Sausage Zucchini Pasta Bake

Although everyone in my house does not have to eat gluten-free, it sure makes meal time a lot easier when I am able to cook one delicious main course that is, coincidentally, gluten free.  I have found that when I use gluten free pastas in lasagnas, baked ziti, and those types of casseroles, no one can ever guess that I have replaced wheat pasta with gluten free pasta.  For this recipe, I used a corn based pasta in the shape of elbows.    

I had a few extra zucchini in my crisper that had to be used, but any veggie would probably work well - yellow squash, chopped spinach, eggplant, etc.

Ingredients:

Pasta - any small type - cooked
1 lb. crumbled sausage, cooked
1 large jar spaghetti sauce
2 cups (or so) sliced zucchini
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta.  Set aside.
2. Cook sausage (drain, if necessary).  Add spaghetti sauce, zucchini, and pasta.  Combine.
3. Add shredded cheese.  Stir to combine.  Pour into large 9 x 13 baking casserole.
4. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes covered with aluminum foil.
5. Remove foil, sprinkle with a little extra cheese, if you wish, and cook for another 15 minutes uncovered.

Cook for about an hour

ENJOY!!  This was a big hit!  This is easy to make ahead - a day or just a couple of hours.  Once again, I used my magic oven feature... programmed my oven to cook while we were at soccer practice and came home to dinner ready to be served!

Chocolate Chip Cocoa Cookies

No, those cookies are not burnt, they are supposed to be a little on the darker side!  While the big kids were at school the other day, my younger daughter and I decided to make some cookies.  Since it was a little chilly - something unbearable like the 60s - we were drinking hot chocolate.  This recipe popped up just because the cocoa was on the counter - it turned out to be a great experiment!

Ingredients: 


1/2 cup butter, softenend
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 to 3 tablespoons hot cocoa mix
2 to 3 tablespoons unsweetened Hershey's cocoa

2 cups chocolate chips or chocolate chunks

Directions:

Combine butter, shortening and sugars in a large mixer.  Mix well.  Add vanilla.  Add eggs.  Mix.  Combine flour, salt, baking soda, cocoa and hot chocolate mix in another bowl.  Stir.  Gradually add flour mix to mixing bowl.  Stir well.  Add chocolate chips.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop 9 to 12 cookies onto a cookie sheet.  Cook for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

** I know that a lot of people do not like to use shortening!  The only recipe I use shortening in is my cookies to make them crispy and slightly chewy.  I buy trans-fat free shortening made by Spectrum Organics at our local Earth Fare grocery store - look for it at your local health food store.  Click here to learn more about their shortening and how it is made.

Oven Fried Chicken Wings

My daughter loves "chicken on the bone."  She requests this regularly!  To her five year old sensibilities, chicken on the bone means just that - chicken on the bone.  She isn't picky.  If I roast an entire chicken on a Sunday afternoon, she is happy, if I throw some chicken wings in the oven, she is equally happy.  Since my daughter has celiac disease and cannot eat traditionally prepared crispy chicken wings, I recently made them using rice millings instead of a wheat based coating and they came out absolutely delicious!  If you aren't concerned with eating gluten free, you can use a wide array of crispy coatings - my dad's favorite is the tried and true Shake and Bake.  :-)    You can use crushed dry stuffing, crumbled pretzels, corn flakes, rice crispies, cheese crackers - you get the idea!

Brown rice is also known as whole grain rice because it has not been milled - only the hull has been removed.  When you eat white rice, many layers have been removed through the milling process.  I recently ordered a bag of rice millings (the layers removed from the brown rice to make the white rice) from my favorite local farm website - Farmers Fresh Market - and I was excited to test out these millings in this easy recipe.

Preparing the Wings ...
Preparing chicken wings is easier than it looks, although it might take some practice.  If you buy a "family pack" of chicken wings at the grocery store, you will probably have to divide each wing into three pieces - basically at the joints.  I usually discard the wing tip and use the other two pieces - the wing portion with the tip is referred to as the wingette and the portion attached to the body is called the drummette.  (Fun jeopardy fact for you.)  I like to bend the wing and almost snap it in the reverse direction at each joint so I know exactly where to cut it - don't just try to saw through the chicken wing, you will lose a finger.  If you have no desire to get intimate with a chicken, ask the butcher to do it for you or stop by Earth Fare and they sell them ready to go behind the glass - just tell the butcher how much you need.

Get the wings ready for the oven... 
Take your wingettes and drummettes and toss them in a bowl with rice millings and your favorite seasonings - it could be something simple like salt and pepper, or garlic, creole seasoning, chili powder, or your favorite fancy concoction.  This is a bit of a messy process - turn the chicken repeatedly in the seasoned millings and then place on a cookie sheet lined with non-stick aluminum foil or lightly spray with Pam.

(Don't forget that you are using raw chicken - wash your hands thoroughly, clean your work surfaces very carefully, and don't use that cutting board for anything else!)    

Time to cook... 
Line your chicken wings up closely - no need to space them out.  Once the cookie tray is full, cook them for about 75 to 90 minutes at 375 degrees, depending on how crispy you like your chicken wings.

ENJOY!!!  We like ours crispy and brown!

    

Apple Raisin Cake

I have to admit that I eagerly await the arrival of Southern Living magazine every month.  When we moved to Charlotte last year from Boston, my mother-in-law gave me a subscription as a gift and left a copy of the current issue on the counter of my new kitchen.  That night I tortured my husband for hours as I read him recipes aloud.  Needless to say, my one year (so far) living in North Carolina has certainly changed the way I cook.  Being surrounded by new types of produce and getting used to seasonal veggies that follow a different growing season than I am used to up north has been an exciting experience for me and my children.

However, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that one of my favorite things about Southern cooking has absolutely nothing to do with locally grown veggies... dessert!  What can I say?  I have baked more in my year here than I have in the past five years combined.  I love that every month Southern Living dedicates page after page to one particular dessert - this month, Fresh Apple Cake received the honors.  The following recipe borrows liberally from the basic recipe presented in the October 2010 Southern Living magazine but I made a few changes to make it a little less like dessert and a little more suited to breakfast.  One thing that I love about this recipe is that it doesn't require the use of a mixer - just grab yourself a big bowl and spoon!

Ingredients:

4 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 to 1 cup raisins
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Combine butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Stir.
2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.  Add to butter mixture.  Stir well.
3. Add apples and raisins.  Batter will be very thick and hard to stir.
4. Spread batter into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan.
5. Cook at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.  You can test the cake with a toothpick to see if it is done.

On its way to the oven... 

Southern Living offered three fabulous frosting options for this delicious cake, but the cake was devoured before it could be frosted in this house.  I prepared it at night and served it for breakfast the next morning.

Mexican Egg Strata

The other morning we were discussing our favorite egg recipes and I mentioned that I recently cooked a yummy strata.  Someone asked what, exactly, IS a strata?  Hmmm... I like to think of a strata as a crustless quiche, but when I Googled "what is a strata" I read that a strata usually contains bread.  Perhaps my use of the term STRATA for this dish is a little loose, regardless, I promise you that this "crustless quiche" is absolutely delicious and very easy to make!

I buy eggs a flat at a time because we eat so many of them in so many different ways - 30 delicious farm fresh eggs (2 1/2 dozen), if you are wondering just how many eggs are in a flat.  My children love eggs cooked just about any way I make them and I love that eggs are so versatile they can be used as the main ingredient for any meal - breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  I prepared this recipe last week before I headed to the bus stop and then popped it in the fridge to be cooked by my sitter later that afternoon.  It was really easy to make and it was devoured by kids and adults.  I served the strata warm with a room temperature black bean, corn, and tomato salsa as a side.  I hope you like it!

Ingredients: 

8 eggs
8 ounces sour cream
4 cups shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend and cheddar)
A couple splashes of Cholula chili garlic sauce
2 cans (4 ounces each) roasted diced green chiles

Directions: 

Whisk together eggs and sour cream with a few dashes of salt.  Add in the shredded cheese and roasted green chiles.  Throw a couple of splashes of chili sauce (if you have it).  Pour egg mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 12 casserole.  Cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Side note... the edges of my strata got a little crispy where there was a little extra cheese (yum!).  Next time, I might consider reserving some of the cheese and sprinkling it over the top of the pan before I toss it into the oven to see if the extra cheese creates a little crispy layer on top.  Just a thought...  

I served this strata with Black Bean and Corn Salsa ... I used equal parts black beans (rinsed), corn, and tomato salsa.  Combine.  If I had cilantro in the house, I would have used a little cilantro to add some extra flavor.  Instead I used a little Crazy Salt and a squeeze of lime.  Simple and delicious (and healthy)!

Meat and Potatoes Stew

McDonald's Corporation would most certainly reject this heart-shaped potato from its picky selection of perfectly sized, french fry ready tubers but, alas, that is not my concern.  This potato is, of course, locally grown here in NC and, shocking to some, I actually had to wash the dirt off of it (a lot of dirt!) before I could peel it for my stew.  How many children (and adults) think that apples fall off the trees shiny and dent-free and potatoes emerge with a lovely waxy coating?  Where's the dirt, people?  But I digress...  this recipe is simple and delicious - I hope you enjoy it!

This comfort food recipe of beef, potatoes, and peas (carrots, if you wish), really showcases the delicious flavor of a simple meat and potatoes meal.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
About 2 pounds beef for stew, cut into 1 inch chunks
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
1 tablespoon corn starch (or you could use flour)

6 large shallots, roughly chopped (or 2 medium onions)
A handful of garlic cloves, peeled
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped (or use baby carrots)
2 large tomatoes (no seeds, chopped)

2 cups red wine
2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 cup frozen peas

Directions:

Lightly coat the bottom of a heavy bottomed pan with olive oil.
Toss the cubes of stew meat in Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning and cornstarch.
Brown about half the meat at a time.  Set aside.
Add the shallots (or onions) to the pan.  Cook for a few minutes until slightly translucent.
Add the garlic and the carrots.  Cook for a minute or so.
Add the chopped tomatoes - cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes start to break down.

Add the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan so all the browned seasoned bits become incorporated into your sauce.
Pour in the chicken stock.
Bring to a boil.  Add the seasoned, browned meat.  Stir well.
Bring to a boil again.  Reduce heat to low.
Cover and simmer over low for 90 minutes.

Add the frozen peas.
Cook an additional five minutes or so until the peas are bright green.
Remove from heat.

We served our stew with Loaded Potato Bread from The Hennery - purchased last week as part of my fruit and veggie order from the Farmers Fresh Market.  Delicious!!

Cinnamon Pear Crisp

These pears might not be pretty, but they are local, pesticide free, and absolutely delicious!  They certainly won't line up in perfect pear formation in the produce section of your local grocery store, but they will stand out as scrumptious any way you serve them!  Tonight I have been letting corned beef and cabbage simmer away on the stove so, with a little extra time on my hands, I decided to make a quick pear crisp.   Crisp is an easy fall dessert - any fruit topped with a crumbly streusel.  Delicious!

Ingredients: 

4 to 6 large pears, peeled and sliced
1 Tablespoon (or so) lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

2/3 cup oats
1/3 cup flour (gluten free works!)
1/3 cup brown sugar
6 or 7 tablespoons butter

Directions: 

1. Toss pear slices in lemon juice.  Set aside.
2. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon.
3. Toss pears in sugar mixture.

4. Dump pears into a 9x9 baking dish (or similar) - I lightly spray my pan with cooking spray.

5. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, and chilled pieces of butter.  Cut the butter into the other ingredients with a pastry blender or 2 forks until the streusel topping is a crumbly texture.

6. Top the pears with the crumbly streusel topping using your fingers.

7. Cook in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

One for my family and a mini version for a friend!