Falling Into Pasta

Butternut Squash and Ground  Turkey Pasta

Serves 4 generously

Supper Simple Supper #2

 *5 okay 6  ingredients/ less than 30 min.

Includes a Pantry Splurge

(The garlic and onion are in just about everything I make. The  herbs are not essential but really who wants a bland tasting pasta dish.) 

     As promised here is  the recipe for the butternut squash pasta I made last night.  This came about because my daughter bought  butternut squash to make for Ellie, our 17 month old grand daughter.  Ellie likes ravioli filled with butternut squash but apparently didn't like the butternut squash on it's own. Nessa brought it over because they're not found of it either. Too bad for them. Grand slam for us! So I decided to make it into some kind of pasta dish for supper. It really did look quite "fallish" as I was making it. The flavors were just right and I can tell you that it tasted even better today for lunch.

Ingredients: 

1 TBSP grapeseed oil for pan (You can use PAM or EVOO but I prefer not to use olive oil in applications that  heat the oil.  I read somewhere that olive oil is healthier if used room temp. Grapeseed oil does not have a flavor and has a higher smoke point than EVOO. )

1 onion diced

4 cloves of garlic pressed or grated

*2 cups of butternut squash cut into cubes (could use any other hard skinned squash)

*2 cups of kale roughly chopped  (could use spinach or chard  instead)

*1 lb. of ground turkey (although any lean ground meat would be fine)

*2 large tomatoes diced

*1 TBSP tomato paste

*Spinach pasta I broke it up and used about 4 cups  (I thought that it'd be easier to eat.)

Better if the following are fresh and then they should be coarsely chopped. But if dry, crush in the palm of your hand for several seconds.You could also use a ready made dry Italian herb mixture.

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried oregano 

1/2 tsp. dried sage

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

S/P to taste

1TBSP EVOO for the top of the pasta. (This can be eliminated if you want to cut calories but it does add such a nice flavor and the cheese sticks better to the pasta.)

1/4 cup of parm cheese to garnish (Let's just be honest, I used a lot more than that! I usually put it out on the table and let everyone have at it!)

PANTRY SPLURGE:  Sun dried tomatoes sprinkled over the top garnishes this dish very well.

Steps:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. (I always put a couple bay leaves in the water.)
2. Dress large skillet with oil. Add onion, garlic and  ground meat.  Breaking the meat with a potato masher is easier than using a wooden utensil or spoon. 
3.  When onion is soft (about 5 min.), add kale and butternut squash. Stir to combine. (Cook for about another 5 min.)
4. Mix the tomatoes, tomato paste and herbs in a small bowl.  Stir to combine and then add to meat and squash. Stir gently. Cook until squash is soft but still has a bite about 10 min.
5. When water boils add a Tbsp. of salt and the pasta. (The package I got said cook pasta  for 3 minutes. I suppose I could have just added pasta to meat and squash mixture. It would have had enough time to get cooked.) Drain and add pasta to meat and squash mixture. Gently toss into the mixture.
6. ADD SALT AND PEPPER. Toss again.  TASTE.  UNDER SALT SLIGHTLY BECAUSE THE CHEESE WILL ADD PLENTY OF SALTY FLAVOR.
7. You can lower the heat at this point and put on a lid on if you want to make a salad
8.  Just before I put the parm cheese, I spritz the top with the EVOO then dust with the cheese.

I made a tossed green salad with celery and cucumbers and green Zebra  heirloom tomatoes. The picture above does not show the tomatoes, the pasta or the cheese that I  added.

Amazing Thighs

     I am sorry that I have been away so long.  Lots happening in my life.  I have become very busy. Retirement is a different mindset that has taken time to get me to wrap my head around it.  Still working on it.
    This past week I have had 3 different people ask me to post some recipes.  So I started my Blog again. These requests have come from busy woman who want to make meals a gift to their families.  No more microwave processed dinners. No more drive thru meals. Healthy, simple, delicious meals made at home.   In the next few days I will also include a list of what a well stocked pantry, freezer, and refrigerator should have. To begin, you could add an item or two of something you do not usually buy. I promise these items will make your meals fabulous. I also highly recommend you start a little herb garden.  Basics; cilantro, parsley, thyme, mint, rosemary, oregano and basil.  However, basil is a pain as is cilantro.
      Most of these will be very easy meals with few ingredients and simple prep and cooking time. I will add sides that I have made with this main dish. However, sometimes I will post more complex meals or ideas on how to make the Super Simple Suppers with more ingredients. Ingredients with * are what I consider the 5 main ingredients. I will post pictures if I am making this dish.  Tonight I am actually making a pasta dish.  We haven't had pasta for a long time. I'll post that with a picture tomorrow if I remember how to upload the pictures.

Amazing Thighs

Ingredients

1 TBSP EVOO for your pan or spray with PAM (I actually like Grapeseed oil for cooking and EVOO for no heat applications)

*6 boneless skinless thighs (pound between wax paper using a heavy sauce pan)

*1 cup flour in a plastic bag with salt, pepper, dried thyme and garlic powder (1 tsp salt  about 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/2 tsp thyme 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)

*1 carton or bag of mushrooms (as many as you can afford, slice to make it more affordable)

*1 baseball sized onion sliced thinly

1 TBSP butter

*1+ cup of apple juice or Marsala wine (or any other sweet wine) 

PANTRY FUN INGREDIENT: GARNISH WITH CAPERS

1. Prepare your plastic bag with flour and herbs. 

2. Oil and heat your pan.

3. Put  1/2 of your chicken pieces in the bag and shake gently until completely covered. Place in the pan. Do the other half  of the chicken and place in the pan.  

4. Cook chicken for about 4 min. on each side.  (You are looking for a little brown.)

5. Take your chicken out of the pan and set aside for a few minutes.

6. Add the butter to the pan. Add the onion and mushrooms.  Cook until the onion is translucent and mushrooms are soft. (From what I have read, the body actually knows what to do with butter and it adds so much flavor but use whatever you are comfortable with.)

TASTE SAUCE AND ADD SALT AND OR PEPPER

7.  Add the  apple juice. Stir all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add your chicken.Add a TBSP of apple juice at a time to the sauce to loosen it up if it needs that.  Make sure to put the sauce, mushrooms and onions on top of the chicken when you serve it.

                                                                 SIDES

A plate of sliced tomatoes with a little lime juice, salt and pepper would go really well with this dish garnished with scallions and parsley. Steamed green beans are nice with this dish too. (Fresh are great but use those steamer bags. Very good too.) Personally, I would  also love this with some garlic mashed potatoes. Bring a couple of scrubbed  cubed potatoes (skins on)  and water to a boil. I put a bay leaf in the water and about two cloves of garlic per potato.  Cook for about 10-12 minutes. Take off heat and start to mash to the consistency you like.  I like lumpy.  Add enough chicken broth to loosen the potatoes if needed. You won't really need butter or milk. Taste and add salt and pepper. 

Cindy's Chicken Salad

     I have been eating chicken salad for every "event" that my mom and aunts have hosted over some 50+ years.  I have also included it in many menus for many events I have hosted. Over the years I have tweaked it but it remains virtually the same. The beauty of this salad is it can be quadrupled or halved and it retains the same flavors. Also this is a salad that can be eaten on bread or on lettuce leaves. It can be a one dish meal or a nice side dish.  I often serve this salad with a fruit salad and a pasta salad. Or...in the fall and winter, some potato or pumpkin soup.  Just so you know, you can use the roast chickens that the stores sell now days. It makes it a FAST salad. But I learned something watching the Cooking channel and I now use this procedure almost exclusively the night before when I am going to poach the chicken myself.

This recipe makes enough for 10 servings with leftovers if you are lucky.  Much better the next day.  :)

Chicken Prep

The night before
1 whole raw chicken, rinsed and cleaned out, covered in water to which 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of salt have been diluted.

Chicken Poaching Water

1 whole chicken
3 bay leaves
4 smashed cloves of garlic
1 onion quartered
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP whole peppers
The night before


1. Drain the chicken.
2. Put the raw whole chicken in a pot of water to cover the chicken.
3. Put 3 bay leaves
4. 1 tsp whole pepper.
5. 1 TBSP salt
6. 4 garlic cloves, smashed.
7. 1 large onion cut in 1/4's
8.  Cook for about 1.5 hours in the following manner.  Bring water to a boil and then drop to a simmer.  Cover the pot. Check chicken.  Chicken is done if you can wiggle the leg and it comes away from the body. Cool the chicken.
Ingredients:
 Debone the chicken and cut into small chunks. (Pull the chicken away from the bones.  Remove the fat and skin.)
3 ribs of celery diced
1 cup of green grapes cut in half
1 cup red grapes cut in half
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3 green onions diced
1/2 cup cashews
1 small jar of marinated artichokes.
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1 tsp fresh tarragon leaves chopped

Dressing
1/4 cup of fresh lime juice
1 cup of plain yogurt
1/2 cup light mayo (I like the mayo that has lime juice in it.)
1 large (heaping ) TBSP Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp. curry  powder
1 heaping TBSP of Agave syrup

1.  Combine all of the above and whisk.
2. Taste and adjust s/p.

Directions:
Pour dressing on the chicken and fruit and toss carefully.

It's Autumnal Weather Food

 

It's been a long time since I posted.  I have been traveling but I am still cooking and I have been eating many delicious foods. I hope to post more recipes soon.

So today it rained.  No news in that, you say.  Wrong. We've had spritzes but no real rain for a looooonnnnnggggg time. It got my fall weather juices flowing. So I made a stuffed pork tenderloin, minted peas, a  green salad with thin apple slices and  goat cheese and jalapeno cornbread.

 The Pork
2 lbs pork tenderloin sliced almost through fat side up ( a big momma!)
1/4 olive oil
3 heaping tabsp. grill seasoning (I love Kirkland's)
1 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1 TBSP sugar 1 tsp salt  mix to combine
1 green tart apple very thinly sliced
1 large onion thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
1. Slather the pork with olve oil and then take a palm full of grilled seasoning and cover the pork inside and out with the seasoning salt.
2. Marinate the apple and onion in the sugar, salt and vinegar for about 1 hour.
3. Drain and fill pork cavity.
4.Line a roasting pan with heavy duty foil.   Place pork slit side up in a roasting pan.
5. Bake at 500 for about 20 min..
6. Lower heat and cook for about 45min. top 1 hour at 350.
7.  Remove from heat and cover pork with the foil.

Jalepeno Corn Bread
Preheat oven to 350
1 pkg. Jiffy cornbread mix (Don't turn your nose up at this.  I've tried it many ways and this is still the best!!!)
1 egg beaten
1 can of creamed corn
1/2 cup shredded cheese ( I like the Mex. mix)
2 jalapenos peppers diced finely  (remove the seeds if too hot)

1. Combine all of the ingredients and fold carefully.
2. Spray muffin tins or small loaf pans with Pam.
3.  Follow cooking directions on Jiffy pkg.

Salad
1 large green apple sliced thinly
*I have sometimes used a purple onion too.  (1/2 of an onion sliced thinly.)
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 big handfuls of salad greens
1/2 cup of goat cheese crumbled
pepper to taste

1. Marinate the apple in the vinegar, sugar and salt for about 30 min.
2.  Remove the apples add the oil and whisk the above dressing.
3. Put salad greens in a bowl and add apples and goat cheese. Toss dressing  to coat.
4. Add peeper and toss again.

Peas
1 pkg. frozen peas
1 box of sliced mushrooms
1/4 stick of butter
1 tsp. mint jelly
1 tsp. finely chopped mint

1. Follow frozen pea directions but add the mushrooms, butter and mint jelly.
2. Just before serving toss in the mint.

This meal served 4 generous dinner portions (second all around) with left overs which I will use for sandwiches tomorrow.

Warm sweet and sour coleslaw

     For lack of a better name, I gave this salad the name slaw.  But it could also just be a condiment to fish, pork or chicken.  In any case, I am sure you have had something like it when you have had the German coleslaw. This dish came from my need to make something that might entice my son to eat the fish I had just purchased.  Ono is a VERY mild fish but my youngest does not really like fish except when I fry it in a beer batter. So I was wondering what I could do, beside marinate the fish, so that he might like it a little more. Like most of what I make, I used what I had on hand.  I had a purple cabbage and a green cabbage in the fridge.  By the way, these two veggies will last forever!!! Sliced fennel would have also been great but I didn't remember or see the fennel bulb until the next day!  Darn!  Oh well...next time. I decided that I would make the cabbages into something I could put some grilled ono on.  I did not want to add sugar to make it sweet but I did want to make it a little more exotic since the ono was marinated in lime juice, ginger, rosemary and garlic.  So I invented this slaw.  I think you will agree, it turned out pretty dang good and will be on the table again. I used a slightly sweet wine which I think for this dish is essential because I did not add sugar.  The wine was also "left over."  Waste not...want not.

 Vinegar and wine soak for onions

1)  Put onions in the wine and vinegar.  *1/2 cup of sweet white wine (Reisling)
*1/2 cup of white balsamic vinegar  (reg. color will do just fine) Make sure the onions are covered.

2)  Add salt and toss.

2 TBSP butter
 1/2 of  a small  green cabbage shredded about 3 to 4 cups
1/2 of a  purple cabbage shredded about 3 to 4 cups
1 large softball sized white onion sliced thin (*soak in vinegar & wine . See amounts below.)
1 small baseball sized purple onion sliced thin (*soak in  vinegar & wine.  See amounts below.)
1 tsp of fennel seeds
*1/2 cup of sweet white wine (Reisling)
*1/2 cup of white balsamic vinegar  (reg. color will do just fine)
1 tsp. of salt for the vinegar and wine
1 TBSP orange blossom water (I get this in a bottle at the Mid. Eastern produce store.  I think one could get a similar effect by grating a 1/4 tsp. of orange rind.)
s/p to taste




1)  Melt the butter but do not let in brown.
2)   Drain and save wine and vinegar from cabbage and add cabbage to pan.  Stir to coat cabbage and wilt over med heat.
3)   Add the onion and continue to stir.
4)   Push all the cabbage and onion to the sides of the pan and add the fennel seeds to the middle of the pan. Cook for about 3 to 4 min.
5)  Now stir the seeds into the cabbage and onion.
6)   Add all of the liquids. (The wine and vinegar that you saved from soaking the onions are the liquids.)
7)  Reduce the heat and cook stirring occasionally. Cabbage should still have a little crunch.
8)  Taste and adjust seasonings.

Fresh Beet Salad

      I  love salads!!!   Hot, room temp, cold, veggie, pasta, main dish,  side, seafood salads are all fantastic additions to any meal or a meal in themselves. I have been re-evaluating my diet lately.  I realized that at one time in my life I gravitated towards salads.  They were the first things I was allowed to create in my mother's kitchen and my dad claimed I never made the same salad twice.  I have decided to go back to the way I used to eat.  I think this is a good time in my life to come back around to this way of eating.  With this in mind, I am going to record some of my favorite salads   The first one has morphed into the one I will share today.  The original used lemon and oil as a dressing.  It is still delicious but I like this one ever so much more. See what you think.  This recipe makes 4 servings with a little leftover for lunch the next day.
   
6 beets the size of baseballs ( Save the tops)
juice of 1 large lime (not key lime) 1/4 cup more or less
1 can of corn no salt  (fresh is better but I didn't have any)
1 cup Greek yogurt
3 green onions sliced on the diagonal green and white parts
1/4 of parsley coarsely chopped.
s/p to taste

1. Wash and  put beets w/o the tops into a pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for about 5-7  min. Sharp knife should be able to pierce through the beet.
2.  Cool.  Then peel skin.  The skin should just rub off.  If it doesn't it really doesn't matter if it doesn't more fiber!
3.   Cut the beets into cubes.  (In half then halves into 1/3 and then cut into cubes.)
4.   In another bowl mix the yogurt and the lime.  Pour over the beets and mix.
5.  Add corn, onions and parsley.
6.  Taste and add salt and pepper.
7.  You can chop up the beet greens and add to the salad.   This is an individual preference.  I love beet greens!

Japanese Cooking Made Easy

     My husband is the Athletic Director at Monte Vitsa and he hired Kinomi.  She is the trainer.  Because the District pays her so little, we decided long ago to buy her breakfast every Sunday after we go to mass as often as she is able to meet us.  She meets us and we get to feed her before she dashes off to a soccer game rain or snow, sunny day or blustery day.  To say that she is a wonderful trainer and person falls short of how much we have grown to love her. During one of these breakfasts, I asked if she'd be willing to come and teach me a few of her favorite Japanese dishes. She had come to make tamales at my annual "tamalada."  She had enjoyed that very much.  I knew that I would love whatever she taught me.  What a treat!  Kinomi doesn't eat much in the way of meat and especially doesn't like chicken nor cat fish.  (Funny story about that.)  But because she knows that we do eat meat, she included some delicious chicken dishes and a ground beef dish.  Like me, she gave me many examples of ways to "change things up." Everything we made was so super easy and quick.  She says that this is food that we would find in a home not necessarily in a restaurant.
     The ingredients were easy to find and nothing was so unusual that one would have to go to a specialty store.  This kind of cooking is very affordable and super fast.  Nothing about it is fussy or pretentious.  Kinomi said that this would be food that would be served family style and most definitely considered "home cooking."  That is not to say that one could not kick any of these dishes up a notch.


     I am going to start with the way I would serve this meal next time I make it.  I am going to begin with the soup.  Normally, Miso soup is a hot salty soup with no umph.  Today's Miso was very good.  You'll see in a minute that a "mother's " touch made this soup a stand out. One could sprinkle tofu as well as the green onion to garnish this soup.

Miso Soup

Miso paste
4 cups of boiling water
2 to 3 TBSP Miso paste
kale rough cut about 2 cups  (cabbage, or spinach can be substituted)
2 eggs whisked
1 green onion cut on the diagonal into very thin slivers.  Use white and green parts of the onion.

Reduce the water to a simmer.
1. Using a ladle, fill it with a TBSP of the miso paste.
2.  Dip the ladle into the water and  using a tsp.  stir until  the miso is dissolved in the ladle.  Dump that into the water.
3.  Do this again at least twice more.  Taste and see if more paste is needed.
4,  Pour the eggs onto the back of the ladle which is suspended over the simmering water.  Stir the egg into ribbons.
5.  Serve with a garnish of green onion.

     My next course would be the eggplant salad.  That's what I called it because it can be served at room temp or cold.  Man is this good.  Kinomi says when her mom makes this, she makes Kinomi her own dish.  It is that good.

Nasuno tsu yuzuke

sesame oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet  (This oil imparts a nuttiness that is essential.)
6 smallish Japanese eggplant cut lengthwise in thin slices
1 green onion sliced into thin diagonal slices
juice of 1 whole lemon
1 tsp.fresh grated ginger  (Must be fresh ginger.)
1/2 to 3/4 of a cup Mentsuyu sauce
1/4 cup of water

1.  Saute eggplant in the skillet.  Turn when just golden around the edges.  Kinomi uses chop sticks to turn the eggplant.  I used tongs.  :)
2. In a flatish dish with a bit of a lip, place all of the eggplant, onion, lemon juice and ginger.  Toss to coat.
3.  In a bowl, mix the Mentsuyu sauce and water.  Taste.  If too salty add more water.  If not flavorful enough add more Mentsuyu.
4.  Pour over the eggplant.  Let cool completely or refrigerate until serving.


     My next dish would be Nikujaba.  This is so very tasty and so delicious.  It will remind you of many dishes you have eaten at home. Kinomi says the flavor improves as it sits.  And she claims it's best if eaten the next day.

Nikujaba
oil to coat the bottom of the skillet
1 lb ground beef  leaner is better
4 medium sized  russet potatoes cut into chunks
1 cup of diced  white onion
5 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP Mirin
2TBSP cooking sake
some water

1.  Brown the beef.
2. Add the potatoes and onions
3.  When everything has been added, taste the sauce.  Adjust by adding water if too salty.
4.  Reduce heat and let simmer with lid off for about 20 min. until potatoes are soft but not mushy.
5.  The longer this sits in the sauce the tastier but be careful not to let the potatoes get mushy.

     I would end this meal with the chicken.  She did not give it a name but it was very good and fast cooking.  I could see eating this on a picnic cold. Very simple and very good.

preheat heaven to 375

3 lbs of chicken wings tips of the wings cut off
3 cloves of grated garlic
juice of 1 lemon
enough soy sauce to cover the chicken in a single layer in a pan.
2 or 3 tsp of sesame seeds

1.  Wash and cut off the tips of the chicken wings.
2. Coat the wings in the garlic, onion and soy sauce.
3.  Let marinate for at least 30 min. or overnight.
4.  Put on a foil covered baking dish.  Cook for 30 min at 375.   15 on one side 15 on the other.  Check to make sure liquid is clear.
5. While still in the oven, last few minutes sprinkle with sesame seeds.