Spring Vegetable Risotto

Spring is just now starting to well, ….spring! It’s still pretty cool, though, so I needed a risotto. Honestly, I wouldn’t have thought of putting baby artichokes in but I saw them (affordably priced!) at my regular grocery this morning.

Ingredients:

5 cups vegetable broth

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup chopped spring onion (or green onions or regular onions, whatever!)

1½ cups Arborio rice

2 cup chopped mushrooms (cremini, Portobello, white, use what you like)

2 cups chopped asparagus

5 baby artichokes, trimmed of sharp, pointy tops and the steams and then quartered (or 1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped)-optional

½ cup fresh peas (or frozen, thawed)

1 Tablespoon butter

½ cup grated parmesan, plus more for garnishing

Salt to taste, if needed

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Truffle oil for garnishing-optional

Directions: Heat the broth to just simmering in a pot on the stove. Heat a large skillet over medium low to medium heat and add the oil. Add the onions and the Arborio rice. Cook, stirring, until the rice is nicely coated with oil and the onions are just soft (about 5 minutes). Toss in the mushrooms, asparagus and artichokes, if using. Cook and stir for a few minutes to get the veggies warm. Stir in one ladle of warm broth. Continue to cook and stir until the broth is absorbed and then add another ladle of stock. Continue doing this until all the broth is added and the risotto is creamy (about 20-30 minutes). Taste to check the rice. It should be soft. If it still is kind of hard in the middle, cover with a piece of foil and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. If the risotto isn’t as creamy as you would like, just add a little water. Turn off the heat and add the peas, butter and parmesan. Cook for just one minute longer. Stir in the lemon zest. Taste and add salt if needed. Spoon into bowls and garnish with more parmesan and truffle oil.

Butter Pecan Popcorn

I knew I wanted a real butter-toffee-pecan flavor, so I just pulled out my trusty butter toffee recipe from eons ago and adapted it for this. Cooking the butter mixture for a longer period over lower heat than most recipes allowed me to get a much deeper butter flavor.

Ingredients:

10 cups popped popcorn (I did mine in my popcorn popper, but I’m sure microwave popcorn would work just fine)

1 cup chopped pecans

½ cup (1 stick) real butter

½ cup white granulated sugar

1 ½ Tablespoons water

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions: Line 2 baking sheets with Silpats, if you have them, or grease them well.

Put the popcorn into a very large mixing bowl (I spray the sides of my largest metal bowl with cooking spray to help eliminate sticking. Put the pecans on top (you’ll mix together later).

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the sugar, water, corn syrup and salt. Cook and stir over medium low to medium heat until boiling. Clip on a candy thermometer and cook to 275-280 degrees F, stirring occasionally. The butter will be golden brown at this point. Working quickly pour the hot syrup over the popcorn and nuts with one hand while stirring with the other. I know, it’s tricky—if you have someone to hold the bowl and stir, it works much better. Just make sure that nobody gets the hot syrup on their hands! It is hot sugar and it will burn. Stir, stir, stir until everything is just lightly coated.

Pour the popcorn mixture out onto your baking sheets to cool. Eat the whole shebang at once or put in an airtight container. Do not refrigerate---it will just be one big clump later on.

Toasted Portobello Strips with Parmesan/Horseradish Sauce

I had really forgotten how good mushrooms can be! If you are wondering why there are so many posts this week, let me just say that, with 13. 5 inches of snow, this is my way of beating cabin fever!

Ingredients:

For the Portobello strips:

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup flour

½ cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

½ cup milk

8 ounces sliced Portobello mushrooms

For the sauce:

¾ cup mayonnaise (low fat is fine)

2 Tablespoons grated parmesan, plus extra for garnishing

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

Maybe a little parsley (fresh or dried) for garnishing

Directions: Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet until hot, but not smoking. Get out two wide shallow bowls. In the first bowl, mix the flour , salt and seasoned bread crumbs and stir until mixed. In the next bowl, whisk the egg and milk together. Dip the mushroom slices first egg mixture and then into flour mixture. Cook in batches until golden on each side, about 3 minutes per side (Note: you want to adjust your time according to how big and fat your mushroom strips are. Mine were chubby). Remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining all ingredients. Let stand at room temp until the Portobello strips are done. Garnish the portobellos and serve the strips nice and warm!

Cinnamon Donut Bites

So easy, so good. I love these warm!

Ingredients:

1 (12.4 ounce of 8) roll of cinnamon rolls with icing container

¾ cups vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon hot tap water

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium-medium high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Cut each cinnamon roll into quarters and roll into rounds between your palms. Make a test bite here—place one bite into the hot oil and cook for about 1-1.5 minutes, turning over frequently. It should puff up and be golden brown on all sides. If they burn, your oil is too hot, if they don’t cook, move your heat up a little higher. When the tester is great, cook the rest of the bites the same way.

Place the icing from the container in a small bowl and thin with the tap water. Drizzle over the warm donut bites.

Breakfast Pizza Tart

Does somebody have a better name for this? It reminds me of a breakfast pizza, but looks like a freeform apple tart.

Ingredients:

5 strips of bacon

¼ cup onion, chopped

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 Tablespoon butter or margarine

1 Tablespoon flour

¾ cups milk

1 teaspoon pork chop seasoning OR salt and pepper

1 (8 ounce) package of crescent rolls

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Cook the bacon in a skillet and then remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Discard all but the thinnest coating of bacon grease and add the onions. Cook the onions until translucent and add the eggs. Scramble the eggs to a soft set. Remove from heat.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour. Cook and stir over medium heat for 30 seconds and then add the milk. Bring to a boil and whisk for 2-3 minutes or until thick. Add the seasonings and remove from heat.

Place the crescent rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet, making a rectangle. Press the rectangle out so that no big gaps are showing. Spread with the milk gravy mixture to about ½ inch of the borders of the rectangle and the do the same with the egg/onion mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and then bacon. Fold up the ends of the rectangle and then the sides to form a packet, but not totally covering the whole shebang. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Bacon and Blue Cheese Puffs

I think it’s odd when something you have in your head turns into one of the best things you’ve ever eaten. This recipe made me 54 two-bite puffs and they really are puffs. Light as air with a savory twist. Since these are just cream puffs gone wild, I don’t see why I can freeze some of them—I’ll let you know how that turns out.

Ingredients:

¾ cup butter or margarine

1 ½ cups water

1 ½ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

6 eggs

7 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

½ cup blue cheese, crumbled

¼ cup grated parmesan

Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add flour and salt all at once. Stir until the mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next. It will form a ball after each egg addition; you just have to keep stirring. Fold in the bacon and cheeses and drop by the teaspoonful onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 30 minutes, turning the baking sheets halfway through. Remove from oven and use a sharp knife to cut a small slit in the top of each puff to let the steam escape.

Get creative on me: Shredded cheddar would work here in place of blue cheese.

Beans, Greens and Ham Hock Soup

Nothing beats good, old fashioned food. Especially soup and bread. You can get way more involved here if you want and use dried beans, soaked overnight with the water changed several times. Me, I just wanted the soup.

Ingredients:

48 ounces of jarred or canned pre-cooked great northern beans

1 smoked ham hock (the bigger the better)

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cups chopped frozen collard greens or spinach, thawed

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

Water to cover

Salt and pepper as desired

Directions: Put a Dutch oven on the stovetop and pour in the beans. Add the ham hock, onion, greens and tomato paste. Add enough water to fully cover the ingredients by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 3 hours. Remove the ham hock, and pull the meat into shreds. Put the ham hock meat back in the soup and discard the rest of the ham hock. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with cornbread.

Toasted Ravioli

Who knew there was a national ravioli day? Personally, I don’t need a special day to have St. Louis’ favorite-Toasted Ravioli! Here, we have them frozen, in restaurants and get them delivered from every pizza place in town. If you can’t get here, here’s a close approximation. Note: In St. Louis, ‘toasted’ means ‘fried’.

Ingredients:

3 quarts water

2 Tablespoons salt

1 (17 ounce) bag frozen ravioli (meat or cheese)

1 cup canola oil

1 cup liquid egg whites

1 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

1 cup prepared marinara, warmed through

¼ cup grated parmesan

Directions: Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the salt. Drop in the frozen ravioli and stir gently to separate. Boil for 4 minutes.

While the ravioli are boiling, heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat until shimmering, but not smoking. Place the egg whites and the bread crumbs into two separate, wide, shallow bowls.

Gently drain the ravioli into a colander. Working in batches, place the ravioli in the egg whites and then into the bread crumbs and turn to coat. Place the ravioli in the hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Place the marinara in a bowl and add in some of the parmesan. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan over the ravioli.

Chicken Rolls Stuffed with Mushrooms and Fontina Cheese

Just a nice chicken dish. If you want a shortcut, forget the pounding and rolling and just cut a pocket into the middle of the chicken breast for the stuffing.

 

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter, divided

1 garlic clove, peeled but left whole

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1 cup diced mushrooms

2 Tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock

1 ½ cups seasoned dry bread crumbs, divided (you may only need 1 cup total, but I always play it safe when breading-I hate to get stuff back out of the pantry)

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped—divided

½ cup fontina cheese, diced into small cubes

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic clove and cook about 5 minutes on medium low (until you can smell the garlic but it isn’t browned). Add the tomatoes and a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered 30 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic clove. Reduce the heat to very low to keep warm while prepping the rest of the dish.

Melt the remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and stock. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and pan juices to a mixing bowl and let cool. Keep the skillet handy, but off the heat for now. Once the mushrooms are cooled, toss with ½ cup of the bread crumbs, 1 Tablespoon of parsley, the cheese and a little salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pound the chicken breasts to about ¼ inch thickness between two sheets of wax paper. Spread 1/3 of the mushroom filling over each breast, pack it tightly on the chicken and roll up. Secure with toothpicks. Brush with olive oil and then into the remaining bread crumbs and roll to coat. Heat the remaining 1 Tb. Of butter in the skillet and place the chicken rolls in. Cook over medium heat for 6 minutes per side or until lightly golden.

Place the chicken in a baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes. Hint: cut into the middle of one breast to make sure it is done.  Remove to a plate, let rest for 5 or so minutes and take out the tooth picks. Top with some of the tomato sauce and garnish with the remaining parsley to serve.

Get creative on me: Serve over spaghetti tossed with a little of the tomato sauce or maybe some soft polenta.

Cauliflower, Spinach and Swiss Gratin

In the mood for a change up from regular mac and cheese? Trying to get more veggies in? This might just do the trick.

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) bag frozen cauliflower, thawed and drained

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 clove of garlic, peeled but left whole

½ cup chopped spring (bulb) onion (or leeks, or green onions)

1 (6 ounce) bag baby spinach, rinsed

4 Tablespoons butter, divided

2 Tablespoons flour

½ cup fat free half and half

1 ½ cups milk (low fat is fine)

6 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded

½ cup grated parmesan, divided

1teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper (or more to taste)

Pinch ground nutmeg

½ cup panko bread crumbs (I’m using whole wheat)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cauliflower in a 2 quart casserole dish that has been lightly sprayed with vegetable oil spray. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion and garlic clove. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and fragrant. Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Fish out and discard the garlic clove. Add the spinach mixture to the cauliflower and combine. In a large saucepan, melt 2 Tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the half and half and milk and bring to a simmer. Add the Swiss cheese a little at a time until fully incorporated. Add 1.4 cup parmesan and the salt, pepper and nutgmet. Pour over the veggies in the casserole dish and stir to combine. In a microwave safe bowl or cup, melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter and add the panko and remaining ¼ cup parmesan. Mix together and sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the sides are bubbling and the top is golden. Let cool slightly before serving.

Get creative on me: Add some cooked, crumbled bacon or some leftover ham to make this a main dish.

Bacon, Banana and Pecan Pancakes

For some reason, I just had a craving for something like this. I'm so glad I did.

Ingredients:

1 really ripe medium banana, mashed

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 ½ cups baking mix (like Bisquick®)

½ cup chopped pecans

6-8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (microwave ready bacon is your friend once again)

2 teaspoons canola oil

Butter and maple syrup for serving

Directions: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the banana, milk and brown sugar. Stir in the baking mix and then stir in the pecans and bacon. Put the oil on a griddle and use a paper towel to spread it to a very thin coating of oil. Heat the griddle to medium-low to medium (my dial goes from 1-9 and I used a 3 setting. Don’t have a griddle? A nice, big skillet works, too. To test the griddle to see if it’s ready, fling a few drops of water on it from your fingers. If the water droplets dance and the oil is hot but not smoking, you are ready.  Ladle the pancake mix onto the griddle (hey, you determine the size) and cook until bubbles form on the top, about 1 minute. Flip and cook just a bit more, maybe a minute. To see if the bottoms are to your liking, just flip a ‘test’ pancake over and check it. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Note: I used a ¼ cup ladle and this recipe made 13 pancakes for me. Odds are that I will put peanut butter on some of them and roll them up.

Tangy Glazed Corned Beef

I know I go on and on about how great a cook my mom was, but St. Patrick’s Day was her finest moment each year. This very precious woman would wrestle mounds of corned beef and put her own special glaze on the top to feed the hungry masses. Even though she was Irish, she didn’t ever make Colcannon—we would have Parslied New Potatoes instead. And maybe some slaw and rye bread-not soda bread. Go figure.

Note: This shrinks down by about half, so a 3 pounder equals about 1 and a half pounds when fully cooked.

Ingredients:

Corned Beef—I’m using a three pound point cut, with the spice packet (point and round have less fat and marbling than flat cuts. That also means they shrink a little less)

Water

2-3 teaspoons dry mustard powder

1 Tablespoon prepared yellow mustard

2-3 Tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Directions: Remove the corned beef from its package and rinse well, saving the spice packet. Place the corned beef in a Dutch oven and cover with water by about ½-1 inch. Add the spice packet. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer, covered, for 50 minutes per pound.

Remove the corned beef from the water, and place it (fat side up) on a foil lined baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use a knife to remove the fat cap and discard it. Sprinkle the dry mustard over the beef and spread it all over the top and sides with a butter knife or spoon. Top the dry mustard with the prepared mustard and spread it out. Top that with the ketchup and spread it around. Sprinkle on the sugar and black pepper. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes. Let cool a while and then slice across the grain (short end to short end).

Heavenly Hash Eggs

For me, this is a memory re-created. When I was little, we would always get this big heavenly hash Easter egg and slice pieces off of it. I remember greedily looking forward to a piece of that candy!

If you don’t have an egg dish, you can use any bowl or whatever mold you prefer (flexible plastic works best--much easier to unmold). Also, if you don’t want to do a chocolate shell or the caramel, you can just mix the melted chocolate, pecans and marshmallows together and spoon into the egg cups.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 ½ cups chocolate chips (I’m using milk chocolate, but use whatever kind you want)

6 teaspoons salted caramel sauce (or any caramel sauce)

½ cup toasted pecan pieces

½ cup miniature marshmallows

Directions: Coat the cups of a 12 egg plastic deviled egg dish (you know, those cute little dishes that you only use at Easter), with vegetable oil spray. Melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler. Place a little chocolate (about a teaspoon) in the bottom of each egg cup and spread to coat the inside of the cups with a thin chocolate shell  Put in the refrigerator to set for 10 minutes.

Next, place a half teaspoon of the caramel sauce in the bottom of each cup and toss the pecans and marshmallows with the rest of the melted (and now slightly cooled) chocolate. Spoon some of the chocolate/pecan/marshmallow mix into each egg cup, packing it down with your clean, damp fingers as you go. Lightly tap the egg tray on the counter to remove air bubbles and return to the fridge for 1 hour or until firm enough to unmold. To unmold, remove from the fridge and run the edge of a teaspoon around the top of each egg cup unto the pop out. Flip out onto a serving dish or wrap in plastic wrap.

Blackberry Turnovers

What could be better than warm berry turnovers? If you are short on time, use any type of preserves or pie filling to stuff the turnovers. If you want to do the blackberry filling, you can do it the day before.

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package frozen blackberries, thawed

3 Tablespoons blackberry preserves

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar

6 teaspoons water

Directions: Place the blackberries (along with any juice) in a saucepan and add the preserves. Cook on medium low 90 minutes, until thick. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll out puff pastry lightly and cut into six squares. Turn each square to have a point facing you so that they are now diamond shapes. Place one Tablespoon of the blackberries in the lower half of the diamond and fold the top half over. Press edges to seal and cut a small slit in the top of each to let the steam escape. Bake for 25 minutes.

While the turnovers are baking, mix the confectioner’s sugar and water together to make a glaze. Remove the turnovers to a platter and let cool for 10 minutes. Use a fork or spoon to decorate each turnover with some glaze. These are good warm, at room temperature or even cold.

Note: You may have leftover blackberry jam here, which is awesome and can be refrigerated to use on toast or biscuits.

Steak and Guinness® Pot Pie

Oh, my Irish is starting to surface and I couldn’t be happier. Here’s a shout out to the Cronins and Laytons on my mom’s side of the family tree.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 pound chuck steak, trimmed of some fat and cut into ½ inch cubes

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 ½ cups chopped mushrooms

2 bottles Guinness Extra Stout®, divided

1 can beef consommé

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

½ teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

1 medium russet potato, peeled and diced into ½ inch cubes

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed

Directions: Heat the olive oil on medium in a Dutch oven. In a small bowl, mix together the flour and ½ t salt and ½ t pepper. Toss the beef cubes into the flour mix and add to the oil, browning on all sides. Remove the beef to a plate and deglaze the pan with a touch of stout, stirring up all the lovely brown bits. Next, put the onions, mushrooms and carrots in the Dutch oven. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the beef back into the Dutch oven, along with the rest of the stout, consommé, Worcestershire and seasonings. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Add in the potato cubes. Cover again and cook for 30 minutes more or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Take four oven safe large ramekins or soup bowls and turn upside down over the sheet of puff pastry (you may want to roll the puff pastry out slightly to make sure you have enough to use. Cut rounds of puff pastry ½ inch larger than your ramekins. Ladle the beef mixture into the ramekins. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and brush the top edges lightly with egg white. Place one piece of puff pastry over each ramekin and press the edges over the egg white lightly to seal. Brush the tops with egg white and cut a slit in the top of each to let steam escape. Cook for 40 minutes (turning the baking sheet around halfway through) or until the pastry is puffed and golden. I’m serving mine with a slice of Sage Derby Cheese on the side.

Crispy Fish with Sautéed Spring Onions and Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

For the Spring Onions and Chard:

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

1 small bunch Swiss chard stems and leaves chopped separately (about ½ cup stems, 2 cups leaves)

1 cup spring (bulb) onions, chopped, using a mix of the green and white portions

Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Fish:

3 Tablespoons canola oil

1 pound of firm white fish, like cod, haddock, mahi mahi, etc. about ½ inch thick

¼ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 lightly beaten egg whites (1/4 cup liquid egg whites)

1 cup panko bread crumbs (I’m using whole wheat panko)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

For the sauce:

½ cup light mayonnaise

Juice from ½ of a lemon (about 2 teaspoons)

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon prepared horseradish

1 teaspoon capers

Directions:

For the spring onions and chard: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the spring onions and chard stems and sauté for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add in the chard leaves and cook a few minutes more or until the leaves or wilted. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a small saucepan on a low burner to keep warm.

For the fish: Wipe out the skillet from the spring onions and chard. Set up three bowls. In the first bowl, stir together the flour with ½ t salt and ½ t pepper. Add the egg whites to the second. Add the panko and the last ½ t salt and ½ t pepper to the last bowl.

Add the canola oil to the skillet and heat over medium. Cut the fish into 4 ounce portions and dredge first in flour, shaking the excess off. Dip the fish into the egg whites to coat and then into the panko. Cook in the skillet about 5 minutes per side until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

For the sauce:

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.

Serve the fish either over the top of the greens or alongside with plenty of sauce.

Get creative on me: Sub out collard greens, kale or spinach for the swiss chard. Instead of using spring onion, use some white onion along with a few green onions.

Warm Chocolate Cherry Pudding Cake

I remember Mom making pudding cakes and how they would magically turn into a cake layer on top with warm, gooey pudding underneath. On top of that, you’ve got to love how easy this is to put together!

Ingredients:

1 (15 ounce) can dark sweet cherries

3 Tablespoons cherry preserves

¾ cup flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, divided

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup milk

3 Tablespoons canola oil

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup hot tap water

Whipped cream for serving

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drain the cherries, reserving ½ cup juice. Pour the cherries and the ½ cup reserved juice into a small bowl. In another small ( microwave safe) bowl warm the cherry preserves for 10 seconds on high to soften. Add to the bowl of cherries, stir and set aside.

In a 1.5 or 2 quart glass casserole dish, stir together the flour, sugar, ¼ cup of cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add milk, oil, ¼ cup chocolate chips and the cherry mixture. Stir to combine. Sprinkle the brown sugar, remaining cocoa and remaining chocolate chips over the mixture, without stirring. Add the vanilla to the hot water and pour evenly over the top without stirring.

Bake for 65-70 minutes until the surface seems dry. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Chicken and Leek Soup

I like the original name of this soup—“Cock a Leekie” best. I did my own take on this traditional soup to warm up a cool March night.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup sliced leeks (I use frozen sliced leeks, thawed)

8 cups chicken stock

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast

¼ cup quinoa (optional, but really good)

½ cup rice, any type

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: In a Dutch oven, cook leeks in olive oil (medium heat) until just tender, but not brown. Add in the stock and chicken breast. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook for about 15 minutes, until chicken is tender. Remove the chicken from the stock and put on a plate to cool. Add the quinoa and rice to the stock and shred the chicken, putting the pieces back into the stock. Check for seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in the green onions, parsley and lemon juice and cook for 3 minutes more. Serve hot.

Baked Egg White Omelet

This isn’t just for breakfast, it is good for lunch, dinner or especially late at night.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 Tablespoon seasoned dry bread crumbs

½ cup mixed color bell peppers, diced

½ cup mushrooms, diced

¼ cup green onion, thinly sliced

1 cup liquid egg whites from a carton

1/3 cup grated parmesan

1 teaspoon salt

2 regular egg whites (save the yolks for something else)

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Three slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (the microwave ready kind works well here)

Directions: Spray a 1.5 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the bread crumbs and turn to coat all sides, discarding any extra bread crumbs. Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray. Add the vegetables and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes or until the veggies are soft. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the liquid egg whites to a large mixing bowl and whisk until light (they won’t beat to peaks if they are pasteurized, hence the need for regular egg whites). Fold in the cooled veggies, salt and parmesan. In another mixing bowl, beat the two egg whites until soft peaks form. Add in the cream of tartar and beat to stiff peaks. Fold by spoonfuls into the veggie mixture and add in two pieces of crumbled bacon. Scoop into the casserole dish and top with the remaining bacon crumbles.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until set throughout and  golden on top.

Note: I got those really craggy peaks by cutting through the top crust halfway through cooking.

Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls

These are so fast and easy to make. And they are fun to load and roll. You know, one of these nights I might just put out the filling mixture, some proteins like shrimp or chicken and a variety of sauces and let people make their own egg rolls.

Ingredients:

Stir Fry Sauce:

2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon corn starch

3 drops sesame oil

3 drops hot sauce (like Siracha)

1 teaspoon hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

A pinch of sugar

For Filling:

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 cups shredded cabbage

¼ cup shredded carrot

¼ cup thinly sliced green onion

¼ cup sliced mushrooms (shitake if you can find them)

To assemble and serve:

8 egg roll wrappers

¼ cup water in a small, shallow bowl

Vegetable oil cooking spray

Sauces for dipping (such as one or two of the following:  hot Chinese mustard or prepared English (hot) mustard, plum sauce, sweet and sour sauce, sweet Thai chili sauce)

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine all stir fry sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a work or large skillet, heat the canola oil on medium high heat and add the filling ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until the veggies become very soft, about 3-5 minutes. . Stir the stir fry sauce again and add to the wok. Cook, again stirring, for 3 or so minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. Remove from the heat. If there is any excess liquid, drain it off and discard. Set aside to cool.

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Lay out the egg roll wrappers on a clean surface (I use wax paper) and put 1-2  Tablespoons on the bottom portion of each egg roll wrapper, aiming for ½ inch in from each side and ½ inch from the bottom. Use your finger to run a very thin coat of water around the edge of the wrapper. Fold the edges of each wrapper up and then roll from the bottom (filling side) up. Spray the tops of the rolls with vegetable oil spray and place, seam side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the rolls over and bake for another 8 minutes.

Serve with sauces of your choice.

Get creative on me: These are so quick and easy; I’m slightly ashamed that I’ve bought the deep fried ones in the past. Make this your own by changing up the veggies (I would’ve added bean sprouts if I had them) or changing the stir fry sauce. Short on time? Instead of shredding the cabbage and carrots, just use pre-packaged Cole slaw mix. Add some leftover chicken, some uncooked, peeled shrimp, one scrambled egg or some tofu.

Bonus note: Don’t have any hot mustard on hand? You can mix equal parts dry mustard powder and water for seriously hot mustard. Add some honey and you’ve got “Hot Honey Sauce”.