Cod in White Wine

Found a nice piece of cod at Costco, fresh and a value. Made a dish out of it with calamata olives, sliced cherry tomatoes, garlic and parsley, very quick, easy and tasty.

Ingredients
4 pieces of fresh cod,
1 t Penzey Greek Seasonings
Salt and pepper
1 Cup sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 C pitted calamata olives
1 t chopped garlic
2 T cold butter in pieces
3 T chopped parsley
1 Cup Dry white wine

Salt and pepper the cod, sprinkle on the Greek seasoning and then place cod in oven-proof casserole, layer the remaining ingredients over the fish.
Pour the wine into the casserole, bake, tightly covered at 375 for 15 - 20 minutes.

Bon Appetit!

Country French Tuna Pasta Salad

Made a nice pasta salad today with tuna, Penne pasta and served it with cherry tomatoes on a bed of lettuce, perfect for a warm afternoon. My secret ingredient is Penzey's Country French Vinaigrette, mixed with the tuna and pasta prior to adding the mayo.

Ingredients

2 cans tuna, packed in water, drained

8 0z. Penne or pasta of your choice, cooked

1T Penzey's Spice Country French Vinaigrette

1T capers + some of the liquid

1/4 C coarse chopped celery

Lo fat mayo to coat, 1/3+ cup

Mix all of the ingredients, except mayo in a large bowl, then add the mayo to coat. Serve on a bed of lettuce, mixed greens, with cherry tomatoes on the side. I served mine also with a s;ice of warm broccoli/onion/cheese corn bread, a Trader Joe recipe.

Bon Appetit!

Cooking up North!

Did some cooking up north, I try to make meals for the week, made cinnamon rolls from scratch, recipe to follow later, a great slow cooker meal, and a tuna salad.

Crock Pot Chicken
Layer in your crock pot in the following order:
1/2 head of wedged or sliced cabbage
1 medium onion in rings
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 carrot, sliced in rounds
1 1/2 lbs chicken, skin removed, (use your favorite but ALWAYS remove skins)
2 C of favorite spaghetti sauce, (1 jar)
Cover and turn on cooker to desired cook time, enjoy.

I really like using the crock pot up north, do something in the morning and dinner is ready when you get back from a busy day. I should do this here too, but I gave mine to my daughter.

Also made a great tuna salad, I then stuffed a tomato and placed on a bed of lettuce.

Tuna with a Twist:
2 cans tuna, packed in water, drained
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c chopped parsley
3 T olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
Thyme
S & P

Gently combine all ingredients, chill for several hours. Was great in the fresh tomato on the lettuce bed.

Bon Appetit!

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Going to a Polish Festival today, Sweetest Heart of Mary, one of the oldest Parish's in Detroit, and probably the oldest Polish Church in the City. So in honor of this I am preparing a Stuffed Pepper Casserole, derived for the yes! section of the 8/16/2009 Sunday Free Press.

Ingredients

2 Large bell peppers, chopped, (I used some yellow, orange and green, had in the fridge)

1 large onion chopped

3 cloves minced garlic

1 can diced tomatoes with liquid

1 1/4 lb. ground chuck

1 cup white rice, cooked

1 T olive oil

6 oz favorite cheese (I used Parmesan and Mozzarella)

Cook rice, let rest

Saute beef in a large pan until brown, remove beef and drain off excess fat

Add olive oil to empty pan, add chopped peppers, onion and garlic, saute until soft 5-7 minutes

Mix the beef, rice vegetables, tomatoes and half of the cheese in a large bowl.

Place mixture in a large, (9x13), casserole dish, cover and cook at 350 for 30 minutes, uncover, add the remaining cheese and cook for 15 additional minutes.

Bon Appetit!

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Brought out my 1940's Fanny Farmer, Boston School of Cooking cookbook and looked for a pork tenderloin recipe which I had defrosted.

Very easy and simple and I made it even more so.

Took a whole tenderloin, cut in half then butterflied each half and pounded slightly to flatten and even out.

Then made a stuffing, Fanny Farmer said take some ingredients, apples, celery, etc. and make a stuffing. So I took an apple, some celery, prunes and some cooked cous cous and mixed to together with some S & P and spread over one half of the tenderloin. Then I simply laid the other piece on top, sprinkled with S & P.

Roasted in 440 oven for 12 minutes, then reduced to 300 for 7-8 more, sliced and served with steamed asparagus and a cous cous salad, comprised of the same stuffing mix, just a lot more cous cous and some vinaigrette dressing, (just a touch for some flavor) tossed with slivered almonds for a crunch. Excellent.

Bon Appetit!

Blueberry Galette

Saw this recipe in the Detroit News, sounded great. Was in Charlevoix at Marvin's Gardens, looking for a Hydrangea bush and they had fresh, local blueberries, so I had to buy them and make the galette. It was soooo good. here it is. The only change was I used a round crust, Spartan Store, Oleson's in CVX, just ridged the edges, more rustic, but so good. Served with vanilla ice cream, we all enjoyed after a nice grilled Greek chicken dinner.

Blueberry Galette

1 pound fresh blueberries (3 cups) 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh lemon zest 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup sugar 1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie dough (from a 15-ounce package) 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon raw or coarse sugar Garnish: grated lemon zest (optional)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Stir together blueberries, cornstarch, zest, juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl until combined.

Unwrap pie dough and unfold onto baking sheet, then spoon blueberry mixture onto center of dough, leaving a 1 1/2 -inch border around edge.

Fold edge of dough over 1 inch of blueberry mixture, pleating dough, then dot blueberry filling with butter pieces. Lightly brush pastry with some beaten egg and sprinkle with remaining teaspoon sugar. (I used a round crust, just ruffled the edges all around)

Bake until blueberry filling is bubbling and pastry is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly on baking sheet on a rack. Top with lemon zest and serve warm with lemon sorbet or vanilla ice cream if desired. Serves 6.

Per serving: 307 calories; 12 g fat (6 g saturated fat; 35 percent calories from fat); 47 g carbohydrates; 48 mg cholesterol; 246 mg sodium; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber.

Bon Appetit!

BBQ Chicken and Hash Browns

I got this recipe from the fresh hash brown package - it sounded good and easy, and it was. I would imagine that they would put really good recipies on their own package, wouldn't you?

Mix package of fresh hash browns with 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar, (I always shred my own, much tastier and I know what kind of cheese I am adding) 1 medium onion finely chopped, (saute first for a milder flavor) and 2 T of olive oil, Toss with S & P. and place in bottom of casserole, sprayed with PAM(c).

Place 4 cut up boneless & skinless chicken breasts on top of the potatoes, spread you favorite BBQ sauce on the chicken, I used Sweet Baby Ray's, and cover with foil, shiny side down, and bake at 400 for 4o minutes.

Serve with a veggie or a small salad. So good and easy.

Bon Appetit!