boy salad

Do you ever watch Mad Hungry with Lucinda Scala Quinn?  Now that I am semi-retired this has become one of my favorite shows to watch.  Mad Hungry is on everyday from 11 am to 12pm on the Hallmark Channel.  She makes regular food that anyone can make, no fancy ingredients, everday food and it all looks so good.  I have tried a few of her recipes and they are delish!  Today she had Boy Salad - she has three sons.   I can't wait to try it.  It has one of my favorite ingredients - sausage.

Boy Salad

Serves 5

• 2 hot Italian sausage links, meat removed from casings
• 4 sweet Italian sausage links, meat removed from casings
• 1 yellow pepper, cut in 1/2-inch strips
• 1 large shallot or 2 small, sliced crosswise
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• 5 slices ciabatta bread
• 1 head romaine lettuce, washed, well dried, and crisped in refrigerator, and chopped into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan

Directions

1. In large skillet, saute sausage meat. Using a metal spatula to break the pieces up, cook until it is golden brown and with some crispy bits, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan to a paper towel-lined plate.
2. Add the peppers and shallots to the same pan. Saute to soften, about 5 minutes. Deglaze with the wine, cooking to reduce it to a slight glaze on the peppers. Place the pepper mixture on the plate on top of the sausage.
3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the garlic to the pan. Let the garlic sizzle, and remove before it is brown. Add bread and cook to golden on one side, about 2 minutes. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the up side of the bread, turn, and continue cooking until crisp.
4. Place the lettuce and fennel in a large bowl; add the sausage and pepper mixture. Drizzle over the vinegar, sprinkle with salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Toss well and serve in a large salad bowl topped with the shaved Parmesan and a crostini.

comfort food for a cold winter's day

 
Galumpkis, cabbage rolls, pig in the blankets.  Whatever you choose to call them they are the best comfort food.  I have been eating them since I can remember. They take some work to make but the reward is in the eating.  What else do you have to do on a cold winter day?

The ingredients - rice ( you can use whatever kind

you want - I use brown), cabbage, ground beef, canned whole tomatoes, salt and pepper. 

 

Cook rice according to the package directions.  

You should have 2 1/2 cups of cooked rice. 

Core the cabbage with a sharp knife.

Place the cabbage in a pot of boiling water.

The cabbage leaves will start to fall off.

Parboil the cabbage leaves.

The cabbage should be cooked just enough to be able to fold them.

Mix the cooled rice with the ground beef.  

You need 1-1/4 cup of rice for each 1/2 lb of ground beef.

Add salt and pepper.

Mix together with your hands.

Cool the cabbage leaves in a strainer.

Using a sharp knife slice off some of the spine 

of the cabbage leaf to make it easier to roll.

With your hands scoop a handful of the 

rice/ground beef mixture and place on the cabbage leaf.

Roll the cabbage leaf. 

Fold up the sides and tuck the end under

the folded up sides to hold the cabbage roll together. 

Ta-da - you've made a Galumpki.

Place them in a oven-proof pan.

Add tomatoes.  I use canned whole tomatoes.  Pour the liquid into the pan and cut up the tomatoes.  I use two 28 oz. cans.  I like a lot of tomatoes and juice.  You can also use crushed tomatoes or cans of tomato soup - whatever your preference is.  Cook them in a 325 degree oven for about 2 hours. 

  Check to see if they are done by inserting a thermometer into the cabbage rolls.  If the temperature is over 165 degrees they are done.

 Enjoy. I know I will.

i'm so corny

On a trip to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning I bought a bushel of butter and sugar corn - 65 ears - $14.00.  Last year the same amount of corn cost me $12.00.  Prices have gone up.  So today was preparing the corn to last me until next year.  I shuck the corn, cook the corn for 10 minutes, cut up the corn and put the corn into freezer bags. Sixty five ears of corn, two cups in each bag gives me 20 bags.  I don't like canned corn - yuk or the corn that you buy frozen - but I do love corn.  There is nothing like good butter and sugar corn with a little butter and salt in the middle of winter or a bowl of Corn Chowder.  You can find a recipe for Corn Chowder from the DINOSAUR BAR-B-QUE  Restaurant in Syracuse, NY  here. While we are talking corn I'm going to share some of the corny things that I have collected.

Corn sign.

Clabber Girl Corn Starch container.

Corn mug.

Spoon rest.

Corn plates, corn holders, salt and pepper shakers. 

I picked these up at an antique shop in Tennessee.

Corn butter dish, butter spreader, more corn plates 

and salt and pepper shakers.

Corn holders.

Salt and pepper shakers.

Dish towel.

I hope you enjoyed my corny post!

refrigerator pickles

I have had this recipe for many years.  It was from a Country Living Magazine.  I'm going to quess sometime in the 1980's.  It has become one of my favorites and a request from relatives at family gatherings.  Just think a summertime meal of  hamburgs, hot dogs, tater salad, corn on the cob, baked beans, lemonade and homemade refrigerator pickles!

The recipe calls for 3 large cucumbers or

you can use six small pickling cukes.

Cut the cukes into slices. 

Don't cut paper thin or they'll be too mushy.

Add chopped celery and onions.

Add salt and celery seeds and let set 

at room temperature for one hour or longer.

Mix together sugar and vinegar.

Pour over cucumbers and stir.

You can put them into any container that you like.  I like to use old glass canning jars.   Refrigerate.  The recipe says to let them sit for one day before eating.  I think they taste better after sitting for two days.   Once you make these for a family gathering you will be asked to bring them again and again .  Guaranteed!

rhubarb crisp

I found this recipe on the Food Network.  The walnuts and the oatmeal give the topping a nice crunch when you eat it!  It is deeelicious!!!

Ingredients

Topping
1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/4 cup old fashioned oats (not instant)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter

Filling
2 1/2 lbs rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Set rack in the center of the oven.  Prepare the topping by placing all of the topping ingredients into a food processor.  Pulse or mix until the mixture is crumbled to the size of small peas; do not over process.  Set aside.  Pour the rhubarb directly into a large, shallow baking dish and sprinkle with 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar and 3 tbsp of flour to coat evenly.  Spread crisp topping over entire surface.  Bake until fruit is bubbly and the top is golden brown, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.  Serve warm or room temperature, plain or a la mode.

Prepare.

Pulse.

Bake.

Eat.

spring weather

High wind warnings, rainy day, snow predicted for Mother's Day!!!  Good day to stay inside and make turkey soup.

halloween hangover

I am suffering from a Halloween candy hangover. I was doing real good. I wasn't eating candy. I was trying to eat right. Then the boss' secretary started bringing in Halloween candy. It started slowly just one small fun size bag of peanut M&M's once a day. Then I bought candy to hand out to the trick or treaters. I ate a whole bag of Almond Joy fun size candies by myself. I didn't eat the whole bag in one day. I ate 2 or 3 a day for over a week or so. Yesterday we had about 20 trick or treaters. More than we had last year and most were teenagers. So, I had bought about 5 bags of candy because you never know how many will show at your doorstep. So yesterday I ate about 4 or 5 pieces, I lost count. Today I ate 4 more - hey they are fun-size and I like to have fun. Now I am feeling guilty, guilty, guilty. So to make myself feel better I just went for a walk to hopefully burn off some of the sugar I have ingested for the past month. I think it's going to take more than a few laps around the block to get rid of my sins.

autumn is near

Sunflowers are in bloom.

A new wreath for my front door.
The temperature right now is 61 degrees with light rain.
A pot of soup for supper is good for the soul.

right around the corner

The Halloween issue of Country Living has arrived. It appeared in my mailbox on Saturday. I sat right down and started looking through it. I like everything about Halloween. The colors, the witches, the goblins, Frankenstein, spiders, costumes, black cats, Jack-O-Lanterns, scarecrows, candy, candy corn, caramel apples etc. etc. They are selling Halloween candy at the grocery store right now. That means that Autumn is right around the corner. Red and yellow leaves on trees, the sun with its yellow orange glow, pumpkins, apples, cider, cornstalks, wearing sweaters, jeans and boots. Making soup, stews, chili, comfort foods. There are recipes in this issue for pumpkin chowder, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin bread, macaroni and cheese and many more.

what's for dinner?

Rachael Ray's Cowboy Spaghetti

Make a batch of Cowboy Spaghetti, open some beer, pop a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western in the DVD player and you have the makings of a good evening. You can find the recipe here.

harvest time

Tomatoes are ready. I have never met a tomato that I didn't like except one - tomato soup in a can - yuk. So, while watching the Barefoot Contessa one day she was making Roasted Tomato Basil Soup - sounded delicious to me. I made it and now I am hooked. I make batches of this from the tomatoes in the garden and freeze it in 2 cup containers. This soup is good to take to work for lunch or for an easy dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Why don't you give it a try?

You can find the recipe here.