My, how time does fly! I can't believe how long it has been since my last post!
Anyhow, we had a lovely Christmas along with a lovely ham. So that meant leftovers! I'm proud to announce that I had all of these ingredients on hand, so this is a true 2DG special. Let's get to it...
Peel and chop 5 or 6 medium red potatoes. Put them in a stock pot with 2 cups of boiling water. Cook until tender. Mine only took about 8 to 10 minutes. While that's going on, chop an onion and dice about a cup or two of that yummy leftover ham.
When potatoes are done, reserve the starchy cooking water. You should have almost a cup left. Add enough water to it to get a cup of water. Put it aside.
Here's the decadent part.
In the now empty stockpot, melt 2 T bacon fat & 1 T butter. Saute the onion until it's tender. When it is, add 3 T flour. Stir and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
Now slooooowly add the reserved potato water, whisking as you go. Put in the cooked potatoes. Slowly stir in 3 cups of milk. Soup will thicken up as you do this. When all the milk's in, add the diced ham and stir. Now grate in 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and a tiny bit of sugar, about half a tsp. Grate in a little fresh nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer on low for about half an hour. Stir it occasionally. It will become silky smooth and delicious!
Enjoy!
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Il Popeye Benedicto
I love spinach. I also love poached eggs. And I love them in a combo.
So tonight, I had some fresh spinach, some eggs, some salami, a few pieces of whole wheat bread and some salami in the fridge.
The result? Il Popeye Benedicto!
I fried the salami a little bit in a hot cast iron skillet with just a little bit of olive oil. Removed them. Mike used the same skillet to make some excellent home fries. When they were removed, I wilted the spinach in the same hot skillet, in a little olive oil, with the burner off. There was enough heat to wilt it. Meanwhile, I boiled a little bit of water in a pot, plunked in a little bit of vinegar when it was at a boil, put in two eggs and let them float for about 4 minutes. Toasted some of the whole wheat, topped each slice with half of the spinach. Then placed two salami slices on that, and then one egg. Topped the whole thing off with a few small slices of Monterrey jack cheese, and voila...Il Popeye Benedicto served along side of home fried potatoes.
It was so yummy, I forgot to take a picture!
-J
So tonight, I had some fresh spinach, some eggs, some salami, a few pieces of whole wheat bread and some salami in the fridge.
The result? Il Popeye Benedicto!
I fried the salami a little bit in a hot cast iron skillet with just a little bit of olive oil. Removed them. Mike used the same skillet to make some excellent home fries. When they were removed, I wilted the spinach in the same hot skillet, in a little olive oil, with the burner off. There was enough heat to wilt it. Meanwhile, I boiled a little bit of water in a pot, plunked in a little bit of vinegar when it was at a boil, put in two eggs and let them float for about 4 minutes. Toasted some of the whole wheat, topped each slice with half of the spinach. Then placed two salami slices on that, and then one egg. Topped the whole thing off with a few small slices of Monterrey jack cheese, and voila...Il Popeye Benedicto served along side of home fried potatoes.
It was so yummy, I forgot to take a picture!
-J
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Super Greek Giardiniera Dip
Here it is, Super Bowl Sunday, and I have no idea what to take to any Super Bowl parties. I want to be team-neutral, so my choices can't include anything specific to New England or New York/New Jersey (Trust me, if the Ravens were playing today, we'd be having Crab Wings!). Plus, as much as possible, I want to use what I have on hand. What to do, what to do...?
I took a quick inventory of my pantry and found 2 boxes of unopened Triscuits, so I think some sort of dip is in order. I see cans of tuna and clams in there, but I don't really want to take either of those. Tuna is just too odd, I think, and clams are too New-England-y.
Then I check the fridge. There's some Greek yoghurt in there, so that'll do. OH! There's my favorite new thing, right there, staring at me, ready to be put in this dip!
It's no secret that I watch the Food Network. Last season's winner of The Next Food Network Star was Jeff Mauro, the Sandwich King. On one of his shows, he made a "Hot Giardiniera" that I made that is just to DIE for. I don't think I'd ever even had Giardiniera, but I made his version, and I gotta tell ya, I am totally addicted to it. It's a yummy blend of cauliflower, carrots, red bell peppers, a little serano, and onion, marinaded in vegetable oil. Plus, he's from Chicago, so that's about as team-neutral as I can get today.
So...here's my creation:
Super Greek Giardiniera Dip!
Combine almost equal parts of Greek Yoghurt and Giardiniera, with a little less yoghurt than giardiniera. I used abour a cup of giardiniera and about 3/4 cup of yoghurt. (Start with about half a cup of yoghurt and add til you get the blend you want.) You can make your own giardiniera, or use store-bought. Chop up a green onion and toss it in. Calamata olives would probably be good in there too, so I chopped up about 10 - 12 and added them. Hmm...maybe even some sundried tomatoes...yeah, about 1 - 2 T of chopped sundried tomatoes. Now for some feta cheese, just diced up and tossed in. And then finish it off with some green onion and fresh flat leaf parsley, marjoram, oregano and rosemary.. Combine. Let it sit and blend for a few hours. Serve with whole grain crackers.
Enjoy!
-J
I took a quick inventory of my pantry and found 2 boxes of unopened Triscuits, so I think some sort of dip is in order. I see cans of tuna and clams in there, but I don't really want to take either of those. Tuna is just too odd, I think, and clams are too New-England-y.
Then I check the fridge. There's some Greek yoghurt in there, so that'll do. OH! There's my favorite new thing, right there, staring at me, ready to be put in this dip!
It's no secret that I watch the Food Network. Last season's winner of The Next Food Network Star was Jeff Mauro, the Sandwich King. On one of his shows, he made a "Hot Giardiniera" that I made that is just to DIE for. I don't think I'd ever even had Giardiniera, but I made his version, and I gotta tell ya, I am totally addicted to it. It's a yummy blend of cauliflower, carrots, red bell peppers, a little serano, and onion, marinaded in vegetable oil. Plus, he's from Chicago, so that's about as team-neutral as I can get today.
So...here's my creation:
Super Greek Giardiniera Dip!
Combine almost equal parts of Greek Yoghurt and Giardiniera, with a little less yoghurt than giardiniera. I used abour a cup of giardiniera and about 3/4 cup of yoghurt. (Start with about half a cup of yoghurt and add til you get the blend you want.) You can make your own giardiniera, or use store-bought. Chop up a green onion and toss it in. Calamata olives would probably be good in there too, so I chopped up about 10 - 12 and added them. Hmm...maybe even some sundried tomatoes...yeah, about 1 - 2 T of chopped sundried tomatoes. Now for some feta cheese, just diced up and tossed in. And then finish it off with some green onion and fresh flat leaf parsley, marjoram, oregano and rosemary.. Combine. Let it sit and blend for a few hours. Serve with whole grain crackers.
Enjoy!
-J
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Ham and Cheese Puffs
It's not totally accurate to say that I made Ham and Cheese Puffs yesterday. Actually, Kati made them and I "directed". And they came out good!
I used Elise's Simply Recipe method for Cheese Puffs. But I thawed out a little less than a pound of Christmas Ham from the freezer, diced it while it was still a little bit frozen and added it in with the cheddar cheese and fresh chopped rosemary.
It seems a little labor intensive when reading the recipe, but it's really not.
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Place 1 cup of water, 1 stick of butter and 1 tsp. of salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. When it's at a boil, turn it down to medium and add 1 cup of flour, all at once, and stir like mad with a wooden spoon. It will get really thick and pull away from the side of the pot. That's fine, just keep stirring and cook for a few minutes.
Next you need to let it cool for a few minutes, stirring to make sure it cools evenly. I put it in my mixing bowl and let the mixer go on "stir" (low speed) for a few minutes. While it's still slightly warm, but not so warm that the eggs get cooked upon entry, mix in 4 eggs, 1 egg at a time. When they're in and it's looking creamy, add in 1 cup of cheddar, 1 cup of diced ham and about 1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary. Stir to combine.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a pastry bag or a scoop (I prefer the scoop method), dish out onto cookie sheets about an inch apart. Bake in the 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes, until nicely brown.
Cool slightly and devour!
Good job, Kati!
-J
I used Elise's Simply Recipe method for Cheese Puffs. But I thawed out a little less than a pound of Christmas Ham from the freezer, diced it while it was still a little bit frozen and added it in with the cheddar cheese and fresh chopped rosemary.
It seems a little labor intensive when reading the recipe, but it's really not.
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Place 1 cup of water, 1 stick of butter and 1 tsp. of salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. When it's at a boil, turn it down to medium and add 1 cup of flour, all at once, and stir like mad with a wooden spoon. It will get really thick and pull away from the side of the pot. That's fine, just keep stirring and cook for a few minutes.
Next you need to let it cool for a few minutes, stirring to make sure it cools evenly. I put it in my mixing bowl and let the mixer go on "stir" (low speed) for a few minutes. While it's still slightly warm, but not so warm that the eggs get cooked upon entry, mix in 4 eggs, 1 egg at a time. When they're in and it's looking creamy, add in 1 cup of cheddar, 1 cup of diced ham and about 1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary. Stir to combine.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Using a pastry bag or a scoop (I prefer the scoop method), dish out onto cookie sheets about an inch apart. Bake in the 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes, until nicely brown.
Cool slightly and devour!
Good job, Kati!
-J
Thursday, December 29, 2011
My Hammy Mac'n'Cheese and Garden Fresh Tomato Soup
Ham. Mac and Cheese. Tomato Soup.
The trifecta of yummy. They harmonize like a bunch of carolers, don't they?
I had lots of leftover Christmas ham, some elbow macaroni, milk, and lots and lots of tomatoes from the garden. Picked up a block of medium cheddar cheese, and a great 2DG experience was on the way!
Now, I need to 'fess up here. I made the Hammy Mac'n'Cheese Tuesday night using the leftover Christmas ham. I used Elise's Simply Recipes version of Macaroni and Cheese, and it calls for a really interesting way to make it. Basically, you cook the elbow macaroni in milk, using about 2 cups of milk for each cup of macaroni. Sounds odd, I know, but I brought the milk just to a boil, put in the macaroni and simmered it for about 12 minutes, and diced up about 2 cups of ham. At about the 10 minute mark, I melted about 4 Tbs of butter and then added about 2 cups of shredded cheddar and grated some nutmeg and a little pepper. When it was good and melted and gooey, I added the ham and the cheese mix to the macaroni and stirred it all together. A good sprinkle of bread crumbs on top, then into the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. It was quite tasty!
On Wednesday, I worried that the cold snap we are having here in Orlando would be bad for all the tomatoes still on the plants out in the garden, so I went out and picked any that were at least beginning to turn pink. I came in with 1.25 lbs. of Juliets and 5.50 lbs of Romas. So...the ripest ones from that batch and the ones I already had in the house became soup, to go along with the Hammy Mac'n'Cheese.
I diced a medium/large onion and about 3 cloves of garlic. Browned these in some olive oil until they were soft, added the diced tomatoes. I didn't dice all of them...maybe a few pounds. I added about a cup of chicken stock, and then dissolved about a Tbsp of cornstarch in about a half cup of stock and set it aside. I let the soup simmer for a little while, then stirred in the reserved stock/cornstarch and some chopped fresh oregano, marjoram and basil. (I saved a little basil for a garnish.) I let it simmer on low for half an hour or so, then turned it off and let it cool a little bit before carefully purreeing it with a stick blender. I thought I'd need to strain it, but I didn't, so it was a slightly thickened.
I served it garnished with some ribboned basil and diced tomatoes. And the Hammy Mac'n'Cheese, of course!
Enjoy!
-J
I had lots of leftover Christmas ham, some elbow macaroni, milk, and lots and lots of tomatoes from the garden. Picked up a block of medium cheddar cheese, and a great 2DG experience was on the way!
Now, I need to 'fess up here. I made the Hammy Mac'n'Cheese Tuesday night using the leftover Christmas ham. I used Elise's Simply Recipes version of Macaroni and Cheese, and it calls for a really interesting way to make it. Basically, you cook the elbow macaroni in milk, using about 2 cups of milk for each cup of macaroni. Sounds odd, I know, but I brought the milk just to a boil, put in the macaroni and simmered it for about 12 minutes, and diced up about 2 cups of ham. At about the 10 minute mark, I melted about 4 Tbs of butter and then added about 2 cups of shredded cheddar and grated some nutmeg and a little pepper. When it was good and melted and gooey, I added the ham and the cheese mix to the macaroni and stirred it all together. A good sprinkle of bread crumbs on top, then into the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. It was quite tasty!
On Wednesday, I worried that the cold snap we are having here in Orlando would be bad for all the tomatoes still on the plants out in the garden, so I went out and picked any that were at least beginning to turn pink. I came in with 1.25 lbs. of Juliets and 5.50 lbs of Romas. So...the ripest ones from that batch and the ones I already had in the house became soup, to go along with the Hammy Mac'n'Cheese.
I diced a medium/large onion and about 3 cloves of garlic. Browned these in some olive oil until they were soft, added the diced tomatoes. I didn't dice all of them...maybe a few pounds. I added about a cup of chicken stock, and then dissolved about a Tbsp of cornstarch in about a half cup of stock and set it aside. I let the soup simmer for a little while, then stirred in the reserved stock/cornstarch and some chopped fresh oregano, marjoram and basil. (I saved a little basil for a garnish.) I let it simmer on low for half an hour or so, then turned it off and let it cool a little bit before carefully purreeing it with a stick blender. I thought I'd need to strain it, but I didn't, so it was a slightly thickened.
I served it garnished with some ribboned basil and diced tomatoes. And the Hammy Mac'n'Cheese, of course!
Enjoy!
-J
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Fried 'Mater Sammich
Tomatoes. Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes.
There are not many things on this planet I love more than fresh homegrown tomatoes. Yesterday I had a tomato sandwich for lunch. Just slices of a fresh ripe tomato on toasted whole wheat bread slathered with mayo. Mmmmm...
So tonight, it was Fried Tomatoes for dinner. Now, I know southerners use green tomatoes when they make Fried Green Tomatoes, but that's not for me. My mom used to make fried tomatoes using ripe tomatoes from our huge garden (usually about 200 tomato plants every summer, among all the other veggies), and she just dredged hers in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and fried til the outside was a little crisp.
I did that tonight, but I also took a different approach. After I dredged them in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, I dunked them in an eggwash and then coated them with panko breadcrumbs mixed with Mrs. Dash Seasoning.
Then I fried them in a hot skillet with vegetable shortening, and served them on a Martin's Potato Roll topped with shredded Mexican cheese mix. And allow me to add...Michael, who does not share my affinity for the tomato, ate his entire sammich, loved it, and said it was like a burger!
BTW...this does qualify as 2DG...the tomatoes were fresh from our garden, but the rolls were left from burger night, and the cheese from some fajitas.
Plate up and enjoy!
-J
There are not many things on this planet I love more than fresh homegrown tomatoes. Yesterday I had a tomato sandwich for lunch. Just slices of a fresh ripe tomato on toasted whole wheat bread slathered with mayo. Mmmmm...
So tonight, it was Fried Tomatoes for dinner. Now, I know southerners use green tomatoes when they make Fried Green Tomatoes, but that's not for me. My mom used to make fried tomatoes using ripe tomatoes from our huge garden (usually about 200 tomato plants every summer, among all the other veggies), and she just dredged hers in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and fried til the outside was a little crisp.
I did that tonight, but I also took a different approach. After I dredged them in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, I dunked them in an eggwash and then coated them with panko breadcrumbs mixed with Mrs. Dash Seasoning.
Then I fried them in a hot skillet with vegetable shortening, and served them on a Martin's Potato Roll topped with shredded Mexican cheese mix. And allow me to add...Michael, who does not share my affinity for the tomato, ate his entire sammich, loved it, and said it was like a burger!
BTW...this does qualify as 2DG...the tomatoes were fresh from our garden, but the rolls were left from burger night, and the cheese from some fajitas.
Plate up and enjoy!
-J
Friday, December 2, 2011
Cheesy Biscuit Turkey Pot Pie
Here's a really excellent way to use up two types of leftovers...Thanksgiving turkey and last night's Baked Potato Soup.
First off, let me just say that the turkey I used for this dish was from Thanksgiving, but Michael had frozen it on Friday. I did not use turkey that was just hangin' out in the fridge for over a week for this dish!
Secondly, this is one of those double 2DG wins! I used last night's Baked Potato Soup in the filling for this dish.
Here's how it went...
Similarly to last night's soup, I cooked some chopped carrots, onions and celery in 3 T butter for about 10 minutes to soften them. I added some chopped fresh parsley, rosemary and oregano from the garden while the veggies were cooking. Then I sprinkled about 1/4 c. flour on them and stirring constantly, cooked the mix for about 2 minutes. I gradually stirred in 2 c. chicken/turkey stock combined into a nice gravy. then I added about a cup of last night's soup, and stirred it and let it thicken up. While that was simmering, I chopped up the remaining turkey and got about 3 - 4 cups out of it. This got added to the filling, along with a few handsful of frozen peas. Let the bubble away while the oven preheats and you work on the cheese biscuits.
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, make your own "sour milk" by putting 1 Tblsp vinegar or lemon juice (I used lemon juice) to a cup, and fill the cup with milk. Stir and set aside for about 5 minutes so it can "sour". Meanwhile, combine 2 c. flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese and 1/4 c. parmesan cheese and toss to coat cheese mix with flour mix. Dice 3/4 stick of cold butter and combine with flour/cheese mix, using pastry knife or fingertips until mix is course.
Before you add the sour milk to the flour, get your filling into your baking dishes. I managed to get 3 good sized individual servings and 1 deep dish pie plate out of mine. When that's done and you're ready to put them in the oven, go back and finish the biscuit dough. I recommend this because the acid in the sour milk will activate the leavening power of the baking powder and soda, so I always wait until the last possible second to add the milk to the mix, since I don't want all the rising power of my biscuits to be used up before I even get them in the oven.
To finish the biscuit dough, add the sour milk to the flour/cheese mix and stir until just combined and a loose dough forms. Drop the dough by spoonsful (I use an ice cream scoop) onto the fillings in the dishes.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 35 - 40 minutes until the biscuits are nice and brown. I rotated mine front to back and top to bottom after 20 minutes to ensure even baking.
Mike asked me to make a few individual pies so he could give them to his grandmother and 2 friends, so I did that and also made a bigger one for the two of us. I filled all of the dishes at the same time, using a big ladle, to make sure I'd have them all relatively even. I also did all the biscuits at the same time too, to make sure they were all fairly even.
If you have any leftover cranberry relish, serve it up with this!
Enjoy!
First off, let me just say that the turkey I used for this dish was from Thanksgiving, but Michael had frozen it on Friday. I did not use turkey that was just hangin' out in the fridge for over a week for this dish!
Secondly, this is one of those double 2DG wins! I used last night's Baked Potato Soup in the filling for this dish.
Here's how it went...
Similarly to last night's soup, I cooked some chopped carrots, onions and celery in 3 T butter for about 10 minutes to soften them. I added some chopped fresh parsley, rosemary and oregano from the garden while the veggies were cooking. Then I sprinkled about 1/4 c. flour on them and stirring constantly, cooked the mix for about 2 minutes. I gradually stirred in 2 c. chicken/turkey stock combined into a nice gravy. then I added about a cup of last night's soup, and stirred it and let it thicken up. While that was simmering, I chopped up the remaining turkey and got about 3 - 4 cups out of it. This got added to the filling, along with a few handsful of frozen peas. Let the bubble away while the oven preheats and you work on the cheese biscuits.
If you don't have buttermilk on hand, make your own "sour milk" by putting 1 Tblsp vinegar or lemon juice (I used lemon juice) to a cup, and fill the cup with milk. Stir and set aside for about 5 minutes so it can "sour". Meanwhile, combine 2 c. flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese and 1/4 c. parmesan cheese and toss to coat cheese mix with flour mix. Dice 3/4 stick of cold butter and combine with flour/cheese mix, using pastry knife or fingertips until mix is course.
Before you add the sour milk to the flour, get your filling into your baking dishes. I managed to get 3 good sized individual servings and 1 deep dish pie plate out of mine. When that's done and you're ready to put them in the oven, go back and finish the biscuit dough. I recommend this because the acid in the sour milk will activate the leavening power of the baking powder and soda, so I always wait until the last possible second to add the milk to the mix, since I don't want all the rising power of my biscuits to be used up before I even get them in the oven.
To finish the biscuit dough, add the sour milk to the flour/cheese mix and stir until just combined and a loose dough forms. Drop the dough by spoonsful (I use an ice cream scoop) onto the fillings in the dishes.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 35 - 40 minutes until the biscuits are nice and brown. I rotated mine front to back and top to bottom after 20 minutes to ensure even baking.
Mike asked me to make a few individual pies so he could give them to his grandmother and 2 friends, so I did that and also made a bigger one for the two of us. I filled all of the dishes at the same time, using a big ladle, to make sure I'd have them all relatively even. I also did all the biscuits at the same time too, to make sure they were all fairly even.
If you have any leftover cranberry relish, serve it up with this!
Enjoy!
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