Cooking . . . It's a Family Thing!: May 2010

ROASTED BEETS & SAUTEED BEET GREENS

Went to the Wilson Farmer's Market this morning and bought, among other things, some fresh beets! This was so good and I used all of the beet (including the tops). I've really only ever had pickled beets so I wasn't sure what to expect but this was so good! If you haven't been to our local Farmer's Market yet, please check it out. They are at the fairgrounds on Hwy 301 every Saturday from 7am till noon.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch of beets (with the greens)

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 T chopped onion (optional)

salt & pepper to taste

1 T red wine or balsamic vinegar (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on and remove the greens. I just whacked off the tops! Wash greens well, removing any large stems and set aside. Place beets in a small baking dish and toss with 2T of olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet. When they are done remove from heat and let cool. Then peel the beets (it comes off very easy). Once they are peeled, dice the beets and set aside. Now, heat the remaining 2 T olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for a minute or two. Tear the beet greens into bite sized pieces and add them to the skillet. Cook & stir until the greens are wilted and tender. Now, add diced beets to the skillet and stir until beets are heated. Season with salt & pepper and add your red wine or balsamic vinegar to taste. (I used balsamic).

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: About 1 hour

5:42 PM | | 0 Comments

MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKE

You're not going to believe how good and easy this is. This recipe was featured on Tasty Kitchen. All 60+ reviews talked about how good this cake is and how quick it is to make. I had all the ingredients I needed in the pantry, so before church I laid all my ingredients out. We got home from church about 8:20 and I had this ready to eat by 9pm and that's without the convenience of a microwave to melt the chocolate (mine is broken)!

INGREDIENTS

4 squares Semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/2 cups butter (1 stick)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 whole eggs
2 whole egg yolks
6 T flour (all purpose)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 4 custard cups with Pam and place on cookie sheet. I don't have custard cups so I just used cupcake pan that is a little deep.

Microwave chocolate and butter in a large bowl on high for about 1 minute, until butter is melted. (I melted this in a glass bowl over a pot with simmering water). Whisk until the chocolate is melted.

Stir in the sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour and mix well. Divide between 4 cups. Bake 13-14 minutes until sides are firm and center is soft. In my oven I only had to bake 13 min. Let stand 1 minute. Invert cakes onto your serving dish and serve with ice-cream or whipped topping.

Prep Time 15 min

Cook Time 13-14 min

Serves 4

7:28 PM | | 0 Comments

THE BEST CHEESEBURGER YOU'LL EVER EAT

This isn't really a recipe but a new twist on an old favorite. This idea is courtesy of Tony Bradshaw. Sunday night at church he was telling Richard about this . . . so this is what we had for supper after church. This is a plain, grilled burger (he went by Cookout to pick these up) but feel free to grill them yourself or pan fry them. Top the burger with a generous helping of "Pimento Cheese" then spread some on the top bun. Now, the best store bought pimento cheese, by far, is Stan's Pimento Cheese and you can only find this brand at Harris Teeter. Pop in the microwave & heat until the pimento cheese is melted (about 35-45 seconds). This burger needs nothing else but eating! I could not believe how good it was! You must try this.

5:36 PM | | 0 Comments

CROCK POT BAKED ZITI & GRANNY'S CHOCOLATE COBBLER

Let's start with the Crock Pot Baked Ziti! This was delicious and so easy. I got the recipe from a site called "A Year of Slow Cooking." This is perfect for working moms and families with kids involved in sports activities. I put this together before I left for work and it was ready to eat when I got home.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Bag or Box of your favorite pasta (I used about 3/4 of a box of Penne)

1 Jar of Marinara Sauce

Your favorite shredded cheese (I used some Mexican blend, shredded Mozzarella & Ricotta)

I also browned a pound of hamburger to add in & used a can of diced tomatoes with the juice

DIRECTIONS:

Rinse your pasta in a colander (just so there's some added moisture)

Add a handful of pasta and some sauce to your crock pot

Then throw in some of the ground beef (if you're using)

I then added some of the diced tomatoes followed by some cheese (a little of the different kinds I used)

Then start over until you've used all of your ingredients

I poured the juice from the canned tomatoes over the top after everything was in my crock pot. If you don't use canned tomatoes, just add a couple of tablespoons of water.

I cooked mine on low for about 7 hours but that was too long, noodles were too soft for my taste (but it was still good). Probably 4-5 hours would be perfect. Also, don't forget to add in some salt. I served this with a salad topped with toasted pine nuts!

Now for the dessert!!! Granny's Chocolate Cobbler. This recipe was featured on Tasty Kitchen and it is delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup All-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
7 T Cocoa Powder, divided (I used the Dark Chocolate Cocoa)
1 1/4 cup sugar, divided
1/2 cups milk
1/3 cups melted butter
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cups hot tap water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

First stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, 3 tablespoons of the cocoa and 3/4 cup of the white sugar. Reserve the remaining cocoa & sugar.

Stir in the milk, melted butter and vanilla to the flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8" baking dish (mine was 8 x 8).

In a separate small bowl, mix the remaining white sugar (should be 1/2 cup), the brown sugar and remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the batter. Pour the hot tap water over all. DO NOT STIR!

Bake for about 40 minutes or until center is set

Serve this warm with some vanilla ice-cream. This is even good several days later (if it lasts that long) warmed up for a few seconds in the microwave.

4:43 AM | | 0 Comments

Strawberries (Sun Dried in the Oven)

This was an experiment that turned out very good! I helped Lindsey & Silas make strawberry jam Saturday morning before the soccer tournament. They also froze whole berries (for smoothies) and sliced some & froze for muffins and crushed some and froze for whatever. I started to think about how I make my "sun dried" tomatoes in the oven and wondered if I could do the same thing with srawberries. So I prepared a couple of pans. I just sliced them (not too thin), put them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, sprinkled a little sugar on them and baked for 3-4 hours at 200 degrees. The first batch, which I left in the oven (after I turned oven off), while we went to the soccer game, were too crispy. However, the second batch turned out perfectly. I took them out as soon as they had dried but were still pliable! They are very, very good and will make a great, healthy snack! So, if you find yourself with an abundance of strawberries you should try this. Try to use the larger strawberries so all your slices are about the same size. In my first attempt some of my berries were just too small. When they dried there was basically nothing left. Also, the picture was taken with my Mother's Day gift from my family, A CAMERA JUST FOR MY FOOD PICTURES!

9:56 AM | | 0 Comments

Chicken Parmesan,Caesar Salad & Brown Rice

CHICKEN PARMESAN
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 37 min

Ingredients:

4 Slices Whole Wheat Bread
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t garlic powder
4 heaping teaspoons paprika
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 egg whites
1/2 cup skim milk (or whatever you use)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2" thickness
Cooking spray
1 jar good quality marinara sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 T (1/2 ounce) shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the bread in food processor and process until fine crumbs are formed. Put the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, or until golden. Let cool. In a medium bowl, toss crumbs with oregano, garlic powder, paprika, 1/4 t salt & 1/4 t pepper. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and milk together. In a third bowl stir together the flour and remaining 1/4 t salt and 1/4 pepper. Dip each chicken piece, 1 piece at a time, in the flour, shaking off excess, then egg, then bread crumbs, shaking off excess. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place breaded chicken on baking sheet and spray each side with cooking spray, about 5 seconds total per side. Bake breasts until cooked through and crumbs are browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer chicken to a baking dish with sides. Top with marinara sauce, mozzarealla and parmesan cheeses and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.

CAESAR SALAD

Ingredients:

Romaine Lettuce
Caesar Salad Dressing (I used a bottled dressing, Kraft)
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Croutons (make your own or use store bought)

Directions:

Wash & dry your lettuce and tear into pieces. Place into a bowl and refrigerate until lettuce is chilled. Once it has chilled, remove from fridge and add dressing, cheese and croutons. Add as much or as little as you like (no measurements here). Toss to combine and serve. Now I know this isn't a true Caesar Salad as I didn't use anchovies and did not make my own dressing but it was good and I had all these ingredients at home!

I prepared the brown rice according to the directions on the bag. However, instead of water I used chicken stock that I had made earlier from the carcass of a rotisserie chicken I bought last week from Food Lion. This made a huge difference in the taste of the rice!

3:43 AM | | 0 Comments