White Wine w White Fish Baked to perfection

Baked Haddock or Cod with White Wine Sauce

so simple and delicious

picking a White Wine that you love is what makes this recipe extra yummy

     

Sauvignon Blanc makes a sweeter sauce than  Fat Bastard Chardonnay

make with what you like or what you have in the fridge

a bouquet of celery

chopped this size leaves a bit of crunch which we like

if you don't like crunchy celery chop it smaller 

it gives the fish a great mild flavor

add your chopped onion
save the minced for the butter sauce

melt butter in a dish easy for dipping the fish in

decadent yes

healthier Earth Balance makes a great butter substitute!

add your minced onion 

dip the fish to coat

lay the fish on the celery & onion 

pour the remaining butter and onion over fish

sprinkle with paprika

pour wine over fish

Bake at 350 for 15-20 min depending on thickness of fish

Lift fish to serving dish with celery and onion

pour wine  sauce from fish pan into saucepan; simmer to reduce to about 1/2 cup; 

taste sauce - if sauce is bitter add 2 tbs of butter

You can pour sauce over fish or serve on the side

I prefer to serve on the side

Serve with the rest of the bottle of wine

Baked Haddock or Cod with White Wine Sauce

2 c. chopped celery leaves and stalks
1 onion, sliced
2 1/2 to 3 lbs. white fish fillets
Salt and pepper
1/3 c. melted butter
1 tsp. finely chopped onion
Dash paprika or fish seasoning
1/2 lemon or 1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 c. dry white wine
Chopped parsley

Spread celery and onion in baking dish. Season fish with salt and pepper.
Combine butter, chopped onion, & lemon juice.
Dip fish into butter mixture; arrange on celery and onion.
Pour leftover butter mixture and wine over top of fish.
Sprinkle with paprika or fish seasoning

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes for a 2" thick fillet
15-20 minutes for 1" thin fillets
It's done when easily flaked with fork

Lift fish to serving dish with celery and onion. Pour wine from fish pan into saucepan; heat briskly to reduce to about 1/2 cup
taste sauce - if sauce is bitter add 2 tbs of butter

You can pour over fish or serve on the side.
Garnish with chopped parsley
Makes 6 servings.

chop celery 1/2 " pieces if a thin fillet is used
if using a thick fillet chop celery large
we like crunchy celery if you want soggy celery chop it small


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Maple Balsamic Salad Dressing

Maple Balsamic Salad Dressing

Photos are forthcoming

really

I'm  serious

 

in the meantime dogs are out of the kitchen

 

Maple Balsamic Dressing

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup maple syrup, don't cheat use the good stuff
2 teaspoons country-style Dijon mustard
2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all salad dressing ingredients in small bowl; beat with wire whisk until well mixed.
I recycle jars, lots of jars, put all the ingredients in a jar, put the lid on tight, shake, so much easier
Refrigerate until serving time.

add crumbled bacon omg so freakin good
your tastebuds will demand more

you can cut the recipe in half but then you'll just find yourself making more

Great on Beet Salad

Tots aka Cauliflower Tots

Tots just Tots

 if anyone asks they are just Tots

no one will ever know

 pretty cauliflower ....now let's make it yummy tots!!

this is a very large head of cauliflower it would have easily made a double batch

I wish I made a double batch

 easy, fun to make,

yummy....... oh yea I said that

I like to core my cauliflower before cutting off the flowerets

I find it easier to cut

the head was large my flowerets were large

they measured 3 cups of flowerets

  

steam the flowerets 15-20 minutes

soft but not mushy

unless you like a more mashed potato style tot

drain the cooked cauliflower then mash

you want it to crumble like cutting in biscuit or pie dough

add egg, cheese, seasoning

shape into tots

tots are small ........we aren't making nuggets

roll in breadcrumbs, place on parchment lined cookie sheet

these are so easy a child could make them!!

YUMMMMM!!!!!

noooo..... that's not my snack for tomorrow

I'm testing their freezability

I really want to make a quadruple batch

Cauliflower Tots

2-3 cups cauliflower flowerets

1 egg

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup breadcrumbs, I used 4C gluten free crumbs

chicken broth - optional

Place the cauliflower in a large saucepan, pour broth  or water over just to cover the pan by 1/4  inch.  Steam the cauliflower about 15 minutes until soft but not mushy, drain.   Mash with a fork

you want it to be crumbly (like cutting in biscuit or pie dough) add egg, cheese, seasoning.

Shape into tots, roll in breadcrumbs, place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  If you don't have parchment paper spray sheet with cooking spray.

Bake 400 degrees, 12 minutes, turn tots, bake another 8 minutes.
makes 27 tator tot size tots

 I like to use chicken broth for steaming cauliflower in place of water to me it softens the flavor, cauliflower can be a bit bitter.

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper would give a little zing without to much heat

Creole Chicken and Tomato Rice Dinner in 20 minutes and it tastes delish

Dinner in 20 minutes, tastes delish, it's healthy Creole Chicken with Tomato Rice

When you made the creole seasoning for the Jambalya

you doubled it to have plenty for the Creole Chicken 

Get your Tomato Rice Cooking First

  

 

don't forget the bay leaves

while its simmering

 

toss your chicken in creole seasoning

sauté about five minutes to just cook it, set aside

  

now sauté the onions and garlic, lightly browning

Add the peppers and celery 

 

cook just  a few minutes you want to keep them crisp if you like the hot

add some more creole seasoning to the veggies

  

 

the rice should be done

 

 

Add the chicken back to the veggies

 

Serve with the Tomato Rice

 

 

 

Tomato Rice

 

1 14.5 oz can Stewed Tomatoes

1 1/2 cups water

1 cup rice

1 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp celery salt

2 bay leaves

 

Add all the ingredients to a saucepan, bring to a simmer.  Simmer about 15 minutes until the rice is tender.

 

 

Creole Chicken

 

1 lb chicken, diced

1/2 red bell pepper

6 stalks celery/ 1 1/2 cups

1 cup sliced onion

1 tbs creole seasoning

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbs oil

 

 

Toss the creole seasoning with the diced chicken.  Add 1 tbs oil to sauté pan, saute chicken over medium high heat about 5 minutes just until cooked, set aside.

Add 1 tbs oil to sauté pan, over medium high heat add onion and garlic browning lightly, add celery and red pepper, sauté over medium heat about 4-6 minutes keeping the celery crisp.

Add the chicken back to the pan heat through.

 

Serve with Tomato Rice

 

Creole Seasoning

1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tablespoon Smoked paprika
2 tablespoons salt2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
 

Mix together, store in a small glass jar

 

 

 



 
 
 
 
 

 

Taco Soup

I love Steph"s recipes at crockpot 365 blog spot  there is no gourmet cooking, no special skills required  just good food that satisfies everyone involved.  

2 blizzards down and another snowstorm was bearing sown on us and I wanted something new to cook that would hang in the crock ready to warm the snow crew as they needed.  I could trust if I made one of Steph's recipes it would be a hit. 

Her Taco Soup is just that delicious, easy, flexible hungry workers will sing your praises.

Normally I don't cook with mixes but decided to give her recipe a try verbatim well sort of verbatim the original recipe makes enough for a very large army I was cooking for a small group.

I don't believe in browning meat first unless it brings more flavor to the dish, have I mentioned I hate doing dishes. 

The first time I made Taco Soup I used 1/2 packet of  El Paso taco seasoning and 1/2 packet of the Hidden Valley Ranch now I just throw the whole thing in I don't need 1/2 packets hanging around.

I added the ground turkey in chunks and didn't over stir I wanted the turkey to stay chunked for texture but that is a personal preference.

Yep, another snowstorm was headed our way and tired of storm shopping I looked in the cupboard to see what I could make. 
Cupboard Version: 1 can of chicken, 2 cans of beans, 1 can of corn, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of rotel tomatoes, 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix.  I had a hit everyone loved and there were no leftovers.

Today I had 1lb of chicken breast that needed to be dealt with so I diced it and popped it in, Yum!! I have leftover Rice in the fridge 2 cups worth, in it goes, oh yea dble yum!!

Love this recipe it is so flexible and easy!!!
If you don't use seasoning mixes you can use salsa instead of diced tomatoes for flavor, or all rotel tomatoes, add 1 tsp cumin, 1 tablespoon chili powder, we like to add jalapenos but then we like heat.
Use black or red beans or 1 of each.  I like black beans.
The original recipe would have used 1/2 lb of meat but I wanted heartier so I added 1 lb. 
2 cups of rice was a great addition and made more servings

And did I mention easy to assemble no chopping involved just the ability to open cans.

Taco Soup
servings 4-6
preparation 10 minutes

Ingredients:
2(15-ounce) cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-ounce) cans of corn plus juice, do not drain you want the extra fluid

1 large can (15-ounces) of diced tomatoes or salsa

1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes and chiles (Rotel)

1/2 packet taco seasoning if using McCormick El Paso is weaker in flavor use the whole packet

1 packet ranch dressing mix (make sure there isn't hidden gluten, I went with Hidden Valley)

 

1 pound uncooked ground turkey or hamburger, diced chicken (optional.)

or 1 can chicken.  You can use 1/2 lb of meat but I wanted a heartier dish.

Preparation:
Use the largest slow cooker you have in the house --- this is a BIG recipe, you need a 6-quart or above.

Use lean meat so no pre browning needed, chunk it in the crockpot, add tomatoes, corn including juice, beans are rinsed and drained before adding, add seasoning packets, lightly mix if using raw meat to keep it chunky.

 

If your in a hurry and don't want to wait 4 hrs. to eat put the crockpot in the microwave for 10 minutes on high for 2 hours then I left it on low and it was ready when the snow crew needed a warm-up.

 

Or cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5. This soup is like stew the longer it cooks the better the flavor.

 Stir well, and serve with a handful of shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips and avocado or guacamole.

 

Cheese Quesadillas are a great to serve on the side. 
Being gluten free I always have a stack of soft corn tortillas in the fridge I treat them like bread for sandwiches.  Over medium heat lightly oil grill pan, add tortilla sprinkle with Monterey jack cheese lay another on top.  Lightly brown, then flip brown and serve cut in 4 wedges. 

 

 

Mastering Carbonara Sauce

I've been wanting to make a Carbonara Sauce, carbonara is very smooth creamy creamy sauce  with pancetta and cheese without using cream.   It is protein loaded, no added cream,  no  gluten products to convert not much dairy.   This is a must try!!  



Anne made it look so easy!!

I watch Foodnetwork a lot, in fact way to much watching not enough actual cooking ;0)  As luck would have it Ann Burrell was making Carbonara on Secrets of a Restaurant Chef she made it look so easy I was convinced I could do this ...........

Off to the store for pancetta,  pecorino and scallions I wanted to make the recipe verbatim to Anne's since I've never made it before.
Before starting  I watched Anne make the sauce on Foodnetwork.com one more time before starting. I've made sauces before where you have to temper the eggs or you cook them and it end up with something grosser looking  than baby poop. 
Followed Anne's recipe and process to the T -I got baby poop!!!!

What went wrong!!! I was using my heavy cast iron pan that holds the heat and cooked the eggs.

Fast forward Rachael Ray is talking about how easy Carbonara  is, it is and such a great go quick late night pasta dish her husband John's favorite and get this Anne Burrell is making Carbonara on Rachael Ray  Show!!

  Not to be defeated I do love Rachael's approach to cooking. 1 flop isn't going to stop me from enjoying this supposedly scrumptious dish.

I google Rachael Ray Carbonara,  not only do I score a recipe  I  get a video of Rachael Ray making her Carbonara .  Rachael tempers the eggs then mixes them into the pasta to avoid scrambling them.  


I followed Rachel's recipe not to the T, this time I went with what I head on hand and still and OMG awesomeness.  This is now a go to recipe it's easy to have the ingredients on hand, 15 minutes start to finish, full of flavor, hearty but not heavy.

Rachael Ray Carbonara

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1/3 pound pancetta, I used bacon

5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped 

1/2 cup dry white wine 

3 large egg yolks

Salt and pepper 

1 pound pasta such as linguine, spaghetti or egg tagliatelle, gf tinkyada fettuccine
red pepper flakes *

 

Grated Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano-Reggiano  I just had parmesan

1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped didn't have any in the fridge

Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta.

Heat olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta or guanciale, brown 3-4 minutes, then add garlic and some black pepper, and stir 2 minutes more. Add wine and reduce heat to low. Whisk up egg yolks and season with salt and pepper.

 

Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook to al dente.  

 

Add 1 full cup of starchy cooking water to egg yolks in a slow stream to temper them.  Reserve an extra half-cup starchy water in case the pasta gets too tight when you toss it.  Drain pasta and add to pancetta and garlic, remove from heat and toss with egg yolks and handfuls of grated cheeses, parsley, adjust salt and pepper to taste.

*Rachael added red pepper flakes in another version of her Carbonara

Thank you Rachael Ray!!

-

Rene’s Hot Italian Sausage Soup

This is a favorite Soup of Rene’s it’s hardy, filling but not heavy.   Rene showed me how he makes this soup inspired by the original recipe in  Taste of Home magazine

Now Rene’s Hot Italian Sausage Soup is a potluck, blizzard, after blizzard, keep the hungry work crew working soup!!

Measuring is not my strength if I have a whole pepper I’m not stopping at ¾ of a cup.  What the heck am I going to do with 1/4 of a pepper?   The whole pepper goes in. Same with the onion and frozen veggies.  If I have a few partial bags of frozen veggies - in they go this is a very flexible recipe. 

This time I added frozen cherry tomatoes from the summer harvest when there were more tomatoes than you could eat in a day.

For less fat and cholesterol I use Hot Italian Chicken Sausage.

 

 Hot Italian Sausage Soup freezes great but no matter how quadruple of a recipe I make it disappears.   I keep 2 lbs of hot sausage in the freezer because it is so quick & easy to make.

 

Rene’s Hot Italian Sausage Soup

4 Servings Prep/Total Time: 25 min.

Ingredients

• 1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Italian stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce
• 1 ½ cup frozen vegetables - carrots, peas green beans, corn, lima bean mix( not broccoli cauliflower mix)
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, red works but the sauce is red so a colored pepper keeps the stew pretty for company. should measure at least ¾ of a cup
• 1 small onion will be more than 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced parsley, fresh if you have it
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp to 1 tablespoon Red pepper flakes all depends on how much heat you like ;0)

Directions

• Remove sausage from casing if you couldn't get it bulk.
• In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. (Quick tip for getting sausage out of the casing)
• Add peppers, onion, garlic stir just enough to get the flavors blended
• Add tomato, spaghetti sauce,  wine, brown sugar, frozen vegetables and spices
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

 

Serve with Biscuits,  Ricotta Dumplings, good ole bread and butter works also