Main dishes

Turkey Cutlets with Marinated Tomatoes

Published on by carol lou

It is November 1st and time to start talking turkey.  Soon we will all be thinking about cooking our Thanksgiving turkey, but here is a recipe for a quick turkey entree that is definitely not your typical turkey dinner.  Quick cooking cutlets, breaded and fried are absolutely delicious with a side of marinated cherry tomatoes.  For those of you that are not fans of turkey, this recipe will change your mind.  Turkey lovers, add this to your file as one more sensational turkey recipe.  If you have leftovers, the cold cutlets make wonderful sandwiches. 

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Turkey Cutlets with Marinated Tomatoes

Ingredients

  • Marinated Tomatoes
  • 6 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup red onion. finely sliced
  • 3/4 cup fresh basil, minced
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • kosher salt
  • Cutlets
  • 1 1/2 cups panko crumbs
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 - 3/4 cup flour
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 8-10 scallopini slices of turkey breast

Instructions

  1. Combine all of the Marinated Tomato ingredients a medium bowl, set aside until ready to serve.  This can be done up to 3 hours ahead, let sit at room temperature. For the cutlets, in three shallow bowls - put panko, eggs and flour in each bowl.  Dip the cutlets in the flour, then the egg and then the panko crumbs. Salt and pepper cutlets.  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  In a large frying pan, melt the butter and oil over medium-heat.  When this mixture is foamy, put the slices in the hot oil.  Do not crowd the slices.  Turn the slices over as they begin to brown, 3 - 4 minutes.  When the cutlets are golden on each side, place cutlets on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining cutlets.  You can add a bit more butter and oil to frying pan, if necessary.  Serve warm with the marinated tomatoes.  

 

Cast Iron Skillet Meatballs with Barbecue Sauce

Published on by carol lou

This recipe goes back to when we were living in Texas.  We were stationed at Dyess AFB and I got this recipe from a friend while we were stationed there. I used to make these quite frequently but as things go, this was tucked in the one of my cookbooks and I haven’t made them for years.  I brought this old favorite out and they are as delicious today as they were in the 1990’s!  You could also make these into mini meatballs for a tailgate or appetizer.  Either way, they are a real crowd-pleaser,   No cast iron skillet?  No problem, place the meatballs on a baking sheet for the first part of cooking to brown the meatballs and then place in a baking dish and top with the sauce for the last thirty minutes. 

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Cast Iron Skillet Meatballs with Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds meatloaf mix (ground pork, beef and veal mix)
  • 1 cup oatmeal
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine the meat, oatmeal, milk, onion and salt.  Form into balls, place in a large cast-iron skillet.  Combine ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, water, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard and pepper - set aside.  Bake meatballs for 30 minutes in 450 degree oven, turn every 8 minutes.  After 30 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and pour sauce over the meatballs.  Bake an additional 30 minutes, turning meatballs every 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and spoon the sauce over the meatballs when serving. 

 

 

Salmon Burgers

Published on by carol lou

Sometimes, I have a love/hate relationship with salmon.  Sometimes I love it and sometimes I can leave it.  A few weeks ago I was at a restaurant and ordered their salmon burger and it was delicious.  So, I thought…time to re-engage salmon recipes.  i read many recipes for salmon burgers – some where you puree the salmon in a food processor, some where you chop salmon, you name it and I found it when it came to salmon burger recipes.  I took what I thought was the best technique from all of the recipes and came up with this recipe.  I think I have created the perfect salmon burger, perfect to serve with a side of chopped salad, tomatoes and avocado.  For those of you that are true burger lovers, these would be equally delicious on a toasted bun.  I have a new favorite salmon recipe.  

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Salmon Burgers

Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds skinless/boneless salmon - very finely chopped by hand
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon fresh minced Italian parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced cornichons or capers
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
  • 1/2 cup panko crumbs
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • lemon wedges

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine salmon, mustard, parsley, cornichons, shallot, and panko crrumbs.  Stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Divide salmon into 4 equal portions and roll each into a ball, then flatten into a 1-inch thick burgers. Use your hands to smooth out any cracked edges  At this point you can cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.  Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and butter.  When hot, carefully place burgers into the pan and cook, carefully turning once or twice. - about 3 - 4  minutes per side.  Adjust heat lower to keep the oil sizzling but you do not want to burn the edges.  Serve with a wedge of lemon

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Salmon Burgers

Everything Zucchini

Published on by carol lou

Yes, it is that time of year, zucchini is abundant and I just love pulling out my recipes using zucchini.  The Chocolate Zucchini Bars are moist and oh so delicious.  The recipe makes a large sheet pan perfect for late summer get-together s.  Then a savory dish using ground beef and zucchini to create a basil filled pasta sauce, perfect for a quick dinner. 

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Chocolate Zucchini Bars

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 5 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 cups packed grated zucchini
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour one 11 x 17 inch sheet pan. In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugars, butter, oil, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk.  Mix together the dry ingredients (flour,cinnamon, allspice, cocoa powder, soda and salt).  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.  Stir in the grated zucchini.  Pour mixture into prepared pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips of the top.  Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until a wooden pick come out clean..  Cool, dust with powdered sugar, if desired.  Cut into bars when cool.

 

 

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Fettucine with Zucchini Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 4 cups diced zucchini
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons prepared pesto or fresh minced basil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 pound cooked al dente, fettucine
  • freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1.  In a large skillet, cook the onion, parsley and garlic in the olive oil for 5 minutes.  Add the ground beef and cook until the meat is cooked through. Add the zucchini and mix well.  Stir in the pesto or basil, tomato sauce, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes.  Cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stir frequently. Cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente.  Stir the heavy cream into the pasta sauce and heat through, taste for seasoning and adjust to your taste.  Drain pasta and toss with sauce.  Top with grated cheese. 

Baked Lemon Dill Walleye

Published on by carol lou

I am always looking for new and delicious ways to bake fish.   When we were recently in Wisconsin and purchasing walleye at the local butcher, I received the best tip ever on how to remove the skin off of fish.  While the fish is frozen, run the fillet under cold water.  Starting at one corner pull the skin off slowly, use a paper towel to improve your grip on the skin.  The skin literally pulled off in one piece.  What a great tip!  Now back to how I baked the walleye, I wrapped the fish in foil in a packet with butter, Old Bay Seasoning, fresh dill and lemons.  The result was fantastic. I have done this in the oven and on the grill, both ways were equally delicious. This would also work great with other white fish varieties. 

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Baked Lemon Dill White Fish

Ingredients

  • fish fillets - walleye, cod, or favorite white fish
  • 1 lemon, thinly sliced (one lemon for 2 - 3 fillets)
  • Old Bay Seasoning
  • butter - 4 - 5 tablespoons per fillet
  • fresh dill

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees or prepare grill for medium-high heat.  Take two sheets of heavy duty foil, generously dot with butter, top with fish, dust fish with Old Bay Seasoning, top with lemon slices and dill, dot with remaining butter.  Seal foil completely. Put in the oven or on the grill, cook for 15 - 20 minutes, foil will puff up - poke two holes in the foil.  Continue to cook for 5 minutes. 

Italian Sausages with Spinach and 5 Ingredient Pepperoni Pie

Published on by carol lou

This has been a summer of travel for me and at one stop I sat down and poured through my mom’s vast cookbook selection.  Years ago, church cookbooks and community cookbooks were very popular.  Her collection is impressive and I love to read them when I get a chance.  In one old tattered well-loved cookbook I found these recipes, no name attached just a recipe that someone loved and wanted to share.  I can see why they submitted these recipes, they are delicious, easy to prepare and make a wonderful quick meal.  I have to say, I get great pleasure reading the recipes and my mom’s comments – these recipes date back to when microwaves were a novelty and premade, prepackaged dinner mixes were unheard of.  This was the time when everything was made fresh with market items they purchased or items they grew in their gardens.  Just the way I love to cook now!

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5 Ingredient Pepperoni Pie

Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup diced pepperoni
  • 3/4 cup diced Muenster cheese
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • marinara sauce, optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9 inch pie pan.  In a mixing bowl stir together all of the ingredients, pour into the prepared pie pan. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and serve immediately.  Serve with marinara sauce, if desired. 

 

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Italian Sausages with Spinach

Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 6 - 8 Italian sausages, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 onion, minced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 4 - 5 cups fresh baby spinach

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon olive oil, brown sausages on all sides.  Add the 1/4 cup water, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Remove sausages from the skillet, cover with foil to keep warm.  In the skillet, add additional 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, add onion and garlic, saute for a few minutes, stirring constantly.  Add spinach, stir quickly, add wine, cover and cook just until wilted.  Add cooked sausages, heat through and serve.

Cacio e Pepe and my travels through Florence, Italy

Published on by carol lou

I recently returned from a wonderful trip through Switzerland and Northern Italy.  As you can imagine, I took photos of everything we ate during the trip, from Champagne Truffle Cheese Fondue in St. Moritz. amazing Tuna with Veal Sauce at Lake Como and many fantastic pasta and vegetable dishes in Florence.  I have to say one of the most memorable dishes I had (yes, there are many) was Cacio e Pepe.  After a long day of traveling and walking (I think our phones told us over 15,000 steps per day) we ducked into a delightful small restaurant for dinner.  By this time in the trip I wanted to try a comfort dish and ordered Cacio e Pepe.  This is basically pasta with cheese and black pepper.  However, it is far more than that, it is the most magnificent simple combination that was just marvelous.  I read various recipes and decided to try my version and it was delicious.  What a great reminder of my dinner in Florence.

 

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Cacio e Pepe

Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 10 oz. spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Ramano cheese

Instructions

  1. Boil pasta in salted water for 9 minutes.  While the pasta is cooking, in a large saucepan melt the butter with 2 tablespoons of water, add the pepper.  When the pasta has boiled for 9 minutes, take 1 1/2 cups of the hot pasta water and add to butter mixture.  Drain pasta and toss in the butter/pepper mixture.  Increase heat and cook the pasta tossing constantly in the butter/pepper mixture until most of the water has evaporated (this will take about 3 minutes).  Remove pasta from the heat and toss with the grated cheese, stir until well combined and all of the cheese has melted.  Serve.

A few photos as we walked through Florence –

 

Grilled Salmon with Cucumber Dill Sauce

Published on by carol lou

Quick, easy and delicious is my theme this month!  With little time to cook, I am relying on recipes that are easy to prepare.  We utilize our grill as much as possible and Grilled Salmon is one of our favorites.  Topped with Cucumber Dill Sauce, it is really good.  I had a few pita loaves in my freezer, thawed them out, brushed them with olive oil and toasted them on the grill.  Served along side the salmon it was a great quick and easy dinner.  In a hurry, try this recipe, you will not be disappointed. 

 

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Grilled Salmon with Cucumber Dill Sauce

Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 4 salmon fillets, with skin
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • CUCUMBER DILL SAUCE
  • 1/2 seedless cucumber, grated
  • 1 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Combine Cucumber Dill Sauce ingredients, mix well and chill several hours.  Prepare grill, place salmon skin side down, season with lemon juice and pepper. Cover grill and cook until salmon flakes with a fork.  Remove from grill and serve with dill sauce. 

 

Pasta Frittata

Published on by carol lou

Do you ever have leftover cooked pasta in your refrigerator?  That is exactly what I had and here is my result, Pasta Frittata.  Not at all difficult, mix the cold pasta with eggs, grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  In a hot skillet and in 30-35 minutes you have a delicious frittata.  Crisp on the outside and gooey in the center.  I served this with assorted roasted vegetables, it was delicious.  Once again, necessity is the mother of invention!  Enjoy!

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Pasta Frittata

Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2-3 cups (approximately) leftover cooked pasta
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  1. In a medium mixing bowl combine the pasta, eggs, salt, pepper and cheese, mix well.  In a 10 inch skillet heat the oil, pour in the pasta mixture, pat into pan.  Cook over medium low heat for 20 minutes or until golden, have a plate handy and flip the frittata on the plate and slide the uncooked side into the pan.  Cook an additional 10 - 15 minutes until golden on both sides.  If it seems to be browning too quickly, reduce heat. 

Zucchini Quiche with Corn Tortilla Crust

Published on by carol lou

I was leafing through recipes from years ago when we lived in Texas.  After returning from a trip to the Southwest, I wanted to try something new and found a note about a crust made out of corn tortillas.  I thought this was a must try since it is so much quicker, easier and not as caloric as a pastry crust.  I softened the tortillas with a quick flip in a skillet of hot oil, patted them dry with paper towels and lined my removable bottom tart pan to form a crust.  Then I made my filling and the results were great.  A crisp crust with a gooey filling, perfect as a light summer meal.

 

 

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Zucchini Quiche with a Corn Tortilla Crust

Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 7 corn tortillas
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped fine
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup minced Italian parsley
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon diced pimento

Instructions

  1. Spray a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom with non-stick spray. In a medium saucepan, heat oil until tortilla sizzles when placed in the oil, cook quickly on both sides just until soft, drain on paper towels.  Begin in the center and place one tortilla, then the other tortillas around the edges of the pan overlapping to form a crust.  Using the same skillet, cook the onion until transparent, set aside.  Spread the zucchini and cheese evenly in the crust.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl whisk together the ricotta cheese, eggs, minced parsley and milk.  Stir in the onions, pimento, cayenne and salt.  Pour evenly over the zucchini and cheese.  Bake for 40 minutes or until set.  Allow quiche to stand 5 minutes prior to cutting.  Serve with your favorite salsa.

    If you like a bit more heat, you can use Pepper Jack cheese in place of the Monterey Jack cheese