Entree – Page 13 – Rosemary and the Goat

Beef, Mushrooms and Pea Pods

Nothing is easier than a quick stir fry!

I love Asian food and don’t know why I don’t cook it more often. Remember my Wok’n Noodles? I made that dish after seeing a restaurant in Paris called Wok’n Noodles and I thought that would be a cute name for a noodle dish and for some reason the tune “Walkin to New Orleans” (Wok’n) popped into my head. 🙂

We did a going away party in early January for friends who moved to China for three years. It was really a fun party and got me thinking about some old Asian inspired recipes I use to prepare.

My sister and I have made this recipe for at least 15 years and I use to make it quite often. This time I decided to add some sugar snap peas along with the snow peas. I love the crunch from the sugar snaps because they stay nice and plump and add a lot of texture to the dish.

So, if you are looking for a dish that is so quick to throw together, please try this; and you can even use instant rice if you are in a pinch for time.

January 31, 2014 By Sherry

Entree/ Fish/Seafood

Alaskan Salmon Cakes

Straight from my husband’s pole.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! And thank you for coming to my blog. I can’t believe this June I will have been doing this for five years and I’m still going. I guess I have to cook so why now share what I’m doing with you all. I hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year’s and ready for 2014. I have a new grandson making an appearance in April. This will be our fifth little boy and my daughter’s first baby so it’s going to be so much fun seeing her and her husband become parents. I have to say it again even if I have said it a hundred times — the best part about being a parent, I think, is watching your own kids become parents.

We have been eating salmon and halibut, at least once a week, since my husband got back from his fishing trip from Alaska last August.

Growing up we had salmon patties or croquettes (whatever you called them back them) quite often. They were always made from canned salmon and you will never believe what we like to pour over them for a sauce — canned mushroom soup. Believe me it’s good. I’m not going to pour canned soup over Ina’s recipe but when I make salmon patties from canned salmon I STILL heat up some thick mushroom soup and my husband and I pour it all over our crispy patties.

I wanted my husband’s salmon to be the STAR of the cakes not the vegetables so I added twice the amount of salmon that Ina’s recipe called for. I tried baking some and frying some. The ones fried were a little harder to turn and the ones I baked were not as oily tasting. Either way, they are delicious. Baking is a lot easier if you have a bunch to cook.

Seems like all the crab cake recipes I have ever tried were pretty simple — crab meat, red onion, and red pepper, maybe a little mayo and a couple of tablespoons of breadcrumbs to hold them together. This recipe could be done in stages. For one thing, I would mince all the veggies the day before; this would save a lot of time. In reading through some of the comments people made on her recipe a few people said they froze uncooked cakes and cooked them at a later time with great results. I did this as it make about 15 cakes and even though we love fish even we could not eat that many salmon cakes.

January 4, 2014 By Sherry

Entree/ Pasta/ Pork

Spinach Fettucini with Sweet/Hot Sausage

Good on a cold winter’s night.

Nothing taste better to me on a bone chilling night than pasta, a good salad and maybe some homemade bread or even a good loaf of some artisan bread you picked up at the store.

There are so many pasta and sauce recipes out there that you could probably make a different pasta each week and never have to repeat a recipe.

I found this recipe in a Creme de Colorado cookbook about 20 years ago and I have been making it ever since. I remember the first time I made this dish I was catering an event at a local art gallery. Two people came up to me after the dinner and said they would like me to cater the exact same dinner for them. So, I did make it again and actually a few more times before I ever TASTED the dish. Now, you may say, how could you do that. I don’t have an answer. Sometimes I read a recipe and I know I will like it. I guess I felt no need to sample the finished dish. After making the dish several times (I finally tasted it) it has become a favorite of mine. I love the sweet and hot taste of the Italian sausage together with the sauce. I heard the judges on a cooking show say “if you aren’t tasting, you aren’t cooking”, guess I should start tasting some as I go.

This recipe has a lot of olive oil and butter and of course you could always cut down on the oil and butter that make up the sauce and probably substitute some broth in place of it. If I were you I would follow the recipe the first time as written and then tweak the second time you make it. I cooked 1 lb. each of the hot and sweet sausage and you do want both the sweet and hot flavors or the different sausages. Sometimes if I find the sausage at the butcher counter then I will buy just 1/2 lb. of each. The day I made this I decided to go on and cook the whole package of each and add some extra meat to the dish. You can either freeze your extra sausage for another use or add it to the fettuccini.

I made this for our Bunco Christmas get together last week and it was a big hit. Thanks ladies for being my guinea pigs (tasters is a better term I guess).

Do you have a favorite pasta dish? If so, I’d like to hear about it; please leave in the comment section below.

December 10, 2013 By Sherry

Entree/ Poultry

Chicken Pot Pie Pop Tart

Pop tart/chicken pot pie tart, which is best?

Honestly, I don’t think I have ever eaten a pop tart in all my years on this earth. My kids had their share of pop tarts I’m sure; they just never appealed to me. If I wanted a crust with fruit filling, I would have made a real pie or strudel.

Kellogg first introduced their non-frosted pop tarts in 1964. That was a year before I graduated from high school, the year Hello Dolly was released on Broadway, the Beatle’s “I want to hold your hand” topped the US charts and Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor married for the first time. Ok, ok, enough, that’s depressing enough thinking I’m that old. But, I can say our youth was definitely the “good old days”.

We (my sister, brother, and I) wouldn’t have eaten pop tarts because our mother and grandmother use to make the best fried pies and yes they were much better than some fake fruit sandwiched between some pastry that was full of preservatives.

I have been thinking of chicken pot pie lately and how comforting it is. What do pop tarts and pot pie have in common? Nothing, except I decided to make a chicken pot pie pop tart and instead of icing drizzled over the top, I’m giving my pop tart a peas and carrot sauce and a cute little cranberry sauce chicken cut-outs. Don’t ask me why but when I have pot pie, I want cranberry sauce; always have, always will and of course, I always want some type of slaw. The three are inseparable and it wouldn’t hurt to throw in some mashed potatoes.

So, you don’t have to make a pop tart from these ingredients. It’s much easier to pop everything in a pan for a large pot pie. I always use just the broth the chicken cooks in to make the gravy but this time I added about 1/2 cup of heavy cream and I really liked the results. Boiled eggs are a must for the pop pie and when you cook your chicken, do not use boneless chicken parts. Use the whole chicken, debone it and then save the broth for making the filling.

November 3, 2013 By Sherry

Entree/ Pasta

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Browned Sage Butter

Fall is here! Hip, Hip, Hurray!

Fall is here and don’t you just love this time of the year. Thoughts of comfort foods start filling my head and this recipe turned out soooo good I almost knocked the breath out of myself patting myself on the back.

Our leaves haven’t started falling yet; sometimes that doesn’t start until December or even January before we see the sky full of floating leaves. But, with a fading summer and those nice cool nights ahead of us it won’t be long before we are seeing piles of leaves raked up just waiting for some kid to jump and play in them.

While in Chicago several weeks ago Fall was starting to show its prettier side. On our walk to take our grandson, Oliver, to school one day we enjoyed flowers still blooming but also sidewalks full of leaves that gave way to a crunchy sound as we strolled on top of them. We cooked some roasted chicken one night on the grill and a grilled salmon another night and the two sides that couldn’t wait to make their appearance again were Stephanie’s Magic Beans and my Cauliflower Mash with Kale which went perfect with both dishes and to top one of the meals off we cooked some chopped apples and cinnamon which we ladled over ice cream and I think this recipe is going to go onto my favorites list of things I have blogged.

I took a shortcut making the ravioli and used wonton pieces instead of making my own pasta. We all look for shortcuts and I think this is one shortcut you won’t mind taking. And, the good thing about this recipe is that you can freeze the uncooked raviolis for an easy meal some winter night ahead. (If you freeze the raviolis, put in a single layer and put in freezer until they are frozen then put enough in one bag for a meal.)

At the Firefly restaurant in Nashville back in the summer my husband had a Butternut Squash Ravioli with goat cheese and what better to go over it than a Browned Sage Butter. I think this ravioli screams for the browned butter and browned butter and sage are a perfect pair.

October 19, 2013 By Sherry

Entree/ Fish/Seafood

Coconut Crusted Crab Cakes

And grilled watermelon never looked so good.

Over Labor Day weekend my husband had the yearning to buy some oysters. I remember the last time we did oysters this summer and he broke two of my oyster knives and luckily the third held up to his prying the shells open. Then on our trip to Nashville we stopped into a little kitchenware shop that was piled to the ceiling with all kinds of kitchen utensils; and I think the owner must have bought out every kitchen store in the state. He did have some unusual things and we found a professional quality oyster knife so this one should hold up for a while.

Before we get to the recipe I want to tell you about that worn out tray that the crab cakes are setting on just waiting to be fried. Ok, so go down and take a look. Now does that tray have a history for both of us. They were my grandmother’s tv trays.

As kids my sister and I spent EVERY Saturday night with our grandparents, afterall, they lived next door to us. Anyway, we could not eat or sit in the family room floor without sitting or laying on a blanket and of course our snacks/food had to be put on these trays, and that’s over 50 years ago and these trays are still around. Even over the years when my husband would be there eating something in the family room, my grandmother would get out one of these trays for him to put his food on. When we cleaned out my grandmother’s things I knew that I wanted two things for sure, a couple of her handled brown chili bowls and also these TV trays.

I use these trays all the time. For things like holding these crab cakes and my husband and I actually eat off of these old beaten up trays all the time.

October 9, 2013 By Sherry

Entree/ Pasta

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Browned Butter Sage Sauce

Another use for the sweet potato.

I like to use my best Italian accent when I try (key word is try) to say Gnocchi. I may even look a little Italian when the word comes out of my mouth. What can I say, I’m a natural. Ha.

A couple of years ago I belonged to a group of cooks or “foodies” called The Darling Kitchen and each month the group is given a challenge of something to make and they make it and within the month the post their pictures for everyone to see. This is my first challenge since having the new “joints” put in.

Gnocchi are potato dumplings made with potatoes and boiled until light and fluffy and served with some type of sauce. Making gnocchi takes practice and patience and I hope some of you have tried my gnocchi recipe back in May. I use to be afraid to try and make different things and finally realized that what’s the worst that that could go wrong — throw it out and start over maybe. (I’m still afraid to try petti fours at least the ones I want to make and maybe I’ll get up nerve some day.)

I’ve made gnocchi several times and just back in May I posted my gnocchi with chicken and gorgonzola sauce. Looking around online I saw several recipes that looked interesting. I first decided on sweet Potato gnocchi then changed my mine again and again. I came across a recipe for sweet potato gnocchi that is fried and decided to try that along with the a more traditional style using sweet potatoes but I’m using the browned butter sage sauce on both. Either of these gnocchi would make a savory side dish with any pork dish and some grilled or fried fish would be a good bet too.

September 14, 2013 By Sherry

Entree/ Poultry

Jamaican Jerk Kabobs

Fits into any diet.

No one likes dieting and it’s a “four letter” word as far as I’m concerned. I’m sure there are things we can all do to improve our diets. Leaving off sugar and breads would be a start for me. I’ve learned from baking things for the blog that I don’t have to eat them (or at least the whole thing) because I can simply take them someplace to share with others.

I found this recipe while looking for South Beach diet recipes and soon realized that it could fit into any diet plan for dieters or non-dieters. If you are wanting to trim a few calories then prepare this recipe with a nice salad and maybe some grilled asparagus and your done. If you want to splurge a little on the calories then make a aromatic pilaf or even lemon rice and lay the kabobs across the top. Either way the favors of this are so intense and Caribbean I think while you are eating this you will find yourself taken away to some wonderful beach, sitting at some outdoor cafe and enjoying the breeze and the sound of the waves hitting the shore.

September 4, 2013 By Sherry

Entree/ Fish/Seafood

Tuscan Halibut

From the cold waters of Alaska – delicious halibut. <*))))>< ° <*))))><

While my sister and I were having some R&R in Fish Creek, WI a few weeks ago (that sounds funny because all I have is R&R) my husband went fishing in Alaska with a friend. They flew in float planes out to several river fishing camps near King Salmon, AK for King and Silver Salmon and then went off shore for Halibut and Silvers at Seward, AK.; My first question was “did you see any bears”? I was so afraid the bears were going to take the fish away from them. I figured the guys could fight off the bears (maybe) but by all means save the fish by whatever means it took. Luckily no bears but plenty of bear tracks and they saw lots of moose and bald eagles. They did have bear dogs on their boats that would jump off when they hit shore to scare off any bears prowling around for “fresh catch of the day” and to protect the camp.

My husband had to promise that he would take me on his next fishing trip to Alaska. I don’t want to go off shore fishing though (I hear sounds of the Jaws theme playing in my head) but I would love fishing in the rivers and streams.

Although they didn’t set any records, they packed a bunch of big boxes of frozen filets for the airplane back home and we ended up with three shelves of our deep freeze full of king salmon, silver salmon and halibut. When I went searching for halibut recipes I came upon an Alaskan fish company’s site (Coal Point Seafood Company) and my first thought, who better to tell me how to cook halibut than from an Alaskan fisherman.

See pictures below of the Old Man and the Sea.

August 30, 2013 By Sherry

Entree/ Pasta

Szechwan Noodles with Baby Vegetables

A very colorful dish.

After a movie one morning (Yes, I do go to morning movies, and it was a horror movie so I have to go by myself because none of my friends like that type of movie.) I stopped in my favorite little market, Hubble and Hudson, which is right across the street from the theatre.

I came out toting some tiny French green beans, tiny patty pan yellow squash and some baby zucchini and carrots. I already had a package of noodles that looked interesting that I picked up at Trader Joe’s, so I knew I had the makings for dinner one night. And hiding away in my pantry was a jar of Szechwan peppercorns that I needed to use.

Isn’t it nice to have recipes that you can throw together in a moments notice and not feel like you are spending hours in the kitchen preparing food that is eaten in less than 15 minutes?

The flavor from the Szechwan peppercorn comes from the husk around the seed and is know for taming down the other hot/spicy flavors of a dish. The seed itself has no flavor. I love getting out my mortar and pestle to crush the little things.

MY FIRST GIVEAWAY! OK, it isn’t a Kitchen Aid mixer like the Pioneer Woman gives away or a designer purse like other giveaways. I want to see how a giveaway would work for this blog. This giveaway is for a bottle of Smucker’s Key Lime Plate Scrapers that I used in the White Chocolate Key Lime Pie. WINNER drawn August 25th — Donna. Congrats.

August 15, 2013 By Sherry

Entree/ Poultry/ Salads

Hot Tuscan Chicken Salad

Not your ordinarily Church Lady hot chicken salad.

Not that there is ANYTHING wrong with church lady chicken salad. Everyone loves it and will continue to eat and enjoy it.

When I think of “church lady” I always think of Dana Carvey when he played Church Lady on SNL. He was histerical. There are so many recipes out there that I have labeled “church lady” or “church potluck” and they are wonderful and are always the recipes that people want to know who brought it and how can they get the recipe.

Can we every have too many salad recipes? I love salads whether the are leafy green salads, marinated vegetable salads, egg salad, tuna salad, layered salad and I don’t think you could go wrong with about any salad you would set before me.

I’m sure everyone has had their share of hot chicken salad and who doesn’t love the crushed potato chip topping.

I really wanted to try a different version of the favorite recipe that’s been around for years and while searching I came upon recipe after recipe that had the cream of chicken or mushroom soup added to the dish and either topped with the potato chip topping or crushed corn flakes.

August 10, 2013 By Sherry

Entree/ Pasta/ Side dish

White Cheddar Mac and Cheese w/ Truffle Oil

Who says you can never go home again!

We were recently back home for my twin sister’s husband’s (Gary) funeral. Why is it so hard to say goodbye to someone you have known for most of your life even though you know there is no more suffering and he is in a better place.

We saw so many of their friends and our old friends from years of growing up in Caruthersville and while sitting in Church looking around, I’m thinking did I get older too, and when did that happen; I guessI haven’t spent too much time looking in the mirror.

Even though it was such a difficult time it was great seeing all of Gary’s family together for each other. One night while visiting with his cousin, Frankie and her husband, Paul (we grew up as neighbors) reminded me of the time he was pulling my sister and me in a little wagon and we were topless. He has the picture and if I get it I will surely post it here. Now, I’m sure we were five or six years old and cute as a bug back then.

So, when I here “you can’t go home again” I say phooey. I can close my eyes and find myself in Figgens ice cream shop as a little kid sitting on a stool, legs swinging, having a Walk-Away sundae, or pulling in at Knox’s drive-in during lunch at high school, or picking cotton (for fun) when we were in high school, riding the loop of our small town, parking at the sea wall, going into Sears and Roebuck to pick up an anticipated brown package with a plaid back to school dress and even memories of standing in the kitchen with my mother with “The Wayward Wind” playing in the background from some vintage radio. When we go back home I really feel like we never left.

One of the homiest (if that’s a word) food I can think of as a comfort food would be macaroni and cheese. While we were in Nashville a few weeks ago, we had dinner at the Firefly restaurant with my sister. We decided to try their Truffled White Cheddar Mac and Cheese appetizer. It was perfect for the three of us to share. It was such a delicious, creamy, tangy concoction topped with crunchy panko bread crumbs.

July 21, 2013 By Sherry

Older Posts

Newer Posts