Ratatouille

1-23-15

Ratatouille is a delicious vegetable dish that can stand alone or be served with protein of your choice. One skillet and one casserole dish are all you need, fairly simple prep and then bake for 45 minutes. I add shredded 6 Italian cheese mix to the top the last few minutes and then serve.

1 eggplant, cubed
2 zucchini, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
3 ribs celery, sliced
1 onion, thin slices (rings)
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional) 
1 cup Parmesan cheese, I like fresh but can use grated
1/2 cup Shredded 6 cheese Italian
3 cloves garlic, grated
2-3 tsp parsley flakes
salt to taste
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of a 2 quart casserole dish with olive oil. 

In skillet, heat about a tbsp of olive oil and add garlic, let garlic start to brown and then add in eggplant and 1 tsp of the parsley flakes. Cook until eggplant starts to turn soft, about 10-15 minutes. Stir often, if starts to stick to pan okay to add a bit more olive oil! Salt to taste.

Put cooked eggplant into bottom of casserole dish, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

Layer with veggies and after each layer add a bit more of the parsley, salt and Parmesan cheese.

Zucchini
Mushrooms
Onions
Bell Pepper
Celery
Tomato

I bake about 45 minutes and then take out and add the shredded cheese to the top and put back in the oven for about 5 minutes or so. Long enough to let the cheese melt.

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Slow cooker beef roast and veggies

1-20-15

Delicious! Had these fantastic carrots to use from my Backyard Produce box and the grocery store had a great bottom round roast on sale and H needed dinner tonight too. This is the end result:

4 lb beef bottom round roast
6 red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced
1 pouch beefy onion soup mixed into 1 cup water
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
4 cloves of garlic peeled and cut in half
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

In bottom of crock pot place potatoes, carrots and celery.

Make slits in top of roast and slide garlic into pouch.

Mix rosemary, marjoram, thyme, onion powder, and paprika and rub into top and side of roast. Sprinkle a bit of it over the vegetables and then place roast on top of vegetables. 

Mix soup mix, water, Worcestershire and red wine together and pour over roast and veggies.

Roast on high 6-8 hours. Meat will fall apart with a fork!

Sprinkle salt and pepper over top and serve.

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Jerk Sausage, Rice, Squash and Beans

1-19-15

This was my attempt to recreate a meal that we ate in Jamaica on our last trip. I had a Smiley360 mission for Seeds of Change that gave me a free coupon to try a pouch of rice and this is where it took me!

1 pouch Seeds of Change Spanish Style Rice
1 15 oz can Mixed beans, heat in small saucepan
1 Beef sausage, sliced
2-3 zucchini peeled and sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
Caribbean jerk spice to taste
1/4 cup water

In large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat and then add sausage. Sprinkle with jerk spice to taste, we like it a bit spicy so I use about 1 teaspoon of medium heat. Cook 3-4 minutes and then turn over so both sides are brown. Drain off most of the grease then add in zucchini. Sprinkle with a bit more jerk spice. Cook 3-4 minutes and add in beans. Stir until mixture begins to bubble. Break up rice (according to package directions) then open pouch and add along with the 1/4 cup water. Stir well so all rice is mixed with liquid. Bring back to slow bubble and serve. Just before serving I added one more sprinkle of jerk and a dash of salt. 

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Pork ribs

1-11-15

Pork ribs. This recipe involves some prep work so definitely a plan ahead meal. I cut the ribs into sections of 3-4 ribs. I made the marinade and put rub on ribs and then let sit in the fridge for about an hour or so. Next, I seared all sides and then made a foil package on baking sheet to slow cook in oven for 3-4 hours. Removed from oven and put into skillet with cooking juices and barbecue sauce. 10 minutes, rest another 10 and serve. Well worth the effort! 

Marinade:
2 cups apple juice or cider
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 green onions diced

Mix marinade in good size pan or bowl with lid. Use something that is large enough for all of the meat to be sitting in the marinade. I usually make about 4 pounds of ribs and that feeds Joe and I with enough left for lunch the next day!

Dry rub base:
2 tsp Caribbean jerk (medium)
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Coriander seed (ground)
2 tsp Garlic powder
2 tsp Smoked paprika
1 tsp Nutmeg

I usually keep this mix already made and use it as a base!

After applying dry rub base to ribs I put them in marinade then sprinkle with parsley flakes, thyme and cilantro. Cover and place in fridge. Store left over rub in air tight container, will keep for months! Will probably use about a third to half of rub.

Sear:
Heat skillet on medium high, add enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan. As soon as oil heats up, add ribs and let sear about 4 minutes on each side. Using tongs turn to get ends seared as well. While searing, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Once seared, place on aluminum foil (shiny side down) on good sized cookie sheet. Fold sides up to form a "pouch" to pour left over marinade in. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper then take another piece of foil and make lid. Be sure to close ends and sides so steam stays inside pouch. Bake at 325 degrees for 3-4 hours. I usually check to see if meat is fork tender after 3 hours. Be careful when you open end of pouch to let steam out so you don't get burnt. Also, make sure side of pouch stays up so liquid doesn't spill out! Trust me on this one!!

Once meat is fork tender you will move back to a skillet to finish off with cooking juices and barbecue sauce. Simmer about ten minutes then remove from heat and let rest for ten minutes before serving. 

My favorite barbecue sauce is one that I learned from Rachael Ray. I make and use this sauce all the time!

1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp coarse ground pepper
2 shots of bourbon 
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 orange

Place all ingredients in saucepan and simmer over medium low about 20 minutes. Be sure to stir sauce every now and then. I have also used grated garlic instead of diced when I use this for burgers.

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Apple Pie

1-6-15

My take on apple pie, took several tries and working with several recipes to come up with this filling and topping! 

I used a 9 inch graham cracker crust and then made an oat streusel topping and served with eater's choice of ice cream and/or whip cream.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

For the pie filling:

4 large apples, I used an apple cutter that gives me 16 slices for this pie I used Golden Delicious apples

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup of finely chopped pecans

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 white sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

lemon zest from half of lemon

juice from 1/2 lemon

2-3 tbsp butter

Mix together in large bowl and make sure all of the slices are well coated with mixture. Put filling into pie pan and sprinkle with juice of 1/2 lemon and then dot with some butter.

Cover with tin foil (loose) and bake for 10 minutes.

For topping:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

lemon zest from other half of lemon

1/2 cup (1 stick) frozen butter

Mix dry ingredients together then add butter and cut in until looks like big crumbs. 

Take pie out of oven and remove foil, reduce heat on oven to 375 degrees! Sprinkle crumbs on top of pie, recover loosely with foil and bake another half hour.

I stored in the fridge and for future servings, warmed in microwave for about 30 seconds!

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