homecooking

Roasted Vegetable Tarts

| mrscheryllacy

I made these yummy tarts for the first time the other night when having some friends over for dinner. Now, all us women know that many of the guys in our lives would happily pass on the vegetables at dinner. This is a great way to get them to eat them and like it as it combines vegetables with a dinner roll or biscuit. You can use any combination of vegetables when making your tart, but my recommendation is below. Happy eating!

Ingredients20151219_124828

  • 1 packages of refrigerator rolls or biscuits
  • 1 yellow squash, cut into small pieces
  • 1 zucchini, cut into small pieces
  • 1 medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped
  • 3 medium-large sized mushrooms
  • 2 oz shredded cheese
  • 1/2 cusp cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 3 tsp fresh thyme
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar

Instructions

  • Dice the vegetables and place into a bowl in the microwave. Cook on high heat for 30 seconds.
  • If cooking all at once, cook for 1 minute.
  • Remove from microwave and drain any water at the bottom of the bowl.
  • Add the thyme, some salt & pepper (to taste), olive oil and balsamic vinegar to the veggies and mix well.

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  • Using 2 full-size muffin tins, lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
  • Unroll the refrigerator rolls/bisquits and separate. Bisquits generally have 10. You will cut the thicker bisquits in half to make 12.
  • Put into bottom of muffin tins and press down.
  • Add a heaping tablespoon of the vegetable mix to each muffin tin.
  • Sprinkle with a little extra salt and pepper.
  • Add a small amount of shredded cheese to the top of each.

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  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Cool about 5 minutes before removing from pan.
  • Can be served hot or at room temperature.

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Ideas

  • Other vegetables – this would be great with some diced red or yellow pepper as well.
  • Why cut bisquits down? Trust me. A thinner breading at the bottom of the tarts is so much better.
  • This also makes a great appetizer.
  • You can also prepare the vegetable filling up to one day before using. Dice all the vegetables, heat in microwave, drain excess liquid, refrigerate.

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Cranberry Relish

| mrscheryllacy

Thanksgiving is just two days away and I’m preparing for a big day in the kitchen. There are only a couple of items that I can make ahead and cranberry relish is one of those items. Cranberries… yummy! I think people either really like them or really do not. Assuming you really like them (or why would you be reading my post about cranberry relish), I have a great recipe for you that yields just the right amount of tart and just the right amount of sweet.

But before we get to the recipe, did you grow up eating canned cranberry jelly or did someone in your family make a cranberry sauce or relish? I was lucky enough to have both as my father preferred the jelly and my mom the relish. To this day, I will happily eat both varieties but my favorite is cranberry relish. It’ll probably be your favorite as well. Happy eating!

Ingredients

  • 1 bag (12 oz.) fresh cranber20151124_183907ries
  • 3/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground pepper
  • 2-4 clementines/mandarin oranges or 1 small orange
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Instructions

  • In a medium-sized saucepan, over medium heat, cook cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir occasionally. Cook time approximately 15 minutes or until cranberries pop and mixture thickens.

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  • While cranberries are cooking, cut up the oranges.

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  • Remove from heat and stir in orange pieces and walnuts.
  • Place into container, cover and chill in refrigerator at least 2 hours.
  • Serve.

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Ideas

  • My version does not have walnuts in it because my husband is allergic. If there are no allergy issues in your family, I highly recommend adding them. Of course, you do not need to stick to walnuts, if you prefer hazelnuts, pecans almonds, pistachios, by all means, add them to your relish.
  • Oranges, clementines, etc. Any of these are fine.
  • Alternative fruits – I used to put pineapple in my cranberry relish and it was amazing, but unfortunately, I developed a pineapple allergy. Stinks to be me, but you can still enjoy. If you do use pineapple, 8 oz should do it. Fresh or canned, but canned is actually better.
  • Spices. My favorite to use is cinnamon but be adventurous. If you like allspice, ginger, nutmeg or cloves, substitute them. Same quantity of 1 tsp.

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Lasagna with Meat and Vegetables

| mrscheryllacy

Ah, lasagna. One word that evokes childhood and delicious smells from the kitchen. And also, that rascal, Garfield the cat, always stealing lasagna from his person, Jon. This is one of those relatively simple meals that is always good, but difficult to make outstanding. My husband’s favorite Italian dish is lasagna. After tasting this version of my lasagna, he dubbed it “better than anything he’d ever had in a restaurant” so I figured I had gotten this right and wouldn’t tinker with the recipe anymore. Follow the instructions below and you’ll be the beneficiary of a couple years (OK, while it took a couple of years, I only made lasagna twice a year) of tinkering. Happy cooking and eating.

Ingredients20150923_190305

  • 15 oz of ricotta cheese
  • 1-1/4 cups parmesan reggiano cheese
  • 1/3 cup minced fresh basil
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1-1/2 jars of spaghetti sauce
  • 1 package of no-boil lasagna noodles
  • 1 pound shredded mozzarella
  • 1 lb of ground beef
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 T olive oil
  • 8 medium mushrooms
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • Italian spices

Instructions – Getting the Mixes Ready

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Put a medium or large skillet on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the ground beef and brown.
  • Add the garlic after beef has been cooking for about 3-4 minutes. Mix well.
  • Once beef is nicely browned, turn off heat.
  • Add 1 cup of spaghetti sauce to the ground beef and mix well.

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  • While the beef is cooking, in separate skillet, add about 1/2 T of olive oil and cook for about 2 minutes over medium heat.
  • Add the onions and cook for another ~3 minutes.
  • Add the mushrooms, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp italian spices and cook until the mushrooms are slightly softened, about another 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat.
  • Add the onion and mushrooms to the beef and mix well.

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  • While you are waiting for the beef and vegetables to cook, in a large bowl, mix the ricotta, 1 cup of the parmesan cheese, basil, parsley, egg, salt and pepper until combined well.

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Instructions – Layering the Lasagna

  • In a 9×13″ baking dish, place 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce and spread over the bottom.
  • Place 3 lasagna noodles over the sauce.
  • Drop 3 T of the ricotta mixture over the center of each noodle, then spread it so it’s thickness is even.

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  • Drop a similar amount of the meat and vegetable mixture over the ricotta mix and spread evenly.
  • Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella cheese over the top.
  • Spoon about 1-1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce over the cheese.

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  • Cover with 3 noodles.
  • Repeat until there are 3 layers of filling/4 layers of noodles.
  • After 4th layer of noodles is placed, spread the remaining sauce (~1-1/4 cups) over the noodles.
  • Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses over the sauce.
  • Sprinkle the top with italian spices.

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Instructions – Cooking the Lasagna

  • Lightly spray a piece of tin foil with oil.
  • Place foil over lasagna filled baking dish and place into preheated oven in center rack.
  • Cook for 15 minutes.
  • Remove foil and cook an additional 15 minutes.
  • Let rest for at least 5 minutes after removing from oven before serving.

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Ideas

  • Ricotta cheese – the whole milk version is the best. Heck, you’re splurging and eating lasagna with all that cheese. Don’t get ricotta that isn’t made from whole milk.
  • Parmesan cheese – you can use regular parmesan, and that’ll be just fine. BUT, if you are a Costco member, I highly recommend you get some Parmigiano Reggiano.
  • Spaghetti sauce – as with so many recipes, the key is to make some things easier or, frankly, you just won’t find the time to cook them. You can make your own tomato sauce, and if you like to do this, by all means, go ahead. As for me (and on a weeknight), I trust Trader Joe’s marinara sauce.
  • Ground beef – choose beef that is at least 85% lean. My preference is 90%. You don’t want to be draining oil from the pan if you don’t have to.

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Fried Chicken

| mrscheryllacy

Fried chicken has always been a favorite meal of mine, but the grease is not something I’m willing to ingest any more. With that in mind, I started looking for better ways of making fried chicken a few years ago. And while many people will bake their “fried” chicken, I’m more of a purist. Clearly the chefs of the world (and many home cooks) have known for decades that getting your meat to soak up “something else” makes it unable to soak up grease when it’s frying, but I didn’t. If you are like I was, there are two main ways to prep your chicken. One is to brine it and the other is to soak it in buttermilk. Now, I love to brine a chicken or turkey but it adds a lot of salt to the chicken; and that’s not what I want to add to my fried chicken, so soaking in buttermilk is the best choice. If you prefer brining, please do so and enjoy. If you are like me, well, keep on reading. And Happy Eating!

Ingredients – Chicken Preparation

  • Buttermilk, enough to cover all the chicken you are preparing
  • Chicken, a mix of breasts, thighs, drumsticks and wings (at least 2 lbs)

Ingredients – Coating20150907_164053

  • Flour, 3 cups
  • Garlic powder, 1 T
  • Onion powder, 1 T
  • Celery salt, 1 tsp
  • Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, 2-1/2 T
  • Ground pepper, 12 cranks
  • Table salt, 1 T
  • Paprika, 1 T

Instructions – The Night Before

  • The night before (or at least 4 hours before cooking), rinse chicken, pat dry with a paper towel and place in glass dish. Pour buttermilk to cover the chicken. Cover and place in the refrigerator.

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Instructions – Frying The Chicken

  • In a large glass bowl, add 3 cups of flour. Then add all the other “coating” ingredients and mix well. To ensure that you will have a tasty coating to your chicken, take a pinch out and taste it. If you don’t feel that there’s enough flavor, feel free to add other spices to your coating.

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  • Set up your coating assembly line: large plate for coated chicken, large bowl with coating mix and chicken in buttermilk.
  • Put on some gloves (if you have them). Grab your first piece of chicken and hold above the buttermilk so that excess buttermilk will drain off.

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  • Place chicken in coating mix and make sure to coat evenly over the entire chicken.
  • Then place on large plate.
  • Repeat.

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  • It’s important to have some separation between chicken pieces on the plate just as it’s important to give your chicken time to dry before adding to the oil.
  • Let chicken dry for at least 5 minutes. While chicken is drying prepare the stovetop for frying.
  • In a cast iron skillet, add a couple of inches of oil (canola or vegetable).

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  • Turn heat to medium high. Heat to 375 degrees or until ready to start frying (get your thumb and index finger wet and then flick a dash of water into the oil. If it sizzles, it’s time to add the chicken.)
  • With tongs, grab chicken and add to the skillet. Keep the pieces apart so they cook more evenly. I usually have only 3 or 4 pieces cooking at a time in my skillet, but it is smaller. Use a splatter cover, if you have one.

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  • After about 5 minutes, turn the chicken. Check the chicken again in another 5 minutes. Cook until they are a nice golden brown, or darker (like some of my pieces) if you like them cooked well.

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  • Remove from oil, let drain over the skillet, then place in a paper towel lined dish.
  • Repeat until all of the chicken is cooked. Serve and enjoy!

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Ideas

  • Cast iron skillet – If you don’t have one, that’s OK. Use whatever you have available, but do consider buying one for the future as your food will cook more evenly and quicker.
  • Chicken prep – You can add some pepper and salt to the buttermilk mixture if you’d like. It’s not necessary, but a lot of people prefer to do so.
  • Glass – I always use glass bowls and dishes when working with uncooked chicken. It’s easier to clean and ultimately safer for you and your family.
  • Paprika – There are a lot of different types of paprika on the market. I prefer smoked because I like the depth of flavor, but do you whichever you prefer.
  • Salt – for those with salt issues, leave out the last tablespoon of salt from the recipe.
  • Need a little kick? My family doesn’t like their food very spicy, so I do not add cayenne pepper to my coating. If you do like spicier, feel free to add at least 2 tsp to the coating mix.
  • Serving – Enjoy a nice potato salad and some vegetables with your homemade fried chicken.

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Chicken Piccata

| mrscheryllacy

Ah, chicken. It’s one of the most versatile proteins, one of the tastiest, but can also get boring if you’re eating it all the time. Somehow, though, I almost never get bored of having chicken on the dinner table. One way to keep things exciting is to spice up a standard meal with different sauces. This is not just a chicken piccata post, but also a basic chicken preparation recipe for many other recipes that I’ll be posting over time. Of course, I’m posting piccata first because it’s one of my all time favorite sauces. Enjoy!20150725_195039

Ingredients – Chicken Preparation

  • 1.5 – 3 lbs of chicken breast, boneless and skinless
  • 1-2 large eggs, beaten
  • Flavored panko breadcrumbs

Ingredients – Chicken Piccata

  • Olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of diced onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced20150725_195718
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 large lemon, sliced into 1/4″-thick slices
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 T capers, rinsed
  • 3 T unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces
  • 2 T minced fresh parsley

Instructions – Chicken Preparation

  • Rinse chicken and dry with paper towels.
  • Place 2 pieces of plastic wrap on a large cutting board.
  • Place chicken on top of plastic wrap.
  • Place 1 piece of plastic wrap over the chicken.
  • Pound the chicken into thin pieces (about 1/8″ thick)
  • Using kitchen shears, cut into small serving size pieces.

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  • Set up and “assembly line” on the counter nearby.
    • (1) small bowl with the eggs,
    • (2) plate with a layer of panko bread crumbs
    • (3) empty plate
  • Using a fork or tongs, pick up a piece of chicken, dip it into the eggs, then place it on the bread crumbs.

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  • Flip chicken over and make sure both sides are well covered in bread crumbs.
  • Place chicken on empty plate.
  • Repeat until all the chicken is breaded. Add more panko to plate (2) as needed.

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  • Heat 2 T of olive oil in large frying pan.
  • Add chicken to heated frying pan (keep them separated) and brown on both sides.
  • Drain chicken on paper towel.
  • Repeat – add oil to frying pan and brown additional chicken until all the chicken is cooked.

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Instructions – Chicken Piccata Sauce

  • Add 2 T of olive oil to medium or large frying pan and heat over medium heat.
  • Add onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in the chicken broth and lemon slices. Simmer until reduced and slightly thick, about 8 minutes.
  • Add the lemon juice and capers. Turn the eat to low.
  • Add the butter pieces. Cook on low until butter is fully melted. Stir.

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  • Remove from heat, stir in the parsley and salt/pepper to taste.

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  • Spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving.

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Ideas

  • If desired, you can use the same pan to make the sauce as you did to cook the chicken. This will add additional flavor to your piccata sauce, but will also add a lot of time as you cannot cook simultaneously.
  • I use powdered chicken bullion, so just make my broth a little stronger in lieu of adding salt at the end.
  • What to serve with this? Mashed potatoes are always great, or you can try something different like I did by using some Spaetzle. Spaetzle is a German potato pasta. You can find this at World Market/Cost Plus or most any store that sells international food. Just add to a pot of salted boiling water and cook until softened.
  • Piccata sauce is so yummy. Be sure to add some to your potatoes or spaetzle too!
  • And don’t forget a vegetable! Mine is served with cauliflower, but whatever you prefer.
  • Panko breadcrumbs – usually I use Italian flavored, but with piccata, lemon peppered is the best.

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Crustless Tomato Pie

| mrscheryllacy

This is one of the recipes that people either get super excited about or they think you are completely strange for making it. If the later, get them to taste it and they’ll wonder what they were thinking about. The first time I made a crustless tomato pie was about 20 years ago. I had a small garden, but a profusion of tomatoes. After I had made tomato sauce, piccalilli and too many BLTs to count, I figured I needed to find something new to make. Most tomato pies have two crusts and seem heavy to me. When it’s Summer, I prefer the idea of “lighter” feeling food. If you agree, make this pie. Many years ago, I traded this recipe for a bunch of free grapes from an amazing winery in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I hope you enjoy it as much as that owner did.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of breadcrumbs (I prefer flavored ones, Italian is my choice)20150817_185933
  • 2-3 good size tomatoes (about 3 cups), cored and sliced
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped (I prefer a red onion) – after chopping heat in the microwave on high for about 45 seconds
  • 2 cups of grated cheese (Sharp cheddar or Mexican)
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper (to your taste)
  • 3-5 strips of bacon (pork or turkey) – and cut 2-3 slices into bite size pieces

Instructions

  • Preheat over to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9″ pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • In a skillet (or in the microwave on a paper towel), partially cook the bacon, drain on paper towels and set aside.
  • Spread 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs evenly on the bottom of the pie pan.

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  • Arrange 1/2 of the tomato slices on top of the bread crumbs.
  • Add 1/2 of the chopped onion and the bacon pieces.
  • Put some freshly ground pepper and salt (if desired) over this.
  • Cover with 1 cup of grated cheese.

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  • Repeat with a second layer of tomatoes, onions, and cheese.
  • Pour the beaten eggs over the pie and add salt/pepper (if desired)
  • Cover the top of the pie with the remaining 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs.

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  • Arrange the remaining 2 bacon strips on the top of the pie.

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  • Bake for 45 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.

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Ideas

  • Don’t forget to pre-heat the onions a little. It makes a huge different in the texture and taste of them in the pie.
  • This is excellent as a main meal or a side dish.
  • For vegetarians, just omit the bacon, but add some additional salt.
  • In my ingredient picture, you saw 3 extra large tomatoes. I only ended up using 2 of these because they were so big.

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WHAT EVERY HOME COOK NEEDS – PART 2 ESSENTIAL SPICES AND HERBS

| mrscheryllacy

Now, most of you will never need or want the fully stocked spice rack that I have at my house. My husband sometimes wonders why I could possibly need everything I have too. There are many spices that you will only use a couple of times a year, like when you are cooking for the holidays. This list will not include those items. These are my must haves for cooking simple and yummy food. This is the second of many posts to help you make your own versions of my recipes. If I didn’t mention something and you’d like to know why it’s not a must have, send me a comment and I’ll let you know. In any case, you may have some must haves that I don’t – but we can compare notes.

Essential fresh herbs 

  • Basil – so much tastier than the dried version and the color looks fantastic in your dishes
  • Cilantro – this is the perfect herb to have seasonally. I say seasonally because it burns and dies when it’s too hot and sunny. For San Diego area, cilantro grows best in my yard in the spring and fall, but not so well in July and August.
  • Parsley – nice flavor and great garnish for more recipes than you realize
  • Thyme – the aroma of fresh thyme can’t be beat, plus it’s compact and doesn’t take up too much space

Essential spices

  • Basil – I prefer fresh, but if that’s not available, you need dried.
  • Bay leaf – used in so many recipes
  • Celery salt – one of my personal favorites
  • Chili powder – for when you need a bit of heat
  • Cilantro – for anything Mexican style, of course
  • Garlic powder – essential if you don’t have a garlic clove available
  • Lawry’s Seasoned Salt – an absolute must have
  • Onion powder – added flavor now and then
  • Oregano – if you do not have fresh
  • Paprika – I prefer Smoked Paprika, but whatever you want
  • Parsley – if you do not have fresh
  • Pepper – Peppercorn, color of your choice, and a good grinder
  • Rosemary – if you do not have fresh
  • Red pepper flakes – for a little heat
  • Iodized table salt – a nice big container only costs around $1.
  • Sea Salt for a grinder – My favorite, which you’ve seen in my recipe pictures, is Pink Himalayan Salt. It has a less salty taste than other salts and is supposedly the cleanest and purest salt found in the world. Personally, I like the color.
  • Thyme – for when you do not have fresh
  • Vanilla extract – can’t bake without it

Other Essentials

  • Olive oil
  • Soy sauce – low sodium is my preferred
  • Spray can style oil
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Vegetable or canola oil
  • Vinegar – balsamic, white, apple cider and red wine

Next issues: Cooking utensils, serving, oven pans, taking the leftovers to work for lunch, baking, preserving

Super Easy Baby Back Ribs

| mrscheryllacy

Everyone has their own favorite rib recipe and I must admit, the ones I’ve tried are pretty amazing. That being said, they take hours to make and if people aren’t careful, can be a bit dry. What if you could make ribs in under one hour that the meat just barely stayed on the bone until you got the rib to your mouth and were super moist? Oh yeah, and only uses about 5 things? Yes, I’m not kidding. Unlike others, I almost exclusively cook ribs during the week after a full day of work. And no, I’m not crazy, this recipe is just super easy. Oh, that’s right – I said that in the recipe name already.

Ingredients

  • Olive oil20150809_174213
  • 3 lbs of baby back ribs
  • Dry rub of your choice
  • Barbecue sauce of your choice
  • Can of beer, whatever you happen to have around the house
  • Pressure cooker

Instructions

  • Assuming you got your ribs in a nice long strip, rinse first and then cut them apart.
  • Dry with a paper towel.
  • Put your favorite dry rub on them.
  • While preparing the ribs for cooking, put about 2T off olive oil in your heated up pressure cooker.
  • Once oil is ready, add ribs to pressure cooker and brown. Flip over to brown other side. Takes about 4-5 minutes per side. And you have to cook in 2 batches.
  • Take the first batch out and let cool on a plate. Add more oil, let it warm and then add the rest of the ribs and brown.

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Lovely and all browned
  • Once all the ribs are browned and removed from the pressure cooker, add an insert (most come with one, but not all. See Ideas if you don’t have one.)
  • Now open your beer and pour about 8-10 oz into the pressure cooker. Put aside.
  • Layer the ribs into the pressure cooker. Put the lid on and lock into place.

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  • Bring to high pressure and cook on high for approximately 32 minutes.
  • Drink the rest of the beer.
  • After 32 minutes have passed, turn off the pressure cooker and let the pressure come down for 15 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, release any remaining pressure and open the lid.
  • Remove the ribs.
  • Two choices now:
    1. Put on the table now for eating with a side of sauce so people can choose how much (or how little) they want. This is what I do.
    2. Remove insert, empty out about 90% of the remaining liquid *remaining liquid is shown in the middle image belwo). Add your favorite barbeque sauce, about 1 inch thick. Put the ribs back in and heat until bubbling up; about 5 minutes. Then serve.

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Ideas

  • Use an inexpensive beer and make sure it’s nice and cold. Now having it cold will actually take longer for your pressure cooker to reach high pressure, but who wants to drink a warm beer?
  • Pressure cookers – I’ve used both traditional and electric. As you can see from my pictures, I use an electric pressure cooker now. The reviews will tell you that they do not have the capacity of a traditional stove top one, which is true, but the capacity is just fine for your standard 4-5 person family. Other benefits of electric: you don’t have to guess if it’s reached high pressure. As soon as it has, it will start the timer countdown. It takes the guess work out of cooking with one and, most importantly, the concern. I remember being a bit afraid of my grandmother’s traditional pressure cooker. I know there’s no reason to be afraid of my traditional one either, but my electric one is used almost exclusively because it’s just so easy.
  • Insert – If your pressure cooker didn’t come with an insert or if you misplaced the one that did, just use a vegetable steamer. They are inexpensive and easy to find. However, make sure it can handle the high pressure and heat so I don’t recommend one that isn’t metal.
  • Rub – I put the rub on one side of the ribs. Once I add the ribs to the pressure cooker, I
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    Releasing the steam

    dust the other side with rub.

  • Releasing pressure – I use the back end of my tongs to push the release mechanism to the side.
  • Cooking time – I’ve found that 30 minutes isn’t enough and 35 minutes is too much; the meat just falls off the bone completely.
  • Sides – Even though my picture shows mashed potatoes and a nice caprese salad (it’s summer and I have some great tomatoes in my yard), I normally serve my ribs with a delicious homemade potato salad (I’ll post this recipe soon) and a nice ear of corn. But as always, whatever you prefer.

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