a little of each

A family's cookbook

Roasted Summery Vegetables March 29, 2013

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:37 pm
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I made this constantly one semester during graduate school. It would be wonderful with warmed goat cheese on crostini.

 

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into 1-inch pieces

1-2 yellow squash, sliced into circles, then halved

1-2 leeks, rinsed and sliced (white and light green parts only)

4 oz mushrooms, halved

1 Tbl olive oil

2-3 Tbl balsamic vinegar

1 Tbl Italian Seasonings (herb mixture: oregano, thyme, basil, etc.)

salt and pepper

 

Directions

Toss in a casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Toss again and bake for another ten minutes or so. All quanities can be altered according to taste.

 

Other variation:  add fresh halved tomatoes and cilantro with a little cumin sprinkled on top. Omit the Italian Seasonings.

 

Squash Casserole

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:35 pm
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From “Paula Deen & Friends Cookbook.” Serves eight.

 

This side dish was served with the grilled pork tenderloins for Nana Betty’s birthday in 2005.

 

Ingredients

6 medium summer squash
1 small onion, chopped
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
½ cup mayonnaise
10 soda crackers, crumbled

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 Tbl butter, melted

salt and pepper

 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8 inch square dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Cut the squash into ¼-inch slices. Place the squash and onion in about 2 inches of salted water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the squash is very tender, about 10 – 12 minutes. Drain the squash. In the same pot, mash the squash and onion with a fork; you should have about 2 cups of cooked squash. Add ½ cup of the cheese, the mayonnaise, and the crumbled soda crackers. Stir in the egg and butter. Taste; add salt and pepper as needed. Pour into prepared baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly.

 

Tortilla Slaw

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:33 pm
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From Firebird’s Restaurant via Aunt Doris via Stephanie

Ingredients

4 cups shredded coleslaw veggies (combination of green, red and Napa cabbages along with carrots and green onion)
2 cups tri-colored fried tortilla strips*
1 Tbl chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
¾ cup Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Combine all ingredients, tossing gently to coat evenly.  Serve immediately!

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ cup cider vinegar
3 Tbl honey
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbl minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
½ cup olive oil
½ cup vegetable oil

In a blender or food processor combine lime juice, vinegar, honey, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper.  Blend until well-combined.  With machine running, slowly pour in the oils and blend until emulsified.  Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.  Before serving, allow to return to room temperature and whisk or shake to re-emulsify.  Toss with slaw and serve right away.  Ole!
*  Take nine corn tortillas (use red, blue, and yellow – very festive looking) and cut into julienne strips.  Deep fry in 350 degree oil just until crisp – about one minute.  Drain well.

 

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:30 pm
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From “Miriam’s Kitchen.”

 

Ingredients

1 red cabbage (~5 lbs)

½ cup margarine or olive oil

salt and pepper

1 tsp nutmeg

3 Tbl white vinegar

3 Tbl brown sugar

½ cup white raisins

½ cup dried currants

2 cups peeled apples, diced small

 

Directions

Cut away the core of the cabbage and shred crudely. Heat the fat in a large saucepan. Add the cabbage. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the vinegar, sugar, raisins, currants and apples. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring a bit. Cook, covered, for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. If desired, add more nutmeg and brown sugar to taste.

 

Skillet Red Cabbage

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:29 pm
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Ingredients

1 large purple onion, sliced and separated into rings

¼ cup butter, melted

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 lbs red cabbage, cored and coarsely shredded

¼ cup red wine vinegar

3 Tbl sugar

 

Directions

Sauté the onion in the butter in a large skillet until tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook the onion 15 minutes more until caramelized, stirring often. Toss shredded cabbage with vinegar and sugar. Gradually add to the onion in the skillet, stirring well. Cover and cook over medium heat 25 minutes or until cabbage is tender. Serve warm.

 

Betty White’s Mexican Quiche

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:25 pm
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From the Bakery Lane Soup Bowl cookbook

Ingredients

1 10-inch unbaked pie shell
2 Tbl butter, melted
8 oz cream cheese, diced
2 (4-oz) cans green chilies, drained
5 eggs
1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ tsp salt
dash pepper
1 cup Mexican blend cheese, shredded

Directions

Brush pie shell with butter and arrange cream cheese over the bottom. Chill until butter is set. Meanwhile, spread chilies on paper towels to drain thoroughly. If whole chilies are used, chop coarsely. Combine eggs, cream and seasonings; beat until blended.  Sprinkle chilies over cream cheese in pie shell and top with shredded cheese. Pour egg mixture evenly over all. Bake in pre-heated (425 degree) oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

 

Ricotta Spinach Pie

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:22 pm
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Ingredients

1 refrigerated piecrust

1 tsp flour

3 Tbl butter

I medium onion, chopped

1 (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed

salt and pepper

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese

8 oz mozzarella, shredded

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

3 eggs, beaten

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unfold the piecrust, sprinkle with flour and place flour-side down in a 9-inch ceramic dish. Melt the butter over medium heat; add onion and sauté until tender, about eight minutes. Mix in spinach, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Sauté until all liquid is evaporated, about three minutes. Combine the ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan in a large bowl. Mix in the eggs. Add the spinach mixture and blend well. Spoon into the piecrust. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until center is set and top is brown. Let cool for ten minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

 

Buttermilk Mashed Rutabagas

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:16 pm
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From the St Petersburg Times, November 20, 2005. Serves six to eight.

 

Ingredients

3 lbs rutabagas, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into ¾ -inch disks

1 medium onion, chopped

2 small white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup butter, cut into 8 pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

 

Directions

Place rutabagas, carrot, onion, and potatoes in a large saucepan. Pour in enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cover saucepan and cook 40-45 minutes, or until rutabagas are tender. Drain, return to saucepan. Add buttermilk, butter, garlic, salt and black pepper to saucepan over low heat. When butter is melted, mash by hand or whip mixture with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes, or until relatively smooth. Adjust the seasoning. This dish reheats well, but if it is too thick, add a little water or buttermilk and mash again.

 

Fauxtatoes Deluxe

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:14 pm
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This is a delicious carb-conscious alternative to mashed potatoes.

 

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower

1/3 cup cream

4 oz cream cheese

1 Tbl butter

salt and pepper

 

Directions

Simmer the cauliflower in water with the cream added to it. (This keeps the cauliflower sweet and prevents it from turning color). When cauliflower is soft, drain thoroughly. Put the still warm cauliflower in a food processor with the cream cheese, butter and salt and pepper to taste and process until smooth. (You may have to do this in more than one batch.)

 

Variation: Add a few cloves of garlic to the cooking water or some roasted garlic to the food processor when blending.

 

Potatoes with Cream and Cheese

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:11 pm
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Ingredients

2 ½ cups heavy cream

2 Tbl butter

1 clove garlic, crushed

Dash nutmeg

6 potatoes, sliced thin

½ cup Swiss cheese, grated

¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

½ tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper

 

Directions

Place cream, butter, garlic and nutmeg in a small saucepan.  Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes until cream is reduced to 2 cups and has thickened slightly.  Butter a casserole dish and put one-third of the potatoes in the bottom of the dish.  Add one-third of the combined cheeses, season with salt and pepper and repeat.  Dot with butter.  Add cream mixture.  There should be enough to cover the potatoes.  Cover the dish and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.