Category Archives: recipes

Here’s a recipe I developed myself from a few different recipes and instinct. We all really enjoy it (even Kate!). We love Risotto and my favorite part of this recipe’s preparation is that it doesn’t require constant stirring! This is a great side dish to a fall meal or could easily stand alone as a main course. You can omit the pancetta if you need to make it vegetarian or can’t get pancetta. Though it definitely adds something to the dish and I’ve found that pancetta is more widely available lately. Continue reading →

This is my absolute favorite way to eat pork and what I am most likely to cook for company during autumn, when good cider is readily available. It’s always a huge hit! I got it from Cooking Light magazine. The recipe calls for a trimmed pork loin, but I often use tenderloin when it’s on sale for less than $3/lb. Continue reading →

This version of monkey bread is assembled and then left overnight to rise so all you have to do in the morning is pop it in the oven. It’s perfect for bringing a breakfast snack to a morning activity or as a special treat for your office or family in the morning. I brought it to women’s bible study this week and several people asked for the recipe, so I thought I’d share it here. Continue reading →

This is our favorite soup for the winter. I used the last of the fresh basil from a friend’s garden to make a double batch we enjoyed all winter long, because it freezes so well! Continue reading →

My mother is an excellent cook and a very determined person. If she puts her mind to it, she gets things done. So, when she decided to perfect a Spinach Artichoke dip recipe, she made it every week for months to get it just right. Now we all reap the fruit of her hard work. Enjoy! Continue reading →

This recipe tastes great, makes a ton, and freezes well. It can go straight from the freezer to the oven or can be defrosted before cooking. It’s something different, and the one way that Mike will eat cottage cheese ;o) Continue reading →

This traditional Latin American dessert goes *GREAT* with all kinds of Tex-Mex (like South of the Border Lasagna and Fajitas) and should sit in the fridge for a least a few hours if not overnight, which is always helpful when you have guests. It’s a simple sponge cake drenched in three kinds of milk, and though that sounds kinda weird, it’s rich and yummy. I usually top it with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

TRES LECHE CAKE Continue reading →

So, my mother’s best friend, who is 100% Italian, gave me this soup recipe. It tastes fabulous, and everything in it is frozen or canned or what have you. And I don’t feel bad, because the true Italian told me to make it this way! (I’m only a measly 1/4 Italian).

ITALIAN SOUP
In a pot combine, and bring to a boil
8 cups of Chicken Broth (two cartons)
1 can of herb diced tomatoes (different names for different brands, whatever sounds like its seasoned Italian style will do)
1/2 box of frozen spinach (I use chopped)
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

After the soup is boiling, add and cook until warm (just a few minutes!)
1 bag frozen cheese tortellini

Serve with parmesan cheese.

If you happen to have some cooked chicken, you can throw it in, but it doesn’t really need it if you don’t.

This is a not so hot version of the Cajun classic. WARNING: I am not Cajun. I’ve been to Louisiana twice, but never to the Cajun parts. I do not make any claims on the authenticity of this dish. It’s just a nice, hearty, one pot meal we have grown to love this winter.

JAMBALAYA
2 t. olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
10 oz.+ of sausage (cajun or kielbasa), sliced
1/2 of an onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. onion powder
t each of salt and pepper
2 c. uncooked rice
4 c. chicken broth (one carton*)
2 t. worchestershire
1 t. hot pepper sauce (more or less, depending on your preference)

Start all the cubing/slicing/dicing. Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until cooked through (about 5 minutes) and set aside. Saute sausage for 3-4 minutes, until edges brown. Stir in onion, pepper, celery, carrots and garlic. Season with cayenne, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook 5 more minutes. Add rice and stir in broth, crank it up and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer at least 20 minutes, until the rice is tender. Stir in chicken, worchestershire and hot pepper sauce**.

Serves 4-6.

* Whole Foods Organic chicken broth or Swanson’s 100% fat free “Natural Goodness” broth is highly recommended!
** we often throw in precooked shrimp at the end, especially the second day we eat it.

Ingredients
1 lb. of Italian sausage, casings removed. (all mild or 1/2 hot and 1/2 mild)
1/2 c. butter
12 large mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large green pepper, diced
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced
2 t. dried basil (or 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped fine)
1 lb. fettucine (spinach or regular)
2/3 c. fresh parmesean cheese, grated
1 c. sour cream

Directions
Begin the water for the pasta, and cook that when ready. Simultaneously, cook the sausages in a skillet over medium-high heat, remove sausage and set aside. Drain grease. Add butter to skillet and saute mushrooms, garlic, green pepper, parsley & basil until tender. Stir in sausage. Place pasta in a heated serving dish, add sausage/mushroom mixture, parm. cheese & sour cream. Toss and serve immediately. (Serves 4)

Modifications
I often saute things in fat free chicken broth and not butter — unless it is the Sabbath and we are trying to literally eat the fat ;o) I think it tastes the same, and is a lot healthier. I also use light sour cream. If you use fresh basil, you can skip the parsley.