Cottage Cheese Dip, 2 ways

Grandma LuDean's Garlic Dip

8 oz cream cheese

1 pint cottage cheese

1 T mayo

dash Worchestersire sauce

salt to taste

1 small clove garlic (or 2 or 3)

1 tsp onion juice (or minced onion)

chives if desired

Mix all ingredients in a food processor. Process until desired consistency is reached.

Uncle Mike's Crab Dip

8 oz cream cheese

1/4 cup diced onion

1 pint cottage cheese

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp lemon juice (or to taste)

1 can crab

1 T mayo

1 tsp Worchestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients in a food processor. Process until desired consistency is reached.

Texanista Red Enchilada Sauce

Jessica posted this picture on her blog this morning and I immediately knew what I wanted for dinner. Luckily, she called and I was able to procure the recipe given to her by Aunt-In-Law Lidia, a true Texanista and master of Southwest/ Mexican cuisine.

Red Enchilada Sauce

1/4 cup oil (I used olive)
1/4 cup flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp salt (I may reduce this next time)
2 Tablespoons red chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
3 cups broth (I made it from my favorite veggie broth ever)

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Whisk in flour and cook until it is browned. Add garlic and saute until tender. Add cumin, pepper, salt, chili powder, and oregano. Slowly add broth while whisking. Bring mixture to a light boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened.

Tonight I was feeling lazy so I mixed up some shredded cheese, sour cream, and shredded zucchini for the filling (kind random, but it was tasty). Then I stuck individual enchiladas in the micro as kids got hungry, but here are the instructions for Lidia's.

Lidia's Enchiladas

Cook and shred fryer chicken. Combine chicken with 1/2 cup of red enchilada sauce. Warm corn tortillas in hot oil in a shallow pan on the stove. Dip tortillas in red sauce. Fill with chicken mixture and roll. Place in casserole dish. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

I haven't tried this rice yet, but I surely will. Tonight I mixed some leftover quinoa with some of the enchilada sauce and it was great.

Mexican Rice

1 T. oil
1/2 green onion, sliced lengthwise (you will remove this before serving)
1/2 green pepper
2 T bouillion
2 C. water
8oz tomato sauce

Heat oil in saute pan. Add onion pepper and rice. Saute until rice is lightly browned. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until rice is tender and water is absorbed.

Broccoli Cheese Rolls

This is the result of my experimentation with the homemade pizza pocket. My attempts at calzones-like meals in the past generally become an oozy mess when they go into the oven so I was trying out new forms as well as other fillings. These broccoli cheese versions were a hit at dinnertime. They are as my six-year-old said, "Like cinnamon rolls, but with broccoli."

1 prepared pizza crust, uncooked
2 small crowns of broccoli, steamed, well-drained, and chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine broccoli, cheeses, and spices in a medium bowl.

Roll out pizza crust in large rectangle, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch think. Spread broccoli mixture evenly over rectangle, leaving a half inch of dough at the top to seal later. Starting at bottom long end, roll up the dough jelly roll style and seal tightly. Cut into 1-1/2 inch segments, like cinnamon rolls. Place on greased baking sheet, not touching each other. Let rise for 20 minutes.

Bake for 25 minutes, until rolls are browned.

Squash Enchiladas

Recipe from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook

I am thrilled again to find a winter squash that my family will eat, especially to find one that Dave will race me home from to get the leftovers. My notes in red.

1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 16 oz can white corn (I used frozen)
butternut squash, cooked and drained well (I needed half of a large squash for a 9x9 pan, quartered it, put in a casserole dish with an inch or two of water, covered with plastic wrap with holes punched in it, and microwaved for 10 minutes)
salt and pepper
chili powder
cumin
green enchilada sauce (used 1 recipe of Amy's sauce for a 9x9 pan)
corn tortillas
pepper jack and cheddar cheese

Saute onion and garlic on olive oil. Stir onion mixture into corn and squash, and season to taste with s&p, chili powder, and cumin (I found it frustrating that no measurements were given, but I didn't take note of what I used either). Heat enchilada sauce and dip tortilla in the heated sauce to soften (this did not work for me, I softened them in the microwave wrapped in a wet dish towel). Fill tortillas with squash mixture, sprinkle with cheese, and roll. Place seam side down in a casserole dish. Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with extra cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Potato Gratin

This is my favorite potatoes au gratin recipe from Smitten Kitchen

I've used yellow potatoes, russets, cheddar, gruyere, added spinach and mushrooms; all turn out great.

3 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces, plus an additional pat for buttering gratin dish
4 large yellow potatoes* (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup milk, half-and-half or cream (if using something richer than milk, you can skip the butter)
2 ounces cheese, grated or crumbled (Parmesan or Gruyere are the classics, but that doesn’t mean that goat cheese, blue cheese or any of your favorites won’t work as well) [optional]

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9- by 12-inch gratin dish with the pat of butter. Slice the potatoes as thinly as you can (a mandoline works great for this) and arrange them in a layer, overlapping the edges slightly like shingles. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and freshly ground pepper and don’t be stingy — this is where the bulk of your flavor comes from and a third of the cheese before before repeating this process with your remaining potato slices. (If you are using a sauteed vegetable filling, this is where you’d want to add half of it.) Depending on how thinly sliced your potatoes are, you should end up with approximately three layers, with a third of the cheese between each layer. Reserve the last third of your cheese for later.

Carefully pour the milk over the potatoes. It should come up to the bottom of the top layer of potatoes; add more if this was not enough. Dot the top of the gratin with the three tablespoons of butter and bake it for about an hour. Halfway through the baking time, take the gratin dish out of the oven and gental press the potatoes flat with a spatula to keep the top moist. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the gratin for the last 15 minutes of baking. The gratin is done when the potatoes are soft and the top is golden brown.

More gratin ideas: Use duck fat instead of butter. Swap celery root, parsnips or turnip slices for half the potatoes. Add chopped herbs such as parsley, thyme, chives or chervil between the layers. Sauté mushrooms, sorrel, spinach or leeks, with or without a finely-chopped shallot, and layer them between the potato slices.

* Yukon Golds and other waxy, yellow-fleshed potatoes work best in gratins, keeping their texture without getting floury and falling apart as Russets do.

Brie Panini

I am always on the lookout for a delicious lunch that I can make in the same amount of time as it takes to grill up my boys' cheese sandwich. Mel's Kitchen Cafe posted this Smoked Turkey, Brie, and Apple Panini and I had to run out and get me some brie. It was divine, and so much more exciting than cheddar on wheat. You can click on the link for more specific instructions, but basically it is sliced apples, sliced brie, caramelized red onions, and turkey lunch meat on a grilled sandwich.

Personally, I'm not a turkey breast person and I left the turkey off my second panini and still loved it, so when I saw this version on Paninihappy.com with pecans instead of turkey I knew it was even more up my alley.

My hybrid version is like this:

French bread
Caramelized Onions
Sliced Brie
Sliced apples
Pecans
French bread

Alas, today I had brie and french bread, but no apples. But, never fear, inspired by this pizza, I made this panini, and I think I might even like it more than the apple version.

French bread
Sliced Brie
Fig preserves
French bread

Next time maybe I'll add the onions and pecans.


And that is my rather long explanation for a pretty simple lunch.

Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce

This recipe is another keeper. All five members of the Heber Sullivan clan gobbled it up. The recipe came from here, but I made some slight modifications. The way I made it serves about 6.


1 T. olive oil
1/2 C. finely diced onion
2 t. minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1 t. salt
1/2 t. sugar

2 C. heavy cream
dash of cayenne pepper
3 T. finely chopped fresh basil leaves

½ C. shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese
1/4 C. parmesan cheese

1 diced fresh tomato

Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent (about 4 min). Add minced garlic and saute an additional minute or two. Dump in tomatoes, salt, and sugar, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce heat and stir in cream. Lightly simmer (do not let it boil) until mixture is reduced by 1/3. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses.

Pour over 12 oz hot cooked whole wheat pasta, I used rotini. (You really want to use whole wheat if you are serving this as a main dish to make it more filling. This is a great sauce to cover the texture if you aren't used to whole wheat.)

Reuben Sandwich

My mom always made these sandwiches growing up. Dave doesn't like them so I don't make them very much any more (sigh). Also another great way to use the panini maker.

"Zucchini ai Quattro Formaggi Panini"

(or Zucchini and Four Cheese Panini)

10 oz shredded zucchini
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 oz shredded mozzarella
2 oz shredded fontina
2 oz shredded provolone
2 T parmesan
1 tsp dried basil
8 slices crusty country bread
extra virgin olive oil

Place shredded zucchini in a colander and toss with salt. Let stand for 20 min. Rinse and press out excess liquid. Toss with four cheeses and the basil. Put cheese/zucchini mixture on bread. Brush exterior with olive oil and grill for 3-4 minutes.

Caprese Panini

Layer panini as follows

Slice of artisan bread (really good with La Brea Rosemary Olive Oil Loaf)
Slice of fresh mozzerella
sliced tomatoes (preferably roma)
sprinkle of fresh basil
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Second slice of bread

Grilled chicken is also good in this sandwich.

Brush exterior with olive oil and grill on panini maker until bread is crisp and brown and cheese is melted.

Stuffed Shells

I just followed the recipe on the back of the large shell pasta box, except I followed this tip I read on Bread and Honey: substitute half of the ricotta (or cottage cheese) with silken tofu. It's a bit healthier, helps the cheese firm up a bit, and no one had any idea. Ha ha, I'm so sneaky!

Baked Ziti

Baked Ziti

Delicious and creamy, easier than lasagna and just as satisfying. I made my last batch meatless and still loved it. This is also a great recipe for sneaking in whole wheat pasta because it is so saucy. You can also substitute ricotta or cottage cheese for all or part of the sour cream.


Ingredients

* 1 pound dry ziti pasta
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 pound lean ground beef (usually make it without)
* 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
* 6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
* 1 1/2 cups sour cream
* 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
* 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
2. In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.