Category Archives: Definitely Making it Again

July 12, 2011 · 9:17 am

Radish, Tomato, Cucumber and Green Onion Salad

I am not a huge radish fan. Okay, I don’t really like them at all, but I LOVE them in this salad. This salad is cool and crunchy and perfect for a hot summer day.

Ingredients:
6 radishes, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium cucumber, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

We had this with marinated pork chops and some sliced strawberries.

Instructions:
Chop the radishes, tomatoes, cucumbers and green onions into small pieces.

Whisk together oil and vinegar. Put all chopped vegetables in a bowl and drizzle with oil and vinegar dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix until everything is combined.

What did the family think? Sadly, it wasn’t a huge hit. I was the only one who liked it and I didn’t just like it, I loved it. I will happily be eating all of the leftovers.

Where did this recipe come from? Melanie Cooks

Photo from Melanie Cooks

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Salad, Side Dish, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

July 11, 2011 · 8:58 am

Potato-Fennel Gratin

This was my first time ever cooking with fennel and it was a great way to teach the boys about a new food. I was starting to put the fennel bulbs in the grocery cart and their natural curiosity took over and it sounded something like this…”What is THAT?”

Ingredients:
2 small fennel bulbs
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (1/2 pound)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter the inside of a 10-by-15-by-2-inch (10-cup) baking dish.

Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel.

Saute the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.

Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandoline.

Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, and pepper. Add the sauteed fennel and onion and mix well.

Pour the potatoes into the baking dish. Press down to smooth the potatoes. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 cup of Gruyère and sprinkle on the top.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly.

Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.

We had this with rosemary and garlic steak kabobs and watermelon.

Did I change anything? I only cooked it for an hour and it was fine.

What did the family think? 75% of us loved this dish. (I bet you can guess who the other 25% was.) Our oldest even had seconds and wanted me to make the leftovers for him in a sandwich. (Which sounds gross to me.) What was good was putting some of the cheesy sauce from the potatoes on the steak we were eating with it.

Where did this recipe come from? Aggie’s Kitchen and she got it from Ina Garten

photo from Aggie’s Kitchen

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Side Dish, Vegetarian

July 6, 2011 · 3:37 pm

Grilled Pierogies and Kielbasa

We are back from vacation and slowly getting back into the kitchen. This was the last dinner I made before we left and it was FANTASTIC!

Ingredients:
1 pound kielbasa (pork or turkey), cut into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large white onion, sliced (leave in chunks if using an outdoor grill and slice later)
1 pound frozen potato-and-cheddar pierogies (do not thaw)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

Instructions:
Preheat a grill to medium. Grill the kielbasa, turning, until marked, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter.

Meanwhile, whisk the mustard and vinegar in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons olive oil until smooth. Set aside.

Toss the onion and pierogies with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, covered, until the pierogies thaw and the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Turn the pierogies and onion and continue to grill, covered, until the pierogies are cooked through and the onion is tender, 4 to 6 more minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet or platter.

Slice the kielbasa into pieces and add to the bowl with the mustard dressing. Roughly chop the onion and add to the bowl along with the pierogies, onoins and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Divide among shallow bowls.

Did I change anything? I cooked the sausages and the pierogies/onion mixture at the same time. I left out the parsley.

What did the family think? Hubby and I had this and really, really liked it. The boys ate the sausages and a mishmash of other things since I was trying to clean out the frig since we were going out of town.

Where did this recipe come from? Food Network

photo from Food Network

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June 29, 2011 · 5:13 pm

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pretzel Bars

My husband has been out of the country for the past four days, so I thought he might like to come home to these. Also, my lovely neighbor from Bangladesh brought over some yummy food the other day and I thought these might be a nice way to say thank you. Sweet and salty…hard to resist! 🙂

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
One 12-ounce bag bittersweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini pretzels, coarsely chopped

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, beat the butter with both sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract. On low, beat in the dry ingredients, just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and pretzel pieces.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Press the batter down with a spatula. If you want to use the sprinkles, sprinkle them on top of the batter. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Use a knife to go around the side of the pan to loosen the bars. Cut the bars in squares and serve.

What did the family think? It has chocolate. Enough said.

Where did this recipe come from? Food and Wine

photo from Two Peas and Their Pod

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

June 28, 2011 · 9:55 am

Cheesy Meatballs

I was going to try and make some meatballs that I found in a recent issue of Food Network magazine. I had all of the ingredients, I thought, but then realized I didn’t once I got started cooking. Then there were some ingredients I didn’t buy because I knew I didn’t want to use them in this particular recipe and then I forgot one of the ingredients because I was trying to talk on the phone and cook at the same time…that rarely works out well for me. So, I am not going to write the original recipe and then tell you what I changed, I am going to just write it as I made it. It will be easier that way.

Ingredients:
4 oz shredded mozzarella, divided
1 large shallot
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Dash of red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb ground turkey, beef, pork or chicken (I used chicken.)
Cooking Spray

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor, pulse 2 oz mozzarella, shallots, tomatoes, basil, parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper until blended.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and combine with ground chicken. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Form golfball-sized meatballs from mixture, tucking a little bit of shredded mozzarella into the middle of each one. (If you run out of mozzarella while you are doing this, no big deal.)

Place meatballs on a foil-lined baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray. (The foil is SUPER important. You will thank me when it’s time to clean up.)

Bake for about 15 minutes or until cooked through. Turn on broiler and cook for another 2-3 minutes just to get them a little brown on the top. (Watch them carefully.)

We had these with pasta.

Did I change anything? Yes, a lot. The only thing I didn’t mention at the top of this post is that the original recipe also called for frying them in oil before baking them. I skipped that step, too. Also, I changed the name of the recipe since they are clearly not what they started out to be.

What did the family think? Thumbs up!

Where did the original recipe come from? Food Network Magazine, March 2011, p. 114

photo from Food Network

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian

June 27, 2011 · 8:53 am

Lemon Alfredo

This is a very kid-friendly dish, but the lemon zest gives it a more grown-up twist.

Ingredients:
1 shallot
1 T butter
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 egg yolk
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup grated pecorino
Salt and pepper, to taste
12 oz fettuccine

Instructions:
Cook fettuccine according to package directions.

Cook shallot in a skillet with butter over medium heat until golden.

In a bowl, whisk together cream, egg yolk and lemon zest.

Reduce heat to low and whisk into skillet with pecorino. Keep whisking until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss cooked fettuccine with sauce and top with more pecorino.

We had this with a green salad and some strawberries.

Did I change anything? The boys topped their pasta with a little Parmesan.

What did the family think? Thumbs up from everyone!

Where did this recipe come from? Food Network Magazine, March 2011, p. 89

photo from Food Network

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Vegetarian

June 23, 2011 · 2:47 pm

Best Lasagna I’ve Ever Made

There are several lasagna recipes here on MommaCooks, but my hubby declared this recipe to be the best lasagna I’ve ever made. I am going to have to agree with him.

Ingredients:
5 Italian sausage links, casings removed
1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic, minced
20 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup baby spinach, chopped
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg, grated
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese (divided)
2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (divided)
4 cups of marinara sauce (homemade or store bought)
Lasagna noodles (no boil)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the Italian sausage (casings removed), making sure to break it up into crumbles. Add the onions and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Once the meat is brown and the onion is tender, add the garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and drain any grease.

In a large bowl, add ricotta, egg, spinach, basil, parsley, oregano, nutmeg, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste, 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 a cup of mozzarella cheese. Combine until mixed thoroughly.

Layer a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay however many lasagna noodles you need to cover the bottom of the pan. Spread half of the ricotta mixture on the noodles; add another layer of noodles; spread a bit more sauce on top of the noodles followed by the Italian sausage; add another layer of noodles then spread the last half of the ricotta on top. Finish with a layer of noodles and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle a bit more dried oregano on top of the cheese.

Bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Did I change anything? I didn’t have any oregano so I used Italian seasoning instead.

What did the family think? Two thumbs up from everyone!

Where did this recipe come from? For the Love of Cooking

photo from For the Love of Cooking

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian

June 20, 2011 · 9:45 am

Baked Salmon with Salsa

I often hear people say they don’t cook fish because they don’t know how, it’s intimidating, etc. Well, it doesn’t get any easier than this. If you are one of those people, this is a good place to start.

Ingredients:
1 lb. salmon
Peach, peach mango or peach pineapple salsa (I just bought some in a jar.)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spray a pan with cooking spray. Place the salmon (skin side down if it still has it) in the pan.

Pour the salsa over the salmon.

Cook for 15-20 minutes until done.

Did I change anything? No, but I wanted to share with you something I learned from the guy behind the fish counter yesterday. If you want your salmon to have less bones, get a cut closer to the tail than the collar.

What did the family think? Hubby and I were the only ones who had it and we both liked it.

Where did this recipe come from? Bad Girl’s Kitchen

photo from ediblecommunities.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Fish, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

June 19, 2011 · 3:12 pm

Emma’s Belgian Waffle Recipe

I don’t know who Emma is, but we loved her Belgian waffles this morning for our yummy Father’s Day breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
5 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups self-rising flour
2 cups warm milk
2 egg whites

Instructions:
In a large bowl, beat together egg yolks and sugar. Beat in vanilla extract, butter and salt. Alternately mix in flour and milk until blended well.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until they have formed soft peaks. Fold egg whites into batter and let stand for 40 minutes.

Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown and fluffy.

Did I change anything? I got tired of trying to make the egg whites form peaks, so I just put them in the batter. It was fine. I also didn’t wait 40 minutes before cooking the waffles. I let the batter sit for as long as it took me to clean out the dishwasher and refill it. Again, it was fine.

What did the family think? Thumbs up from everyone!

Where did this recipe come from? allrecipes.com

photo from allrecipes.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian

June 17, 2011 · 10:49 am

Strawberry Butter

I made this with store bought strawberries. We got some strawberry plants this week though, so hopefully I will be able to make this with our own strawberries soon.

Ingredients:
1 pt. strawberries, hulled
3 T powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened

Instructions: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth.

Pack into an airtight container and refrigerate.

Great on toast, pancakes, french toast, biscuits and waffles.

Did I change anything? I cut the amount of sugar in half. I would also like to try this with blueberries. One other variation I might try is to substitute cream cheese for the butter.

What did the family think? Yum!

Where did this recipe come from? our grocery store strawberry sampling fair

photo from Right at Home

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian