1 cup grated cheese (cheddar cheese, swiss cheese or mozzarella))
2 tbsp parmesan cheese (optional)
salt & pepper to taste
1 + cup optional ingredients (see below)
Optional Ingredients: The original poster of this recipe has this suggestion: “As a general rule I add a combined amount additional ingredients. (Basically 1/3 cup of each to make a total of 1 cup.)” I just loosely fill a 2-cup measure with whatever is in the fridge, including salad – lettuce tastes great in a quiche! Here are some other ideas:
1 cup additional ingredients:
cubed ham or crumbled cooked bacon
chopped broccoli
chopped tomatoes
sliced onions or green onions
chopped spinach
chopped asparagus
cooked cubed potato
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the milk, egg, cheese and salt & pepper.
Stir in any additional ingredients.
Pour the egg mixture into a pie dish, and bake uncovered for about 45 minutes. Or until the center is set, and not jiggly.
Note: I found this recipe online and then forgot to note the URL. Apologies for whoever originally posted this version. I’ll be happy to give credit!
I came up with this recipe for the #BlendedBurgerContest of the Blended Burger Project sponsored by Bon Appétit and the Mushroom Council. While the recipe doesn’t include sourcing specifics, and, as submitted called for ingredients you can find at any grocery store, I did use all locally sourced foods from Wakefield Farmers Market (MA) farmers during my test process.
I used ground beef from Lilac Hedge Farm, the cabbage, carrots, and onions from Farmer Dave’s, and I did a test using tatsoi from Farmer Dave’s instead of regular cabbage (really great taste!) and also did a run with some wonderful shitake mushrooms from Fat Moon Mushrooms, (and would have used West River Creamery’s Cambridge Cheddar if I had not run out!)
Check out this great way to get lots of veggies into your burger!
8 oz fresh white button mushrooms, diced 2 tablespoon olive or other oil, divided or just 1 tablespoon if grilling 2 ounces (1/2 cup packed) finely chopped cabbage 1 ounce (1/4 cup packed) carrot, grated then chopped a bit 1 ounce (1/4 cup somewhat packed) minced onion 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 pound 85% lean ground beef 6 ounces sliced sharp cheddar cheese, about 1.5 ounce per patty
Coleslaw:
6 ounces thinly sliced and chopped cabbage 1 ounce grated carrot 1/4 cup (2 oz) mayonnaise 1 tablespoon white sugar 3/4 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 tablespoon vinegar 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste 1/8 heaping teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
To Serve:
4 good quality buns, toasted 1 or 2 tomatoes, sliced 1/3 cup coleslaw on each burger (and more on the side if desired) ketchup (optional)
Method:
Dry roast mushrooms: Heat a medium size frying pan over medium heat, add the diced mushrooms, and cook for 10 minutes or until reduced and getting dry, stirring and scraping pan as necessary.
Remove mushrooms from pan, add one tablespoon oil, let heat for a minute or so and then add the mix of cabbage, carrot, and onion. Cook for about 7 minutes over medium heat until tender.
Add cooked mushrooms back to pan, add salt and pepper, and stir while cooking for a minute or two to mix and release a bit more liquid.
Let mushroom veggie mix cool for at least 5 minutes, then mix into the ground beef.
Form four patties, flattening each to just over 1” or so. Be sure to smooth the edges.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same or a clean frying pan and cook over medium-high heat 5-7 minutes to get a nice crust on one side, flip, cook for 2-3 minutes, then add cheese to melt while the second side finishes to a nice crust. These also cook well on the grill.
Be sure to toast the buns while the burgers are cooking.
To make coleslaw, mixed together the sliced/chopped cabbage and grated carrot. In a medium size bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, then mix in the cabbage and carrots.
Once done, place burgers on bottom bun, and top burger with about 1/3 cup coleslaw, a few slices of tomato, and, if using, ketchup. Cover with the top of bun and enjoy!
Time Saver Tips: It will use an extra pan, but you can simultaneously cook the mushrooms in one pan and the veggie mix in another. Also, the coleslaw can be made while the mushrooms and veggies are on the stove, or while the burgers cook. Of course, you can also use your favorite pre-made coleslaw or a package of shredded cabbage and carrot to speed things along. Cooking the mushrooms in with the veggies is not recommended as the mixture will not hold together well and result in “burger bites” rather than whole patties.
Cooking In Season: This recipe calls for white button mushrooms and regular cabbage, along with carrot and onion, because they are available to most people in the USA year-round. However, for those who like to shop in season with their local farmers, the burger recipe was tested with tatsoi, available in abundance during the early summer, replacing the cabbage with 3 ounces instead of 2 for the burger mix. Just be sure to cook down well due to the extra moisture content. Tatsoi adds a unique and tasty flavor punch, as do different types of mushrooms.
Make Ahead: Once formed, you can cook right away or store the burgers in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for a few weeks. No need to defrost the latter before cooking. Freezing does soften the flavor and texture’s wow-factor a bit, but with the toppings, you’ll still get a great burger. On the plus side, if you serve with just ketchup to the veggie-wary; they just may not notice all the good-for-you ingredients IN the burger.
Fun Flavor Tip: For a bit of that “fast food burger with special sauce” effect, top either a fresh or previously frozen burger with a modest amount of coleslaw and a good dose of ketchup. However you do it, you’ll be getting an extra nutritional bang for your burger.
Do you like hearty soups that are easy to make? Me too, and I came across a great recipe via a Facebook cooking group the other day that I just had to try. I will admit that part of the appeal was that the recipe, as written, had only seven ingredients, plus salt and pepper to taste, and very uncomplicated directions, which was just what I wanted. Sometimes it’s nice to just take it easy and still have a great homemade meal.
First, I am going to give you the basic recipe. Note: I used the recipe as a base, or a “cue,” I could say, because when doing my ingredient checklist, I realized that the only sausage meat I had not in casings was fresh chorizo, and I wanted to keep my stash of Italian sausage links intact. (I buy shares from my local farmers and it comes frozen, so I have a stash that will last until late spring.) Plus, it was only 3/4 lb, so I figured I would want to find something to round things out to be equivalent of the missing 1/4 pound asked for by the recipe. So, keep reading below for what I did. Here is the original including it’s notes and suggestions. I am certain it is delicious as written!
Sicilian Sausage Soup
1 lb Italian sausage meat
I medium onion, chopped
1 lge green pepper, chopped
1 35 oz can Italian peeled tomatoes*
1 tsp basil
1 quart chicken broth
s&p to taste
3/4 cup orzo
Brown sausage meat. Add onion and pepper and cook until soft. Add the tomatoes, broth and basil, breaking up the tomatoes as you do. Bring to a boil and a stir in the orzo.
Reduce heat and softly boil 10 minutes. Remove from heat as the orzo will continue to cook and expand, making the soup too thick.
It’s important to use the 35 oz can, not a 28 oz, as it does not give you enough liquid. If you cannot find the Italian sausage meat, you can buy a pound of links and remove the casing; just be sure to really break up the links!
As noted above, I only had 3/4 lb of sausage and of a different type than called for. I decided adding some beans would be a good idea, but of course, didn’t have any cooked or canned white beans, which is the kind I thought would go nicely. Never fear! Since I was not planning to make the soup for an hour or so, I simply rinsed 1/2 pound dried cannellini beans in a small casserole with 2 cups of water and a teaspoon of regular salt, covered, and popped into the preheated to 350 oven. 1 1/2 hours later, I had cooked beans ready to pop into the soup. (I could have gotten by with cooking just a 1/4 pound, but I wanted some leftover to pop in the freezer for another time.)
Just a note about dried legumes: you do NOT need to soak them before cooking. This is especially true if you know your beans are fresh, as in recently grown and dried. I get my dried legumes from Baer’s Best Beans, grown in South Berwick Maine. Pictured are my three favorites: Cannellini, Black Coco, and Yellow Eye. The latter is the traditional bean for Boston Baked Beans and is the type I use for that classic dish. For more about cooking dried beans, see my post on the Wakefield Farmers Market recipe site.
If I share the video I made of this recipe adventure, you will see that I was a total space case in that I did not read through the ingredients or directions carefully when prepping and discovered, when called for, that I had not realized that I needed a quart of chicken broth. Luckily I had a quart of store-bought handy since I would have had to stop the process to defrost some from my freezer.
Along with adding about a cup of cooked beans, I used not quite a whole orange bell pepper instead of a whole green one, and tossed in about 2 cups of store-bought shredded cabbage and and carrot I had left over from making moo shu pork. (I will share that recipe later – great for a family or a crowd.)
Originally I assumed that I would not need to add the basil, but when doing the final seasoning, I decided it would work with the chorizo flavor and added a bit over the teaspoon of dried basil noted in the original recipe. I also added a number of grinds of black pepper, and two big pinches of salt just to pop the flavor.
Again, I am sure the recipe is great as written, and I can vouch that you can use is as a guideline if you have particular flavors you like or have veggies or/or legumes in your fridge that you want to use up. In any case, it is quick, easy, and tasty, and you can’t beat that! Just make sure you have some chicken stock handy. 😉
As one of the alternating lead cooks for my church’s monthly community dinners, I am always looking for relatively healthy and easy recipes to feed a crowd without breaking the budget. Usually I find and try a family-size recipe and multiply it up. However, in the case of what is now my go-to chicken or turkey pot pie recipe, it went the other way.
I actually used ingredients and proportions based on a
few “feeding a crowd” pot pie recipes to come up with my “pot pie for forty”
recipe. It was so good – and easy to make! – that I had requests for a version
that would make just one 9” pie.
The recipe for 40 is at the end of this post, but here is the basic recipe for just one 9” pie. I will elaborate on variations after this first recipe.
Chicken (or Turkey) Pot Pie
½ lb or 2 cups or so cooked chicken
1/4 cup butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1.5 cups mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, onions, green beans, corn)
2 cups turkey or chicken broth *
1 Tsp or less salt
1 Tsp or more pepper
¼ or more teaspoon poultry seasoning
Pie crust , just on top or also a bottom crust.
Preheat oven to 350 for biscuit topping, 425°F for pie crust. (While I actually can make a mean pie crust, I typically use Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crust. It works just fine.)
Melt
Butter over low heat sauté onion and celery until tender.
Slowly add flour, mixing and stirring for a few minutes until well blended. Gradually add broth *(if using frozen vegetables, reduce broth by 1 cup) until sauce is thickened. Note: liquid used can be increased or decreased to desired consistency
Add
mixed vegetables.
Season
to taste with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.
*Layer
poultry meat in bottom of pan or bottom crust
Pour
vegetable sauce mix over chicken in pan or bottom crust
CRUST: Cover with top crust, makes slits in crust, and bake at 425 30 to 40
minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of
baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning, if
desired. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
BISCUIT: Place 1/4 cup “dollops” of dough mixture on top of entire pot pie, until mixture is gone. Bake at 350 for approximately 45 minutes until biscuits are brown.
Parsley, Bell’s Seasoning, Penzeys Seasoned Salt, and Roasted Garlic Salt
Now, this recipe is tasty, but you can ramp things up easily. First, you can just add more bell seasoning. Or add a mix of your favorite Italian herbs along with the Bell’s Seasoning. Or go with a totally different spin and use just tarragon or another herb or spice or blend that you love with poultry.
I was inspired to write this blog post after posting this picture of the seasoning I used in my latest pot pie on Facebook.
Aaaaaaand…I just realized that I did not write down what amount of each seasoning I used, but from the picture, it looks like about a teaspoon each dried parsley and roasted garlic salt, and about a 1/2 teaspoon Bell’s Season and Penzeys Seasoned Salt.
I also popped in a bit more salt – maybe up to 1/2 teaspoon or more (it is up to the cook to add to taste) and also 10-12 grinds from the pepper mill. But again, you have to season to YOUR taste. If you don’t have roasted garlic salt, regular will do. And if no Penzeys Seasoned Salt (although I HIGHLY recommend that you get some!) you can click HERE to see what is in it and ad lib from there.
FYI – for my recent pie, I tossed in some leftover chunks of roasted potatoes, which worked well. To compensate for the additional veggie amount, I used 5 tablespoons each butter and flour to make more gravy. What I should NOT have done is use less chicken stock, even though directed to do so if using frozen veggies since the potatoes did their part and thickened things just a bit. But, otherwise, do use less stock if using frozen veggies.
One more super tip: To ensure super flavor without using a richly flavorful homemade stock, or seasoning beyond that used in the standard recipe, buy “next day” rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store ($3.99 each at the Market Basket in Reading MA) and you will be guaranteed a super tasty pie.
Have fun and enjoy!
Chicken Pot Pie for Forty or More
This recipe works well in a 20.5 x 12.8 x 4” pan – a standard commercial kitchen size.
4.5 or so lbs cooked chicken (16-18 cups)
2 cups butter
2 large onions, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups flour
10-12 cups mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, onions, green beans, corn)
3-4 quarts chicken broth
1 Tbsp or less salt
1 Tbsp pepper
2 or so teaspoons poultry seasoning
Biscuit mix – see separate recipe, or three regular pie crusts or phyllo
dough* as needed
Preheat oven to 350 if using the biscuit topping, 400 if pie crust.
*Layer chicken meat in bottom of pan.
Melt
Butter over low heat in one or two big pots and sauté onion and celery until
tender.
Slowly add flour, mixing and stirring for a few minutes until well blended. Gradually add broth (if using frozen vegetables, reduce broth by a 2-3 cups) until sauce is thickened. Note: liquid used can be increased or decreased to desired consistency
Add
mixed vegetables.
Season
to taste with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Pour vegetable sauce mix
over chicken in pan.
Place 1/4 cup “dollops” of dough mixture on top of entire pot pie, until mixture is gone or use homemade or store bought pie crusts or phyllo dough*. Bake at 350 for approximately 45 minutes until biscuits are brown or, if using pie crust, bake at 400.
*As of writing this, I have never used phyllo dough so can’t help you with the amount needed.
Wow, long post! But to end, here is the biscuit recipe I use for the crowd-size pot pie.
Super Easy
Whole Wheat Biscuits We need two
batches of this recipe
4 cups whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white
whole wheat organic flour) or whole-wheat pastry flour
8 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 cup milk (any kind)
In a medium sized bowl combine
flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well with whisk or fork.
Cut the ½ stick butter into little
pea sized pieces and then mix the pieces into the flour mixture. OR use a
pastry cutter.
Using a fork, try to mash the
butter pieces as you mix it together with the flour until it resembles coarse
crumbs. It is okay if the outcome just looks like the same pea sized pieces of
butter covered with flour.
Then pour in the milk and mix it all together. Knead the dough with your hands 8 to 10 times and then turn out onto a counter or cutting board if making biscuits or plop on the chicken pot pie.
Background: The Emmanuel Episcopal Church of Wakefield MA offers a Community Dinner each month from September to June in partnership with Wakefield’s Horizon House Clubhouse. Horizon House provides their kitchen and dining room, and we provide the food, either via cooking or catering.
I love to cook for a crowd, so I try to sign up as lead cook for at least a few dinners a year and always try to find recipes that are on the healthy side, if only “healthyish,” to steal Bon Apetit’s descriptor, and that might be a bit different from the usual fare.
It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but this casserole is SO easy, and SO tasty, and was such a hit at a recent Community Dinner, that I finally got myself to sit down and get this recipe on line.
This month I totally lucked out in finding this pork and summer squash recipe. Not only is it really tasty, it is really easy to make, whether you are opting for the family size or multiplying out for a crowd. Also, the summer squash and diced tomatoes fill it out so a relatively small amount of pork is needed to satisfy even hard core carnivores.
Here is the original recipe that says it serves four:
6 ounces ground pork (use seitan for vegans and vegetarians) Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 clove garlic, chopped 4 ounces cremini* mushrooms, stemmed and chopped 3 scallions, chopped 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (preferably whole-wheat) 1 14.5-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 3/4 cup low-fat small-curd cottage cheese 1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend (5 ounces) 1 large yellow squash, halved crosswise and thinly sliced lengthwise 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* I used shitake mushrooms when I tested it at home on my husband
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, breaking up the pork, until slightly browned, 2 minutes. Add the garlic, mushrooms, half of the scallions and 2 tablespoons panko; cook 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, half of the parsley and 1/3 cup water. Increase the heat to high; cook until slightly thickened, 3 minutes.
Combine the cottage cheese, 3/4 cup Mexican cheese and the remaining parsley in a bowl. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons panko in a 9-inch-square baking dish. Top with half of the squash, overlapping slightly; season with salt. Top with two-thirds of the pork sauce and the cheese mixture. Add the remaining squash; season with salt. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons panko, pork sauce and 1/2 cup Mexican cheese.
Cover with foil** and bake until the cheese melts and the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Uncover and turn on the broiler;* broil until golden, 2 minutes. Top with the remaining scallions.
** Thinking that covering in foil would be a bother when making the crowd-size version, I opted, in my home test, to leave the casserole uncovered and just cooked it a bit longer so the cheesy top got a bit crusty in texture. It worked just fine. 🙂
NOTE: While the original recipe calls for cutting the squash in half and slicing longwise, as shown here, I found it works way better to slice is VERY thin rounds and layer across the area.
I did not serve my test version over rice and it worked well an an entrée served solo, and is a great choice if you want a low carb meal, However, as you will see below, I opted to serve it over rice when cooking for the crowd.
Here is the recipe to use if you are cooking for 35-40 and serving just the casserole, or, for 50 if you opt to serve it over rice.
Pork and Squash Casserole for a Crowd*
4 pounds ground pork Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 8 clove garlic, chopped 2 pounds mushrooms, stemmed and chopped 20 scallions, chopped 4 cups panko breadcrumbs (preferably whole-wheat) 116 ounces** of no-salt-added diced tomatoes 2 cups chopped fresh parsley 6 cups low-fat small-curd cottage cheese 3 or more pounds (never too much cheese!) shredded Mexican cheese blend 6 pounds yellow squash, sliced in thin rounds As many tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil as needed to sauté. ***
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork, 2 teaspoons salt and ½ to 1 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, breaking up the pork, until slightly browned, 5-10 minutes as needed. Add the garlic, mushrooms, half of the scallions and 1cup panko; cook another 5 or so minutes. Add the tomatoes, half of the parsley and 1 1/2 cups**** water. Increase the heat to high; cook until slightly thickened, 5-10 minutes. Combine the cottage cheese, two thirds of the Mexican cheese and the remaining parsley in a bowl. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cup panko in a 9-inch-square baking dish. Top with half of the squash, overlapping slightly; season with salt. Top with two-thirds of the pork sauce and the all the cheese mixture. Add the remaining squash; season with salt. Add the remaining 1 ½ cup panko, pork sauce and remaining Mexican cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and forms a crust and the squash is tender, about 40 or more minutes. To hold until serving, put oven at 180-200 degrees. Top with the remaining scallions, if desired, before serving. * My test batch would have made five, not four servings, so I multiplied the original recipe by 8 to make 40 servings. In addition, although using 6 oz of ground pork worked perfectly well in my home test batch, I used 8 oz per 5 servings as my baseline for the crowd size and got 8×8=48/16 oz per pound, so four pounds of pork. ** four 26 oz cans and one 14.5 oz can will do it. *** We split the pork between to 14 inch pans and went from there. **** Multiplying the original amount of water by 8 was way too much. Cornstarch came to our rescue. 🙂
Last but not least, to stretch the meal in case we got more guests than we expected, I opted to make a batch of rice to go with the meal. I used converted rice because brown rice can be a tough sell with some crowds, but at least converted rice has more nutrients than white rice. Also, the recipe called for converted rice, although it noted it would work for brown rice – just cook brown rice longer. Since the recipe was for 50 servings, I went with it as is.
NOTE: Some recipes say to rinse the converted rice first, others say not to so as to not lose nutrients. I went with the latter advice as it said the same on the package of Uncle Ben’s converted rice that I used.
3 1/2 lbs. converted rice 2 tbsp. sea salt 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 4 qt. boiling water
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place rice in a 12x20x2 1/2″ pan. Boil 4 qt. of water in a large pot and add 2 tbsp. of sea salt. Make sure the salt dissolves fully. Add 2 tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil to your water and pour the mixture over your converted rice slowly so that the rice remains even throughout the pan. Cover your pan with aluminum foil. Tighten the foil along the edges of the pan to prevent the water from evaporating too quickly during the cooking process. Open your oven once it has reached 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place your pan in the center. Set your oven timer to 60 minutes. Remove the pan from oven after an hour and place it on top of your stove to allow it to cool for five to 10 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and use a fork to fluff your rice before serving it.
That’s it! We also served a simple salad of romaine hearts, cherry tomatoes, sliced English cucumber, and grated carrot, tossed with a modest amount of Italian dressing. AND Applesauce Cake with quick and easy cream cheese frosting. Click HERE for the family and crowd size for dessert.
I plan to add more of the recipes I have used when cooking for our community dinners, so always check back!
We ate most of it before remembering to take a picture, a common theme. 🙂
When devising the menu for a recent community dinner (Check back! this link needs to be updated! click HERE to see the other menu items) I looked for a healthyish dessert, and was thinking that some kind of oatmeal/applesauce sort of bar would be nice. However, I ended up finding an amazing applesauce cake recipe that, and this is very important for this “once in a great while baker,” easy as well as tasty and left room for nutritional improvements. I switched out the white flour for 2/3 part white wheat whole wheat flour and 1/3 part oat flour, which I ground from oatmeal in my Nutra Bullet.
By the way, I highly recommend this handy kitchen appliance. But, back to the cake: I also cut the amount of sugar by half, and, to give a little flavor boost, used 1/2 cup brown sugar with 1/2 cup white sugar instead of the full cup of white sugar. It was SUPER! My husband Steve and I both loved it, (I always test recipes at home before serving to a crowd) and even more so because it is SO EASY TO MAKE. As noted above, I am not one to bake. But with this recipe, all you do is measure and dump all the ingredients into a big bowl, mix it up with a big ol’ wooden spoon or the like, and pour the mix into an UNGREASED pan (I hate greasing pans!) and bake it. Can you tell I am excited that I now have a delicious and foolproof cake recipe? Everyone needs one.
Here is the recipe as I make it for 10-12 servings in a 9×13″ pan. Click the recipe title for the original recipe, for which I am eternally grateful. Do read the comments, though. It cooks more quickly than the 60 minutes noted in the original recipe.
Applesauce Cake 1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour ( I used King Arthur flour) 1 cup oat flour* 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda 1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt 3⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon 1⁄2 teaspoon clove 1⁄2 teaspoon allspice 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil 1⁄2 cup water 1 1⁄2 cups unsweetened applesauce 2 eggs
* You can use a food processor, blender, or a Nutra Bullet type appliance to grind your own from oats, or purchase pre-ground.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients; pour into a 9×13″ pan. Start checking at 35 minutes. It is done when a toothpick comes out clean and/or you get a hollow sound when you tap the top lightly.
For the community dinner, I multiplied the recipe by three. I used one 20x12x2.5″ pan, and it worked fine, although it was higher in the middle versus flat across the top, as was the cake I made in the 9×13″ pan. Perhaps it would be better split between two of those big pans, thinner but more even. Hmm. I will have to experiment and update here once I do.
NOTE: just do the math to make as much cake as you want. Use 12 serving as the baseline for the original recipe and go from there.
Now for the frosting! I didn’t use frosting for the batch I made at home, and truthfully, the cake is plenty moist and flavorful to stand on its own. But, why not have more of a good thing? Here is the recipe.
12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), at room temperature
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons low-fat plain Greek yogurt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, yogurt, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth. Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Let come to room temperature before using.
NOTE: I doubled the amount and it was way too much for just the top of a 20×12 cake. In fact, I saw a comment saying that using just an 8 oz pack of cream cheese was fine for the 9×13 cake size even when icing the sides. So, there is that to consider. But, you can always pop any leftover frosting in the fridge and make some more cake. Never too much good cake. 🙂
My friend Elizabeth just left two of the most gorgeous zucchini squashes on my porch. Between the two they weigh in at close to 7 pounds. The ruler is there for scale. Elizabeth did send me a picture in which she used her glasses to give an idea as to the size of these babies, but WOW. These are some big zucchinis! And, I can report that their flavor is just as big. Yum, even just chomping a raw slice. Thank you, Elizabeth!
So, now what? My first step was to do some online research to see if one can successfully freeze spiraled zucchini since I recently acquired that magic machine and love it. The good news is, yes! Click HERE for a link to a page giving instructions for such. I will be doing this will at least a pound or two of these suckers. 🙂 Disclaimer: I have not tried this technique yet and other websites claim that zuke noodles don’t reheat well, but I am willing to give it a try.
But, in the meantime, I have all this zucchini and it is so hot out today (over 90 F) that I don’t want to cook. Tomorrow I will do one of my favorite easy ways to prepare any type of summer squash: Slice and sprinkle with with Penzeys Italian Herb Mix before steaming until just soft. My husband, Mr. tons of butter and salt man, loves it like this WITHOUT adding any butter or salt!!!!
But, I digress. I said “grate” in the title and I found two recipes that use grated zuke that look fabulous, and also found a number of sites that say freezing grated zuke works just fine. So, I grated enough zuke to make this recipe by Julia Child and then prepped and froze it. I am also going to try THIS recipe that also uses shredded zucchini in the next few days since I have plenty of zucchini. 🙂
So, here is what I did based on what a few different sites suggested: I weighed out 2 pounds of zucchini, cut it into food processor-sized pieces for grating, and grated away.
I then spread the results out over two cookie sheets, sprinkled and tossed a bit with 1/2 tsp or so of salt over both trays, let it sit for a few minutes, and then, in 4 batches, put the shredded zuke onto a clean kitchen towel, pulled it closed, and squeeze out the liquid.
I ended up with two 12 ounce bags to pop in the freezer. I’ll find out how it works when defrosted for use in one or both of the above recipes calling for grated zucchini. And, if I try either or both with freshly grated zucchini in the meantime, I’ll keep you updated. It will be great!
Finally, the perfect lentil soup recipe! As not actually usual for me, I made it as written so I will copy and paste it here with the title linked to the recipe on Epicurious.com that I used.
…Well, okay, I made ONE change. The recipe calls for 4 cups of vegetable broth. I had a cup of chicken broth that needed a home so I used that along with three cups of veggie broth. I did use freshly homemade veggie broth, but I don’t think the type of broth is going to make or break this recipe.
Okay, ONE other change: I used a quick squeeze of balsamic cream (Pastene brand that I picked up on a whim a few years ago) instead of a splash of balsamic vinegar. But, I am confident that the recipe is splendid as written.
Note to self: Get that balsamic cream out of the cabinet more often!
I highly recommend accompanying this soup with some good quality crusty bread to go with it! My husband and enjoyed it with a loaf of Asiago bread that I picked up from Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery that morning. A simple green salad would go nicely, as well.
3 tablespoons extra–virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery stalks plus chopped celery leaves for garnish
1 cup chopped carrots
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups (or more) vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups lentils, rinsed, drained
1 14 1/2–ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
Preparation
Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium–high heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
Add 4 cups broth, lentils, and tomatoes with juice and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium–low, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.
Transfer 2 cups soup (mostly solids) to blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to soup in pan; thin soup with more broth by 1/4 cupfuls, if too thick.
Season with salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar, if desired. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with celery leaves.
DISCLAIMER: Since posting this recipe, Pam retired, thus no more Pam’s Salsa. 😦 I will come up with a product or recipe to replace it in this recipe. Feel free to remind me. 🙂
I started doing the cooking demos at the Wakefield Farmers Market last season (summer of 2016) and continued doing them for most of the subsequent Melrose-Wakefield Winter Farmers Market season as well. While the major goal has been to highlight veggies and fruits from our produce farmers, I do like to
incorporate the offerings of other vendors when I can. (Due to Board of Health safety constraints, I have to stick to vegetarian/ non PHF (potentially hazardous foods) ingredients in the demos, which means I can’t share just any recipe at the market if I want to offer samples.) While salsa is indeed vegetarian, I have yet to use Pam’s Salsa in a cooking demo. To make up for that, I found the perfect way to highlight this amazing fresh and delicious salsa in a recipe that is quick and easy, suitable for even the most busy household.
1 – 1 ¼ pound boneless skinless chicken breast
1 pint Pam’s Salsa, separated if using a 1.5 quart slow cooker
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup or so:
chopped onion
chopped bell pepper
grated carrot
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup tomato plain tomato sauce
1 tsp hot sauce
6 flour tortillas (10 inch)
6 ounces shredded cheese, Mexican blend if available
Put chicken and 1 cup (or the entire pint if using a 3.5 quart slow cooker) salsa in a slow cooker and cook 6-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
Preheat oven to 350°. In a 10” fry or sauté pan, heat the olive oil and cook the onions, garlic, carrot, and bell pepper until just starting to get soft.
Stir the hot sauce into the tomato sauce and add to the veggies, along with remaining salsa if applicable. Use two forks to shred the salsa-cooked chicken and mix into to the veggie-sauce mix.
Place two tortillas, overlapping as necessary, in the bottom of a greased 13×9-inch baking dish.
Cover with half the chicken mixture and one-third of the cheese. Add another layer of two tortillas, the other half of the chicken mixture, and another third of the cheese.
Place the remaining two tortillas on top and cover with the remaining third of the cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until bubbly and a bit browned.
Top with sour cream and or whatever toppings suit your fancy. And, of course, add anything else such as black olives, chunks of fresh tomatoes, more hot sauce, more cheese, or substitute enchilada sauce or adapt however will make this perfect for you.
NOTES: I used a 1.5-quart slow cooker. If using a 3.5-quart slow cooker, put the whole pint of salsa into the slow cooker with the chicken rather than adding the other cup to the chicken mix after sautéing with the veggies and tomato sauce.
Using Pam’s Salsa makes this so deliciously easy with the perfect “so fresh” taste. But, in a pinch, use one cup of a regular salsa of your choice and add a cup of frozen corn to replace the 2nd cup of salsa – or use your imagination. My suggestion is based on the Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken recipe I found HERE. (Scroll down a bit once you get to the page.) But, Pam’s Salsa really made this recipe pop, that’s for sure!
This steak was not defrosted before it was grilled.
Not only can you grill (or pan saute) steak when frozen, many recommend it. I will update this post with references, but, for now, based on repeated experience as grilled by my husband Steve, here are the instructions for grilling frozen steak:
Heat the grill to high. Put the totally frozen steak over direct heat and grill for 5 minutes.
Flip, baste*, and grill for another five minutes. Lower heat and flip steak one more time, this time moving it up away from direct heat.
Baste one more time, and let the steak “roast” with the grill lid down, keeping the temperature at 350-375.
Use an instant read thermometer to monitor the internal temperature, checking every 5 minutes or so. Remove when at desired temperature and let rest at least 5 minutes per inch thickness. The attached picture shows steak done this way to 135 and then rested 5-7 minutes before slicing.
*For basting, we melt about a tablespoon of butter per steak. Once hot, we stir in 3/4 tablespoon or so to a tablespoon of butter of Bondat Food’s Chocolate Chipotle Grilling Rub.
IMPORTANT: Keep a close eye to make sure the attached or dripping fat doesn’t catch fire and cause charring.
If grilling in cold weather, keep the lid down during the initial grilling to maintain high heat.
NOTE: This technique can be used inside using a heavy frying pan for the high heat part and the oven for the finishing roast period.
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