Green Eggs and Ham

Here's a Rachael Ray recipe. It sounds strange, but it's so delicious. My kids will eat it too!

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 tablespoon butter
2 large shallots, finely chopped
1 box frozen chopped spinach (10-ounce), defrosted in microwave and liquids drained
1/3-1/2 cup heavy cream, (eyeball it)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
8 slices deli ham or prosciutto di Parma
8 eggs

Pre-heat oven to 375°F.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the EVOO and the butter and sweat the shallots a few minutes. Add the spinach and stir in the cream, season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little grated nutmeg. Cook the spinach, stirring occasionally, until the cream has thickened, 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to your taste.

Fold each slice of ham or prosciutto in half and line the nonstick cups with 1 slice of meat each. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the cooked spinach into each of the cups, then crack an egg into each, making sure it stays whole (hint - if you're worried about breaking the egg yolk, crack the egg into a small bowl first, then pour it into the muffin cup). Season the tops of the eggs with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bake in the oven until set, about 15 minutes. Allow the baked eggs to cool in the muffin cups for a couple of minutes before removing them from the pan. Serve immediately.

Grilled Chicken Burgers

This is a recipe I've only tried once, but it was memorable! I found it on allrecipes.com (of course). We had friends over the day I made this and they really enjoyed it too.

1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 pounds ground chicken
1 egg
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon Old Bay ™ Seasoning
kosher salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil grate.

Lightly spray a saute pan with cooking or oil spray over medium heat. Saute the onion with the garlic first, then the bell pepper, then the mushrooms, tomatoes and carrots, all to desired tenderness. Set aside and allow all vegetables to cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken and vegetables. Add the egg, bread crumbs and seasonings to taste. Mix all together well and form into 8 patties.

Grill over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes per side, or to desired doneness.

Ham Steak with Apricot Glaze

There are a number of things I automatically think of in Low German, and schinken fleisch is definitely one of them. Normally I throw it in the oven or in a frying pan and it's plain. This week I decided to try to make it a little more exciting.

Grilled Ham Steak
Allrecipes.com
Contributor: Taste of Home magazine

1/4 cup apricot or plum preserves
1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 (2lb) 1 inch thick ham steak

In a small saucepan, combine the preserves, mustard, lemon juice and cinnamon. Cook and stir over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Set glaze aside. Score edges of ham. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 8-10 minutes on each side, brushing with glaze during the last few minutes of grilling.

Notes:
Tasted okay. Not wonderful. The kids loved it. I wish I would have left out the cinnamon, which I'll do the next time I try it.

I had my barbecue on really low heat hoping to prevent the meat from burning, drying out, and having the glaze burn. I should have had the heat at medium because it took a long time and the glaze didn't get sticky like I thought it would.

There was a little glaze left in the stainless frying pan I was using, so I tossed in a little butter and coated the cooked carrots with it. Thumbs down. I didn't think it tasted very good and both the girls didn't prefer it either.

What was interesting is I made Mennonite cream gravy in this same frying pan and there were some glaze remnants. Fabulous!

Broccoli Salad

This delightful gem of a recipe is from my sister-in-law Janine (Randy's wife). It's called "Louise Baerg's Famous Broccoli Salad". We don't know who Louise Baerg is, but once you've tried this salad, you'll understand why it's "famous"!

1 large head broccoli
1-2 green onions
1/2 cup sliced seedless red grapes
5-7 slices of bacon
1 cup Miracle Whip
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
2-3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2-3 Tbsp sugar

Cut broccoli into bite sized pieces. Combine with green onions, chopped in small pieces, and sliced red grapes. Fry or microwave bacon and set aside. Combine Miracle Whip, sugar, and vinegar for dressing. Add dressing to first mixture and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Break bacon into small pieces and toss with remainder of salad just before serving.

For garnish, add sugar to slivered almonds and heat over low heat until sugar melts and coats the almonds. Pour into cool glass plate until cool. Sprinkle over salad just before serving. This salad receives many compliments and is enjoyed by all.

Serves 8-10.

Notes:
I use cauliflower too.

When you make the candied almonds, make lots extra because it's nearly impossible not to nibble them while they're cooling and when you mix the salad.

The candied almonds are a great addition of flavor and texture to any salad. I've also used pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

I had doubled the recipe (using 6 standard Superstore heads of broccoli (usually you can buy them in two's with an elastic around them). But in the end I didn't seem to need double the dressing, only 1 cup (of Miracle Whip - I used mayo instead which seemed to work fine).

Also, I think you need high heat (versus medium or low) for melting the sugar with the almonds but if you go that route, you'll probably need to keep a close eye on it to prevent burning.

Guacamole Salad

This is from the "Come To Our Table" recipe book a bunch of us friends at Fort Garry EMC put together a number of years ago. The contributor for this recipe is Marcia Fonseca and she notes, "No, this is not a dip! It is a Nicaraguan salad. Good served with barbecued meat."

2 avocados, cubed
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
1/2 - 1 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix the above ingredients, stirring gently. Serves 2-3 people.

Notes:
I'm not a fan of avocado, but I like it in this salad. I use one avocado instead of two.

Pasta e Fagioli

This is pretty close to the Olive Garden version. MMM! *update Feb. 25/12: try using only V8 instead of canned tomatoes to see if the metallic taste isn't there.*

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)
3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 x 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 x 15-ounce can red kidney beans
1 x 15-ounce can great northern beans
1 x 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 x 12-ounce can V8 juice
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 lb (1/2 pkg) ditali pasta

Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat. Drain off most of the fat.

Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and saute for 10 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

About 50 minutes into the simmering, cook the pasta in 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes or just until pasta is al dente, or slightly tough. Drain.

Add the pasta to each individual bowl before serving.

Serves 8.

Notes:
The recipe I have says to include the liquid from the canned beans in the soup. How gross is that! I drain and rinse the beans before I use them and added some water and extra tomato based sauce instead.

Potato Salad

Red Skinned Potato Salad
www.allrecipes.com

I didn't like potato salad until I found this recipe.

2 lbs new red potatoes, clean and scrubbed
6 eggs
1 lb bacon
1 onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 cups mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and set in the fridge to cool.

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel, and chop.

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly browned. Drain, crumble and set aside.

Chop the cooled potatoes, leaving skin on. Add to a large bowl, along with the eggs, bacon, onion, and celery. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste. Chill for an hour before serving.

Notes:
I'm wondering if there's any point in posting the original recipe if I basically do it my own way anyway.

Hard-boil the eggs first because they need the most time to cool off. I like to cool them by putting them back into the fridge for a number of hours before using them.

I don't use an entire onion, probably more like half of a medium sized onion. I also use three stalks of celery instead of the one suggested in the recipe. We like celery in stuff.

This recipe fits nicely into the Pampered Chef trifle bowl.

Creamy Chicken & Cranberry-Pecan Wild Rice

It's worth starting a blog just to share this recipe. I found it in the Kraft magazine from Fall 2007.

1 pkg. (180 g) long grain & wild rice side dish, prepared as directed on package

2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. each: dried thyme leaves and black pepper
6 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1-1/2 lb./750 g)
2 Tbsp. oil

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pecan pieces, toasted
6 green onions, sliced, divided

1 cup 25%-less-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup (3/4 of 250-g tub) Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread

Prepare packaged rice.

Mix flour, thyme and pepper; coat chicken with flour mixture. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 min. on each side or until cooked through (170ºF).

Stir cranberries, pecans and 1/3 cup of the onions into cooked rice; spoon onto serving platter. Remove chicken from skillet, reserving drippings in skillet. Place chicken over rice mixture; cover to keep warm.

Add broth to skillet; stir to break up browned bits from bottom of skillet. Add cream cheese spread; cook 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is melted and sauce starts to thicken, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Spoon some of the sauce over chicken; sprinkle with remaining onions. Serve remaining sauce on the side.

Notes:
I used two packages of rice and sauce, both no name brand (yellow package): Wild Rice & Fine Herbs and Mushroom. They were great together. I cooked the rice in a combination of the chicken stock and water. If I need to open a box of stock, I may as well use it up in one meal!

I didn't coat the chicken with flour. I pounded it flat, coated it with egg and then bread crumbs that had been seasoned with black pepper and dried thyme. I baked it in a baking sheet. It ended up being dry. I should have been more careful.

I fried a couple of little pieces of the coated chicken in a frying pan to get the little brown bits for the gravy. I mixed the chicken stock with 1 Tbsp corn starch to thicken it, then added the cream cheese.

I'm not sold on a white sauce made from cream cheese, although it did taste good mixed into the rice and on the chicken. It's totally bland and adds unnecessary calories, in my opinion.

I just went to the fridge to check, and two tablespoons of cream cheese and whipping cream (which I use when I make Mennonite cream gravy) are tied as far as calories (100) and fat grams (10) are concerned. The cream has 5 mg of sodium and the cream cheese has 100.

and so it begins

I've thought about a blog for a long time but I'm feeling kinda vulnerable and exposed. I'm not sure how personal I'll make this but I think I'll end up sharing more than just recipes as time goes along.