a little of each

A family's cookbook

Coca-Cola Barbecue Sauce April 3, 2013

Filed under: Main Dishes — alittlemoreofeach @ 9:31 pm
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Ingredients
2 Tbl unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 cups ketchup
6 oz Coca-Cola
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp wine vinegar

Directions

Melt the butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook one minute. Add the garlic and cook four minutes longer until translucent but do not brown. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, one hour. Makes 12 ounces.

 

Roasted Carrots and Leeks March 29, 2013

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:38 pm
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From the St Petersburg Times, November 20, 2005. Serves eight.

 

Ingredients

8 large carrots

4 large leeks

extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbl crumbled dried tarragon

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and peel carrots and cut into 1-inch chunks. Trim leeks, reserving tough parts for making stock if you wish. Split leeks in the middle lengthwise and wash thoroughly to remove any sand and dirt. Cut into lengths about the same size as the carrots. Pour olive oil to cover the bottom of a heavy-bottomed, oven-proof skillet. Heat and add carrots; toss and pan-roast until the vegetables begin to brown a little. Add the tarragon and salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and place in oven. Add a little additional olive oil to the pan and sauté leeks until they wilt and begin to caramelize. After the carrots have baked for about 1 hour, add the leeks, toss with the carrots and continue baking for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables can easily be pierced with a fork. This can be made ahead and warmed or served at room temperature.

 

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.

 

Scalloped Tomatoes

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:26 pm
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Aunt Doris gave Robin this recipe years ago.

 

Ingredients

½ cup herb stuffing

½ tsp garlic salt

¼ tsp oregano

2 tsp sugar

1 (1 lb, 13 oz) can tomatoes

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbl butter

 

Directions

Grease a 10 x 6 baking pan. Combine stuffing, garlic salt, oregano, and sugar; mix well. Arrange half of the tomatoes in pan; top with layer of stuffing. Sprinkle with ½ cup of cheese and onion. Spread with remaining tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Dot with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

 

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.

 

Spinach Casserole

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:21 pm
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Ingredients

1/8 cup butter

½ cup onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

3 packages frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained thoroughly

½ cup heavy cream

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

¼ cup bread crumbs

½ tsp marjoram

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

½ cup milk

1/8 cup Parmesan cheese (for top)

 

Directions

Heat butter and cook onions and garlic until soft. Combine onion mixture and remaining ingredients in a bowl. Be sure to add cheese last. Mix thoroughly. Turn into a greased one-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

 

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.

 

Mexican Mashed Potatoes

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:13 pm
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Ingredients

2 Tbl butter

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 (20 oz) packages of Simply Potatoes

8 oz sour cream

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 (4 ½ oz) can chopped green chiles, drained

2 cups Mexican style shredded cheese, divided

 

Directions

Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic and sauté until tender. Set aside. Microwave mashed potatoes according to directions on package. Put into mixing bowl. Stir in onion mixture, sour cream, salt and pepper. Spoon half the mixture into a lightly greased 11 x 17 baking dish. Sprinkle with half the green chiles and one cup of the cheese. Repeat layering procedure with remaining potato mixture and chiles. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake five more minutes. Makes six to eight servings.

 

Texas Potato Salad

Filed under: Fruits and Vegetables — alittlemoreofeach @ 10:07 pm
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From Williams-Sonoma “Southwest”

 

The dressing can also be blended with shredded cabbage and toasted pinon nuts to make great coleslaw.

 

Ingredients

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 small white onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbl juice from sweet gherkin pickles

1 Tbl yellow mustard

1 Tbl sugar

1 tsp kosher salt

2 lb new potatoes, unpeeled

3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and coarsely chopped

4 sweet gherkin pickles, finely diced

1/3 cup diced roasted red pepper

1 celery stalk, finely diced (optional)

5 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

3 Tbl chopped fresh parsley

 

Directions

To make the dressing, in a blender combine the first nine ingredients (vinegar through salt). Blend until thoroughly emulsified. Set aside. In a saucepan, combine the potatoes with water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil until tender, 25-35 minutes. Drain well and when just cool enough to handle, cut into one-inch chunks. Place in a bowl and, while the potatoes are still warm, pour about one-third of the dressing over them. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently. Add the last six ingredients (eggs through parsley) to the potatoes. Add the remaining dressing and toss to coat evenly. Serve at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate to chill slightly before serving.