Saturday, February 4, 2017

spaghetti squash to try

Cut spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds, brush with olive oil, and roast face down for 35 - 45 minutes,,,,depending on size,
Cook until shell is soft with a poke...pokey test.
Tip: squash is easier to cut if microwaved for 1 minute...poke shell with fork first!

In the meantime, fry some bacon. 1/2 a pound?
In the residual grease, sauté some diced onion onion....red onion?
Add a bag of baby spinach.
Season w/ salt and pepper to taste. (Nutmeg?)
Add a dollop or 2 of ricotta cheese.
Stir and set aside. Dice bacon.

Use fork on squash to separate fibers to create "spaghetti" strands.
Add spinach and ricotta mixture.
Top with bacon and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Return to oven until melted and hot all the way through.

Try w/o ricotta...substitute a pat or 2 of butter.

Note: squash, bacon, onion, and Parmesan make a really nice flavor combination. Spinach and bacon make a great flavor combination. The spinach adds protein and nutrients. Hadn't though to try spinach and spaghetti squash together.

Recipe was viewed on Tim Farmer's Country Kitchen, but at this time, was not available on website. Will check back.

Friday, January 27, 2017

Miss Daisy's Beef and Cabbage Casserole


Watched "A Chef's Life" and saw this recipe. 
It looked good, so I gave it a go today.
I had a large package of ground beef, so just took a bit out of the pack....perhaps a pound, maybe less.
Added 1/2 an onion when meat was browned.
Added not quite 1/2 a head of cabbage to my casserole pan...used a disposable.
Salt & Pepper.
Then added a layer of Yukon gold potato slices.  Salt & pepper.
Added 1/2 a can of diced tomatoes to hamburger mix, plus 1 can of cream of celery and a can of cheddar cheese soup.
Spread mixture over potato and cabbage.
Followed Vivian's baking directions.

Things I would do differently:
I might add more meat. But, if we are downplaying the meat portion and focusing more on the veggies, then I would season the ground beef. A little Lawry's Season Salt would have gone a long way.
I also think it could use some garlic....a sprinkle, or a bit of minced in the sauté.
Some chopped carrot mixed in with the cabbage would add some color.
I made the casserole in the morning and popped it in the oven after work.  I think upping the temp to 375 would have helped the cooking process...cabbage was still a tad too crunchy after an hour of cooking as prescribed.
Another thing I was concerned about is liquid coming from the cabbage. It was a little watery.
I don't see anyway to prevent...a glass casserole dish instead of an aluminum disposable might have conducted the heat better (better evaporation) and perhaps cut the milk going into the burger/soup mixture.
I also topped with a bit of grated cheese...just a quick minute or 2 more in the oven.

Leftovers...think I'm going to try wrapping in puff pastry. Individual parcels, seasoned, and perhaps a bit more cheese...Swiss and gruyere? Avoid excess liquid.

MISS DAISY’S BEEF & CABBAGE CASSEROLE 

Rule
We received a ton of requests for Miss Daisy’s beef and cabbage casserole that was featured on our “A Casserole Says Plenty” episode. Miss Daisy was so gracious to provide it to our viewers. If you make it, be sure to post some pictures on our Facebook page. We’re sure Miss Daisy would love to see them and so would we!

• Lightly sauté chopped bell pepper and medium onion in 1 TBS olive oil (or you can use ½ to 1 stick of butter instead). Set aside.
• Brown 1 ½ lbs. of ground beef or chuck. Drain fat.
• Put approximately 3 cups of chopped cabbage in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.
• Thinly slice 3 medium potatoes (approximately 3 ½ cups) over layer of cabbage.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Add 1 can of cheddar cheese soup and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup along with ⅓ cup of milk to ground beef along with the sautéed bell pepper and onions. Stir well.
• Pour mixture over potatoes.
• Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
• Then remove the tin foil and bake uncovered for 10 more minutes.

A Note from Miss Daisy "I vary this recipe considerably, depending on how many people I am cooking for. Feel free to adjust the amount of cabbage, potatoes, etc. This is a good dish for covered dish dinners. Still tastes good, even at room temperature. Enjoy!" 

Monday, January 2, 2017

Caribbean Corn Bread

Caribbean Cornbread

  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
  • Servings: 9

ABOUT THIS RECIPE

"Pineapple is the surprise ingredient in this Caribbean-style cornbread! Originally from a food section newspaper article about a restaurant in Anguilla. It's delicious with ham and will go well with summer barbeques!"

INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1 cup cornmeal
    • 2 tablespoons baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup butter, room temperature
    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 4 eggs
    • 1 1/2 cups canned cream-style corn
    • 1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
    • 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese or 1 cup mild white cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 325°.
  2. Butter and flour a 9-inch square glass cake pan (you can use a metal pan but the recipe states that glass works better).
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; set aside.
  4. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar.
  5. While mixer is running, add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  6. Add corn, pineapple and cheese; mix to blend.
  7. At low speed, add flour mixture and mix until well blended.
  8. Pour batter into pan and bake until golden brown around edges and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

NUTRITION FACTS

Serving Size: 1 (164 g)
Servings Per Recipe: 9
Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Calories 461.1
 
Calories from Fat 245
53%
Amount Per Serving
% Daily Value
Total Fat 27.2g
41%
Saturated Fat 16.1g
80%
Cholesterol 159.4mg
53%
Sugars 19.4 g
Sodium 870.8mg
36%
Total Carbohydrate 47.5g
15%
Dietary Fiber 1.9g
7%
Sugars 19.4 g
77%
Protein 9.4g
18%