Justyn had been raving about Nana Sherry's Cuban Black Beans and Corn Pudding ever since Christmas, when Joe and I attempted to make a corn pudding that was just ... not good. So, I asked her for the recipe. She got the black beans recipe from a native Cuban, so I'm guessing they're pretty authentic. They're super tasty and this recipe yields a ton! I ended up making them in a slow cooker (tips on conversion below). But also? That corn pudding? Joe and I were fighting over who got to lick the pan. Of course, it does have two entire sticks of butter in it ... Enjoy!
Nana Sherry's Cuban Black Beans
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. dried black beans
2 ham shanks OR smoked pork shoulder
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large stalk of celery, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Yellow rice (optional)
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Minced onion (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
PREPARATION
The night before, put dried beans in a stockpot and cover with boiling water to about 3 inches above the beans. Cover.
In the morning, drain the beans into the colander and rinse with cold water until it runs clear.
In the stockpot, place the ham shanks (or smoked pork shoulder – but ham shank is cheaper and will give the stock more flavor) and cover with water to about 2 inches above. Cook on medium heat for 2 ½ to 3 hours. Test meat with a fork; if it goes through easily it is done. Remove meat from broth and set aside to cool.
Add to the broth the onions, celery, sugar, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt, dry mustard, garlic powder, oregano, bay leaf, and drained beans. Cook over medium heat for 2 ½ to 3 hours.
While beans are cooking, remove the bones from the shanks as well as any excessive fat. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces.
When beans are done, add meat and heat to boiling. Cook for 10 minutes and check for seasoning; depending on the ham you may need to add more salt.
Serve on a bed of yellow rice garnished with cheddar, minced onion, and sour cream. Best with Corn Pudding (recipe follows).
[NOTE: I made these on a work night, so I decided to translate the recipe into my slow cooker. I soaked the beans in boiling water overnight and chopped all of the vegetables before bed. In the morning, I put those on the bottom of the slow cooker, nestled in the ham shanks, covered with water, added the broth stuff, and then poured the beans on top of everything. Put it on low for 8 hours. When I came home, I fished the shanks out, removed the bones (they'd all but fallen out of the shank), and tried to harvest some genuine meat (the shanks I used were mostly skin and bone). Then I let the whole thing stay on Warm while I made the yellow rice (a package mix from Goya) and Corn Pudding (below). Easy peasy!]
Corn Pudding
INGREDIENTS
2 sticks butter
2 eggs
1 can creamed-style corn
1 can whole kernel corn, un-drained
1 package Jiffy corn bread mix
1 small can green chilies, drained
1 cup sour cream
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the two eggs. Add in the canned corn (both kinds), corn bread mix, chilies, and sour cream. Mix well.
Melt two sticks of butter and add to mixture and pour into an ungreased 13 x 9” pan. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour.
Can be made ahead and refrigerated before baking or baked immediately.
[ANOTHER NOTE: Nana Sherry's recipe calls for 1/3 cup of sugar added to the Jiffy mix, but I thought the Corn Pudding was sweet enough without it. However, that is her original recipe, so I wanted to make note here.]
[LAST NOTE: Joe an
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By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 10/20/2010
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By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 10/5/2010
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At long last: a new Recipe of the Week! With my current schedule - full-time job at IRA, part-time job at UD, second part-time job at the YMCA, volunteering with the Girl Scouts, occasional tutoring/mentoring with Z, freelance editing, and (deep breath in) various author-y type things - I haven't had a whole lot of time to cook lately. Cooking requires planning, pulling recipes, shopping for ingredients, and, you know, being at your stove long enough to pull something together. Anyway, I had a bag of potatoes that were threatening to turn on me and a need to get back to homemade meals. I've never made Colcannon before, but saw a recipe that had the bones of being a great meal. So, I did the Lara thing and tinkered with it until I got a big pot o' yummy. Some people consider it a side dish, but I served it as a meal in and of itself. Hope you enjoy!
Lara's Colcannon
INGREDIENTS
6 medium to large red-skinned potatoes
1 huge bunch kale, rinsed and stems removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
½ pound bacon, chopped into lardons
3 leeks, white and light green parts only
2 large onions
6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh ground nutmeg, to taste (optional)
PREPARATION
Boil the potatoes, whole, for 30-45 minutes, or until completely tender (this is VERY important; if you undercook the potatoes here, they will never get to the right texture). Allow the potatoes to cool. Peel them and set aside. [NOTE: if you don't have the patience for boiling whole potatoes, you could probably chop these into chunks and boil then, skin-on, and forget about the peeling. This is ONLY if you're using red-skinned potatoes, because the skins are so thin.]
While the potatoes are cooking, steam the kale five minutes. Drain, squeeze out the excess water, and chop the kale finely. Set aside.
Cut leeks in half length wise and then into ¼-inch half moons. Place in a large bowl of cool water and agitate to let the sandy bits float to the bottom.
In a large frying pan, heat one tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the lardons, reduce heat to medium, and render out the fat. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. If bacon isn’t crispy enough, you can zap it in the microwave for 15-25 seconds later. [NOTE #2: I buy the Oscar Meyer Center-Cut Bacon in the resealable packs. I leave it in the freezer. When I need some, I chop it off from the shorter end. Cutting this into 1/4" strips creates fake "lardons." I learned this from Melissa D'Arabian, whom I admire greatly.]
Add the leeks to the hot bacon grease/oil mixture, add a heavy pinch of kosher salt, and sauté five minutes, or until tender. Next, add the kale and another pinch of salt and sauté for five to ten, stirring occasionally. You want the kale to be tender but not mushy.
In the microwave, heat the milk and four tablespoons of butter until hot but not boiling. Put your potatoes into a large pot (a stock pot works well), add the hot milk mixture, and mash. Your potatoes should still have a little chunk to them. Then add the kale/leek mixture to the pot and season with salt, fresh ground pepper, and fresh nutmeg. Keep in mind that the bacon will add salt, so don’t over-salt.
Peel and cut the onions in half vertically. With the flat side on a chopping block, cut each half into semicircular slices. In the frying pan, add the last tablespoon of vegetable oil and the remaining butter and melt together over medium heat. Add the onions with another pinch of Kosher salt and cook for fifteen to twenty minutes over medium low, stirring occasionally. They should be soft and browned.
Put the potato mixture into bowls and top with caramelized onions and some bacon. Serve and enjoy!
[MORE NOTES: If you're looking for a healthier option, you could use half t
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 8/18/2010
Blog: girl uninterrupted (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I'd wanted to plant a garden in the backyard this year, and even got most of the materials to make a raised bed garden. But, I never got around to actually getting stuff in the ground. Fortunately for me, Wendy has turned a third of her backyard into a very abundant garden, and is constantly funneling me tomatoes, peppers, and squash (and Monday, I got a sugar baby watermelon we haven't cut into yet - I want to turn it into a watermelon, mint, and feta salad for tomorrow night's dinners). Anyway, last week our lovely neighbor, Bill, also handed off about a dozen tomatoes. You know what that means?
Time to make salsa.
Some of the tomatoes Wendy gave us were on the verge of going overripe, so I wasn't crazy about the idea of using them in a fresh salsa. My mom had mentioned a roasted tomato salsa, though, and I liked the idea because I could freeze batches for later. I found a recipe from The Boston Globe and tweaked the hell out of it. That's the first recipe.
The second salsa recipe is the one I made a few weeks back - the one Joe said was better than any salsa he'd had in Mexico. I'd never made fresh salsa before, so I used Alton's recipe as a base. But his was a little more complicated than I was willing to commit to, so I tweaked the hell out of that one as well.
I should note: I like my salsas spicy. VERY spicy. I also LOVE cilantro, and add a ton because it's just so so so good. But feel free to tweak my tweaks, and let me know about your results!
Spicy Roasted Tomato Salsa
INGREDIENTS
1 medium head of garlic, roasted (see below)
6 plum tomatoes, cored and halved (or regular ones, with the goop scooped out)
2 jalapeno or other chili peppers, cored, seeded, and halved
2 banana peppers or 1 bell pepper (green or red), cored, seeded, and halved
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Zest and juice of 1 lime
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
Heavy pinch of red pepper flake
Couple dashes of chipotle-flavored Tabasco (or a ¼ tsp. of adobo) – optional
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel the outer husk from the bulb of garlic, but leave all of the cloves connected. Cut about ¼ inch off the top to expose all of the cloves. Place bulb in “cup” made from foil (keep sides high) and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt on top and place a “lid” made from a second square of foil. Place on baking sheet and put in oven for 30 minutes. When garlic is done, remove the foil cup to a small bowl and let cool. Leave the oil that’s seeped out on the baking sheet.
Move the top oven rack to five inches from the heating element and turn on the broiler. Place tomatoes, peppers, and onion on the baking sheet (if it doesn’t have much of a lip, use a small roasting pan instead). Drizzle with vegetable oil (don’t use olive here – it will burn too easily) and sprinkle with a heavy pinch of salt. With your hands, turn the vegetables to coat them all over. If the pan is too hot, use tongs.
Broil the mixture, turning it with tongs every 2 minutes, for about 10 minutes, or until they are softened and charred all over.
Put tomato/pepper/onion mixture into a food processor. Remove the roasted bulb of garlic and squeeze the softened cloves into the processor, making sure not to let any of the papery husks get in. Pulse until mixture is chunky or has reached the desired consistency.
Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the lime zest, juice, cilantro, and spices. Taste before adding chipotle Tabasco or adobo to make sure salsa isn’t too spicy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
You can eat this warm, but salsa always tastes better after the flavors have had time to blend. BONUS: this should freeze really well!
Fresh-n-Spicy Tomato Salsa
INGREDIENTS
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By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 8/11/2010
Blog: girl uninterrupted (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I can't claim this recipe, as it's one my mom found online when she and my stepfather first went low carb. I will say that it is one of my all-time favorite fish recipes, and that I'm still sad that my mom stopped making it - not because she stopped counting carbs, but because the last time she served it the sauce was so spicy I choked on it. This is the thing about my mother: if a recipe goes horribly awry even one time, she'll banish it from her culinary repertoire.
Oddly enough, I just called my mother to verify the changes she made to the original recipe, and she says it's the low-carb bake mix that turned her off to this recipe. She said if she made it again today, she'd use flour, cornstarch, or a mixture of flour and Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) for the coating. Methinks one of us will be making this again soon!
Mahi-Mahi with Spicy Peanut Sauce (a.k.a. "Peanut Butter Mahi-Mahi")
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup low-carb bake mix (or flour, or cornstarch, or Panko for a crunchy alternative, or a mix of any and all of the above)
½ tsp. salt
2 lbs. mahi-mahi fillets, cut into 6 equal-sized portions (roughly 5 oz.) <-- I love to buy the individually frozen fillets at Shoprite or BJs
3 tbsp. peanut or canola oil, divided
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger (TIP: fresh ginger freezes well and keeps for a really long time, and frozen ginger grates more easily!)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1-2 tsp. hot chili paste (or more, if you like your mouth on FIRE)
½ tsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
½ cup natural peanut butter (no sugar added)
2 packets sugar substitute (Splenda preferred)
PREPARATION:
Heat oven to 250 degrees.
Mix low-carb bake mix (or flour, cornstarch, Panko, etc.) and salt on a plate. Press fish pieces into mixture; tap off excess.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook fish, in batches, four minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to oven to keep warm.
Wipe skillet; add remaining tablespoon of oil. Cook scallions for three minutes, until softened. Add ginger, garlic, chili paste, and cumin. Cook, stirring, one minute.
Add soy sauce, peanut butter, sugar substitute and 2 tablespoons water to skillet. Mix until smooth.
Return fish and accumulated juices to skillet. Reduce heat to low; cook two minutes for flavors to blend.
[EDIT: Found peanut flour tonight at Trader Joe's. Read online that it has the same fine consistency as cornstarch, so I think when I make this recipe next, I'll use it to dust the fish before pan frying. YUM!]
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 8/4/2010
Blog: girl uninterrupted (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Last week I said I would post my version of the (old) Weight Watchers Zero Points Garden Vegetable Soup. (Did you even know there was a NEW one? It looks yum, but uses ingredients that are quite a bit pricier.) What I like about my version is that it's relatively inexpensive to make, especially if you use your own stock (see bonus recipe) I should note that if you're following WW, I don't know the actual point value for my version. I'm fairly certain that it's greater than zero, though, because I use way more tomato paste and add chick peas to the mix. Enjoy!
Lara's Garden Vegetable Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 T olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Heavy pinch of red pepper flake
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ of a 6 oz. can tomato paste
6 cups low-sodium broth or stock (vegetable, chicken, or beef)
1/2 pound frozen green beans
1 15.5 oz. can chick peas (or your bean of choice)
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes (I prefer fire roasted)
1/2 cabbage, shredded into ½” wide strips like noodles
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 large zucchini, diced
Fresh grated parmesan cheese (optional)
PREPARATION
Pour olive oil into Dutch oven (or large soup pot) and heat on medium-high. Add the carrots, celery, and onion. Sprinkle a little bit of kosher salt over the vegetables to help them release their moisture and cook until soft, about five minutes.
Add garlic, red pepper flake, and cook another minute, stirring constantly so that garlic won’t burn. Stir in the tomato paste and cook off for another minute or so before adding the dried spices to the mix. If you rub the spices between your hands as you add them, you’ll help release their oils.
Pour in broth or stock and turn heat up to high. Add green beans, chick peas, and diced tomatoes. When soup has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium. Wilt the cabbage into the soup in handfuls and cover. Let simmer for 15-30 minutes before adding the zucchini (if you’re using frozen zucchini, you should add in with the green beans). Cook for another 10 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are tender.
Top with a sprinkle of parmesan (optional) and enjoy!
Variations:
* Substitute kale or other cheap, hearty, nutrient-rich green for cabbage
* Add in any other non-starchy vegetables you have on hand, like red bell pepper, yellow squash, or mushrooms.
* If you like spicy food, like we do, you can add a few splashes of hot pepper sauce to the mix.
TIP: I usually make a double batch of this and freeze half. That means I need 12 cups of broth or stock. If I don't have any homemade on hand, I'll use a box of good-quality stock and then substitute the rest of the liquid with straight-up water. You honestly can't taste the difference!
BONUS RECIPE: Homemade Stock
If you make a lot of soups/stews like I do, you probably already take advantage of your grocery store's sales on broth or stock. (Seriously, when good quality chicken stock goes on sale, I buy as many as the store will let me! Same goes for canned tomatoes.) But here's a cheap, relatively easy way to make stock out of food that would otherwise go to waste.
Joe and I cook with mushrooms a lot, especially Baby Bellas, which we can get very cheaply at the Newark Farmer's Market. When we use them in a recipe, we take the stems off before wiping the dirt off the caps. Then we throw the stems into a quart-sized zip top bag and put it in the freezer. We'll keep adding stems until the bag is full.
When carrots and ce
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 7/6/2010
Blog: girl uninterrupted (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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There is a very long, very complicated story that goes along with my recipe for deviled eggs. Here is the shortest possible version of it:
In high school, my best friend and across-the-street neighbor, Candace, and I liked to throw parties. Lots of them. With themes. And Candace's dad, who was a long-distance truck driver, drove an egg truck for a while, so we always had a lot of eggs. And by "we" I don't mean just Candace's family; I mean that Mr. Weir used to give us eggs, like, all of the time.
My interest in cooking started with eggs, which I would scramble for myself at a very young age. In high school, I started reading my mother's battered copy of THE JOY OF COOKING, and from time to time I'd try to make stuff. There were disasters - like the chicken curry I made using her 10-year-old curry powder that was orangey-yellow and tasted like crap - and there were successes, like my deviled eggs. Deviled eggs, which I'd make for just about every theme party Candy and I threw, not to mention holidays and whatever festive occasion deviled eggs were appropriate for.
Then came my high school graduation party. My mother has her own recipe for deviled eggs, and even though I don't remember the exact details we ended up having a deviled egg off. My friends were smart enough not to choose sides, though secretly my mom and I both declared ourselves the victors. When I moved out, my mom gave me an old glass deviled egg plate and paperback copies of THE JOY OF COOKING (Vols. I and II). We've had an on-going deviled egg war ever since.
So. Fourth of July, cookout at Wendy's. I mention that I'm bringing my (in)famous deviled eggs, and my Nana Sherry asks me for the recipe, for inclusion in the family cookbook. I've never actually written out my recipe for deviled eggs, because the process for me is largely intuitive. I use the same set of ingredients but never really pay attention to amounts. However, since she requested the recipe, I tried to write one out using a dozen hard boiled eggs. Below, you'll find the results of that experiment. Whether or not you like my eggs ... well, that's all just a matter of taste.
And Mom? If you're reading, I challenge you to find your recipe and post it or send it to me to post here. The deviled egg off continues!
Lara’s (In)Famous Deviled Eggs
INGREDIENTS
1 dozen hard boiled eggs
½ cup mayonnaise (Hellman’s, full-fat preferred)
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. pickle juice (b/c Nana Sherry asked - I prefer dill but used sweet pickle juice the last time and it worked fine)
½ Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. paprika, plus more for sprinkling
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper
Heavy pinch of cumin
Light pinch of chili powder
PREPARATION
Slice hard boiled eggs in half and scoop yolks into a large bowl. Mash yolks with fork.
Add all of the rest of the ingredients into bowl and mash with fork until combined.
Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture on low and then gradually move up to high speed. Do this until the yolk mixture is a little bit fluffy. If it’s not getting fluffy enough, you can add in a little more mayo, pickle juice, OR cider vinegar – while still beating – until the mixture is the preferred consistency.
Take a one gallon zip top bag and spoon yolk mixture into it. When all of the mixture has been put into the bag, squeeze the top lightly until the mixture has settled into one corner. Snip the corner so that a hole is the size of a dime.
Arrange all of your egg white halves on a plate (one made especially for deviled eggs is both festive and useful!). Pipe filling into halves until there’s a nice little mound.
To finish off the eggs, sprinkle with paprika.
TIP: If you’re traveling with the eggs, it’s best to leave the filling in the zip top bag (uncut) until you reac
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 6/23/2010
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Two weeks ago, Shoprite was selling ground chicken patties (raw) for 59 cents EACH. It amounted to a pound of meat, so I bought four (though now I'm kicking myself - if I'd had more freezer space I would've cleaned them out! So then I was looking for a recipe to use some of this ground chicken, and came upon Rachael Ray's Buffalo Chicken Chili. When I told my mom I was planning on making it, she said she'd tried it already and wasn't impressed. I ended up tinkering with the original, and the result was amazing. Joe and I are fighting over the last of the leftovers!
Buffalo Chicken Chili (Lara's take on Rachael Ray's Recipe)
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 pounds ground chicken
2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp. smoked sweet paprika
2 tsp. cumin
1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken stock (Mom had given me an open carton of beef broth, so I used that instead)
1/2 cup hot sauce (I used regular hot sauce mixed with 2 tsp. of chipotle-flavored Tabasco)
1 Tbsp. honey
1 29 oz. can crushed tomatoes
Blue cheese, crumbled (I used gorgonzola, since that's what we had)
Ranch dressing (optional)
PREPARATION:
Place a large pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the ground chicken and break it up, lightly browning it for 5 minutes. I use a potato masher for the job; it breaks the meat up beautifully.
Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, paprika, cumin and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 7-8 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.
Add the crushed tomatoes, hot sauce, and honey to the chili and bring up to a bubble. Simmer on low for 8-10 minutes more to let the flavors come together. (I prefer to let chilis mesh for longer, so I think we had it on the stove at a low simmer for another 20-30 minutes.)
Top each serving of Buffalo Chicken Chili with blue cheese crumbles and a generous swirl of ranch dressing (optional).
[NOTE: Rachael's original recipe calls for the chili to be topped with tortilla chips that have had blue cheese melted on them. I wanted to omit the chips, but that meant I needed to play around with the added salt (kosher only, natch). The ranch dressing was my own addition, necessary because I made the chili extra spicy. I use a lowfat version. You could try omitting the honey, if you're watching your sugar level, but Joe and I felt that once I put it in, the chili had a depth that was lacking. Enjoy!]
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 2/3/2010
Blog: girl uninterrupted (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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... will be returning soon, I promise. Not only do I still need to post the winners of the SWEET LIFE WITH STELLA MADISON giveaway contest, but I also have some new recipes of my own.
Because of some unexpected financial issues we ran into last month - me losing my winter class, Joe's car needing to be scrapped, the tank running out of home heating oil again, etc. - I've had to be pretty crafty in the kitchen. This means pulling recipes based around A) food we already have, B) food that's cheap, and C) food that's on sale and/or has good coupons. Some things I won't skimp on; for instance, I absolutely need to eat one carton of Chobani Greek Yogurt every day, and even though it's far pricier than it's non-Greek competitors, it's a great source of protein and calcium and all sorts of good stuff. I also won't give up my whole grain Wasa crackers, because one of those slathered with a tablespoon of peanut or almond butter makes a quick, nutritious, pre-workout breakfast.
But for the most part, I'm a grocery shopping ninja. I know, for instance, that I can get a big bunch of Swiss chard at the Newark Farmer's Market for around 99 cents, whereas I'd pay closer to $4 for it at Shoprite. Ooh, and here's a fun tip for those of you with BJs memberships: their coupons NEVER expire. There has only been one time in the two years since I discovered this secret that a checkout girl gave me grief; Joe and I repacked our cart, went through self-checkout, and used the coupon anyway. My mom also says that Shoprite's self-service lanes take expired coupons, but I feel a little weird about that because I know the grocery store won't be reimbursed the savings (whereas at BJs, it's a store coupon to begin with). Today I hit BJs for a few essentials - string cheese, milk, the big Chobani carton for at-home consumption, etc. - and I saved $9.50 in coupons. To be fair, $5 came off a $20 bottle of fish oil supplements for Joe, but the bottle had 180 capsules and the serving size was one capsule (instead of two, like a lot of the "cheaper" bottles), so really, I got half a year's worth of fish oil for $15.
Then, at Shoprite, I took advantage of their pre-Super Bowl Sunday meat/poultry sales. Everything Purdue was 50% off, so I picked up split chicken breasts and some thin breast filets (which were a bit of a splurge, esp. since leg quarters were going for 59 cents a pound) plus ground chicken and pre-formed turkey burgers. For red meat, I got a package of round cubes for beef stew, two top round London Broil steaks, and 2 lbs. ground sirloin. Pretty much everything else I needed was either on sale or had a great coupon - I got these gourmet dog treats for $1.70 with a $2 off coupon. A recipe I'm making this weekend called for one yellow bell pepper, but those are like $4/lb., so I bought one of the on-sale red bell instead. Oh, and here was the best: Dannon yogurts were on sale, 10 for $4, plus I had a 50 cent off store coupon for fruit on the bottom and another 50 cent off store coupon for the light version. In the end, I got 10 yogurts for $3.
Total Shoprite savings: $5 in coupons, and $18 in sales. There's enough meat in my freezer to get me through the next six months, and I walked away having spent $76 for everything. EVERYTHING. I felt like one of those women who write money saving articles for Women's Day!
Speaking of, did you know that Walgreens is running a deal now that if you transfer a prescription over to their store, they'll give you a $25 gift card? Yep. Actually, Rite Aid has a similar deal going on, but since our prescriptions are currently at Rite Aid, it doesn't do me much good.
For my birthday, I got an Olay Regenerist dermabrasion/peel kit. Earlier in the week, I'd picked up a bottle of the Regenerist serum, on sale at K-Mart for $18. The kicker? Olay was running a rebate deal with Regenerist for $15 back if you bought two products within a set time period. So I got about $58 worth of good skin care stuff for $30. The week of my b
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 7/27/2009
Blog: girl uninterrupted (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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In honor of my new release, THE SWEET LIFE OF STELLA MADISON, my publisher, Delacorte Press, donated 10 leftover galley copies to give away through some sort of blog contest. To sweeten the pot, I'm adding in 15 of my backlist titles, and 25 random titles by other authors (some classic, some new, some not yet released). If you're keeping count, that's a 50-book giveaway!
Let's get to it, shall we?
CONTEST #1: STELLA GIVEAWAY
From now until midnight, August 8, 2009, send me an e-mail to zeisgeist (at) aol (dot) com. In the subject line, type STELLA GIVEAWAY.
In the body of the e-mail, type your name, age, location, occupation (if you have one - student is fine), and a few fun facts about youself.
Also in the body of the e-mail, or attached as a Word doc, I need one of your favorite family recipes, with a paragraph or two about how or why this recipe has become a family favorite. If you have a picture of the dish, send that along to. [NOTE: if this is not an original dish - say, something you've borrowed from Paula Deen but adapted to make you own - make sure you give credit where credit is due. In this case, credit would be, "adapted from Paula Deen, NAME OF BOOK OR SHOW, 2006."
Ten winners will receive personally autographed copies of STELLA, but the top five will also have their culinary contributions posted on my "Recipe of the Week" feature in the near future!
CONTEST #2: BACKLIST GIVEAWAY
If you've already purchased STELLA, but still want in on the fun, here's what you do:
Write an original review of STELLA - something comprehensive, more than just "oh hey i liked it" - and post that review through outlets like IndieBook.org, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, your personal blog, Facebook, GoodReads.com, a message board system, etc., etc. For every five outlets you hit, you are elligible to win one personally autographed copy of any of my backlist titles - BRINGING UP THE BONES, CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE, and ANYONE BUT YOU.
Then, from now until midnight, August 8, 2009, send me an e-mail to zeisgeist (at) aol (dot) com. In the subject line, type BACKLIST GIVEAWAY.
In the body of the e-mail, type your name, age, location, occupation (if you have one - student is fine), and a few fun facts about youself.
Also in the body of the e-mail, include links to the online reviews that you've posted. That's all there is to it!
This contest will remain open until I've given away five copies of each of those three (BONES, CONTENTS, ANYONE) titles (that's 15 books total).
CONTEST #3: BIG MAMA GIVEAWAY
If you've already added all of my Lara titles to your personal library, and are looking to expand a bit, then this last contest is for you. From now until midnight, August 8, 2009, send me an e-mail to zeisgeist (at) aol (dot) com. In the subject line, type BIG MAMA GIVEAWAY.
In the body of the e-mail, type your name, age, location, occupation (if you have one - student is fine), and a few fun facts about youself.
Next, e-mail me a picture or scan of the receipt that shows you purchased STELLA recently. This will become your entry into a drawing to win 25 YA titles from MY personal library - as in, by authors other than me. The one caveat? If you receive a book in this grab bag that you've already read or own, or have no interest in reading/owning, you must promise to either a) donate it to your local library or b) pass it on to a friend who will appreciate it.
Please feel free to repost to your blogs, Facebook pages, etc., etc. to get the word out.
Enjoy!
[Here's where I need to add a little fine print: all three contests are open to readers 12 and up, but all must be residents of the United States - a shipping clause my publisher asked me to include. Also, Contest #3 was inspired by something my friend Elizabeth Scott recently ran on her web site. And oh! And I have to point out that my friend Laurie Faria Stolarz is running her own contest to give away an ARC of her hotly anticipated prequel to the Blue is for Nightmares series, BLACK IS FOR BEGINNINGS. It's a graphic novel! And looks really freaking awesome!]
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 6/24/2009
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I know that most people view the slow cooker as more of a winter cooking tool - and can any Ramona Quimby fan forget the beef stew incident that lead to raw pancakes for dinner? But I love using it in the summer, too, because then the oven isn't heating up the house and making the A/C work overtime. I was inspired to try this recipe because I had a pound of frozen shrimp that needed using, only to discover too late that my shrimp shells had developed white spots on them that may or may not have been some kind of bacterial disease thing. (This is after peeling almost all of them, but fortunately before I spent 30 minutes deveining them.) Anyway, some slow cooker recipes make me happy because you kind of throw a bunch of ingedients in, walk away, and then come back 8 hours later to a yummy dinner. This one? Not so much. The initial prep alone took an hour and a half, and that's not including the time it took to make the accompanying brown rice. Despite all of this - the time consumption, the unexpected lack of shrimp, etc. - I can't tell you how delicious it turned out. We ate it for three days straight and still managed to fill a large freezer back with leftovers so that we can have more gumbo-y goodness later.
Still haven't gotten that cooked blueberry dessert recipe, but I will share it as soon as I do. For now, gumbo away!
Slow Cooker Chicken, Sausage & Shrimp Gumbo
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. Kielbasa or Smoked Sausage, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large onion, chopped (don’t dice – bigger chunks are better)
1/2 red or green pepper, chopped (ditto)
2 stalks celery, chopped (ditto)
4 cloves garlic, minced (Trader Joe’s frozen cubes work great)
1 10 oz. package frozen sliced okra, thawed (I used a 16 oz. package and it was fine)
1/3 cup canola oil, plus 1 tablespoon, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups hot chicken broth
1 cup hot water
1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken (OK to use rotisserie chicken, even though harvesting that meat is messy and gross)
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon filé powder (optional)
12 oz. peeled and deveined raw shrimp (see note below)
PREPARATION
Heat 1 tablespoon oil (olive or canola) in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Brown the smoked sausage; remove with slotted spoon to slow cooker. Next, add 1 tablespoon butter to sausage drippings and sweat onion, red pepper, and celery over medium heat until tender and onions are translucent; add garlic and sweat for another minute before placing the contents into the slow cooker.
In the same pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté thawed okra over low to medium heat until it starts to lose its sticky gooiness (you’ll know what I mean when you see it – it takes about 10-15 minutes). Add to slow cooker.
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 1/3 cup canola oil over medium heat and then add flour, whisking constantly for five minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking and whisking until roux has darkened to the color of pecans (roughly 15 minutes). DO NOT LET MIXTURE REACH A SIMMER, and DO NOT STOP WHISKING – the mixture will begin to separate immediately.
When roux has reached the desired color, add 3 cups hot chicken broth and 1 cup hot water, whisking as you pour. Keep whisking until mixture is smooth and then pour into slow cooker.
Finally, add chopped chicken, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to the slow cooker. Stir all ingredients until well incorporated. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Add shrimp during the last 20 minutes and cook until pink.
Serve over hot, buttery rice (I use brown, for the whole grain factor).
LARA'S NOTE: My shrimp were questionable, as I mentioned above, so I omitted them. To thicken the gumbo, I added one tablespoon of filé powder – a traditional gumbo ingredient usually used when you aren't relying on okra as a thickening agent – at the point when I should've added the shrimp, had my shrimp not gone all icky. It's available at Jannsen’s in Delaware, or online if you don't have a store that sells the stuf. I have to say, this gave the gumbo great flavor and did thicken the mixture quite a bit. Gumbo shouldn't be gluey-thick, though - it has to be wet enough to mix well with the rice.
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 6/17/2009
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Okay, I know what you're thinking: what's up with all of the blueberry recipes? What can I say; it's summer and I'm a big fan of this antioxident-rich superfood. Anyway, this is a recipe I got from an episode of GIADA AT HOME. We first made it for Joe's grandmother as part of her Mother's Day brunch, paired with a modified version of the Duggar's famous Tater Tot Casserole - cutting the recipe in half and substituting spicy breakfast sausage for the ground turkey - for a savory element. Because Grammy loved it so much, we made the baked French toast for her again the weekend that Joe's grandfather passed away. (I come from a Jewish family; food is how we help deal with grief.) Now Joe and I are reprising the entire brunch when we celebrate Father's Day with my family this coming Sunday. It's an easy recipe that will be a big hit with all, I promise!
Baked French Toast with Blueberries
INGREDIENTS
Butter, for greasing
6 eggs
3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup maple syrup, plus extra for serving
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 lemon, zested
3 (1-inch thick) slices (8 ounces) day-old challah or sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups (12 ounces) fresh or frozen, thawed, and drained blueberries
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
PREPARATION
Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest. Add the bread cubes and mix until coated. Stir in the blueberries. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix together the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the egg mixture in an even layer. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and the filling is set.
Spoon onto serving plates and drizzle with maple syrup.
Lara's Tip #1: To ensure the day-oldness of the challah, what I did was slice it up the night before and put the slices on a plate in the fridge, uncovered. The second time we made the recipe, it was on the fly and we couldn't find any challah, so we used an equivalent amount of egg rolls, which tasted about the same. Not sure I'd like the sourdough, but that's just me.
Lara's Tip #2: Our second time making this was from memory, and I totally forgot about the lemon zest. You really can't taste a difference, so if you don't feel like buying/zesting your own lemon, you won't be missing much.
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 3/11/2009
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Sunday, we had a baby shower for my best friend Candace, who's expecting a little boy in the next couple of weeks. The party had a bumblee theme, as in "Bee is for Boy" (courtesy of Wendy, Party Planner Extraordinaire). To echo the theme, Joe and I whipped up a batch of Bumblebee Chili. The recipe, which I pulled from the Internet (as I'd lost my copy long ago), seemed a little flavorless to us, so Joe and I used our culinary skills to soup it up (no pun intended). The results were delicious, and everyone raved about our Crockpot full of love. Candy's friend Risha even took some home for a couple of work day lunches - and she thinks people who "make plates" are tacky. (Risha, by the way, contributed some gorgeous pastel blue and pastel green frosted cupcakes, which Joe and I spruced up with homemade sproingy bee picks and little hearts that read, "It's a Boy!" So. Yummy.)
Anyway, thought I'd share this still easy and quite tasty recipe with you all.
Lara’s Bumblebee Chili
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 lb bag frozen yellow sweet corn
2 cans petite diced tomatoes (can use seasoned)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano (dried – use 1 tablespoon if using fresh)
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 cup chicken stock (optional)
2 bay leaves
S&P
PREPARATION
Heat oil in a stockpot over medium heat, then sweat onions and jalapeno, sprinkled with a heavy pinch of kosher salt, for seven to eight minutes (if they start to sauté, turn the heat lower). Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and cook, stirring, for one to two more minutes.
Add black beans, corn, and tomatoes. Add one can full of water, poured through both cans, to get out all of the lingering traces of sauce. (For a richer flavor, substitute the cup of chicken stock here.) Stir in hot sauce and add bay leaves.
Bring mixture to a low boil, then turn the heat down. Simmer, covered, for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chili has reached desired thickness. Remove bay leaves and season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (be careful - if tomatoes have a lot of salt in them, you'll need to add less).
Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and tortilla chips.
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 2/18/2009
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I've been on a soup kick as of late. It's winter; it always makes me crave warm and cozy things. Anyway, I found this recipe online, tweaked it some, and voila! Extra special yumminess. Enjoy!
Curried Cauliflower Soup with Honey
INGREDIENTS
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets (6 cups)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt (check before adding, esp. if NOT using low-sodium broth)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 medium yellow onions, sliced thick
2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (choose one that has a little heat)
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 cup half and half or heavy cream
honey
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread cauliflower florets on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Roast until florets are browned, about 25 - 30 minutes.
In a medium stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add onions, sprinkling them with a pinch of salt, and sauté until they turn brown (about 10-15 minutes, depending on the kind of pan you use). Stir in curry powder and cook until fragrant, 1 - 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and cauliflower. Bring to boil, then kick back the heat and let simmer until cauliflower is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the half and half just at the end.
Puree the soup with a stand or immersion blender until smooth. Return to pot if using a stand blender; reheat if necessary. Add cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowl with a drizzle of honey.
[NOTE: We didn’t need to add any extra salt to this recipe, but the original recipe called for half stock/half water, and we opted for 32 oz. of low-sodium broth instead. We also put a tiny pat of Smart Balance spread at the top of each cup of soup before drizzling the honey on. Oh my gawd. Richness galore!]
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 2/11/2009
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So, last weekend when Joe was rearranging the freezer, he put a frozen pie that we had leftover from Christmas on top of the fridge and forgot about it for a couple of hours. When I discovered it, I said, "I guess we're having quiche tomorrow!" I looked at a bunch of recipes, but nothing tickled my fancy, so I raided the fridge and this is what I came up with. It is absolutely delicious, and something I will definitely make again!
Quiche in Frozen Pie Shell
INGREDIENTS
1 frozen 9-inch deep dish pie crust
5 large eggs
¾ cup half and half
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
5 oz. white mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
9 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained, and re-chopped
1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 large clove garlic, minced
½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
½ cup shredded cheese (we used a four-cheese Italian blend)
Salt and fresh-ground pepper
PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and whisk together with half and half, 1 teaspoon of salt and a ½ teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add bacon. Saute until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Do not drain grease from pan.
Reduce heat under skillet to medium and sauté onions until they start to get soft. Add mushrooms and a sprinkling of salt to draw out moisture. When mushrooms are soft and golden, push them and the onions to the outer rim of the pan and add spinach to center. Add the nutmeg and garlic and cook for one minute. Toss in the drained bacon and stir to combine the whole mixture. Turn off heat.
Mix ricotta and shredded cheese together. Add to egg mixture and whisk until well combined.
Place pie crust on cookie sheet and fill with hot mixture, making sure to distribute equally. Then pour egg mixture over top. There might be a little spillage; it’s okay and won’t hurt the quiche or the pan. Bake for 50 minutes, or until center is set and the top is a warm golden color. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 1/27/2009
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Looking for an even healthier substitute for brown rice, whole wheat couscous, or even quinoa? Look no further. This recipe, from Alton Brown, couldn't be easier. It's also incredibly healthy. I like to alter the recipe slightly according to what I'll be serving with it. For instance, if I'm doing something Mexican inspired, I'll add a teaspoon of cumin to the mix before I bake it. With Italian dishes, I'll add a little oregano or pizza seasoning. Etc. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy!
Baked Barley
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup hulled barley
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups boiling water
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
PREPARATION:
Place the barley into a 1 1/2-quart ceramic or glass baking dish (with a lid) and add the butter, salt and boiling water. Stir to combine. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and place the lid on top of the foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove the cover, fluff with a fork and serve immediately.
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 1/20/2009
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As you all know, today is Inauguration Day. It also happens to be my birthday. In honor of that second, less auspicious event, I thought I'd post a favorite recipe from my childhood. When I was in elementary school, my mom used to bake cupcakes for me to take into my classmates on my birthday. This was before the days of the cool plastic cupcake totes, so Mom would get a shallow cardboard box tray, line it in foil, and pile it with the most fantastic cupcakes. What she'd do is this: bake the batter in those pale ice cream cones that aren't pointy (I don't know what they're actually called, because my whole life I've referred to them as cupcake cones). Then she'd frost half in vanilla and half in chocolate, making them look like cones of ice cream. I thought this was the most ingenious thing ever growing up. As an adult, whenever I half this cake I'm blown away by 1) how delicious it is and 2) how every time I eat it, I feel like I'm back in Mrs. Phillips's third grade class. Enjoy!
Nancy’s Hot Milk Cake
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups milk
10 Tbsp. butter
PREPARATION
In small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the milk and butter. Do not bring the mixture to a boil; you just want to warm the milk enough for the butter to melt. [TIP: My mom says she does this using a fancy microwave setting nowadays.]
In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs on high until thick (approximately 5 minutes). Gradually add sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Slowly add to batter and beat on low until smooth.
Next, add the vanilla and the warm milk and butter mixture. Beat, still on low, until just combined.
Pour into a greased 13 x 9 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Test for doneness.
Quoth my momma: “As you know, I have made this into cupcakes and a bundt cake besides the recommended 9 x 13. It is a good general white cake that can be changed according to needs. It can also be doubled and made into a sheet cake.”
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 1/13/2009
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I'd been craving chicken pot pie for a while now. Not that nasty kind you get in the freezer section, either. Then, I noticed that an episode of BAREFOOT CONTESSA was featuring chicken pot pie, so I DVR'd it and watched. I love Ina Garten; I find her absolutely adorable, and normally, her recipes are really simple. I wasn't entirely crazy about this one, though. For one thing, her pot pie calls for roasted bone-in chicken breasts; I love buying skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs because A) they're usually around 49 cents a pound, B) they're way more moist than breast meat, and C) they have much more flavor. So, I decided to substitute thighs and braise them instead of roasting them, so they'd have maximum moistness. Also, Ina's recipe instructs you to divide the filling between four oven-proof bowls and put homemade pastry crust on each one. I had a leftover pre-made crust from Thanksgiving that needed using, and only some 8x8 casserole dishes. So, we made one big pot pie that way and froze the other half of the filling for a later date. Lastly, Ina's recipe didn't have any garlic OR celery in it, and that felt wrong. In the end, I made a ton of modifications and we were thrilled with the results. I guess that makes this MY chicken pot pie recipe now. If you want to look at Ina's original version, you can find it here. Enjoy!
Chicken Pot Pie
INGREDIENTS
6 skin-less, bone-in chicken thighs
2 cups water
2 Tbsp. poultry seasoning
1 Tbsp. onion powder
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock
2 chicken bouillon cubes
12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter
2 large onions, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
5 medium carrots, diced (approx. 2 cups), blanched for 2 minutes
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas
1 cup frozen small whole onions
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 box store-bought pie crust (2 rolled sheets to the box)
Eggs for egg wash
PREPARATION
Place two cups of water in a 3- to 5-qt. large pot or Dutch oven and mix with poultry seasoning and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Add chicken thighs (if you buy them with skin, make sure to remove before adding to pot). Cover and simmer for 25 mins. Remove chicken to cool, dump water from pot, and replace on stove top. When chicken has cooled, remove the bone and cut into cubes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock.
In the large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. About half way through, add the celery, garlic, and dried thyme. When vegetables are fully softened, add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.
Divide the filling equally between two 8x8 casserole dishes OR freeze half of the mixture for a later date. Brush the outside edges of each casserole will one egg that’s been beaten with a fork. Place pie crust over top and crimp the edges against the casserole to seal. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 5 slits in the top. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 12/23/2008
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As promised last week, here's the rescipe for the strata I make ahead on Christmas Eve day to bake up Christmas morning. It's not an original recipe, but one I've adapted from Nestle (I think). Enjoy!
Christmas Morning Strata with Sausage and Pumpkin
INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup chopped green bell pepper
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 pound loaf of Italian bread, slightly stale, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cans (12 fluid ounces each) evaporated milk
1 can (15 ounces) 100% Pure Pumpkin
4 large eggs
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. dried oregano, crushed
½ tsp. dried basil, crushed
½ tsp. dried marjoram, crushed
PREPARATION:
1. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan (disposables are great for this kind of dish).
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onion, bell peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring to break up sausage, for 7 to 10 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink (again, a metal potato masher is great for this). Drain excess fat out of pan.
3. In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, cheese and sausage mixture.
4. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, beat together the evaporated milk, pumpkin, eggs, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and marjoram.
5. Pour wet ingredients over bread mixture, stirring gently to moisten bread. Transfer the whole concoction into the prepared baking pan.
6. If you’re making ahead, refrigerate the pan at this stage. Pull it out about 15 to 30 minutes before you’re ready to bake the next day.
7. If making the casserole immediately, bake in a 350-degree preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Serve warm.
By: Lara M. Zeises,
on 12/16/2008
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When I was very little, our traditional Christmas morning breakfast consisted of those Pillsbury cinnamon rolls with the canned frosting you spread on the top while the rolls are still hot. Then, one year, my mom found the following recipe and decided this should be our new Christmas morning breakfast. I was bitter at first, because I'm very resistant to change, but one bite and I was hooked. Now, as our family expands, Mom makes at least two batches of these to eat while opening presents and drinking coffee. I try to keep to only one serving, because they're so rich and sugary, so I also make a strata that bakes during present opening and is eaten an hour or two later (but that's next week's RECIPE OF THE WEEK).
One last thing: you can do a lot of prep the night before, like cutting the rolls, putting all of the ingredients for the sauce into a small saucepan and refridgerating them, etc. In our house, my mom's the last to get up, so I usually get the rolls going while she's either still sleeping or brushing her teeth. Because she does most of the prep the night before, it's really easy to get these into the oven and start baking!
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup butter
½ cup chopped pecans
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. water
2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees if using a regular bundt pan, or 350 degrees for a colored, fluted tube pan.
2. Place 2 Tbsp. of butter at the bottom of the bundt pan and place in preheating oven until butter melts. Remove pan and brush butter all around.
3. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp. of nuts on the bottom of the bundt pan.
4. In a small saucepan, place the rest of the butter, the remaining pecans (or more, if you like things really nutty), brown sugar, and water. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove crescents from can but DO NOT UNROLL. l
6. Take each section (½ of 1 can) and cut into 4 slices (8 slices total per can).
7. Arrange slices from 1 can of crescent rolls (8 each layer) in bundt pan, separating each roll slightly so brown sugar sauce can penetrate.
8. Spoon ½ caramel sauce over first layer.
9. Arrange the second can of rolls (8 more slices) on top of the first, placing each roll on the seam between the rolls from the bottom layer. Remember to loosen each roll so that sauce can penetrate.
10. Pour the rest of the caramel sauce over the second layer of rolls.
11. Bake 25-30 minutes (30-35 for colored flute pan) or until deep golden brown.
12. Cool 3-5 minutes; turn onto serving plate while still hot. Scrape up any stuck caramel sauce and spread on cake. Serve immediately! Add a Comment