Brushetta with Goat Cheese, Roasted Tomato and Basil

On Christmas Eve every year we have an appetizer feast. My intention was to take pictures of everything made this year and post it with recipes. Fail. I did take pictures of one of the sides though:

INGREDIENTS

1 large red pepper
4 oz goat cheese, room temperature
country bread, sliced and toasted
16 basil leaves

.... so.... the title of the recipe pretty much spells it out....

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375. Put cut pepper in dish and char until skin is blackened. Remove from oven, cover in tinfoil and allow to steam 10 minutes. Peel skin and cut into slices.

Spread goat cheese on toasts. Place one pepper strip on each toast. Top with a basil leaf.

VERDICT

So simple even a caveman can do it. Unfortunately, not the most popular dish on Christmas Eve because there were much tastier things on the table. If I find them, I'll come back and edit this post to add them. Or, at the rate I'm going... I'll post them in time for next Christmas.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

I honestly didn't give this recipe much hope. Once I bought the Swiss Chard (what the heck IS this stuff?) and saw that there weren't a whole lot of spices, I pretty much wrote this recipe off as average.

Then I came home and smelled the delicious pasta that had been cooking for several hours.

And THEN we ate it. How good was it? Scroll down to the Verdict.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 16 ounces fresh ricotta
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 12 ounces dry lasagna noodles
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, tough stems removed and torn into large pieces
• 12 ounces mozzarella, grated

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

In another medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Spoon 1/3 cup of the tomato mixture into the bowl of a slow cooker. Top with a single layer of noodles, breaking them to fit as necessary. Add half the Swiss chard. Dollop with a third of the ricotta mixture and a third of the remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle with a third of the mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles and repeat with the other ingredients.

Finish with a layer of noodles and the remaining ricotta mixture, tomato mixture, and mozzarella. Set the slow cooker to low and cook, covered, until the noodles are tender, 2 to 3 hours.

VERDICT

Oh... wow. This was REALLY good. It was so good that my non-pasta loving husband called it my "best recipe EVER."

Swiss Chard? I don't know how else it's usually prepared, but it was good in this dish. Similar to spinach? Whatever it was, it didn't taste like a green leafy vegetable that's healthy for you.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Pizza

Man, aren't you glad it's not another soup recipe?

Here's a quick and easy pizza recipe that can be thrown together in no time. And it's TASTY too!

INGREDIENTS

14-oz Pillsbury pizza crust
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
6-oz bag of fresh baby spinach
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
4-oz goat cheese, crumbled
DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat the oven to 400. Spread the dough on a baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil and the parmesan. Bake for 8 minutes.

Toss the spinach with olive oil. Top the crust with the spinach, tomatoes, and goat cheese. Drizzle the pizza with more olive oil and bake for 15 minutes more.
VERDICT

Oh, yum! This was perfect, and tasted similar to our grilled pizza we did so much of this summer. And believe it or not, the two of us finished off the entire baking sheet.

Tomato Garlic Soup with Parmesan Croutons

I've been cooking soups every Sunday night through the fall. Some have been great, and some have been... different. This was one of them.

INGREDIENTS

4 large tomatoes, cored (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2 quarts water
2 quarts ice water
1 1/4 cups uncooked seashell pasta
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
2 (14-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 (1/2-ounce) slices diagonally cut French bread baguette (about 1 inch thick)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Score bottom of each tomato with an "X." Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add tomatoes; cook 30 seconds. Remove tomatoes with a slotted spoon; plunge tomatoes into ice water. Drain and peel. Cut each tomato in half crosswise. Push seeds out of tomato halves using the tip of a knife; discard seeds. Chop tomatoes.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Toss pasta with 1 teaspoon oil. Cool completely.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion; cook 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 3 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in tomatoes, 1 cup water, parsley, chives, oregano, thyme, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta, vinegar, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

Preheat broiler.

Place bread slices on a baking sheet, and top each slice with 1 tablespoon cheese. Broil 1 1/2 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with soup. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

VERDICT

I really expected this soup to have a lot of flavor. There were TONS of herbs in there, fresh tomatoes, giant slices of garlic... but it was just blah. It actually tasted like a can of chopped tomatoes.

But on a good note, the croutons were EXCELLENT!

Creamy Basil and Red Pepper Pasta

It's very rare when my husband actually requests pasta for dinner. But once in a while, when the temperature starts to drop and it gets dark early outside... he relents and actually requests some spaghetti for dinner.

Never one to squander an opportunity, I tried out a new recipe on him this week.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups penne pasta, uncooked

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Fat Free Cream Cheese, softened

1/4 cup fat free milk

1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, well drained

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

2 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces (oops, I forgot to buy chicken. This ended up being a vegetarian dish for us!)

DIRECTIONS

COOK pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, place peppers, cream cheese, milk, basil and Parmesan cheese in blender; cover. Blend until smooth; set aside.

SPRAY large skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook on medium-high heat 3 min., stirring frequently. Stir in pepper mixture. Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 min. or until heated through, stirring frequently.

DRAIN pasta. Add to chicken mixture; stir gently until well blended.

VERDICT

I didn't give this recipe much hope for being outstanding. It was from the Kraft Foods site (which basically is just one giant advertisement for their products and usually lacks any seasoning) but it sounded decent enough. We were so pleasantly surprised!

The sauce has kind of a funny color, and it does seem like it will be really rich with all that cream cheese, but it was delicious! I imagine it's even better with the chicken as directed.

Best of all, we used giant rigatoni from Wegman's Italian collection. Well worth the extra price.

This was so good I saved the left-over sauce (and there is quite a lot) in a tupperware container in the freezer for future use!

Famous Pork Chops

Pork. You know it's good for you. And it IS "the other white meat." It just doesn't taste as good. Sigh. Here's another attempt to make these chewy, tasteless things palatable.

Judging by this recipe's name, I expect this pork recipe to be a keeper.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup crushed butter crackers
• garlic salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 4 pork chops
• 1/2 cup butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a shallow bowl combine crushed crackers, garlic salt and pepper; mix well. In a separate bowl beat eggs.
3. Dip your pork chops in the egg batter and then in the cracker mixture. Place the pork chops in a casserole dish. Place chunks of the butter around the pork chops. Cover and bake for 45 minutes.

VERDICT

45 minutes? WAY too long. They were pretty chewy. And the crunch was nice, but still no overpowering taste. It's a pretty decent recipe as pork chops go... but I'll continue to keep looking anyway.

Herb-stuffed Chicken Breasts

I'm back to cooking! Though it doesn't show yet, I've made two new recipes a week over the last several weeks. I figure it will tide me over in December when we're so busy that we eat pizza and Chinese take-out on alternating nights.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 chicken breast halves (about 2-1/4 pounds total)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or cooking oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• Fresh chives (optional)
• Fresh basil (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. For the stuffing, in a small bowl stir together cream cheese, basil, chives, and garlic.

2. Skin chicken, if desired. Cut a slit horizontally in each chicken breast to make a 3-inch-square pocket. Insert a rounded tablespoon of stuffing into each slit. Fasten slit closed with water-soaked wooden toothpicks. Combine oil, lemon or lime juice, and water.

3. Grill chicken, bone side up, on an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 15 minutes, brushing occasionally with oil mixture. Turn chicken and grill for 20 to 30 minutes more or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, brushing occasionally with oil mixture. Garnish with fresh chives and basil, if desired.

So yeah... about that grilling thing... it was really cold outside and it gets dark at 5pm this time of year. So we threw it in the oven.

Makes 6 servings.

VERDICT

The filling is really rich, but this is really good. The richness of the filling could also be because the recipe called for 6 chicken breasts and I only used 2. So the filling was tripled in each chicken breast we used.

Also, it probably would have been really good grilled, but it tasted just fine in the oven. Just a note, if you do put it in the oven, it takes about 45-minutes on 350 degrees.

Honey-Ginger Coated Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 4 small skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (12 ounces total)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Dash ground red pepper (optional)
• 3/4 cup cornflakes, crushed (about 1/3 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. Spray a shallow baking pan with nonstick spray. Place chicken breasts in baking pan. In a small bowl combine honey, orange juice, ginger, black pepper, and red pepper (if desired). Brush honey mixture over chicken. Combine cornflakes and parsley flakes. Sprinkle cornflake mixture over chicken to coat.

2. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink (170 degrees F). Makes 4 servings.

VERDICT

Quick, easy, yum!

The chicken needs more like 30 minutes though!

Bowties Florentine

Well, it's only been two months since the last post. To ease back into the new recipe kick (and I promise, there will be a lot of them in the coming weeks!) I started with an easy recipe from kraftfoods.com. Their recipes are usually pretty good, and always easy... but usually bland. Lets see how we do with this one.INGREDIENTS

3 cups (8 oz.) bow tie pasta, uncooked

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1 cup DI GIORNO Shredded Asiago Cheese

1-1/2 cups milk

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained

Suggestion: Garlic, fresh ground pepper, and more garlic will add some additional flavor to these rather blah ingredients.

DIRECTIONS

COOK pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, cook and stir chicken in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.

PLACE cream cheese, Asiago cheese and milk in medium saucepan; cook on low heat until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Add spinach; cook until heated through, stirring frequently.

DRAIN pasta; place in large bowl. Add chicken and cream cheese mixture; toss to coat.

VERDICT

If you like spinach... this is your dish. Wow, that's a lot of spinach! I only ended up using half of the cheese-spinach sauce on the pasta, and it was still way too much. You can definitely cut the sauce recipe in half.

As for suggestions, I peppered the chicken before cooking it in the skillet. I added garlic too, but it didn't seem to sink in. I think if I did this again I'd cook the spinach in a skillet with some garlic and pepper before adding it to the cheese mix. The fresh-from-the-box-frozen-spinach taste is pretty strong and I think it would be better to be cooked a bit first.

But overall, not a bad dish. Definitely quick and easy.

Canning

So if you're a regular reader of this blog (and let's face it, no one is!) you might be wondering where I've been. Where are the new recipes? Heck, where are the OLD ones?
I've been busy canning.

Over the summer I went to two in-home parties to learn how to can. At both parties there was copious amounts of wine, and well, lets just say I didn't pay attention to any of that canning stuff. I mean, who has time for that? All that sweating over a giant vat of boiling water for 4 hours.

Who actually DOES that?

Apparently, I do.
As Mark says, I either do everything half-assed or 790% Canning has fallen into the latter category.

So far we've made two different salsa recipes and a canned bruschetta recipe. And I'm not done yet. I'm going to make hot salsa, and mango salsa... and green salsa. There are just so many possibilities!!!And eventually, when I grow bored with my new found hobby (and run out of canning jars) I'll go back to cooking up delicious new recipes.

Until then... I think I need another 10-pound box of tomatoes!

Southwestern Tomato Soup

I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to make soup in the middle of a heatwave, but in my defense I bought the tomatoes before the mercury started cruising past 90-degrees and needed to use them before they rotted.

INGREDIENTS

10 plum tomatoes, halved lenghtwise

1-2 Anaheim peppers, halved and seeded

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 TBS olive oil

2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth

1 TBS minced fresh cilantro

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

8 corn tortillas (6-inches), cut into 1/4-inch strips

sour cream, optional

Hey, look! First time we've used the food processor!!

DIRECTIONS

Place tomatoes cut side down on a broiler pan; broil 3-4 inches from the heat for 15-20 minutes. Peel and discard skins. Repeat with peppers, broiling for 5-10 minutes.

In a skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Transfer to a blender or food processer; add the tomatoes and peppers. Cover and process until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan; cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.

Press mixture through a strainer with a spoon; discard seeds. Return tomatoe mixture to the pan. Add broth, cilantro, cumin, sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Meanwhile, heat 1/2-inch of oil in a skillet to 375-degrees. Fry tortilla strips, in batches, for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Garnish bowls of soup with tortilla strips and sour cream if desired.

VERDICT

This is a great recipe... for fall or winter.

Also, there seems to be a needless extra step in putting the ingredients back into the pan for 2 minutes after processing. I just put the tomatoes straight from the food processor through the strainer.

Swashbuckler's Scallops

This recipe wins the award for best name. And with ingredients like Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, how could I resist giving it a try?INGREDIENTS

1	tablespoon butter
2	cloves garlic, minced
1/2	red bell pepper, diced
1	habanero pepper, seeded and minced (2-4 if you're a pirate)
1 (20	ounce) can pineapple chunks, packed in juice,drained
1	lb bay scallops
1/2	lime, juice of
1/2	teaspoon salt
1/4	teaspoon pepper
1	teaspoon coconut extract
1/2	cup captain morgans's spiced rum
1	tablespoon cornstarch
3	tablespoons water
	hot steamed rice

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat butter in a large skillet and add garlic; cook until fragrant.
2. Add red bell peppers and habanero chiles, and cook, stirring, about 3 minutes.
3. Pour (drained) pineapple chunks into the pan, and add the scallops, the juice of 1/2 a lime, and the salt and pepper; cook, stirring for 4 minutes.
4. Add coconut extract and Captain Morgan's spiced rum to the pan (pour slowly, especially if you work with a gas stove, be prepared for it to accidentally flame; if it does, cover the pan to extinguish); cook 1-2 minutes to blend flavors.
5. Mix cornstarch with water in a small dish, add to pan and stir well; cook just until mixture has thickened.
6. Serve over hot steamed rice.

VERDICT

Let me start by saying that Captain Morgan and Coke is one of my most favorite drinks. I bought this bottle when I had (finally!) stopped nursing Jacob and could drink again. Then, what seemed like two weeks later, I was pregnant again. So obviously this bottle has been sitting around for a long time. And the fact that you can't taste the 1/2 cup of rum in this recipe is just a damn shame. I could have used that 1/2 a cup in my rum & cokes when I can drink again. I could have made, like, I don't know, two drinks with that much rum!

But aside from the travesty that is the wasted rum, this recipe wasn't bad. The coconut flavor is very strong (and smells delicious while cooking too!) The overall look of the dish is pretty bland, and the flavors are a lot less mild than you would expect for using a whole pepper.

But since the Captain was out of the basement... and Karey was at least 10 hours away from her next feeding... I put it to good use. Cheers!

Two Easy Appetizers...

... made with mustard (yuck!)

I don't know why I made these appetizers when I knew they called for mustard. I HATE mustard. But I thought maybe it would add something to the recipe and I wouldn't really taste it. Turns out you really can't hide mustard.

So if you're not afraid of the yucky yellow stuff, try these at your next party:

PARTY CHEESE BREAD

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 round loaf sourdough bread (1 pound)
• 1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients; set aside. Cut bread diagonally into 1-in. slices to within 1/2 in. of bottom of loaf. Repeat cuts in opposite direction. Arrange cheese slices in cuts. Drizzle butter mixture over bread.

Wrap loaf in foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
VERDICT

Looks pretty, cheese is good, mustard it yuck.

CREAMY CRAB DIP

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  shot at $25K? Submit your recipe video for a chance to win $25,000 in the Real Women of Philadelphia Contest with Paula Deen. 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• Dash hot pepper sauce
• Assorted crackers

DIRECTIONS In a 1-1/2-qt. slow cooker, combine the first nine ingredients; stir in crab. Cover and cook on low for 1-1/2 hours. Stir in capers and pepper sauce; cook 30 minutes longer or until heated through. Serve with crackers.
VERDICT

Couldn't taste any crab, just mustard. Yuck.