Winter Desserts

Winter time here is cold, snowy, and not really easy on old bones. One of the ways to combat this, is making a good, hot, dessert. My Grandma made bread pudding because it was economical, hot, and a good way to use old bread.  All you need is a couple eggs, some milk, and a little fruit.  Of course, I jazz it up a bit by adding caramel sauce and ice cream.

Bread Pudding

3 cups torn bread
1 cup of milk
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of raisins (I like golden raisins)
1 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of vanilla
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Tear up the bread and put it in a lightly greased pan with the raisins.  Whip together eggs, milk, sugar, orange zest, cinnamon and vanilla. Combine the egg mixture with the fruit and bread. Put it in the oven for about 30 - 35 minutes or until a butter knife inserted into the center of the dish comes out clean.

Let cool for 20 minutes, drizzle with caramel sauce, top with a small amount of vanilla ice cream and enjoy.

Turkey Chili (Shhhh!, it's good for you!)

Everyone has secrets. On occasion, I try to make healthier versions of the things my Mom was so good at, for instance Chili.  Mom would fry up hamburger, chop all the ingredients by hand, and it was always pretty amazing.  Me, I prefer to make it semi-homemade.  My way is quicker, but also very good.  I make it in one pot, there is not a lot of excess grease to drain off, and it's respectfully spicy.

Turkey Chili

1 lb lean ground turkey
2 cans Bush's Chili Beans
1 8 oz. can of Hunt's Tomato Sauce
1 can Rotel Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilis
2 jalapeño peppers
1/2 a green pepper
1 small onion
Assorted spices: cayenne, red chili powder, cilantro, garlic, oregano, and cumin. These need to be adjusted according to how spicy you like your chili.

Rough chop the peppers and onions. Brown the turkey and add the vegetables. Cook until the onions are translucent.






















Add the canned items.

Cook for at least 45 minutes on low heat until the chili is hot and bubbly.  Serve with cornbread, brown bread, or biscuits.

Using leftovers

I don't know about you, but for me the holidays mean lots of leftovers.  As a teacher, I generally have the week off between Christmas and New Year's. During the holidays I cook a lot of Italian dishes, so that means either baking or buying Italian bread for meals. Frequently only part of a loaf will be used, and instead of throwing it away, I make croutons for salads, and sometimes Bread Pizza. When my girls were little leftovers helped to stretch the budget and one of their favorites was this dish.

Bread Pizza

Leftover Italian bread
Good sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Optional toppings:
Green peppers
Onions
Olives
Mushrooms
Pepperoni
Sausage..
Whatever you have left in the fridge!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with either foil or parchment paper. Slice the Italian Bread into six inch lengths then split in half.  Cover the bread with sauce, I used Classico's Florentine Spinach & Cheese.

Add toppings, cover with cheese.  Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned and bubbly.

Easy as can be.

Mid-week Turkey Noodle Soup

This time of year, I like to make soups.  Lots of them. Frequently with the holidays, there will be leftover meat from either a turkey or a roast.  This time we're talking turkey.  This soup starts with a vegetable base, and finishes with fresh cut egg noodles.

6 cups of water
1 cup of carrots sliced
1/2 cup of celery chopped
1/2 cup of onion chopped
1 tbsp of Herbs from Provence
1 tsp of Sea Salt

Bring water and salt to a boil add the carrots, celery and onion.  Cook for 20 minutes or until carrots are almost tender.  Add the Herbs from Provence.

Next, add 1 cup of cooked turkey.  This should be chopped, but not finely as you want it to look hearty. For the noodles, I like fresh pasta.  I do not like to use dried noodles with a bunch of chemicals I can't pronounce in them.  If I do not have time to make them, I buy them.  1/2 a package of fresh linguine works very well.  I cut those into small bite size noodles.

Cook until pasta is tender. About 10 minutes.  Serve with biscuits or with a hearty bread, and you have a meal that your whole family can enjoy.  This recipe can be doubled or tripled but don't go beyond a tablespoon of salt. 

Burger night

At least once a week, I attempt to make a different kind of burger.  Tonight's burger featured sauteed onion and mushrooms.

1/3 pound of hamburger per burger
1 Slice of onion per burger
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms per burger
1 pita (I used Joseph's low carb)
1 slice of low sodium American cheese
1/2 tsp ground garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt

Cook burgers until they are at least medium well, add spices. Saute onion and mushrooms until cooked in the same pan. Drain grease from vegetables and burgers. Put on the pita pockets with desired condiments, cheese, and sauteed vegetables. I served this with crinkled fries that had been dressed up with rosemary and garlic, and Bush's Bourbon and Brown Sugar Grillin' Beans.

Lemon and Caper Chicken

My Lemon and Caper Chicken recipe came from a love for chicken piccata.  Chicken piccata is not a light food however, and I did not need the breading. To cut some of the calories, I found this is just as good without the traditional flour dredging. I serve this with rice and roasted vegetables. I prefer long grain and wild rice because the nuttiness goes well with the citrus in the chicken.  The roasted vegetables are very good when you add salt, pepper, and a little garlic.

My recipe is simple and satisfying.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast - 4 oz for each serving
2 tbsp of butter
1/2 cup white wine
Lemon juice - 1 small lemon juiced or 1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup of capers drained and rinsed
1 tbsp of oregano
1 tsp of garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black ground pepper - or to taste
olive oil cooking spray


Coat a non-stick pan with olive oil cooking spray add the butter and melt it.  Slice the chicken breasts into medallions.  Add them to the pan and cook them until almost all the pink is gone.  Add the lemon juice, white wine, capers, and spices.  Cook for another 15 minutes.

Aunt Kathy's Mexican Hash Brown Casserole

My Aunt Kathy used to make a version of this for us kids because it feeds a small army, (two adults and five growing children) and it is not an expensive meal. Also, its heavy on the vegetables, but no one seems to mind. Serve this with the toppings, a side of refried or black beans, and some tortilla chips. Also goes good with the Sangria recipe. Enjoy!

Mexican Hash Brown Casserole

½ of a 1 pound bag of frozen shredded or chopped hash brown potatoes

1 8 oz. can of diced or pureed tomatoes

1 pound of lean ground beef

2 c. of Mexican 4 cheese blend of finely shredded cheese (or just cheddar cheese) divided

1 c. of frozen or fresh corn

1 c. of chopped peppers, I mix jalapeño and green pepper

1 c. of chopped zucchini

1 medium onion chopped

Mexican Spice Blend Mix:

2 tbsp. powdered garlic

2 tbsp. dried onions

½ tsp. ground cumin

3 tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. of cayenne pepper

½ tsp. sea salt

If you have a package of taco seasoning mix that works, but it has a lot more salt. 

Topping suggestions:

Shredded lettuce

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped green onions

Sliced black olives

Sour cream

Salsa

Brown ground beef and drain. Mix spices, add vegetables, tomatoes and spices to the crockpot.  Stir in hash browns, browned hamburger, and 1 cup of cheese. 

Cook on low for six hours.  Turn off ten minutes before serving, and top with the remaining cheese. 

Serve with suggested toppings. 

Crockpot Sauce

Sauce is incredibly important in an Italian household.  If you cannot make a good sauce, there is no way you can marry Italian. I make a pretty good sauce from scratch but during the Winter when good tomatoes are scarce I cook it in the crockpot and start with canned tomatoes.  "Gasp!" Italian women everywhere are shouting "Blasphemy!" as I write this, but it tastes pretty good and is moderately healthy.

Andrea's Crockpot Sauce

1 large can crushed tomatoes 28 ozs.
1 large can diced tomatoes 28 ozs.
1 large can tomato paste 15 ozs.
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped green peppers
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
3 cloves of garlic chopped fine.


If you can't get fresh parsley, oregano, and basil at your grocers try using the dried, two tablespoons each.  It's not as good, but it will suffice.  Put this in the crockpot and cook on low for at least 6 hours, 8 is better.

Enjoy over your favorite pasta, I like the pasta with vegetables in it.

Posting Recipes

I'm a Grandmother, Mother, Sister, Aunt, and Niece, so you know I have food stories to tell.  Today I think I'll start with Andrea's Sangria.

Sangria for me takes me to Tarpon Springs, Florida.  My oldest daughter lived there for awhile and I visited once and fell in love with the Greek community and their focus on sponge diving.  While there I went to little restaurant called Mama's with my Aunt.  The two of us enjoyed pitchers of sangria while listening to the fisherman speak Greek and watching the boats come into port.  It was so much fun! So of course, I had to try and recreate my sangria moment.  

Andrea's Sangria

1/2 c. Cognac

3 c. Red or white wine

2 c. Fruit juice

1 sliced orange, lime, and lemon

1/2 c. Sliced strawberries

Put most of the fruit in the bottom of the pitcher. Save a little to garnish the glasses.

Pour cognac over the fruit let set for up to one day. Pour three cups of wine into the pitcher along with two cups of fruit juice. I like orange, pineapple and mango fruit juice, tastes more tropical. Refrigerate.

When ready to serve put a slice of lemon on the bottom of the glass, put in some ice add a slice of orange add more ice and put a slice of lime on the edge of the glass. Pour in sangria and enjoy!