Friendsgiving Apple and Cranberry Chutney
After the traditional cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving how about giving this a try for Friendsgiving. Sweet, tart and spicy apple. Too much of a change for your turkey? Try it with my Pork Chops Recipe!
Skillet Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
I’ve never met a vegetable I didn’t like … almost never. The thing about brussels sprouts is they can be bitter. I understand there’s a new hybrid reducing bitterness but I’m sure it hasn’t found its way to my grocery store. There are a few tricks to reduce bitterness and I find caramelization the most effective. Martha Stewart, I believe, recommends doing a quick boiling method and then caramelizing. I’m always into the least amount of cookware and time involvement. Sometimes it works and sometimes no. First try to purchase the freshest brussels sprouts you can find. Pick through looking for the smallest ones. Smaller may be less bitter.
Next when you caramelize the more surface being caramelized the sweeter the outcome. So, when I heard my nephew Christian chops up his brussels sprouts before cooking and my brother saying they were amazing I agreed this not only was a delicious idea but one skillet easy too.
I have another successful recipe with brussels sprouts. I hadn’t analyzed my method of cooking them until today. When preparing Chicken Breasts with Roasted Vegetables I sometimes include yams and carrots with the brussels sprouts, and other vegetables. The sweetness of these two vegetables (yams and carrots) eliminates the bitterness. Finally, adding a bit of brown sugar to brussels sprouts while caramelizing may decrease bitterness as well.
This recipe is so simple. Few ingredients and not a lot of prep. I added the bacon and blue cheese as a garnish after visiting Christy’s Cooking Creations. She has a delicious Brussels Sprout Recipe. Check it out!
Sour Cream and Green Onion Potato Salad
Each bite is a creamy potato taste. There are some options to this recipe making it either more traditional or adding everyone’s favorite, bacon. Another make it your own recipe!
Try this as a side with my Meatloaf Stuffed French Bread.
Country Beans and Cornbread
My children never understood just how lean those years were. A single mom making ends meet … And the most economical meal I made (and actually loved) was this one.
These recipes have few ingredients and are simple with little preparation time. I still love this meal not only because of the memories it evokes … It just tastes good!
When I say country I’m speaking about the hills of Arkansas where Granny and Grampa had a farm with just the right amount of livestock to keep the plates full. Granny wasn’t particularly a good cook but she could can and pickle like no one else.
These recipes were hers with this exception … Her cornbread had only five ingredients; cornmeal, buttermilk, eggs, baking soda and salt. The cornbread I taste in restaurants today is more of a cake texture and very sweet. With this in mind I put together a recipe I felt would give the texture of my granny’s without being too gritty and added just a bit of sugar. Bacon was a big thing in those hills … So, there is bacon in all of this. Yikes! But don’t fear … I’ve precooked the bacon and only 2 teaspoons of bacon grease are used in the beans.
Sauce Béarnaise …
Has always been a little intimidating but not this recipe. I moved past the perfectionist part and put it together like a country gravy, not exactly, but you get the idea.
If you get caught up in the perfection of a sauce béarnaise you may never try your hand at it. Give this simple no fuss recipe a try, and see if it passes your family’s taste test. It adds an amazing touch to a delicious steak.
My father was known for his delicious barbecued steaks in the day of charcoal. Another family member had mastered pan-searing. Steak was a pretty common entree on our table. And we were pretty critical of the cooking.
Here are a few hints I was taught along the way that may be useful.
-Use a seasoned cast iron skillet or a heavy bottom skillet.
-The skillet must be hot.
-Use the fat you have trimmed off the steak to grease the bottom of the skillet. Use a fork to run the fat around the bottom of the heated pan and then remove it.
-I often use a skillet so well seasoned no grease or oil is needed to avoid sticking. If you try this be aware the meat will stick until it is seared. Wait a minute or two, then turn it over.
-You may need to turn the heat down slightly after you add the steak to avoid too much browning. Adjusting the heat as you go may be necessary.
-Turning the steak more than once or twice will not dry out the steak.
-I was taught to salt the heated skillet rather than oil to prevent sticking. This method may no longer be in vogue.
Side of Rice
Rice on the side goes with just about any meat, fish or chicken. Actually, I appreciate it all alone! It’s one of my comfort foods. Try this with white rice when you need it quickly … say 15-20 minutes. Or the brown rice option for a little longer cooking time.
You’ll enjoy this for a change to the baked potato-fully loaded.
Easy Blender Potatoes Casserole
Add this to a brunch or dinner. Mix and forget! This was recently served with oven barbecued ribs for a celebratory dinner. We had a great time!
The Same Recipe for Both! Really?
Linguini (linguine) Carbonara and Fried Rice
Maybe a tiny bit misleading. But with the exception of rice and pasta and one other ingredient these two recipes are the same. Once cooked and soy sauce added to one and Parmesan to the other the tastes are distinctively different.
Linguini Carbonara has always been on the brunch menu, more like eggs and bacon, but is quite versatile and easily makes a great family dinner. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy these two recipes are with minimal ingredients. Great for the inexperienced cook.
Two Cheese Asiago Pasta Salad
Ecstatic! A surprise package of cheeses, fresh and seasoned (aged), arrived from the producers of Asiago Pdo (Protected Designation of Origin) … from the Asiago Region in Italy. Cheese has been produced not for hundreds of years in this region but thousands. I’d say, practice makes perfect!
Not sure if I’ve ever tasted fresh Asiago before today … soft, melt in your mouth texture but not sticky, mild smelling and tasting, not bitter nor salty-definitely maintaining a bit of sweetness all the way through. It’s amazing! As far as shelf life after opening, this one is fairly short … maybe two weeks but don’t hold me to that. It won’t last that long around here anyway. The seasoned Asiago Pdo has three levels of maturity, 3-6 months, over 10 months and over 15 months. My little wedge was from the first level. And just an aside, domestic Asiago that I purchase locally (made in Wisconsin) is in the 5 month range. Obviously the flavor (nutty) and smell (bread-like) increase and change with the seasoned process. And rather than accepting my opinion that there is a definite taste difference, Pdo vs Domestic Asiago, do your own taste test.
Try it in a great pasta salad like this one!
chicken, berry and feta Pasta Salad
Okay, It’s becoming obvious I like anything pasta and berry! Chicken, not so much … but this recipe can be done without chicken. Just add more berries and a little more veggies. But for today, this is a chicken, berry and feta cheese pasta salad for four. Beware! It’s hard to stop eating this salad.