Wafflewiches

Dean and love to have brinner (breakfast for dinner = brinner). And I have alway been a fan of The Monte Cristo*, so when I saw this recipe I knew it was some thing I was going to have to try. It was fantastic! I did made a few change to make it little more like the classic Monte Cristo. I used blackberry jam instead of cranberry sauce and I finished it off with some powdered sugar.

*The Monte Cristo is a sandwich of ham, turkey, and swiss cheese between batter-dipped fried bread. Traditionally it is dipped and fried in it’s entirety. It is served with fruit preserves, powder sugar, and/or honey mustard.

Wafflewiches
Recipe from Express Lane Meals - Rachael Ray

Makes 4 sammies

2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
4 tablespoons honey mustard
8 waffles, such as Eggos, lightly toasted
1/2 pound deli-sliced ham
1/2 pound deli-sliced honey roasted turkey
1/2 pound deli-sliced swiss cheese
3/4 cup prepared cranberry sauce

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and melt it. Assemble the sandwiches by spreading honey mustard on 4 of the waffles, then top with equal amounts of ham, turkey, and Swiss cheese. Spread cranberry sauce liberally on the remaining 4 waffles and place them atop the sandwiches. Fry the assembled sandwiches in the melted butter and cook for a few minutes on each side until they are deeply golden in color and the cheese melts.

Gratin Potatoes

Gratin Potatoes
Originally uploaded by jenianddean.

I have always been a fan of scalloped potatoes, and when I found this recipe I fell in love with it. It’s the simplicity that I love.

Potatoes, cheese, and cream. Simple.

I originally made these for my friend Lisa on her birthday, and they were to die for. I did a repeat a week later when I had my theatre group over to celebrate our second year as a group and they couldn’t get enough of the potatoes. I even had a gentleman ask for thirds. Then when we were at the beach last month I made them for Dean’s family and they were a hit again. And lastly I made them last weekend when Nikki and Todd were here. Nikki asked “Is this recipe on your blog?” I promised her it would be up this week. I’m a couple of days late, but here you go Nikki! Enjoy! Please let me know how they turn out.

Gratin Potatoes

3 pound russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Pour the olive in a 10-inch non-stick saute pan over medium heat; rub the bottom with the clove of garlic. Disgard clove. Pour 1/2 cup of heavy cream in the saute pan and place over medium-high heat. Season the cream salt and pepper. Slice the potato in 1/4-inch thick circles. As you slice, add them to the heating cream in even layers. After each layer top with Parmesan cheese. Continue layering until you have used all your potatoes. Once all of the potatoes have been added to the bubbling cream, sprinkle grated Parmesan, salt and pepper over the potatoes, then pour the remaining heavy cream over the top. Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. Once baked and all brown on top, remove from the oven and let rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Cut in pie shaped pieces and serve.

Recipe adaptrd from Rachael Ray

Skillet Lasagna

Couple of months ago, I was having just a crap day and really needed some comfort and something to feed my soul. Pasta is a great comfort food and it doesn’t take much time or energy to make a huge serving. Within 30 or so minutes Dean and I were enjoying this cheesy, gooey, yummy pasta. It just made me feel all warm inside.

I did made a few changes to the recipe. I used rigatoni because that is what I had in the pantry, an 1/8 pound of pancetta and 1 pound of ground sirloin to lighten the meat content a little, low fat ricotta cheese to lighten the fat content, and fresh mozzarella because I don’t really care for smoked mozzarella.

Skillet Lasagna

Whole-Wheat Skillet Lasagna
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2007

Salt
1 pound whole-wheat gemelli or cassarecci
5 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 pound pancetta, chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 bay leaf
Ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 onion, grated
4 cloves garlic, grated
4 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
1 cup beef stock
1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 ball smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced

Heat a pot of water for pasta, season with salt and cook pasta to al dente.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F or broiler.

While pasta water comes to a boil, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a high sided skillet over medium-high to high heat. When the oil smokes, add the pancetta, sirloin and bay leaf and caramelize the meat, 5 to 6 minutes, season with salt, pepper and allspice. Add grated vegetables and garlic, rosemary. Cook 7 to 8 minutes, stir in stock. Add tomatoes and break up with a spoon. Drain pasta and add to sauce then stir in ricotta. Top pasta with a layer of mozzarella and place in oven. Cook 5 minutes to melt and bubble mozzarella.

Chicken with mushroom cream sauce

Chicken with mushroom cream sauce

Since I’m a huge fan of mushrooms I have recently been making tons of recipes with chicken and mushrooms. When I came across this recipe I was so excited because for the most part it’s pretty healthy. It does have cream in the sauce but it’s only two tablespoons so it gives it just enough cream to make the sauce creamy, but not too much that it’s extremely rich. I served the chicken with mushroom cream sauce with roasted rosemary sweet potatoes.

The only change I made was I used cremini mushrooms (baby portobellas) instead of shiitake mushrooms.

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Makes 2 servings

2 5-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and tenders removed (see Tip)
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
2 tablespoons dry vermouth or dry white wine
¼ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives or scallion greens

Season chicken with pepper and salt on both sides.

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice and adjusting the heat to prevent burning, until brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°F, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add shallot to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Pour in vermouth (or wine); simmer until almost evaporated, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute. Pour in broth and cook until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cream and chives (or scallions); return to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, turn to coat with sauce and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.

Tip: It’s difficult to find an individual chicken breast small enough for one portion. Removing the thin strip of meat from the underside of a 5-ounce breast -the tender- removes about 1 ounce of meat and yields a perfect 4-ounce portion. Wrap and freeze the tenders and when you have gathered enough, use them in a stir-fry or for oven-baked chicken fingers.

Per serving: 275 calories; 15 g fat (5 g sat, 7 g mono); 84 mg cholesterol; 5 g carbohydrate; 25 g protein; 1 g fiber; 373 mg sodium; 370 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Selenium (34% daily value).
0 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 2 fat

Grandma Staker’s Banana Nut Bread

It’s always good to have one recipe that is your go-to comfort food recipe, and this is mine. Anytime I’m feeling a little down or miss my family or that feeling of being home, I make my grandmother’s banana bread. Not only does it warm my tummy, it warms my heart.

This banana bread is very basic, but it’s delicious. One of the best parts of banana bread is using those leftover, mushy bananas at the end of the week. The ones that are just too mushy to put on your cereal or a little too brown to just eat — those are the perfect ones.

This recipe makes one loaf of moist, delicious bread. I love to slather cream cheese on a slice when it’s still warm!

Enjoy!

Grandma Staker’s Banana Nut Bread
(one loaf)

1 C sugar
1 stick butter*
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Butter and flour 9-1/4 x 5 x 2-1/2-inch loaf pan or spray with Pam. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in bananas. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the flour mixture. Beat until completely combined. Stir in walnuts. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake 60-70 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.

Can be prepared two days ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature. Or can be frozen for up to six months.

*The one only change I make to this recipe is I use one stick of butter and the original recipe calls for 1/2 cup Crisco.

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

pulled chicken
Originally uploaded by jenianddean.

Barbecue is becoming one of my favorite things to cook. This pulled chicken recipe is incredibly simple and so tasty. I know a lot of people are intimidated by making their own barbecue sauce but it can be very simple. I have used this sauce recipe with pork also. I really enjoy the flavor. I have made this recipe for five or six gathers and I never had leftovers. It is easily doubled or tripled for a big crowd.

The only changes I made are: I use boneless-skinless chicken breast instead of thighs and I sometimes bake the chicken in the oven instead of grilling it. I bake it at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Enjoy!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
The chicken and sauce can be made up to two days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat the mixture in a saucepan before serving.

Chicken:
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray

Sauce:
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses

Remaining ingredients:
8 (2-ounce) sandwich rolls, toasted
16 hamburger dill chips

Prepare grill.

To prepare chicken, combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture evenly over chicken. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 180°, turning occasionally. Let stand for 5 minutes. Shred with 2 forks.

To prepare sauce, heat canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar and next 5 ingredients (through pepper); cook 30 seconds. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, and molasses; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in chicken; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Place about 1/3 cup chicken mixture on bottom halves of sandwich rolls; top each serving with 2 pickle chips and top roll half.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 sandwich)

CALORIES 365 (23% from fat); FAT 9.1g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.6g,poly 2.6g); PROTEIN 28.2g; CHOLESTEROL 94mg; CALCIUM 78mg; SODIUM 877mg; FIBER 2g; IRON 3.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42.8g

Cooking Light, JUNE 2006

Pickled Mostaccioli

Pickled Mostaccioli
Originally uploaded by jenianddean.

Pasta salads are always a good go-to recipe for a barbecue, family reunion, or just a snack. Pickled mostaccioli is a freshing twist on traditional pasta salad. It has a wonderfully zesty taste and perfect for summer because it doesn’t have mayonnaise. Michelle, a friend of mine from Iowa, gave me this recipe. Thanks Michelle!

Pickled Mostaccioli

1 lb Mostaccioli
1 1/2 C white vinegar
1 1/2 C sugar
2 Tbs prepared mustard
1 tsp garlic salt, salt, and pepper
1 Tbs parsley
1 med. onion
1 med cucumber, skin on
1/2 C vegetable oil or olive oil
yellow food coloring

Bring a pot of water up to a rolling boil. Add 6 drops of yellow food coloring and 1 tsp salt; then add pasta. Cook pasta to al dente, about 10 minutes. Rinse well in cold water then drain well. Place pasta in a bowl.

While the pasta is cooking, put all ingredients except pasta and oil in a blender or food processor and puree.

Pour spice mixture and oil over the cooked pasta; stir well. Chill overnight.

**Make sure to stir well before serving.

Zinfandel Sangria with Brandy and Orange

At the end of the summer, Dean and I hosted a party for the staff at his office. I made tons of barbecued ribs, pulled pork and chicken and all the fixings. We have always have beer and wine, but this year I decided to make sangria. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit (July 07) and wanted to make it all summer. It turned out wonderfully and was very refreshing. Several people asked me for the recipe, so here it is. Enjoy!

This makes a big batch of sangria so I mixed all the ingredient (except the orange juice) together and let it sit overnight. The next day I added the orange juice and ice. I didn’t have a container large enough to make this in and that would fit in my refrigerator.

Zinfandel Sangria with Brandy and Orange
(serves 20 to 24)

3 cups simple syrup*
6 (750 ml) bottles Zinfandel
2 1/4 cups brandy
1 1/2 cups triple sec or other orange liqueur
1 1/2 cups orange juice
6 apples (cored and thinly sliced)
4 nectarines or peaches (pitted and thinly sliced)
4 lemons (cut into thin rounds)

Combine Zinfandel, brandy, triple sec, orange juice, and simple syrup in a very large container. Add apples, nectarines or peaches, and lemons. Refrigerate sangria until cold, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day. Ladle sangria and fruit into pitchers and serve over ice.

*How to make Simple syrup

Stir 2 1/4 cups water and 2 1/4 cups sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Cool simple syrup before adding it to the sangria.

Feta Cheese and Green Onion Dip

Grilled green onions
Originally uploaded by jenianddean.

Feta cheese is a cheese that I started cooking with about four years ago, and I have never been disappointed by it. I was watching Boy Meets Grill a couple of years ago and Bobby Flay was making this dip. I knew I was going to love it. The combination of the grilled green onions, feta, garlic, and lemon zest is so refreshing.

A note of caution: This is very garlicy, so if you are planning on kissing someone later in the night, you have two options: 1. Decrease the amount of garlic in the recipe or 2. have that special someone eat the dip also. Two garlics balance each other out!

Instead of the grilled pitas, I slice up a French baguette and toast it with extra-virgin olive oil drizzled over it.

Feta Cheese and Green Onion Dip with Olive Oil and Lemon with Grilled Pita
Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay

12 green onions, green part only, grilled and chopped, plus additional thinly sliced green onions, for garnish
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for grilling pitas
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 pound feta cheese, crumbled
8 pocketless pitas

Place grilled green onions, oil, lemon juice, and zest in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the feta and garlic and process until combined and smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and garnish with the additional sliced green onions.

Heat grill to high. Brush the pitas with the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Grill for 1 minute per side or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the grill and cut each pita into eighths. Serve with the feta dip.

Sugar and nut glazed Brie

Brie with nuts
Originally uploaded by jenianddean.

Brie was not one of my favorite cheeses until about three years ago. Now you would be hard-pressed not to find Brie in my cheese drawer. This is one of my all time favorite Brie recipes. A couple of years ago I started watching the Food Network. I never really watched it until we moved to South Carolina. I fell in love the Paula Deen. I’m sure it was the southern draw, a sort of comfort. Anyway, when she made this recipe I was in love with it.

When I’m having a party people ask “Are you making the Brie?” “The Brie” was the one appetizer that Rachel asked me to make for her going away party. And at the end of the night, there was nothing left on the tray but a few apple slices!

A few tips:
1. Put this in the oven right before people are to arrive. It’s best right out of the oven. The Brie is all gooey and perfect for the apple slices.
2. I try to let the brandy-sugar-nut mixture sit for at least two days. I have found the longer the better.

Sugar and Nut Glazed Brie
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts or pecans
1 tablespoon brandy
1 (14-ounce) round Brie
Apple wedges, for serving
Pear wedges, for serving
2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Crackers, for serving

In a small bowl stir together the sugar, nuts, and brandy. Cover and chill for at least 24 hours or up to 1 week.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Place the Brie on an oven-proof platter or pie plate. Bake for 4 or 5 minutes or until the Brie is slightly softened. Spread the sugar mixture in an even layer on top of the warm Brie and bake for 2 to 3 minutes longer, or until the sugar melts. Brush the fruit wedges with lemon juice and arrange them around 1 side of the Brie. Place crackers around the other side.