A Recipe Trifecta!

It all starts with this salad dressing by Our Best Bites: Greek Salad Dressing & Marinade

You will see that the recipe calls for freshly squeezed lemon juice; before you squeeze, grate the zest of one of the lemons into a large mixing bowl and set aside for the Orzo Salad. Then proceed to make the dressing in a blender as directed. My other alterations to this recipe were to use only 2 garlic cloves, and to reserve about a third of the called-for amount of feta. I blended as directed, then added the reserved cheese, and pulsed to obtain a chunky consistency.

Greek Orzo Salad

• 1 cup of orzo pasta
• zest of one lemon
• 2 scallions, chopped finely
• ½ cup grape tomatoes, quartered
• ½ cup frozen peas
• salt & pepper
• 1/3 to ½ cup Greek Salad Dressing
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
• salt & pepper to taste

Cook orzo as directed, adding frozen peas in the last 5 minutes. Rinse in cold water to halt cooking, and drain well. Dump into large mixing bowl.

Add remaining ingredients, and toss to mix well. Season as desired with salt & pepper. Refrigerate for 3 hours to combine flavors.

Greek Chicken Burgers

• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 scallions, chopped finely
• 2 TBSP garlic-&-herb-marinated sun-dried tomatoes, minced
• ½ cup bread crumbs
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• ¼ cup Greek Salad Dressing
• One package ground chicken (20 oz?)

1. Beat egg in bottom of large mixing bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients except chicken and mix thoroughly. Add chicken, and gently combine completely.
3. Lay out a piece of waxed paper on counter, and divide mixture into 5 patties, about ½” thick.
4. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Spray with vegetable spray. Add patties, and fry for 5-1/2 minutes each side.
5. Alternatively, heat a Forman Grill to medium high heat, and cook patties for about 6 minutes total.

Serve with or without buns.

Enjoy!

Wilted Wednesday Wrecipes…

Too hot to cook this week, although I DID make that pasta salad I showed you last week. Here are my pictures: (feel free to LOL):

I used this store-brand pesto. Maybe another brand, or certainly, homemade would be tastier. I’ve never “used” pesto before, so is it supposed to be thick – spread-ably thick?

Toss the drained pasta with a splash of EVOO. God I hate that acronym! Olive oil!

Pretty colors!

I mixed the “sauce” ingredients together first, then stirred this into veggies & pasta.

And here’s my messy result. Maybe I should have photo’d the final product in a nice bowl, or at least scraped down the little green bits.

The salad was quite yummy; it was delish warm. I had to re-salt the next day- it had lost flavor, and gotten dryer. The shallot was also more pronounced, and that flavor seemed to dominate when cold. Also- MOST IMPORTANT- I halved the recipe!!! It makes a bucket load. I would make this again, but I think it needs some tweaking. Definitely halve the recipe until you try it.

I never mentioned that I made a batch of The Pioneer Woman’s Restaurant Salsa a few weeks ago. It was excellent! The best salsa I’ve ever had! But it makes a wheelbarrow load! Definitely halve that recipe unless you’re making it for a party.

Stay cool!

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

I’m taking the cheaters way out today- lots to do. I came across this recipe on Tastespotting today- it sounds like a different take on a pasta salad:

Pesto Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes, Corn and Fresh Mozzarella

1 lb salad macaroni (small, short cut, uncooked)
3 ears of fresh corn, cooked and cut off the cob
1 pint grape tomatoes (the smaller, the better)
3 stalks of celery, small dice
2 shallots, minced
6 oz basil pesto
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2″ cubes
salt and pepper to taste

Cook and cool the salad macaroni. Toss it with a tablespoon of olive oil to keep it from sticking together while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Boil the corn for about 5 minutes and then shock in ice water to halt the cooking. When cold, cut the corn kernels off the cob. Dice the celery and mince the shallots.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked macaroni, fresh corn, tomatoes, diced celery, and shallots. Fold in the pesto, mayonnaise and red wine vinegar. Fold in the diced mozzarella and season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

I’ll be trying this for the weekend and I’ll let you know how it comes out! BYE!

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

Em came up with today’s entry. I didn’t think to take pictures-sorry!

Pasta with Alfredo Sauce

Makes 4-servings (realistically- 3 adult portions or 2 with leftovers)

• 8 oz. dry pasta
• 4 oz. cream cheese (either brick or spreadable, but not whipped)
• ½ to 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 6 TBSP butter (what can I say- heart-attack on a plate)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder, or a minced whole clove of fresh garlic
• ½ tsp dried basil
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• ¼ tsp nutmeg

Boil salted water for pasta; when you toss pasta in, begin sauce.

In a medium sauce pan over low heat, stir all ingredients except nutmeg until combined and cheeses are melted.

Keep warm over low heat until pasta is ready. Drain pasta, reserving ¼ cup of cooking liquid.

Pour pasta into a serving bowl, and add alfredo sauce. Toss to combine well, adding pasta cooking water as necessary to thin sauce. Stir in the nutmeg and serve hot.

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

The turkey’s resting over on the table, waiting to be carved and you have all the sides that have to be cooked or re-heated and on the table all at once. So you have no more room in your oven to heat stuff up? Today’s recipe is all about convenience, especially if you don’t like your stuffing (dressing- is it a regional thing to call it one or the other, or is there an actual distinction between the two??) cooked inside the bird. The technique is the key here- substitute your favorite stuffing ingredients, just remember it all has to fit your crock pot. Put it together just after the turkey goes in the oven, and it should all be done at the same time.

Slow Cooker Stuffing

• One- 16 oz. package Pepperidge Farm seasoned stuffing (the dry stuff) or use comparable quantity of dried bread cubes
• ¼ to 1/3 lb. Bulk sausage- I use a couple of sweet Italian sausage patties
• 1 stick butter
• 2 stalks celery, washed & chopped to about ½” pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped to ½” pieces
• 1 tart apple, chopped to ½” pieces
• 1 TBSP poultry seasoning
• 3 TBSP minced fresh parsley
• salt & pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2-3 cups turkey broth (you may not use all, or you may need a bit more)

1. In a large sauté pan, brown sausage and break into bits. Add butter, melt, and add chopped celery, onion and apple. Stir & cook until softened/wilted.
2. Meanwhile, in a very large bowl, toss stuffing mix with poultry seasoning and parsley, salt and pepper.
3. Spoon cooked vegetables over bread and toss to mix well. Pour in enough broth to moisten to degree you prefer, then mix in eggs.
4. Transfer to crock pot that has been sprayed with cooking spray and cover.
5. Cook on High for 1 hour, the reduce heat to Low and cook an additional 4-6 hours (in 4 hours it should be done, but it won’t suffer the additional time). Stir pot contents occasionally, adding more broth as necessary. If you prefer a crispier finish, turn back to High for the last 45 minutes or so.

Makes enough for 8-10 maybe? I’m not sure because it’s usually only 3 of us, and there’s always tons leftover. The Pepp. Farm bag says the whole bag makes 11 servings.

No pictures until tomorrow!

(what- you think I’m gonna make this twice???)

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

I came across this recipe from another food blog I occasionally visit- The Wednesday Chef, coincidentally. I never do anything with frozen corn except “Cook as Directed” and top with butter & salt at the table.

I hardly ever use fresh mint so I’m not used to its flavor; maybe I’ll try a different herb like thyme or tarragon or sage next time. The unsalted butter seems to be key- I used regular & tried to adjust the additional salt , but I think I added a wee bit too much.

This was tasty- different but quite tasty, and very pretty in a bowl. I’d even consider it for Thanksgiving next week except for the traditionalists I typically serve.

Caramelized Corn with Fresh Mint
Serves 2

• one- 10-ounce package frozen premium corn
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
• Salt

Defrost the corn in a colander, tossing occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

In a wide skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring often, until golden and browned (kernels may begin to pop), about 10 minutes. Stir in the mint and sprinkle with salt. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve while hot.

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes...

In honor of the daughter unit moving her shit stuff back to Boston: one Ford Escape load (THANK YOU Joanne!!!!!!) and one Corolla load- yes- 2 trips in and out of Boston in one day! 100 miles of driving! Hot weather! No food until 4:00 at Ikea:

( I got the Swedish Meatballs)

here's today's recipe:

Macaroni & Cheese

• 1-2 cups dry pasta
• 3 TBSP butter
• 3 TBSP flour
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup grated or shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 6-8 Ritz crackers or 1/3 cup panko crumbs
• 1 TBSP butter
• Pam baking spray

Fill dry baking dish halfway with dry pasta to measure, set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 deg.

Set large pot of water to boil, and add dry pasta. Cook according to package directions (about 10-13 minutes) just until done, but not mushy.

While pasta cooks make cheese sauce:

Melt 3 TBSP butter in medium saucepan and add 3 TBSP flour. Stir with whisk over medium heat about 3 minutes, until flour is cooked and slightly turning golden and smells “nutty”.

Whisk in 1-1/2 cups milk until smooth. Continue whisking until sauce bubbles and starts to thicken. Simmer, whisking often, about 3-5 minutes more, until sauce is smooth & thick. Stir in salt & both types of pepper.

Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Whisk until smooth. Set aside until pasta is cooked.

Drain pasta thoroughly, and turn into large mixing bowl or back into cooking pot.

Spray baking dish with Pam spray.

Add cheese sauce to pasta- enough to taste to seem very cheesy & gooey. You may not need all the sauce. (Refrigerate any leftovers.)

Pour pasta & sauce into prepared baking dish. Sometimes I'll layer in a slice of American cheese, torn into strips. Top with crushed cracker or panko crumbs. Take 1 TBSP butter; break into bits and dot top of crumbs.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15-18 minutes or crumbs are browned & pasta is bubbly.

Yay!

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

Something cool for those dog days of summer:

Asian Peanut Noodles

• 8 oz. linguine, cooked (don’t rinse)
• ½ cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky
• ½ cup reserved pasta water (to thin out sauce)
• 1-2 TBSP brown sugar
• 1-2 TBSP soy sauce
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon sambal oelek (hot chili paste)
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced (or substitute ½ tsp ground ginger)
• ½ cup shredded carrots or broccoli slaw
• ½ red or green pepper, thinly sliced
• 2-3 green onions, thinly sliced, white & tender green parts only
• 3 TBSP minced cilantro

Make sauce:

Whisk the peanut butter, brown sugar, soy sauce, sambal oelek, and ginger. Taste to adjust seasonings if necessary.

*Note: I used low salt soy, and found I had to add salt. Use regular soy as desired. I found the sambal oelek at my local grocery for under $2 for a decent size jar. It has a slow after burn, so use suggested amount and add more to taste. I used ground ginger in my recipe, and highly recommend getting a knob of fresh. I think the flavor would have been much brighter.

Add the water a little at a time until sauce reached desired consistency (ie. loose, but not watery).

Dump noodles into large bowl, pour sauce over and toss to coat. Add the veggies and toss again. Garnish with cilantro.

*Note: I’m one of those genetically inferior people who doesn’t like cilantro; I used a mix of mostly flat-leaf parsley with some cilantro- like ¾ parsley to ¼ cilantro.

Makes enough for 4-6 people as a side dish. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

Today's recipe is a summer staple at every get-together. It's simple, and you've probably even made this version before. But sometimes simple is the best! I've been buying red potatoes lately- after washing, you don't have to peel! What a time saver!

Classic Potato Salad

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 TBSP vinegar
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• ¼ tsp pepper

• 4 cups cooked & cubed potatoes (5-6 medium- mine were particularly small)
• 1 cup sliced celery
• ½ cup chopped sweet onion

In a large bowl, whisk first 5 ingredients.

Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat well.

Cover & refrigerate until serving.

Yummy and easy!

Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

I had made a pork roast two Sundays ago, with rice as a side dish. The two amigos were jonesing for fast food for the next couple of days, so I ended up throwing the leftover meat & rice into the freezer to deal with later. Pork Fried Rice has always stymied me- it just never tastes as good as a restaurant version when I cook it at home. I found this recipe, and this wasn't too bad. Still not as good as Tiki Buddha (insert your favorite Chinese restaurant name), but tasty and it used up those pesky leftovers:

Pork Fried Rice

SERVES 4

2-3 cups cooked rice, preferably refrigerated leftover(I used plain white rice cooked with chicken broth)

1 cup pork, cooked and diced (substitute cooked chicken if desired)

1/2 large onion, diced

1-1/2 cups broccoli slaw mix (prepackaged combination of shredded broccoli, carrots & cabbage)

2 TBSP soy sauce

2 TBSP hoisin sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 TBSP canola or peanut oil

In small bowl, combine soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil and set aside.

Heat canola oil in wok over med-high to high heat. Add onion and slaw mix and stir-fry 2-3 minutes or until onion starts to become translucent. Add pork, and stir-fry 2-3 minutes more. Add rice and stir-fry 3-4 minutes, until heated thru. Pour soy sauce mixture over rice and cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Serve.

Next time I'll try adding a small thumb size piece of fresh, minced ginger root to see if that lends that restaurant flavor.