have a box of shells on hand so voila, the idea for dinner was born. I used two recipes for inspiration so I don't have an actual recipe to provide but here is an idea of what I ended up using:

1 12oz package jumbo pasta shells

1-2 cups of part skim ricotta cheese

8 oz package of mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup or so of parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten

Italian seasoning, probably 1/2 to 1 tsp

Garlic powder, probably 1/2 to 1 tsp

Dried Parsley, 1 Tbsp or so

Salt

Pepper

3 or 4 cups of pasta sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the shells until done and then drain. You may want to rinse in cool water to help get them to handling point sooner. Mix ricotta, 3/4 of mozzarella, 3/4 of the parmesan, seasonings and beaten egg together. Spoon mixture into shells. Spread some sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place shells in dish. Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle top with remaining cheeses. Bake for 30-45 minutes.

Valentine's Recap

My husband and I decided we'd stay in this Valentine's Day and cook rather than fight the crowds for an overpriced restaurant meal. Luckily the temperature was pretty nice out so we could grill. My husband grilled a steak for himself and he grilled me a piece of boneless chicken. We served it with a salad and twice baked potatoes. Then mini molten chocolate cakes for dessert. Yum!

Twice Baked Potatoes

Baking potatoes (we do one per person)
Shredded cheese (we used 2% cheddar)
Bacon pieces (we cooked and crumbled some fully cooked slices)
Sour cream (we used light)

Baking potatoes in the oven or microwave until done. Scoop out most of the potato, leaving just the skin with a thin layer of potato on it. Mix scooped out potato with as much cheese, bacon and sour cream as you'd like. Put the filling back in the skins and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and cheese melts.


Mini Molten Chocolate Cakes

2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg
2 teaspoons all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 3/4-cup (6 ounce) ramekins. Stir chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat; whisk in cocoa and sugar. Whisk in egg yolks, then whole egg and flour. Divide batter between prepared ramekins. Bake cakes uncovered until edges are set but center is not yet set, about 22 minutes (i'll probably shave a few minutes off this next time as the center wasn't set yet but it also wasn't molten). To serve: Cut around cakes to loosen; turn out onto plates. *do-ahead tip: cake batter can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.

Source: email from Whole Foods which lists the source as Chef Ashley Brooke adapted from "Dinner for Two" class at Salud! Cooking School

More Catching Up to Do

So I didn't get to finish catching up the other night so here are a few of the other things I've been making recently:

I always love to get Baked Ziti at restaurants so I thought I'd try to make some at home. I generally get mine meatless but my husband always prefers things to have meat in them if possible, so I opted to try a recipe that contained beef. I thought it turned out pretty tasty, though I might try to use more sauce or less ricotta next time, as I prefer mine to have a little more of a tomato taste to it. It was good nonetheless.

Baked Ziti (er...Rotini...I didn't have any ziti on hand)

1 lb ziti pasta
1 lb ground beef
salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes to taste
12 oz ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
3 cups jarred pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (I used 2% milk mozzarella)
3/4 cup grated Romano cheese, divided
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, season water with salt, boil pasta till al dente; drain and set aside.
Meanwhile brown ground beef in skillet and season with desired amounts of salt, black pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes. Drain excess grease away from meats and return back to skillet.
Put a thin layer of sauce on bottom of baking dish to prevent sticking. In a large pot, mix remaining sauce with meat, ricotta cheese and pasta. Pour half of the mixture into the baking dish and top with 1/2 cup Romano, 1/2 cup mozzarella , 1/4 cup Parmesean. Pour remaining noodle mixture and top with 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup Romano cheese.
Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, then remove foil and broil on low for 5 minutes if you like the cheese a little bit browned. Let set 5 minutes to cool before serving.

Adapted from a recipe found on Mrs. Sac's Purple Kitchen.



I was asked to bring dessert to a Superbowl party and decided I've given this Oreo Cheesecake a try. It was delicious! I love cheesecake and Oreos so this was great. Now if I can just figure out how to keep it from cracking on top!

Oreo Cheesecake

1 cup crushed OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (about 12 cookies)
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
20 OREO Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, quartered

PREHEAT oven to 325°F if using a silver springform pan (or 300°F if using a dark nonstick springform pan). Mix crushed cookies and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Gently stir in quartered cookies. Pour over crust. BAKE 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with additional cookies, if desired.

Source: NC Recipes


I love pizza! It is gooey and cheesy and just all around yummy. However, pizza is generally not all that good for you, especially when it comes from a pizza place. So we try to make it at home and to find ways to make it healthier. Using lower fat cheese and non meat toppings always helps, but helping to get some of your grain servings in there too is an added plus. So I was excited to try this pizza dough that incorporates whole wheat flour. It was tasty and I'll definitely be making it again.

Whole Wheat Herb Pizza Dough

1 package dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons pizza seasoning (I used a mix of Italian seasoning and pasta seasoning since I didn't have pizza seasoning)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking Spray

Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, oil, garlic powder, pizza seasonings and salt to yeast mixture, stirring until well-blended. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes); add enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands (dough will feel tacky).Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Punch dough down; cover and let rest 5 minutes. Divide dough in half; roll each half into a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. Top and bake according to recipe directions.

Note: You can prepare this in a stand mixer using the dough hook. Add all the ingredients and let the hook knead the dough for approximately 5 minutes. Also, this dough may be frozen. Follow directions for kneading dough, and shape dough into 2 balls. Coat balls with cooking spray and place into a ziptop plastic freezer bag. Thaw overnight in a refrigerator. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85'), free from drafts' 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If Indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.) Shape as instructed.

We cooked the pizza dough for 5 minutes, then added our sauce, cheese, toppings and more cheese. Then we baked for approximately 15 more minutes until the cheese was melted and slightly browned.

Source: Jenni's Culinary Creations

Catching Up!

So I've been pretty busy lately and haven't had a chance to update the blog regularly so this is my catch up post to share the yummy things I've been making in the meantime.

First up is a tasty pasta dish I made from a recipe that was in the most recent issue of Kraft Food and Family. It turned out well and was quick to make and I like that it included dairy, veggie and protein.


Simple & Creamy Tortellini Alfredo

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
2 pkg. (9 oz. each) refrigerated cheese tortellini
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed (I used 1/3 less fat)
1 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup KRAFT Finely Shredded Italian* Five Cheese Blend (I used the 2% milk kind)
6 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled (I used the fully cooked kind)

POUR broth and water into large saucepan; stir. Bring to boil on medium-high heat. Add tortellini. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 8 to 9 min. or until tortellini is tender. (Do not drain.)
ADD cream cheese and peas; stir. Heat 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is completely melted, stirring occasionally.
STIR in shredded cheese and bacon.

Source: Kraft Food and Family Magazine (also available at kraftfoods.com)

A few weekends ago we had some friends over for dinner after they helped us with a home improvement project. I cooked the Mexican Lasagna from a previous post and then pulled out my cookbooks to find a rice dish to make for a side. I came upon Fiesta Rice from one of my Cooking Light cookbooks and decided to give it a shot. It was good but it might be even better with the lime juice and fresh cilantro, which I omitted since I didn't have them on hand.

Fiesta Rice

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup chopped green onions

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dash of salt

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles, undrained

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add corn to pan; cook 10 minutes or until corn starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan. Set aside.
Melt butter in pan. Add onions; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in rice, cumin, and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add chicken broth, black pepper, salt, and diced tomatoes to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in reserved corn and beans. Cover and let stand 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro and juice.

Source: Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2008

Manicotti Madness

I've been sick so I haven't been doing as much cooking and I'm a little behind on my posting. I hope to get caught up with my kitchen adventures soon. Last Wednesday and Thursday we enjoyed a tasty Italian treat...Manicotti! This recipe was in my Kraft Food and Family magazine (which is free and so much fun to get each month) and it had things we loved...pasta, cheese, garlic and mushrooms...and things we are trying to eat more of...healthy spinach. The recipe turned out really tasty and the only change I would make for next time would be more garlic, simply because we love it, and I would have used the whole jar of sauce, since I like a lot of sauce with my pasta. Otherwise I highly recommend it. We had it the first night with green pea casserole, my mom's specialty. I never had green bean casserole growing up...my mom always made green pea instead. I love it so much more than green bean casserole and even my husband, who grew up with green bean casserole, prefers it now. The second night was some simple steamed fresh broccoli from my dad's garden and some fresh green beans. Yum!

Cheesy Manicotti

1 pkg. (8 oz.) sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 egg whites (I used about 6 tablespoons of liquid egg whites)
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 container (15 oz.) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/3 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided (I grated some fresh Parmigiano Reggiano)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) manicotti shells (14 shells), cooked, drained
2 cups spaghetti sauce (I did this but will use the whole jar next time)

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook 5 min. on medium heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Beat egg whites lightly in medium bowl. Add mushroom mixture, spinach, ricotta cheese and half each of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; mix well. Spoon evenly into manicotti shells.
PLACE in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with spaghetti sauce.
BAKE 40 min. or until heated through. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses; continue baking 5 min. or until mozzarella cheese is melted.

Green Pea Casserole

1 can Leseur baby peas

1 can Campbells Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 large can or 1 small can French's French Fried Onions

Stir together peas and soup in a casserole dish. Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Sprinkle onions on top and bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 until the onions are crispy and golden brown.