Eggplant and Summer Squash Gratatouille

Based on https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/zucchini_eggplant_tomato_gratin/

Improved by Caitlin

INGREDIENTS

Base:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, sliced

1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, sliced (optional)

Package of cherry tomatoes, halved

Package of Shitake mushrooms, sliced (Baby bellas probably work too)

Sherry to taste

Container of herbed cream cheese (Boursin or other), divided

Top:

1 long eggplant

1 medium zucchini

1 medium summer squash

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Base:

In a large pan, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil on medium heat.

Add the sliced onions and cook until beginning to soften, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.

Add the sliced bell peppers, mushrooms and sherry, continue to cook and stir about 5 minutes more.

Add the cherry tomatoes and cook on medium-low till the tomato skins burst and the mixture begins to stew, the longer the better, at least 10 minutes.

When the mixture is soft and caramelized brown, transfer into a greased gratin pan or casserole dish.

Spread half the herbed cheese over the top.

Top:

While the base mixture is cooking, slice the eggplant and squashes in 1/4-inch thick round slices.

Layer the eggplant and squash rounds on top of the base mixture in an alternating pattern.

Drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil and optional salt over top.

Spread remaining herbed cheese over top.

Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes at 350°F

Remove the foil and broil for 5 minutes or until nicely browned.

Can be served as a side dish or a vegetarian main course.

30 Minute Chicken Curry

This dinner is so quick and so tasty!  The leftovers are just as good.
 
Ingredients:
1/2 C (i stick) butter
1 large onion, sliced
2 celery stalks, diced
3 T curry powder
1/2 tsp grpound coriander
3 C cubed cooked chicken
1 (10 3/4 0z) can cream of chicken soup
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 C whipping cream
3 C freshly cooked brown rice

Chutney
raisins
peanuts

How to make it:
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat.
Add onion and celery and saute until transparent, about 5 minutes.
Stir in 1 T curry powder and the coriander. Cover and cook 5 minutes.
Mix in chicken and 1 T curry powder. Cover and cook 5 minutes.
Add soup, sour cream, whipping cream and remaining 1 T curry powder.
Cook until just bubbling.

Serve over rice, passing chutney, raisins and peanuts on the side

Lasagna

I love Pinterest, don't get me wrong.  There are a lot of really great, fun ideas for recipes, party planning, decorating, crafting... you name it.  But there are also a great many things that make me think "WHAT?!"  Case in point:

Easy Lasagna Rolls.  I give a big skeptical eyebrow raise to these.  o_O
How on earth are these things easy?

Source: landolakes.com via Jylane on Pinterest

Source: foodgawker.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: mommysavers.com via Dawn on Pinterest

You mean to tell me I have to:

1) Boil the lasagna noodles;
2) Lay each wet, slimy noodle on my counter;
3) Carefully and evenly spread a mixture of damp cheese and runny sauce along the center of each wet, slimy noodle; and
4) Roll each slippery, slimy wet composite into a neat little roll?  Without getting cheese and sauce all over my counter?

Thank you Pinterest, for taking a deliciously simple casserole and making it as difficult as possible to create.  I will not be making Lasagna Rolls anytime soon.  However, I will make my Grammy's Wonnerful Resagna (as my brother dubbed it as a toddler) several times throughout the year.  It truly is delicious AND simple.

Grammy's Wonnerful Resagna
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1 lb ground beef OR 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 small onion, minced
1 minced garlic clove
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 jar tomato sauce
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 C fresh basil
1/2 tsp oregano

1T salt
4 quarts boiling water
1/2 lb lasagna

1/2 lb mozzarella, thinly sliced or shredded
3/4 lb ricotta cheese
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions:
Heat olive oil in pan. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook until browned. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasonings. Let simmer, covered, 1/2 hour. 
(Short cut: brown your beef or sausage, drain, add jarred sauce)

Cook lasagna noodles as directed. Drain and lay noodles out on a dishtowel.
Even easier: use Barilla's No-Cook Lasagna Noodles.  BOOM.

Cover the bottom of a 9"x13" baking dish with a layer of lasagna noodles. 
Ladle on a layer of sauce, then spoon on a layer of ricotta and a layer of mozzarella. 
Repeat: noodles, sauce, cheese.  <- absolutely="absolutely" br="br" is="is" layering="layering" of="of" the="the" tidiness="tidiness" unnecessary.="unnecessary." your="your">
End with a final layer of lasagna noodles.
Put a final coating of sauce over the top.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 -60 minutes.

This lasagna freezes really, really well and is absolutely 100% simple and delicious.  Enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Spinach Stuffed Shells

You may have seen this recipe on Pinterest.  And if you did, you pinned it, because it looks and sounds amazing.  By now we've all had our fair share of "Pinterest Fails;" it's beginning to be a running joke.  So as beautiful as this recipe looked, I was wary!  Not too wary though, as I made three pans of it in one sitting - two pans to bring to friends with new babies!  I prepped all 36 shells Monday night, and cooked ours last night.  The other pans are in the fridge, ready for our friends to eat or freeze.

Source: prouditaliancook.blogspot.com via Caitlin on Pinterest

So the verdict?  These were GOOD.  Really tasty!  Laura, of course, was wary of the squash and spinach... so I just hid those bites in the "noodles" I stuck on her fork.  They were a little more prep time than your normal shells (I've always used the recipe on the box to great success), but full of flavor.  The roasted squash alone was delicious, and was in danger of being eaten by me before I could get it in the shells. 

In typical fashion, I did stray from the given recipe a bit.  The biggest change I made was adding sauce.  I wasn't sure how well the sage butter would freeze AND I forgot to buy sage AND I really couldn't picture shells without some sauce for the ricotta to soak up.  So I grabbed a jar of Classico's light alfredo (really good, by the way), and added some to the bottom of the pan, and then poured the rest over the prepped shells.

The original recipe is for one tray of 12 shells.  I made triple that number, but didn't really measure anything.  So here's original recipe with my notes in parenstheses on the side:

Ingredients:
Butternut squash (recipe didn't say how much - I used one package pre-chopped squash)
Olive oil
Jumbo shells, cooked and cooled
2 cups ricotta cheese (I used a 32 ounce tub)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese (handfuls!)
1 clove minced garlic (oops - I forgot this, and would remember it next time)
1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, squeezed and drained (I used a whole box)
1 egg
lemon zest (about 2 teaspoons)
salt and pepper to taste
(And of course: 1 jar alfredo sauce)
(Optional: pancetta or prosciutto, chopped)

Instructions:
Set out spinach to thaw (which I forgot to do till the last minute)

Peel and chop your butternut squash
Toss in olive oil with a little salt
Roast at 425F for 15-20 minutes.

Cook your jumbo pasta shells according to directions.

In a bowl mix ricotta, parmesan cheese, garlic clove, thawed and chopped spinach, 1 egg, salt, pepper, roasted squash (cooled), and grated lemon peel (and pancetta!). The lemon peel was key to this dish and added a nice bright flavor.

Stuff the shells with the mixture and place in a buttered baking dish (with a little sauce on the bottom).

Make a sage brown butter sauce by melting 1 stick of butter in a saute pan until golden brown and bubbly.  Add at least 10 sage leaves until slightly crisp. Turn off heat and squeeze in fresh lemon juice.

Pour additional alfredo sauce over shells.**

Place your shells in a 400F oven until heated through around 20-25 minutes. When finished spoon your warm sage sauce all over and sprinkle with grated parmesan.

**If you want to freeze, this is the time to do it.  Cover prepped, uncooked shells in plastic wrap and foil to make as airtight as possible; pop in freezer for later.  To cook frozen shells, let thaw overnight and allow a good hour for cooking.

Strawberry Cake

I found this beautiful cake on Pinterest several weeks ago, and have been waiting for the right time to try it:

Source: coloredgrains.wordpress.com via Caitlin on Pinterest

Strawberries are in season, and it seemed only fitting to make a strawberry cake since Laura has been "baking" everything from strawberry hugs and kisses (the very best kind) to strawberry soup in her play kitchen.  As promised in the original blogger's post, this cake was super quick and easy to make.  The biggest stumbling block for me was converting the metric measures.  Even that wasn't too difficult, thanks to the conversion chart at the back of my beloved Fannie Farmer.  So here is a quick recap of the recipe, as it worked for me:

Ingredients:
1/4 cip canola oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-2 cups strawberries














Directions: (Note that I have switched the order of things a little, to better suit my baking style)
Preheat oven to 350*
Wash, dry and quarter strawberries.
Mix with 1 tablespoon sugar, set aside.

Mix the oil, vinegar, milk and egg in large mixing bowl.
Add remaining sugar (3/4 cup) and vanilla extract, mix well.
Add flour and baking powder, whisk till smooth.

Pour batter into greased baking dish or pie pan.
Arrange strawberries on top of batter, making sure they don't sink too deep.  (My strawberries went missing!)

Bake at 350* for 45 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Observations: My cake does not look nearly as pretty as the one I was copying.  But it does taste absolutely delicious.  And I don't even like fruit that much.  The batter was so simple to make, and so tasty to eat - it could really serve as a base with any fruit you have on hand.  I am glad I peeked at mine about 15 minutes into cooking - all my strawberries had disappeared!  I quickly shoved a few extras onto the top for looks.  Next time, I might try par-baking the cake for 5-10 minutes before adding my strawberries.  I am also glad I checked on my cake at the 45 minute mark.  The original recipe called for an hour of baking; my cake would have been toast by then!  I will definitely make this again.  YUM!

Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Pears and Pear-Brandy Cream

I love pork tenderloin.  Love it.  I don't think I've met a pork tenderloin I didn't like.  If I had to choose a "last supper," pork tenderloin would be on the menu.  Quite possibly, I'd specify this recipe with it's creamy sauce and delicate pears (or maybe this one with the plums).  Its delicious combination of flavors is perfection in my mouth.  Here's how to enjoy this creamy, savory meal:

Ingredients:
(recipe can be halved)
3 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1" thick slices
8 tablespoons butter
6-8 firm ripe Anjou pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/3" wedges
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup shallots, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 cup pear eau-de-vie (poire William) (<-- I can never find this, and use apricot brandy instead)
2/3 cup pear nectar (Goya makes it)
2 cups whipping cream (half and half works, too)

Directions:
Pound pork slices into 1/4" thickness
Melt 4 T butter in large skillet over high heat
Add pears and sugar, saute until tender and deep golden (8 minutes)
Set aside in skillet

Melt 2 T butter in another large skillet over high heat
Season pork with salt and pepper to taste
Saute in skillet until cooked through, approximately 2 minutes per side
Transfer to platter, cover with foil

Using pork skillet, reduce heat to medium
Melt 2 T butter
Add shallots and thyme, saute 2 minutes
Add brandy, boil until reduced to glaze (2 minutes)
Add cream and pear nectar
Boil until thickened sauce (5 minutes)
Add salt and pepper to taste
Reheat pears

Spoon the pears onto a platter, and arrange the pork around them.  Spoon sauce over the pork.  Serve on platter with rice and vegetable of your choice.  Enjoy!

This might not be the healthiest or quickest dinner to fix, but it is easy absolutely delicious!  Great for special occasions, even if that occasion is a random Thursday night.

Classic Chocolate Cake

This is my mom's go-to cake recipe, for every occasion.  It's your birthday?  Here's a chocolate cake!  It's so go-to, in fact, that my mom usually forgets that I actually prefer yellow cake with chocolate frosting.  Oops!  But really, I'll take any flavor cake - especially one my mom made for me - any day!  So while chocolate cake might not be my favorite, this recipe certainly is delicious!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cocoa
2/3 cup boiling water

3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

2 cups unsifted cake flour (this is an important detail!  Cake flour, not all-purpose!)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk (2 tsp vinegar to milk)

Directions:
Stir together cocoa and boiling water until smooth; set aside
Cream butter and sugar
Add vanilla
Mix dry ingredients
Add dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk
Blend in cocoa mixture

Grease and flour two 9-inch layer pans
Bake at 350* for 35-40 minutes
Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans

Frost with buttercream:
1 lb confectioners sugar
2 sticks softened butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3-4 tablespoons milk