Suzee's Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Last Monday was President's day - I woke up late and lazy - isn't that what holidays are for??

Fresh Direct had broccoli on sale - 1 bunch for $1.99 and 2 bunches for $3. And it was time to do something with it! I love broccoli cheese soup, and lately I've been avoiding prepared soups as they have WAY too much salt for me. I've been looking forward to this soup for a while :)

I took all the broccoli, and peeled the stems (peel them well to get down to the soft inner core), and chopped them up. I added them to a dutch oven.

I had 2 quart containers of homemade chicken stock (read - no salt at all), and I added that frozen, along with one can of fat free low salt chicken broth, and cooked the broccoli very very well done.

Of course the frozen stock melted and I took a stick blender to all that broccoli. It took a little time, but I managed to get all those pieces blended up :)

I added a t onion poweder, 1 t garlic powder, 2 t sea salt and 1 t of fresh ground pepper. I also added a cup of shredded cheddar, and mixed it all up.

I served it in mugs with a dollop of low fat sour cream - and it was delicious!!

Looking back, I think I would serve the cheese as a garnish rather than stirring it in - one cup compared to all that broccoli and stock meant you couldn't taste it as clearly as you'd like. I don't want to add more, I want to taste more :)

Let me know how it goes for you! Enjoy!

Suzee's Roasted Asparagus

These lovely roasted spears are enhanced by a sprinkling of sharp cheddar cheese. My friend Suzanne used to roast asparagus in a little oil with freshly grated parmesan cheese grated over the tips. She has many wonderful dishes, and if you get the opportunity to partake in a dinner she has made, don't miss it!

I make her version frequently, but decided the other day to shake it up a bit and see how this might taste.

Wash and snap the ends off a bunch of asparagus, and roll them in some olive oil. Lay them in a sheet pan in a single layer, and roast for 15 minutes or so at 350. Pull them from the oven, and add shredded sharp cheddar cheese to cover the tips. Continue roasting for another 15 minutes. Delicious! The cheddar is surprisingly a more flavorful cheese in this preparation - perhaps because the shreds are larger, so more cheese is used overall. Whatever the reason, it is a heartier flavor, and quite tasty. I think Suzanne would approve.

Suzee's White Bean Puree

I was reading facebook entries, and since I "like" Food and Wine, I saw the entry about "What's for dinner tonight" referencing baked chicken, roasted brussel sprouts and white bean puree. It reminds me of my own 30 minute meal entry, as I cook the meat and veg this way frequently. So what I honed in on was the white bean puree.

I recently started cooking with cannellini beans. They are smooth, and delicate, and delicious. What drew me into this recipe as well was the use of dried rosemary. Every time I use dried rosemary, I'm never pleased. The flavor is flat, the needles are hard, and I find it interrupts my enjoyment of whatever I'm making. So, you think, why would you want to make this recipe? The method used to freshen the rosemary - you simmer the needles in olive oil for 3 minutes prior to mixing into the beans. Hmmm...maybe that could work.

Nope.

That doesn't mean this recipe is a failure. Just that I'd recommend minced fresh rosemary instead. Rick really liked it, and it is really nice hot, warm or room temp, so a great appetizer or snick snack with raw or roasted veggies, or crackers.

Here is my version:

1 T fresh minced rosemary
1 T fresh minced thyme
4 or 5 fat garlic cloves, minced
2T olive oil

In a saucepan on low heat, combine  these ingredients, and let simmer for 5 minutes.

2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 C white wine
1/2 C water
1/4 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground pepper

Add these ingredients to the saucepan, and start mashing with a potato masher to create a smooth combined dip. If your beans are resistant, feel free to pull out your food processor or mini food chopper to make your puree. Also a stick blender would work.

Once the mixture is hot, and smooth, move to a serving dish, and pour a tablespoon or so of the most flavorful finishing olive oil you own. It is quite amazing how the fruitiest of olive oils makes such a difference in this dish.

I had some long thin organic carrots I roasted peeled but whole, and they were just fabulous dippers for this nutritious dish. I recommend trying the roasted carrots as your dipper  - they too are great hot, warm or room temp, so it would be a great finger food dish to serve with cocktails.

Enjoy!

Suzee's Peas and Onions with Champagne Cream Sauce

We went to the Indian Lake Potluck Thanksgiving this year, and Rick was hoping for some peas and onions. Usually we just buy them frozen, but here in South TX there was not even a package of frozen onions to be had.

I did find some raw pearl onions and figured, what the heck - lets try and make some from scratch.

I blanched the onions for 3 - 4 minutes to get the skins off (3 ten ounce packages). I figured out early on that if you leave the root end attached, and slice off the other end, you can pretty easily peel off the outter layer and slice it off the onion. I tried the "slip the skins off" method, but my onions were not cooperating.

In a stock pot I added about a 1/2 cup of flour and 3 or 4 T of butter. I stirred them together to make a roux and continued stirring as they cooked on medium for 2 - 3 minutes. I added a can of low sodium chicken broth, and whisked this together until smooth. Next I added 1/2 bottle of Asti Spumanti (Mom's fave for a holiday). Once it stopped bubbling from the carbination, I simmered it a bit to allow it to thicken. Maybe 5 or 10 minutes. I added some salt and freshly ground pepper, and I'll tell you the sauce tasted pretty gosh darn good at this point, so I added back the onions and also added 2 lbs of frozen peas. I let the the veggies simmer for about 10 minutes. After that I added about 1/2 - 3/4 cup half and half, and heated it through. I added more salt and pepper at this point as after the cream addition, it definitely needed some adjustments.

I consider this recipe a success - the 25 or so folks at the pot luck enjoyed them, as did Rick. Next time though I think I would make these adjustments.

Add the peas at the end, so they stay a nice bright green.
Consider going without the cream at all - the sauce was really nice even without it.
Add some tarragon to the mix - I think that would really make it special.

If you try this recipe, let me know how it goes! Enjoy!

Suzee's Sweet and Salty Broccoli Salad

I went to the store to get some crudite for the game. I was feeling low on veggies, and I thought that would fit the bill. I walked to D'Agastino's and was absolutely disgusted by the offerings. Every colored pepper was shriveled (and $7.99/lb), and the celery was brown with rot (and $3.99/lb). Heavy Sigh... I moved to the bagged salads - the delicate lettuces were also rotting, despite the fact the use by date was 6 days in the future.

Then I saw the last bag of broccoli slaw, and it was in good shape! OK - I can work with this. Here is what I did:


1 12 oz package of broccoli slaw shreds
1 crisp red apple
a big handful of grapes (a heavy cup)

1/2 cup olive oil mayonaise
1/3 cup (or so) apple cider vinegar
2 packets of splenda (or a few spoons of sugar)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 T salty sunflower seeds

In a big bowl, dump the package of broccoli slaw in.
Chop the apple in julienne slices, and add to the bowl.
Cut the grapes in quarters, and add to the bowl.

In a small bowl, add the mayo, vinegar and sweetener. Mix with a fork or whisk. Initially it will look lumpy or perhaps curdled, but keep stirring - it will become smooth. Add this dressing to the broccoli mixture. Season with salt and pepper, and toss the salad well. It will seem  like there is not enough dressing, but keep tossing, and it will be enough to coat everything lightly.

Serve on 4 plates, and sprinkle 1T of sunflower seeds on each serving.

Enjoy!

Suzee's Roasted Coleslaw

You all know my desire for quick and painless weeknight meals, and in my opinion, a meal doesn't count unless veggies are included. This is one of our favorite sides. Easy to make, and cabbage has a nice full life in the fridge :) This dish will surprise you with it's fresh sweet taste - be sure to try these ribbons of love!

Ingredients:

1/2 head of green cabbage

1 large sweet onion

1.5T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven - this dish is so forgiving you can do it on many heats, just change the timing.

If at 450, roast for 15 minutes

If at 400, roast for 25 minutes

If at 350, roast for 45 minutes

Core and slice the cabbage in to strips, separating them in to ribbons

Peel and thinly slice the onion from root to tip so they also resemble ribbons.

Roll the cabbage and onions on a sheet pan in the olive oil. Top with salt and pepper.

You don't have to line with foil, but I do to limit clean up needed.

Once you taste this side dish, you will appreciate the beauty of this photo! Enjoy!

Cumin Scented Carrot Salad

My sweety Rick asked me to make a slaw this week. Then he clarified he wanted a carrot slaw. With raisins (eeuuww!). I looked at about a dozen recipes on line, and considered my girlfriend Ann's Mom's fruit cole slaw (haven't got that recipe yet). I thought about using my regular slaw dressing, but I was kind of in the mood for something else. So I mixed and tasted and added stuff until I had something I liked - raisins and all! Give this one a try - quite tasty and low calorie.




2 lbs carrots, peeled and grated
a few handfuls of raisins - about a cup
a 6 oz can of pineapple tidbits
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
3 T good olive oil

Add the carrot shreds and raisins to the bowl - try to separate the raisins so you don't have big raisin clumps.

Pour the juice from the pineapple in a bowl to make the dressing. Add the spices, lemon juice and olive oil.

Dice the pineapple bits and add to the carrot mixture.

Pour the dressing in to the salad and toss.

Enjoy!

Suzee's Tortelini Salad

I don't often make pasta salad. It's one of those white things "they" say you should stay away from. I was thinking about my cousin Ginny's Tortelini salad that she used to make for family picnics, and figured I'd whip it up. I was even going to call it Ginny's salad, but then I started adding things, and before I knew it, I'd lost the simplicity I'd been craving.
I wasn't going to post this one, but surprisingly enough, Rick really liked it. So, here you go.

1 lb frozen tortelini, cooked to package directions
1 European cucumber, diced
1 pint grape tomatos, diced
1 bulb fennel, diced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 T good olive oil
1/4 c light newman's own balsamic vinegrette

Dice all the veggies while the tortelini is cooking. Once you drain the pasta, toss it in the olive oil to prevent it from getting gummy and sticking together while you finish chopping.

Dump all the veggies in the bowl with the pasta and dress with Newman's Own dressing, and toss.

Voila - chopped veggie pasta salad!

Rick's Favorite Cole Slaw

Rick loves my cole slaw. I will make a huge bowl of it, and it is one of the things he will actually get out of the refrigerator for himself as a snack (versus me getting it out for dinner). I base this cole slaw on my mom's version, just substituting splenda for sugar. Because Rick is so fond of it, I did try making it with lots of different types of vinegars, sweetners and ingredients. This is his favorite, and I'm glad it is one of those things you can keep in the fridge for a few days - easily - although he does tend to make it disappear pretty quickly :)

Here is how to obtain the perfect final result.

For the salad part:

1 small green cabbage, or half a big one (I used half of a 6 lb cabbage - I know, who knew they grew that big?)

3 medium carrots (about a 1/2 lb)

1/2 a baseball sized vidalia onion

Peel the outter limp leaves from the cabbage and toss. Cut the cabbage in to 8ths (or 4th's if using a half cabbage - you know what I mean - something so the strips are bite sized), and slice it as thinly as you can across the grain, to make thin ribbons.

Peel and nip the top and tails of the carrots, and grate them on the large holes of a box grater.

Chop the onion fairly finely, but don't go crazy over it.

Toss everything in to an extra large bowl. I have a big stainless steel one for making big salads like this - I'll guess it's 24 quarts - I like to have some room to toss everything around.

Dressing:

3 glops of mayo - I use the helmann's olive oil mayo (which in addition to tasting good, is almost 1/2 the calories). Each glop is about 1/4 cup.

3 glugs of apple cider vinegar - about 3 T

3 packets of splenda (or 3 T of sugar, or 2 T of honey or 1.5 packets of sweet 'n low)

Mix well with a fork - if you see what looks like curdles, don't be afraid - just keep mixing and they will go away :)

Toss the salad with the dressing - I use 2 forks - it moves all that stuff around and distributes the ingredients.

Then bring the first bowl to Rick - he is always up for some good slaw!

Suzee's Crunchy Watermelon Cucumber Salad

For Michele and Dave's party, I made this fresh salad inspired by Tyler Florence. It came out even better than I thought it would. But darn - no photo. Guess I'll have to make it again sometime :)

1 roll of paper towels - you won't use them all, but you'll need them!
2 Cups cucumber, peeled, deseeded, chopped and dried on paper towels
4 Cups watermelon, cubed, and dried on paper towels
1/2 C thinly sliced sweet red onion, set in water for 10 mins or so to cut the bite, and dried on paper towels
1/2 C packed mint leaves, chopped
1 cup goat cheese crumbles
1/2 cup salty cashews
Juice of 1 lemon - if you have a microplane, grate the zest in too
2 or 3 T of really good olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put everything in a big bowl from the cucumber to the mint, and give it a gentle toss. Add the cashews, lemon juice and zest, olive oil and s&p, and toss again. Top with the cheese. I tried tossing the cheese in, but it was too hot out and it just melted into the dressing. You will be surprised and pleased with this fresh side dish. Don't make it way ahead unless you keep it all separate and then combine at the end.

Enjoy!

Suzee's Kitchen Sink Chopped Salad

I got my order from Fresh Direct at 7:15 this morning, and I'd gotten some fresh radishes and green beans. I was anxious to make a chopped salad - it's so nice to just have it there waiting for us at the end of the day! I wasn't sure how it was going to end up, but after eating some, I can tell you it's tasty!

Here's how I made it:

Clean a big bunch of radishes, cut in half and slice

Clean a pound of green beans. Steam for 2 or 3 minutes, and run cold water over them to stop the cooking. Cut into manageable lengths.

Wash and cut a pint of grape tomatoes

Wash and chop a 1/2 of a european cucumber (leave the skin on - I love the color)

Wash and chop an orange bell pepper

Let a cup of super sweet frozen corn come to room temp

Add all the ingredients to a big bowl, and toss.

For the dressing, add a 1/2 C of mayo and a 1/2 cup of buttermilk with a heaping table spoon of ranch dressing spice. Mix it all together, and pour it right on the chopped salad, and toss.

Enjoy!

Doctored Up Fresh Direct Macaroni Salad

I bought some macaroni deli salad from Fresh Direct. Normally I don't get deli salads - they are never as good as what you make at home. But, I had bought some Chicken Curry Salad, and it was *really* good. So good I bought it again the next week, and tried this macaroni salad.

Well, it was an experiment. The salad was made with what seemed like mayo, elbow macaroni, and a few carrot shreds. Very bland and very over dressed. I seriously think there was more mayo than macaroni.

So today, after reading a bit of Skinnygirl Dish, I took Bethenny's idea of use what you have. I figured adding chopped cucumber would water down the mayo and loosen it up a bit. And I like many more veggies in my macaroni salad, so I chopped up a carrot, a couple celery stalks, half a cucumber and a 6 oz bag of radishes and added it to the mix. It's still not as good as homemade, but it's a lot better than it was :)

Suzee's 30 Minute Meals

I love watching Rachel Ray – I think she makes cooking very accessible for many folks who may not try some of the cuisines, spices or combination. Lots of people say that watching Food TV is Food Porn. I disagree. Life is to short to have meatloaf every Monday night of your life, and Spaghetti and Meatballs every Wednesday.

But her meals always take me longer than 30 minutes. Mostly because I count the very important part that she doesn’t. The Clean Up. I hate cleaning, but I hate a dirty kitchen even more. Cooking on a weeknight should be no more than 30 minutes of active time in the kitchen, and that to me includes what happens after you eat.
There are key pieces of equipment required for Suzee’s 30 minute meals.

The first is a heavy professional sheet pan. I almost always use the sheet pan for my 30 minute meals.

And I line my pan with tin foil. (note to self – I have now removed the need to wash my pan – that’s worth 5 minutes right there).

I also judiciously use my dishwasher. I will put everything that I think will possibly come clean in it. The good news is my dishwasher is freaking amazing. When I do the remodel the kitchen, I sure hope I’m able to afford a dishwasher that actually heats the water and steams the dishes prior to washing them. I hope they still make such a luxury.

I have kitchen shears which come apart and go in the dishwasher. I use these to cut open the vacuum locked meats I usually get from Fresh Direct, and to open veggie packages. I wash them after every use. I got them from my Cutco Sales Kit I bought at least 25 years ago when I was a kid trying to make a buck. Really good shears if you have a kid in your neighborhood trying to make a buck.

I have a pair of OXO tongs and an OXO spatula– both get tossed in the dishwasher and come out gorgeous after I’ve used them to remove roasted meats and veggies from the pan.

I have a porcelain oven to table dish – simple white, and whether I serve in it or bake/broil in it, the dishwasher always makes it clean. It may not be shatterproof like corning wear, but I’d rather have the easy clean anyday.

So those are my tools.

My 30 minute meals are simple, generally involving a 350 degree oven, some protein and some fresh vegetable.

Proteins include boneless, skinless chicken breast (25 min), pork tenderloin (20 min at 400) or white fish (10 min at 400). The point here is simple protein, off the bone for quick cooking. I add one of the myriad of spices out there to make it taste a little different from the last time. McCormick’s Montreal Roasted Garlic Chicken Spice is a favorite on Pork, Tarragon and garlic powder is tasty on chicken, and to fish I’ll add a bit of Jamaican Jerk seasoning. Or I’ll add a relish or sauce, such as salsa, cilantro cream sauce or jarred marinara sauce (heated gently in an easily rinsed out and dishwashed pan) at the end just before serving.

On my tinfoil lined sheet pan, I’ll add a veggie – lately it’s be asparagus, or brussel sprouts, or broccoli, or cabbage ribbons, or onion, or fennel, or zucchini – or some combination there of. Sprinkle a bit of olive oil on and roll it about a bit, and add either a dusting of parmesan cheese or sea salt. The veggies are done in 20 min in 400 degree oven or 30 in a 350 oven. Notice all these choices stay pretty well in the fridge for a few days. If I add a sweet potato or butternut squash, I pre-bake in the microwave so it’s at least ½ - ¾ of the way done (5 min on high or so), and bake them with the other parts of the dinner on the sheet pan.

So – most times I’m able to plop it all on the pan, and go enjoy a cocktail with my feet up for the next 30 minutes or so. Prep is less than 10 minutes. When it comes out, I let the meat rest while I set the table ( 5 min), and then I slice and serve on the individual plates for the meat, and add a home style bowl if there are more veggies than our luncheon plates can really hold.

After we eat, it’s maybe 5 minutes to rinse plates and fill the dishwasher, and put away anything ( like that sheet pan) that needs put away. This includes prepping the coffeemaker for tomorrow.

Should I rename this entry to Suzee’s 20 minute meals? Nah – I like it when you think you got a time bargain :)

Suzee's Goddess Potatoes

These crispy delights have been a specialty I've shared for a number of years. I started making them in college when friends came over for brunch, or to serve with a great grilled steak. They are simple and delicious, and everyone (except my friend Ann's husband Mike) loves them. Mike's not a fan of tarragon like me :)



Slice up 6 potatoes, skins on
Roll the potatoes in 1 to 1.5 Tb olive oil
Sprinkle liberally with sea salt, garlic powder and tarragon
Roast at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.
Sprinkle with more sea salt, serve and enjoy!

Mom's Potato Salad

I'd been having a craving. It's getting all hot and muggy, and I wanted some summer food. Potato salad - though fattening as hell - was calling my name! So today I broke down and made it :)



1 net bag of new potatoes (2 pounds)

1/2 a medium onion diced (I used a vidalia since that's what I had on hand)

4 or 5 cornichons (or baby dill ghergins - same diff) diced

6 or 7 hard boiled eggs

a heavy cup of mayo (to taste)

a tablespoon or 2 of French's yellow mustard

a 1/2 teaspoon or so of salt

Rinse the potatoes well and put 'em on to boil. Don't cook them too long - you don't want them to fall apart - just long enough so they are cooked.

Cut the potatoes in bite sized pieces.

Cut the eggs so they are just a little smaller than the potatoes.

The onion and pickles should be about the same size dice.


As you cut up the ingredients, drop them in your VBB (very big bowl). Then add the mayo, mustard, and salt. Fold it all together so you don't rip the skins off the potatoes, and separate all the yolks from the whites.

Have a bowl while the potatoes are still warm - cook's treat :)


Put it all in the fridge ASAP so none of those nasty bacteria start multiplying in that warm potato goodness, and it will last as long as there is some left. I've never had it go bad - it gets eaten too fast! Course when Mom made it, it was a double batch and only lasted a couple days.

Potatoes Au Gratin a la Suzee

Today is Valentine's Day, and Rick and I decided to stay in figuring that the city restaurants would be full of people trying to make a spark or remember romance, and there would be lots of bumping and expensive drinks. It's my gift to him, and our anniversary is coming up soon, so we'll be heading to One if by Land, Two if by Sea for that lovely occasion (5 years, can you believe it?). So creating a lovely romantic evening at home is nice :)

Rick brought home some steaks yesterday, and a nice little heart shaped cheese cake. I asked him what he would like along with the steaks, and he paused. Potatoes au gratin. OK. I haven't made these in a while, but hey, I'm game. He really wasn't too interested in a vegetable, but I picked up some spinach. Gotta have something healthy.

I perused the web and saw this blog posting. I remembered that I have my Betty Crocker with me :) This blogger also had an entry for the Barefoot Contessa's Chicken with Forty Cloves. I have that book, but it's in storage. At any rate it gave me an idea. Rick and I love roasted garlic (so nutty and sweet!), and this dish bakes for a total of an hour and 40 minutes. So, I decided to add in a few fat cloves which I sliced to the dish. And, I substituted smoked gouda for the sharp cheddar, and added more onions.

So here is the recipe:

4 cups sliced potatoes (1/8th of an inch thick - a manoline is helpful if you have one - I left the skins on - gotta get some fiber into my sweety)

1 large onion peeled and sliced (same 1/8th inch setting)

6 or 7 fat cloves of garlic peeled and sliced

1/2 stick of butter (1/4 cup)

1T flour

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups whole milk

2 cups shredded smoked gouda

1/4 cup fine bread crumbs (I used a stale piece of crusty bread whizzed up in the food processor)

paprika

Slice up the potatoes and layer them in an ungreased 1.5 quart dish.

Slice up the onions.

Melt the butter on medium low in a pot, and add the onions, salt and pepper.

As the onions cook, peel and slice the garlic. Add that to the pot.

Add the flour and stir it around for a minute or 2 to cook the flour.

Add the milk and all but a 1/2C of the cheese and stir continuously until it starts to bubble. Keep in on the heat and keep stirring for another minute or so to thicken.

Pour the cheese mixuture on to the potatoes.

Pop the potatoes onto a cookie sheet (to catch spills) and put it all in the oven at 325 for 1 hour 20 minutes uncovered.

Mix the breadcrumbs and the remaining cheese.

Once the potatoes are done, pull them out and sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top. Pop them back in for another 20 minutes.

Voila - Potatoes Au Gratin a la Suzee :)

Dinner was very delicious - these potatoes are most amazing with beef. Enjoy!

Riced Cauliflower

I learned about this rice substitute when reading Living Low Carb by Fran McCollough. This was the first low carb book I ever read, and I enjoyed the foodie perspective and the amazing ideas, like this rice.

Take a head of cauliflower, run it through your medium shredding disk in the food processor - the result looks like rice :) The key to riced cauliflower is to be sure that you don't over cook it - then it will be mush - you want it to be cooked but have a little bite so it acts more like rice :) I usually nuke it in a large pyrex measuring cup for 4 minutes or so. Also, I cook it as I need it - I rice the whole cauliflower, then keep raw "rice" in the fridge until time to cook it (unless it's incorporated in a casserole).

The bonus is that a cup of brown rice is 218 calories and a cup of cauliflower rice is 25 calories!

Suzee's Low Carb Zucchini and Rice Casserole I

I found a couple recipes that inspired this one. I made it for Rick and it was pretty good, but much better a day or 2 later :) I have some ideas for the next version, which is why I named this one version one! Even if you are not eating low carb, this is a nice low calorie dish too.

4 cups sliced zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup "riced" cauliflower
1/2 cup 2% cheddar cheese
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
1 clove garlic minced
1 egg and 2 egg whites beaten
cooking spray

Preheat oven 350.
Put the zucchini and onion in a pan and sautee until tender.
Use a potato masher to mash slightly.
Combine the "rice", cheddar, sour cream, 2T parmesean and eggs.
Stir some of the zucchini mixture into the egg mixture to temper it, then add all of it.
Spray an 8x8 pan, and pour the mixture in.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle the remainder of the parmesean on the casserole.
Serves 4 :)

Roast Pork and Sour Kraut

Happy New Year!

Given everything going on with the economy, I decided I needed to follow the advice of my father's German born family. Eat pork and sour kraut on New Years Day for a prosperous new year!

Reading other blogs and web sites, it seems the southerners really go for the black eyed peas for a prosperous new year - one food network chef has what she calls a "Money Salad" which is not too unlike my chopped salad. But nobody seems to be talking about the pork and sour kraut tradition. When I was growning up, my mom kindly made all different preparations of pork and sour kraut every New Years day. As kids we only had to have one small bite of the sour kraut, but you know kids. Even a small bite came with lots of whining and complaining. One year my mom even went so far as to make a chocolate sour kraut bundt cake. It was pretty good too, as I remember. The kraut reminded me of coconut as really you just had the texture at that point. Now, why didn't people say you could have German Chocolate Cake for a prosperous new year??

I ordered a boneless roast from Fresh Direct. They sent me this enormous piece of meat. I rinsed it and spread some olive oil over the top. Then I crumbled some of the rosemary and thyme from my herb wreath I bought at the Union Square Farmers Market. I used quite a bit as I have lots - probably a couple of sprigs of each. The flavors together were divine. I'm not a huge rosemary fan, but when it is paired with thyme it has a whole different flavor. I roasted the meat for an hour, and then added baby veggies I got from the Grand Central Terminal Market. Baby zucchini, and patty pan squash, and teeny brussel sprouts and hericot vert. They were all bite sized and fun for a holiday. Rick asked for mashed potatoes with sour cream and I made those as well. He liked them a lot! Less calories to add sour cream than to add butter :)

So, hopefully as a result of eating pork and sour kraut, as well as love and luck, we'll have a prosperous New Year. Hope you do too!

Tomato Feta Salad

I came up with this recipe because I don't really care for caprese salad. I don't actually like basil, and I think that mozzerella cheese (fresh or not) is tasteless. This salad is the ultimate to me in flavor. It must be mixed *just* before you serve it. If you toss it early, the vinegar will breakdown the tomatoes and it will be ugly and mushy. But - tossing it just before you put it on the table - everyone will ask for the recipe :)

- Sweet beefsteak type tomatoes - like the variety Tomato Glamour - fresh from the garden - cut in bite sized pieces
- Crumbled Feta cheese
- the best balsalmic vinegar you can afford

I mix the tomatoes and feta at a ratio of about 5 parts tomato to 1 part feta. Drizzle with vinegar just a little heavier than you would for a green salad.

That's it! Such an easy side, especially if you have a few tomato plants and you have tomatoes coming out your ears. The feta cheese is salty already, so you don't need more salt. If you favor black pepper, you could try some - black pepper is not my thing, but maybe you'll like it. Try it without to start.

Enjoy!