Butternut Squash Tortellini with Brown Butter Sauce

With our husbands out-of-town on a golf mancation, a Friday Happy Hour with my friends was on the calendar. I saw a recipe on Giada's Food Network show that I wanted to try so, this was a perfect occasion. I put on my best cleavage-revealing top and channeled my inner Giada and got to work. The recipe was for Butternut Squash Tortellini with Brown Butter Sauce. The recipe was simply enough, just a little time consuming in the actual making of the tortellini. I knocked out 50 of them while watching NCAA basketball tourney. The tortellini are made with wonton skins which are usually found in the produce section of the grocery store. They looked really professional if I say so myself.
I did not have the amaretti cookies as called for in the recipe. Just got a deliver of Girl Scout cookies so I substituted Trefoils. You could also try gingersnaps. The brown butter sauce with the cranberries and nuts was "to die for." You could easily serve 5 people with this recipe. It was very filling.

What a Meatloaf!

Meatloaf is one of those old standby recipes. I usually have the ingredients to throw one together, and it is preferred by 4 out of 5 family members. No Thank You Boy likes his beef in steak form. Before developing this recipe, my meatloaf was pretty good. Nothing to write home about, though. But, this recipe has taken my loaf to new heights. It is adapted from cooking software called Mastercook. I served it with some mashed Yukon gold potatoes and some Trader Joe's frozen green beans. A beefy gravy was poured over everything to produce a good rib-stickin' meal.

I can't wait for the leftovers that will be tomorrow's lunch....a meatloaf sandwich. Multi-grain bread, Dijon mayo (couple tablespoons Dijon mustard to about a 1/2 cup of mayo), slab o' meatloaf with melted Swiss all over. I'll be getting many meals out of the one loaf!

Magnificent Meatloaf

serves 5

1 pound ground beef, 85% lean
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 garlic gloves, chopped
2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoons pepper
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, place the ground beef, pork, and veal along with the eggs and breadcrumbs.  Melt butter in saute pan and saute onion, and celery for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, spice mix, Worcestershire sauce, evaporated milk, and ketchup. Simmer until this has thickened, about 3 - 4 minutes. Cool slightly. Remove bay leaves and combine with meats, eggs, and breadcrumbs.

I like to make mine in a loaf pan to keep the meatloaf juicy. Also, try it in a free form loaf if you want it with a more crunchy crust. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool slightly before slicing.

Portobello, Onion, and Gorgonzola Steak Sandwiches with Roasted Asparagus

An easy recipe with an impressive sounding name was on tap for dinner last night.  Portobello, Onion and Gorgonzola Steak Sandwiches did not take long to whip up and had the meaty flavor of portebello mushrooms and steak along with bite of Gorgonzola cheese.

Our family wolfed down the meal in about 15 minutes because of impending softball practice and drum lessons. Oh well, it made for good leftovers the following night. I served up a side of roasted asparagus with Parmesan cheese grated on top. Just trim the woody bottoms off the stalks, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Grate some parm over the top when you plate it up. The sandwiches were served open face, so a fork and knife was a big help.

If you need a quick appetizer, you can make these on slices of a baguette. You can even skip the steak if you are cheap. People will still think you are amazing. But give me credit for the recipe.

Portobello, Onion and Gorgonzola Steak Sandwiches

serves 5

about 2 - 2 1/2 pounds London broil, you can also use a flank or sirloin steak
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
good pinch of salt and pepper
1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 pound portobello mushrooms, I used the baby portobellos, sliced
1 large sweet onion, like a Vidalia or Maui sweet, sliced thin
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt
pepper
1 and 1/2 cups beef stock

10 slices of grilled or toasted rustic bread
1/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Whisk the red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, and Dijon mustard in a bowl. Put the steak in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over the top. Squish the bag around to coat the whole steak. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour.

Heat a large saucepan to medium high. Add the butter and olive oil. Add the mushrooms and onions and saute for about 15 - 20 minutes. Season with the thyme a little salt and the pepper. Watch the amount of salt because the stock can be salty. Add the stock and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes to concentrate the beefy, mushroomy, and oniony flavor.

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan or grill to medium high.  Grill the steak to medium rare; about 7 - 8 minutes per inch of thickness of the meat.  Let rest for about 10 minutes. Slice into thin pieces. Put 2 slices of the bread on a plate. Top each with 4 or so slices of the steak. Put a generous helping of the mushrooms and onions on top and ladle some of the au jus over everything. Sprinkle with the Gorgonzola cheese. Serve with napkins.

Panko Chicken Fingers and Black Bean and Corn Salad

Chicken fingers for dinner? Looks like we went to Applebee's for an exciting evening out on the town. No. Don't be so silly.  This is the most requested entree of My Middle One. I could give it some more grandiose sounding name like Tenders au Poulet in an Asian Inspired Crust. But hey. Let's call a spade a spade.

I'm not big on the idea of deep frying. I don't like the smell which permeates the house. But every once in a while I will give in to the constant requests. As I sample the first batch of chicken fingers, I remember how much I like the taste of deep fried foods.

The most time consuming and messy part of preparing Panko Chicken Fingers is the breading. To keep the gooey fingers to a minimum, use a fork to move the chicken from the egg to the panko. I served up a quick side of Black Bean and Corn Salad. As you might guess, my three amigos had applesauce. My daughters also like to dip the chicken fingers in a concoction of ketchup, ranch dressing and honey. I'll pass.

Any leftover chicken fingers reheat beautifully.  They will crisp up when you heat them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Panko Chicken Fingers

serves 4

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin
salt
pepper
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko, these are Japanese bread crumbs that are really crunchy
oil for frying

Salt and pepper the chicken. Set up your dredging station. Put the flour in one shallow plate, the eggs in another shallow plate, and the panko in a third one. Set a large cookie sheet out for the finished product. Add some salt and pepper to the flour. Dip the chicken first in the flour, then the egg and, lastly the panko. Gently shake off the excess. Lay out on cookie sheet. Continue until all chicken is coated. If you can multi-task, have your oil heated to about 350 degrees (a few panko crumbs will brown up quickly when the oil is ready) and fry the chicken a few pieces at a time. It takes about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the oil and drain on a large baking sheet lined with a few layers of paper towels.  Season immediately with salt. This is the only way to get the seasoning to stick. Salt for some and my favorite chipotle seasoning for the rest. Keep warm in 200 degree oven while you fry up the rest of the chicken.

To make a spicy dip, mix some of the chipotle with mayo and a little sour cream.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

1 can (14 ounces) black beans
1 cup corn, frozen is ok, thawed
1 rib celery, diced small
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, diced small
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
hot sauce to taste
dash of cumin
salt

Drain and rinse the beans. Put in a bowl and add corn, celery, onion and, red pepper. Toss. Add olive oil and vinegar. Toss to coat. Add remaining ingredients to your liking. Also great as a salsa for tortilla chips.

Soup and Sandwich Night

Another blast of frigid air blew into northern New Jersey. It feels like a soup and sandwich night for us.

My Dad hands out loads of gift cards as Christmas presents each year. I spent one of mine on my new favorite kitchen gadget -- a Panini Grill. Or as I like to call it, my panini machiney. These contraptions are available at cooking and home stores everywhere. It makes crispy and crunchy pressed sandwiches, and it only takes a couple minutes to create a cheesy and gooey mess of a sandwich. If you don't have a panini machiney, just make a grilled sandwich and put a heavy pan on top of it while it cooks to press it down.

Our menu consisted of Cauliflower, Cheddar and Bacon Bisque and Panini Sandwiches. Two sandwiches were honey ham, Gruyere cheese (like a funky Swiss), thin sliced granny smith apples, and apple butter. Two others were honey ham, bacon and, cheddar. The last one was honey ham, bacon, Gruyere and Dijon mustard. All the paninis were on a rustic loaf of bread. Thumbs up all around for the sandwiches. I like to make soups with lots of chunky ingredients but, this one was more of a creamy one. 4 thumbs up for the soup. My son opted out of trying it.

If winter is still got a hold of where you live, give this menu a try.

Cauliflower, Cheddar and Bacon Bisque

makes about 10 servings

5 slices bacon, chopped
2 cups onion, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped small
2 heads cauliflower, cut into small chunks
6 cups chicken broth
4 ounces cheddar, grated
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 cup half and half
salt
pepper
extra cheddar cheese for sprinkling on top
parsley, chopped fine to make it look fancy
truffle salt or oil, if you have it

Cook bacon in large stockpot over medium heat until crispy. Add onion, celery and garlic and cook about 8 - 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower, broth, cheddar, and tarragon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 30 - 35 minutes until the cauliflower is tender. Puree soup in batches in a blender or food processor and return to stockpot. Add the half and half and simmer to heat through. Ladle into bowls and top with extra cheddar, parsley, and a little truffle oil or salt.

Gemelli Pasta with Mushroom Sauce and Grilled Strip Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce

Gemelli Pasta with Mushroom Sauce and Grilled Strip Steaks

I usually like what I cook. Sometimes I really like what I cook. Last night, I impressed myself. I think my niche is that I am constantly looking for new recipes and therefore, always making something new.

On my day off, I caught some of the perky Rachael Ray Show. She had an intriguing recipe for pasta with a mushroom sauce. I picked up most of the ingredients as well as some strip steaks that were on sale and made it a meal. I added a chimichurri sauce for the steaks which is a simple, garlic, herb, olive oil, and vinegar concoction.

Rave reviews on this menu from my husband and myself. "Great sauce" and "the pasta is very hearty." My son stuck with the steak and the ever present applesauce. One daughter had the steak, her obligatory taste of the mushroom pasta and, then promptly ate half a plate of pasta with leftover spaghetti sauce. My most adventurous eater had the steak and 2 servings of the mushroom pasta. What can you expect from kids? Can't please everyone at ever meal.

Gemelli Pasta with Mushroom Sauce

Adapted this from a Rachael Ray recipe. Gemelli pasta looks like wavy little lasagna noodles. Use any shape you have on hand.

1 pound pasta
salt
pepper
2 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cup olive oil
4 large portebello mushrooms, sliced thin
20 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Parmesan cheese, grated fresh
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
2 cups arugula, shredded

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat stock to boiling in a small pot. Reduce to simmer. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan. I used my wok.  Add garlic, onions, mushrooms, thyme, allspice, and a few cranks of pepper. Cook for about 10 - 12 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. Remove half of the mushrooms and place in a food processor or blender. Add about a cup of the warm stock and process to from a thick, kinda chunky sauce. Return sauce to large saucepan and add the remaining stock. Season with salt. Add the pasta to the mushroom sauce mixture and a few big handfuls of Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat.

Spoon pasta onto plates and top with arugula, more Parmesan cheese and the nuts. You may want to crank some more pepper on top. We did.


Grilled Strip Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce

I seasoned my steaks with some Chicago Steak Seasoning from Penzey's Spices. If you don't have it, just a little salt and pepper will do. The steaks were grilled for about 4 - 5 minutes per side. They were about an inch thick. With this sauce, a little goes a long way. Drizzle over grilled steaks.


Chimichurri Sauce

1 clove garlic, minced
about 1 teaspoon Kosher salt or other coarse salt
about 1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried sage
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar or just white vinegar
2 tablespoon olive oil

Place garlic, salt, pepper and spices in a small bowl. Mash with the back of a spoon to make a paste. Add vinegar and whisk to mix. Add the olive oil and whisk to mix.  Drizzle over grilled steaks.

Lucky #13

Happy belated Year of the Pig!! In celebration of the Chinese New Year a couple weeks ago, I decided to make Chicken and Broccoli, Shrimp Fried Rice, and Egg Drop Soup. Pot Stickers were also on the menu but, I ran out of time.

Chinese recipes are typically easy to prepare. Just a lot of chopping. Therefore, I enlisted one of my daughters as my sous chef. She did a pretty good job. She did disappear a few times to practice her handstands.



The Fried Rice came out great as did the Chicken and Broccoli. For some reason I had trouble with the Egg Drop Soup recipe that only contains 4 ingredients. On my first try, I used low sodium chicken broth. My daughter said it tasted like dirty water. Being the good mom that I am, I told that it did not and just eat it. The second try did not go much better. I forgot the cornstarch which thickens up the broth a little. This time is tasted like salty chicken broth with egg and green onions floating in it. I gave up. I'll try that again another day. I'll give all three recipes but, you are on your own as far as the soup goes. Oink! Oink!

Chicken and Broccoli

serves 5

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into thin slices
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, divided
4 cups broccoli florets
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons black bean sauce (in Asian aisle at grocery store)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons ginger root, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 green onions, sliced thin

Place chicken in a bowl and toss with the 1/2 cup cornstarch.  Set aside. 

Mix together the chicken broth, rice wine vinegar, black bean sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and remaining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat large saute pan or wok over high heat high. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Add the coated chicken and stir fry until cooked through, about 3 - 4 minutes. Remove chicken and cover with foil to keep warm.

In the same pan or wok over high heat, add the broccoli and about 3 tablespoons of water. Cover and steam for about 4 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally so the broccoli doesn't burn. Add the ginger root and garlic and stir fry for a minute. Add the cooked chicken back to the pan. Add the sauce mixture and stir to coat. Cook for 1 - 3 minutes to thicken the sauce. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.


Shrimp Fried Rice

serves 5

Adapted a recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (1930-2000 Limited Edition)

3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 pound small shrimp, 30 - 35 per pound
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger root, chopped
3 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced
4 cups cooked and chilled rice, white or brown
4 green onions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil to high in a large saute pan or wok. Add shrimp and quickly stir fry, about 2 minutes. Remove shrimp and keep warm.

In the same pan or wok over medium high heat add the beaten eggs and stir to cook. Remove to cutting board and chop in small pieces. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan or wok over high heat. Add green cabbage and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and ginger root and saute for another minute. Stir in cooked rice, green onions, soy sauce, and cooked shrimp and eggs. Cook about 2 - 3 minutes to heat through.



Egg Drop Soup

serves 2

2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 egg, beaten
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Stir cornstarch into broth in a small pot over medium heat. When broth almost comes to a boil, slowly pour in egg. Stir broth gently to break up egg. Pour into serving bowls and top with green onions.

A Burger with Everything on Top

My husband knows that an easy present for me is a cookbook. Most people like to read a mystery, a romance novel, or the latest selection from Oprah's Book Club. But not me. I like to read cookbooks. They are more exciting to me because on the next page may be a recipe I have never seen. I travel all over the world as I read a cookbook. Wow. That sounds really sappy. I have been getting Bon Appetite for 20 years and finally threw out 10 years of magazines after moving them across the country twice in 2 different moves. I've got the Internet now instead of my magazines. Every recipe I have ever seen in BA is at my fingertips. But, I still long to just thumb through those old issues.

One of my cookbook presents from my husband was Home Cookin' with Dave's Mom. This cookbook came out a little after David Letterman sent his Mom to cover the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer in 1994 for The Late Show. I grew up in Illinois so this cookbook actually intrigued me because Dave's Mom was practically my neighbor. She lives in Indiana. The recipe that I keep coming back to for the past 10 years is for her Hamburgers. It is a straightforward recipe and it is the best on I have come across. I've changed it only a little. We always have oven roasted fries with them. One of my daughter's likes to pile them on her burger. Thanks Dorothy!! Here's her recipe:

Just a Great Burger

makes 8 burgers

2 slices bread
about 1/4 cup milk
2 pounds ground beef


Use 85% ground beef, the fat makes the burgers juicy. If you live in Minnesota, I recommend you get your beef from Golden Oaks Beef.

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

for serving
8 buns
ketchup, mustard, sliced tomatoes and onions, lettuce

Place the bread in a bowl and pour milk over it. After the bread has soaked up as much of the milk as it will, squeeze out the excess. Combine the soaked bread and the remaining ingredients (except for the buns and your toppings of course) in a large bowl and combine. Form into about 8 burgers and cook over a hot grill until desired doneness. Anything other than medium rare is a crime. Serve on toasted buns with everything on top.


Oven Roasted Fries

about 2 pounds of any potato you have
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice the potatoes into thick looking fries. I leave on the skins. Soak in a big bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes to remove some of the starch. This will make them crispier. Drain and lay out on a dishtowel. Dry off as much water as you can. Put potatoes on a large cookie sheet and drizzle with about 2 tablespoons olive oil. sprinkle generously with salt. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes. Flip over potatoes and cook for another 15 - 20 minutes until nice and crisp. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stroganoff Meatballs

I tried a new recipe tonight for Stroganoff Meatballs. Many times a stroganoff recipe calls for thin strips of beef. Even though it is a quick method to make stroganoff, it isn't my favorite. I like meatballs. I served the stroganoff over Kluski noodles; a thin egg noodle which are a favorite from my childhood.  They are great in tomato soup. Only 2 family members were around for the Stroganoff Meatballs tonight. One loved it and had 2 servings - that would be me. The other member liked it, and had 1 serving with 2 bowls of  noodles.

Stroganoff Meatballs with Kluski Noodles

serves 5

for meatballs --
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 cup plain bread crumbs
4 eggs
6 stalks of celery pureed in food processor, squeeze out excess liquid
1 medium onion chopped in food processor
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

for sauce --
3 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoon water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

12 ounces Kluski noodles or other egg noodle, cooked and drained


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

For meatballs, gently combine all ingredients in large bowl. Form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs and bake for about 30 - 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cover to keep warm.

For sauce, melt butter in large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add onion, garlic and mushrooms and saute for about 5 - 8 minutes or until softened.  Mix in broth, wine, mustard, and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 3 - 4 minutes. Mix together the flour and water in a small bowl. Gradually add mixture to the saucepan while stirring constantly. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until the sauce slightly thickened. Stir in yogurt and salt and pepper. Taste for correct seasonings. Add in meatballs and gently heat until warmed through. Serve over noodles and top with chopped parsley.