March 04, 2013
Healthier Stuffed Mushrooms
One of the things that we love to do on Oscar Night is to have appetizers and enjoy a fun dinner that way. We have some fun foods in store for this evening, but I wanted to make a nice healthy stuff mushrooms because that could be a nice way to meet these types of events in the future. I figure that I will come up with a few of these over the next few years - as we play with ingredients. This is my first stab at this and it was adapted from the excellent looking Skinny Spinach and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms. These came out amazing and I will definitely make these again!
Ingredients:
8 oz Mushrooms, stems separated
2 tsp (or cloves) Garlic, chopped
2 cups Baby spinach, loosely chopped
5-6 slices ham, finely chopped (around 1/4 cup)
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 tbsp shredded (or grated) Parmesan cheese
Pinch of kosher salt and black pepper.
Cooking spray or olive oil spray
1-2 tbsp shredded Mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly spray a foil lined baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Remove stems from mushrooms and mince fine.
3. Add olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add ham and minced mushroom stems and saute for 2 minutes. Add spinach and saute until it is wilted (around 2 minutes). Remove from heat.
4. Empty the content of the pan into a mixing bowl and add bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and a pinch of kosher salt and pepper. Mix until well blended.
5. Fill mushrooms with spinach mixture, rounding tops off. Place on the lined baking sheet and lightly spray the tops with olive oil or cooking spray. Sprinkle lightly with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake 15-17 minutes and enjoy!
Posted by cseeman at 09:39 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2012
Holiday Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce
This is hardly a recipe - but so it goes. This is a variation on the traditional holiday meatballs sauce with chili sauce and grape jelly. This is pretty much right from the Ocean Spray site. We also used frozen meatballs - though we cooked them in the oven for a bit longer than recommended to give them a crunchy side.
Ingredients
1 14-ounce can Jellied cranberry sauce
1 14-ounce can Whole berry cranberry sauce
2 12-ounce bottle Chili sauce
5 pounds of frozen meatballs (cooked as directed)
Directions
1. Combine cranberry sauces with the chili sauce in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth (around 10-15 minutes).
2. Place meatballs in a slow cooker or other heating device (to keep them warm if serving at a party). Pour combined sauce over meatballs and set to low for an hour before they will be served.
Enjoy!
Posted by cseeman at 08:00 AM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2006
Holiday Meatballs
Holiday Meatballs
This is from a common recipe whipped out during the holidays. This variation is from the Heinz Website. Still not sure how Chili Sauce and Grape Jelly merge to make a great sauce, but there you are...
We have alot going on, so we are going to buy pre-made meatballs (the smaller ones). That makes this somewhat foolproof -
Ingredients:
Meatballs:
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2-teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Sauce:
1 cup Heinz (or any other brand) Chili Sauce
1 cup grape jelly
(NOTE: It seems that the trick is equal parts of both elements of the sauce. Because of the weight difference, a 12 oz Chili Sauce jar is somewhat the same as 18 oz of grape jelly. It might make this a bit sweet to mix the two straight up, but that is what I am going to try! For five pounds of meatballs, I might double both).
Directions: Combine beef, bread crumbs, egg, water, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Form into bite-sized meatballs (about 60) using a rounded teaspoon for each. Place in shallow baking pan or jellyroll pan. Bake at 450 degrees in oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, combine chili sauce and grape jelly. Heat until jelly is melted. Place well-drained meatballs in serving dish. Pour chili sauce mixture over meatballs, stirring gently to coat. Serve warm.
Variation: For a zestier sauce, substitute jalapeno jelly for grape jelly. Makes approximately 60 appetizers.
Posted by cseeman at 07:58 AM | Comments (0)
November 27, 2006
Mushrooms with Ham
Mushrooms with Ham
(NOTE: Adapted from Tapas by Richard Tapper. I will make this again with bacon as was originally called for by the ingredients)
Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
4-5 slices ham, diced to 1/4" squares (about 1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
12 oz white mushrooms, cleaned with stems pulled or trimmed.
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1. In a saute pan over high heat, warm the olive oil. Add ham and cook for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add garlic and mushrooms and mix well.
3. Add wine, salt, pepper, and parsley and cook for 5 minutes until the wine is reduced (there should be a bit of the sauce in the pan).
4. Serve with crusty bread or as desired.
Posted by cseeman at 06:00 AM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2006
Crushed Baby Red Potatoes
(This is adapted from a recipe from Martha Stewart Living. I have not tried it yet...so this is all on spec!)
Ingredients:
1 pound Baby Red Potatoes (Scrubbed)
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp kosher salt
additional salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs chopped parsley (fresh) (or 1 tsp dried parsley)
1. In a tall saute pan, bring water to boil (enough to cover the potatoes). Add 1 tsp of salt and the poatoes. Reduce heat to medium and simmer the poatoes for around 15-20 minutes. Cook until fork tender.
2. Drain the potatoes and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Lighthly crush the potatoes.
4. Heat the oil in medium high heat. Cook the potatoes in the oil, 4-5 minutes a side. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add parsley at the end.
Posted by cseeman at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)
September 23, 2006
New Zealand Greenshell mussels with tomato and wine sauce
This recipe is adapted from a Tapas book I have and what I remember eating in restaurants around. I used New Zealand Greenshell™ mussels that I purchased at an Asian Grocery Store in Ann Arbor. These mussels are large and taste wonderful. They came with only one shell, so they do not steam in the convention sense. It should be easy to adapt this recipe if you have regular mussels.
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1-2 tbs dried parsley)
1 cup white wine
1 can diced tomatoes
10 New Zealand Greenshell mussels
1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add garlic, onion, and salt and pepper (to taste) and cook for around 10 minutes until slightly browned.
3. Add tomatoes, wine and parsley to the onions. Stir and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add mussels to the pan. If they only have one shell, then the shell should go up. Cover pan and cook for 10-15 minutes.
NOTE: In vast experience cooking with mussels (which before today consisted only of a bicycle trip to Maine where we picked them off the beach and steamed them), it would seem that you would adjust depending on the size and if they are closed. From what I understand, if they are closed, then you cook them until they open. If they do not open...out they go.
Posted by cseeman at 08:02 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2006
Tortilla Espanola (also Tortilla Espagnola or Tortilla de patatas)
Tortilla Espanola (also Tortilla Espagnola or Tortilla de patatas)
NOTE: This is one of my favorite things to make. Once you get the hang of this dish, it will be very easy to make and something that will be welcome for any meal! This dish is basically a Spanish potato omelette. I have heard that the word "Tortilla" in this dish comes from its circular shape, but it could also come from the fact that it will end up "cake" like. If you called this "Fred", it would still taste great.
SECOND NOTE: If you have access to one of the slicers like a mandolin, use it on the thinnest setting. It makes it much easier to make and the tastes blend nicely.
Ingredients:
-4-5 medium white potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
-1 medium onion (yellow or vidalia), thinly sliced
-6 eggs
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
1. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add potatoes and onions and stir every few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The potatoes should cook for around 15 minutes. If you have larger potatoes, you might need to take a bit longer. The potatoes and onion should not burn, but they might brown a bit.
2. In a large bowl, beat 6 eggs and add salt and pepper to taste. When potato and onion mixture is finished, add to the bowl with the eggs. Mix Thoroughly.
3. Add one tablespoon oil to a skillet over medium heat(it can be the same used in step number 1. The ideal skillet for this step will have curved sides). Let heat up and then add the potato/onion/egg mixture spread evenly into the skillet.
4. Cook over medium heat for around 6 minutes until firm on the top (you do not want to burn the bottom).
5. Take a large plate and place it over the top of the skillet. Make sure the smooth side of the plate is next to the food. Flip the skillet onto the plate. (If it falls apart, you did not cook it long enough.) Then slide it back into the skillet to cook the other side of the tortilla. Cook for an additional 4 minutes or so.
6. Remove from heat and serve. Slice with a pizza cutter and enjoy.
Posted by cseeman at 06:26 AM | Comments (0)
