Scallops with Broccoli Rabe
Scallops and Broccoli Rabe
I had some beautiful broccoli rabe and was looking for a quick meal to make with it. Broccoli rabe is also known as rapini. (Pictured below)
Its been hot lately and I didn’t want anything that took a long time to cook. I found some scallops in the freezer and went with it. I sauteed an onion in some oil and while that was cooking I chopped the broccoli rabe and blanched it in a small pot of boiling water. I used a slotted spoon to get the broccoli rabe out of the water and set it aside. In the same boiling water I cooked some angel hair pasta. It only takes about 5 minutes to cook. I added the scallops to the onions in the skillet and sauteed them for a couple of minutes. I pulled the scallops and onions out of the pan. I added a little more oil and then the broccoli rabe and the hot cooked pasta to the skillet. I added some salt, pepper, a little hot sauce and some parsley. I added the scallops to the pasta mixture and stirred until heated through. Easy, fast and very tasty. About 20 minutes start to finish.
Broccoli Rabe
Multi Bean Salad
Multi Bean Salad
I’ve been on a salad kick lately. Maybe the high temps have something to do with that. I was talking to my friend, Mari, last night and we were talking about favorite salads. We both agreed that we love bean salad. As a kid I remember my Mom’s three bean salad. I find myself making this dish with more than three types of beans. Everyone seems to have their favorite combination. I start with green beans and then check out my pantry for what other beans to add. Here is the one I made this time.
Multi- Bean Salad
1 lb. cooked green beans, sliced
1 can lima beans, rinsed and drained
1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. oil
2 T. Tuscan seasoning- or whatever herb blend you like
1 T. hot sauce, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine beans with onions and parsley in a medium bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the bean mixture. Stir well and chill a couple of hours before serving. Serves 8.
Smoky Succotash Salad
Smoky Succotash Salad
I was looking for a salad idea the other day and found the answer in my freezer. I had a bag of lima beans and some corn from last year. I also had a ham bone. Not what you might think of for a salad but I needed it to work. I started by putting the ham bone in a pot with some water and let it simmer for an hour or so- to get some of the flavor out. I added the lima beans and corn and cooked them until tender- about 10 minutes. I figured this would add flavor to them. I drained off the veggies, let them cool, and combined them with a sweet pepper and ham I’d cut off the bone. I still needed a dressing and since I had an open container of sour cream I used that. Here is the recipe I ended up with. It ended up tasting really good. Went well with steaks and tuna off the grill.
Smoky Succotash Salad
1 lb. lima beans, cooked and cooled
4 c. corn off the cob, cooked and cooled
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1-2 c. cooked ham, diced
Dressing:
2/3 c. sour cream
3 T. apple cider vinegar
2 T. sugar
1 t. grated ginger
1 t. hot sauce, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Combine veggies with the ham in medium bowl. In small bowl stir together dressing ingredients until smooth and toss with the veggie mixture. Chill until ready to serve. Serves 6.
Warm Pasta Salad
Warm Pasta Salad
I love to make this salad when I have really good tomatoes. It is one of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh tomatoes. The base of the salad is a mixture of tomatoes, mushrooms, onion and some seasonings which are allowed to blend together in the fridge overnight. When you are ready to have your salad toss the cold tomato mixture with fresh cooked hot pasta. The pasta tomato mixture is served right then, warm and fragrant. I often sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on the top, or serve on the side. I do sometimes serve the salad cold.
Warm Pasta Salad
1 lb. Plum tomatoes, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
4oz. Fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 T. dried basil 1 T. capers, optional
1 t. dried oregano
½ c. olive oil
¼ c. red wine vinegar
3 T. balsamic vinegar
Dash of hot red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1 lb. Uncooked pasta
Combine all ingredients, except pasta and chill overnight. Cook pasta, drain and toss with tomato mixture. Mixture should be served right away . Serves 6.
Ice Cream Cake Roll
Ice Cream Cake Roll
I was looking for a seasonal dessert for dinner with friends. Since the weather has been getting warmer I decided to make a cake roll and fill it with ice cream. I used homemade strawberry ice cream, recipe follows. You could use store bought ice cream, if you prefer. Start with the sponge cake roll recipe below and use whatever flavor ice cream you like. You’ll need about a quart of ice cream- or a little more.
Sponge Cake Roll
This sponge cake roll can be filled with whipped cream or ice cream, or use your favorite filling.
5 eggs, separated
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2/3 cup cake flour*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons melted butter
Beat egg yolks until thicken and lemon colored; gradually add 1/3 cup of the granulated sugar, the lemon juice and the lemon zest. Beat egg whites until almost stiff then gradually beat in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold yolk mixture into whites. Sift dry ingredients into a separate container; add to egg mixture, folding in carefully. Fold in melted butter. Pour batter into waxed paper-lined 10x15x1-inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Turn onto a clean kitchen towel which has been generously dusted with confectioners’ sugar. Trim edges, if necessary; roll cake up, towel and all, while still warm. Let cool completely. Unroll and fill with whipped cream or ice cream then re-roll cake. The trick is to let the ice cream soften up a few minutes before spreading it on the cake. But don’t wait too long. Rather than trying to let the ice cream get soft enough to spread I used a spatula to sort of cut slices of ice cream and place them on the cake. Store ice cream cake roll in freezer until ready to slice and serve.
*If you don’t have cake flour you can make your own. Measure out a cup of all purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons of flour and replace them with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. For larger amounts place 7 cups of flour in a bowl and combine with 1 cup of cornstarch. Mix well or even sift together. Store in an airtight container.
Roll up cake in a towel while still warm
Spread softened ice cream over cake and re-roll.
Keep in freezer until ready to slice and serve
Strawberry Ice Cream
2 c. chopped strawberries
1 c. sugar
1 T. vanilla
2 c. cream or half and half or a combination. You can also use some milk or even almond or rice milk.
Additional sugar to taste
Place strawberries, vanilla and sugar in saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and chill. Combine chilled berry mixture with cream. Add additional sugar if you like. Remember that once it is frozen the ice cream will not taste as sweet so make this mixture a little sweeter than you want the final product to be. How much sugar you add varies with personal taste and how sweet the berries are. Place in an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s directions. Once finished put in an sir- tight container and place in freezer. Makes about 1 quart.
Chocolate Crepes
Chocolate Crepe
After making dessert crepes the other day I decided to make a batch of chocolate crepes, too. I still had strawberries so that is what I used to fill them, along with some whipped cream. Truth is, you can fill them with all sorts of stuff. I had fresh berries so that is what I used. I added some Kahlua to the batter for a little extra flavor and it worked out just great. Here is the recipe.
Chocolate Crepes
1 c. flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
¼ c. cocoa
3 T. sugar
¼ c. Kahlua or other coffee flavored liqueur or ¼ c. strong coffee
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
Mix all ingredients in blender (except butter) until smooth, scraping sides often. Add butter and blend well. Let stand for 30 minutes before using, or batter can be refrigerated, covered, overnight. Beat again, just before using.
Heat 6 or 7 inch skillet. Brush with butter or oil and pour in about 1 tablespoon of batter, tipping pan to cover bottom of pan completely with batter. Cook until edges start to brown, turn over and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes per side.)
Crepes can be made day ahead or even frozen between sheets of waxed paper and frozen. Makes 18.
Strawberry filling: I just sliced a couple of pounds of berries and added a little sugar- about ½ cup- a tablespoon of vanilla and a healthy dash of cinnamon.
When filling the crepes I spooned some berries down the center of the crepe and added some whipped cream. Folded over, topped with a few berries and another bit of whipped cream.
Cooking the crepe
Adding the berries
Added some whipped cream, too.
Creamy Tomato and Chicken Sauce
Creamy Tomato and Chicken Sauce
This was one of those dinners created with what I happened to have on hand. I started with the idea of chicken with tomatoes – I had chicken in the fridge and home canned tomatoes. I also had some beautiful fresh parsley and an open container of half and half I needed to use so I went from there. I cooked my pasta while the sauce was reducing. The whole dish took about 30 minutes from start to finish. I love orzo pasta, which looks like large grains of rice but feel free to try this with other pasta or maybe even rice.
Creamy Tomato and Chicken Sauce
2 T. oil
1 onion, sliced
1 lb. boneless chicken, cubed, I used thighs
1 (14 oz.) can tomatoes – I used a pint of home canned tomatoes
2/3 c. half and half
2 T. flour
½ c. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. hot pepper sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
12 oz. orzo pasta, cooked – use whatever pasta you like
In skillet heat oil and cook onion until tender. Add chicken and cook until chicken is nearly cooked through. Add tomatoes and simmer mixture for about 10 minutes to reduce the tomato liquid a little and concentrate the flavor. In jar with a tight fitting lid combine the half and half with the flour and shake until smooth. Add to chicken mixture and cook until thickened and bubbly. Add parsley and seasonings and cook on low a couple of minutes. Combine chicken sauce with hot cooked pasta and sprinkle with cheese. Serves 4-5.
Popcorn Balls
Popcorn Balls
When summer comes around I always think about amusement parks and popcorn balls. The only time I had popcorn balls as a kid was when my family would go to the local amusement park. This park, long gone, was known for their popcorn balls. I was asked to come up with a simple gift kids could make for their dads for Father’s Day. I decided on popcorn balls. Easy for the kids to work with. Once the popcorn balls were cooled they were wrapped in plastic wrap. The kids then took pieces of cellophane and wrapped the popcorn balls up to look like candy. Add ribbon and a Happy Father’s Day gift tag and we were good to go.
Popcorn Balls
9 c. popped popcorn
1 c. sugar
1 T. butter
1 T. vanilla
1 c. corn syrup*
Place popcorn in large bowl and set aside. Combine sugar, butter, vanilla and corn syrup in a saucepan. Heat and boil until thick, about 4 minutes. Pour over popcorn . Stir until well coated. Let cool until safe enough to handle. With buttered hands form mixture into balls. Store wrapped tightly in plastic wrap until ready to eat. Best eaten within a few days of making. Makes about 8.
*If you don’t have corn syrup- or don’t want to use it here is a way to make a substitute for it.
Sugar Syrup- corn syrup substitute
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup Water
1/2 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/4 t. salt
Combine ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and cover the pot. Reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook to soft-ball stage. Stir frequently.
Soft ball stage occurs at 235-245 degrees. This stage can be determined by dropping a spoonful of hot syrup into a bowl of very cold water. In the water, use your fingers to gather the cooled syrup into a ball. If it has reached soft-ball stage, the syrup easily forms a ball while in the cold water, but flattens once removed from the water.
Remove from heat. Cool and store at room temperature. It will keep well for a month or two.
Cellophane-wrapped popcorn balls
Fresh Strawberry Crepes
Strawberry Crepes
With what looks to be a great strawberry season this year I am looking forward to a lot of cooking with and just eating of fresh strawberries. One of my favorite dishes is Strawberry Crepes. The crepes take a little time but the end result is so worth the effort. These can be served as a dessert, but also for brunch or breakfast.
Strawberry Crepes
1 recipe dessert crepe batter- see below
2 lbs.fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
sugar to taste- start with 1/2 cup, then adjust to your taste
1 t. vanilla
1 t. grated orange peel
powdered sugar
whipped cream, optional
Make the crepe batter (recipe below) and cook the crepes. Toss the berries with the sugar, vanilla and orange peel. Place a crepe on your work surface and spoon berries down the middle. Fold up the sides of the crepe and move to serving dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients until you run out of something. I tend to put a lot of the berries in each crepe so I run out of berries and have left over crepes. How much fruit you put in each one is completely up to you and your taste. Dust filled crepes with powdered sugar and top with extra berries- if you have any left. You can also add some whipped cream on the top. I list it as optional- but I really think you’re going to want that whipped cream. Makes about 12 crepes, give or take.
Dessert Crepes
1 c. flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 T. sugar
2-T. orange-flavored liqueur or orange juice concentrate
1/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
Mix all ingredients in blender (except butter) until smooth, scraping sides often. Add butter and blend well. Let stand for 30 minutes before using, or batter can be refrigerated, covered, over night. Beat again, just before using.Heat 6 or 7 inch skillet. Brush with butter or oil and pour in about 2 teaspoons of batter, tipping pan to cover bottom of pan completely with batter. Cook until edges start to brown, turn over and cook until lightly browned (about 2 minutes per side.) Crepes can be made day ahead or even placed between sheets of waxed paper and frozen. Makes 20.
Kale and Bean Stew
Kale and Bean Stew
I really like most leafy greens. A lot of people don’t though and I often hear from people who would love to get family members to eat them. Sometimes you have to get creative and add them to dishes where the flavor is masked a little with other foods. This simple stew is a great way to maybe get family members to try kale in a less obvious way. It tastes pretty good, too.
Kale and Bean Stew
1½ lb. kale leaves, center ribs removed
3 T. oil
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped celery
1 c. chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. dry white wine
2 (15 oz.) cans beans, rinsed and drained- I used garbanzos and lima beans
4-5 cups Vegetable or chicken stock
1 t. dried savory or thyme
1 bay leaf
1 T. white balsamic vinegar
2 T. fresh chopped herbs
Blanch kale in boiling water for 1 minute. Rinse under cold water. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop kale leaves coarsely. Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Cook vegetables and garlic until tender but not browned. Add wine and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add 4 cups of the broth, beans, savory and bay leaf and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Add kale and simmer 5 minutes more. Add more stock if stew is too thick. Add vinegar, fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6.
