Zucchini with Spicy Custard Top

I created this from a couple of recipes I learned many years ago. About 1980, a roommate from Seattle made a sauce of eggs and mayonnaise that she poured over casseroles and baked. Thanks, Joan! Then I found Elizabeth Lambert Ortiz’ recipe for Calabacitas con Huevos. It became a favorite. So I combined the two ideas and made this. It is very good! It could be lower in fat by using low-fat mayonnaise and low-fat cheeses.

Serves 4-6

½ lb. lean ground pork

1 Tbsp. Hilltop Herbs Hot Italian Sausage Seasoning

1 medium onion, diced 1/2” (1 cup)

1 medium zucchini, (8”) diced ¾” (2 cups)

2 large tomatoes, diced ¾” (2 cups)

½ cup (2 oz.) shredded mild cheddar

½ cup (2 oz.) shredded mozzarella

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup mayonnaise

½ cup grated Parmesan/Romano

2 Tbsp. Texas Pete Hot Sauce (A buffalo wing sauce not like tobasco)

Heat a large metal skillet until hot and dry. Remove from heat and coat lightly with canola oil spray. Return to very low heat, while chopping the vegetables.

Mix pork and sausage seasoning. Sauté pork and onion in skillet over medium high heat, breaking pork into large crumbles, until well browned.

Stir in zucchini and tomatoes and continue to sauté and stir until vegetables are hot. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes, until zucchini is just tender.

Whisk together beaten eggs, mayonnaise, grated cheese and hot sauce. Pour evenly over zucchini mixture. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 -15 minutes until eggs are set.

Serve immediately with rice and a salad.

Hilltop Herbs Hot Italian Sausage Seasoning

This is a seasoning blend I developed when I was selling herbs and spices. This recipe makes enough to season six pounds of ground pork. Use 4 tsp. to season one pound of ground pork.

1 Tbsp. ground sage

1 Tbsp. ground marjoram

1 Tbsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. ground paprika

1 tsp. ground bay leaf

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1/2 tsp. hot ground cayenne

Mix or grind these spices together.

Stir in the following spices.

2 tsp. whole fennel seed

1/2 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp. sea salt

Keep in an airtight jar, preferably in the freezer, if you won’t be using it soon.

Easy Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

I have made this for quick dinners for many years. It is made just like Kraft in the box, but the real ingredients taste so much better. I make this recipe to use up bits of leftover cheeses. I have not found a cheese we didn’t like. I once made it five cheese macaroni with bits of Cream cheese, American, Colby, Jack, and Swiss. As long as it’s a variety of mostly smooth melting and less stringy melting cheeses, totaling 1 cup.

2 cups elbow macaroni

2 quarts water

1 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. flour

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (white or yellow)

Boil water and cook macaroni until tender, about 10 minutes.

Drain macaroni and return to pan.

Stir in butter until it melts.

Stir in flour.

Stir in milk over medium low heat until the sauce is thickened and just starts to bubble.

Stir in cheese until melted.

Serves 4

Light Quick & Easy Noodles Romanoff

Serves: 4-6

This is just like a Betty Crocker box mix my mother used to make in the ‘60s! It is light and creamy with just a bit of tang.

½ lb. fettuccine

2 Tbsp. EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil)

2 Tbsp. butter (optional)

¼ tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbsp. parsley flakes, crushed

½ cup grated parmesan/romano

1 cup non-fat sour cream

¼ cup skim milk

Boil noodles per package directions. Drain and return to kettle.

Gently fold in oil and butter.

Add rest of ingredients and toss lightly until well distributed.

Serve immediately.

Unstuffed Zucchini

‘Tis the season! Our zucchini did not do so well this year. Last year, I still had fresh zucchini waiting to be cooked in my kitchen at Christmas! It stores well in a dry warm location like, well – squash. It has to be handled a bit differently for cooking depending on how tough the skin is or how big the seeds are.

This year, we planted late due to weather, fence repair, etc. And due to some health problems I encountered this summer, I did not devote myself to my several pest prevention strategies. But we have had several delicious zucchini meals.

This recipe is my own creation, reminiscent of Mom’s recipe for Gwumpky, at least that’s what it sounded like to us kids. I believe it is really called Golomki, stuffed cabbage.

1 cup rice, see (Foolproof Rice)

2 cups water

½ lb. lean ground beef

1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)

1 egg, beaten

Salt & pepper

1 Tbsp. chopped garlic

2 medium zucchini (4 cups)

1 quart cut tomatoes (or 28 oz. can)

1 cup puréed winter squash

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded co-jack cheese (or mild cheddar or Colby)

Cook rice in water per recipe for Foolproof Rice.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Coat 10”x 6” glass baking dish with canola oil spray.

Heat a large metal skillet until hot and dry. Remove from heat and coat lightly with canola oil spray. Return to very low heat, while chopping the vegetables.

Trim ends from zucchini and slice in quarters lengthwise.  Then slice crosswise into ½” pieces.

Sauté zucchini and garlic over medium heat until hot. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until zucchini is just tender. Layer zucchini in bottom of prepared baking dish.

Sauté ground beef with onion in same skillet, over medium high heat until browned, breaking up the meat into crumbles. Remove from heat. Fold in the cooked rice and beaten egg. Season with salt and pepper. Layer rice and meat mixture over zucchini in baking dish.

Blend together tomatoes and winter squash in two batches in blender or food processor. Pour over meat and rice and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

Serve with a side salad and crusty Italian bread.

Light & Easy Alfredo Sauce

There are many recipes for Low Fat Alfredo Sauce, but there is no fat in mine except for the cheese. I developed my recipe over many years and it uses no evaporated milk, cottage cheese or cream cheese. Cornstarch could be used for the thickener, but I didn’t like the texture. It’s also very quick and easy to make from ingredients on hand, while retaining the creamy texture and flavor of the original. Use parmesan, romano or a blend. Reduce the amount of cheese or use a low fat version for an even lower fat recipe.

2 cups skim milk

2 Tbsp. flour

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. parsley flakes

¼ tsp. ground white pepper

1 cup grated parmesan/romano cheese

Pour milk into blender, measuring by marks on side of blender jar. Add flour and seasonings, cover and stir until blended, about 30 seconds.

Pour into 6 cup glass microwaveable bowl.

Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir with whisk, scraping sides and bottom of bowl and breaking up any lumps that may have formed.

Microwave for 1 ½ minutes. Repeat stirring with whisk.

Microwave for 1 minute. Repeat stirring.

Add cheese and stir.

Yield:  about 3 cups.

Toss with al dente fettuccine or use in your favorite Alfredo recipe.

Welcome to Get Real Cooking

My cooking philosophy is pretty basic. Food must be economical. I am very tired of all these fancy chefs, doing fancy things to fancy foods. It is nice to dream, but in reality, I can't afford to make that kind of food. Since I am NOT a fan of Reality TV, that’s probably the main reason I find them so irritating.

On the positive side, there are some real class acts I cannot help but admire – Julia Child and Emeril come to mind immediately. Both of these chefs are trying to make their food accessible. For fun ideas, I love to watch all of Guy Fieri's shows and the Bitchin' Kitchen is a real hoot.

As part of being economical, food should be grown as close to home as possible. It only makes sense to grow or pick your own and to support your local economy. Flavor and nutrition are at their best when food is freshly picked.

The food we eat should contribute to our health. Organic is great, but not when I have to pay twice as much for it and it isn’t as fresh as local. I also totally avoid artificial sweeteners. I generally avoid most other additives such as MSG, artificial colors and flavors. You should do your research. Some artificial colors and flavors are naturally based. And beware of pesticides.

I use very little Teflon or aluminum. Cast iron skillets and stainless pans are the rule. In the microwave, I use paper or glass with wax paper to cover - no plastic!

I don’t fry many foods in fat. I decrease the fat in almost all the recipes I make either by cutting back, changing the cooking technique, or substitution. A can of canola oil spray is always in use in my kitchen. Don’t butter your vegetables in the kitchen. Let your diners do it themselves at the table.

I add salt to very few recipes. Instead of listing an amount for salt, I usually list – “salt & pepper to taste.” If any processed food has been used, (especially canned soups and cheeses), you can be pretty sure you don’t need to add any extra salt. Again, let your diners do it themselves at the table.

We live on a hill and our water comes from a well. Think water conservation. This relates to cooking using as few pots and pans as necessary. I try to simplify cooking techniques to use fewer pans, to be simpler and to conserve.

We live in an old farmhouse without central heat and air. We do have free gas thanks to six gas wells on our farm, (but no royalties). So I do very little baking in the summer. It's just too hot to use the oven. I grill whenever possible. I had a convection/microwave oven that was wonderful in the summer, but it has perished. It gets very hot when I’m canning.

Our food should be pleasing to the eye and to the palate. We can do that without a lot of fuss.

In conclusion: "Moderation in all things, including moderation." - Titus Petronius (c. AD 27-66)

Or “All things in moderation, including moderation." - Mark Twain

Foolproof Rice

There are lots of varieties of rice out there. My favorite is Basmati. It smells so good when it’s cooking - like popcorn! It is a long grain rice in brown or white, and not generally sticky.

1 cup white basmati rice
2 cups water
dash of salt

Put all ingredients into a 4 to 6 cup saucepan with a tight fitting cover.

Bring to boil over high heat.

Immediately turn heat down to the very lowest possible.

Set timer for 20 minutes. Do not lift lid!

When time is up, remove from heat and let it steam for five minutes. Keep covered!

Uncover and fluff with fork. Serve.

Serves: 4 - 6

Julia Child’s Napoleon’s Chicken

I just watched “The French Chef” on the Cooking Channel. This show is a hoot! Julia came out with a “Napoleonic sword” that looked more like a machete and started to cut up a frying chicken with it. She related the legend of the origin of the recipe for Chicken Marengo as created by Napoleon’s chef at the battle of Marengo from ingredients on hand. When she flamed the Cognac, it looked like the Fire Dept. should have been called. Whoosh!

Since this is the Italian countryside where Napoleon was trying to regain control of Italy from the Austrians, the foodstuffs available were: chicken, crayfish, olive oil, olives, bread, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, onions, wine, local herbs, and Napoleon’s own flask of Cognac. Food fit for an Emperor!

I looked all over for the recipe, but couldn’t find it. There are many versions of this recipe available, but none of them were true to what Julia made. I wrote this from notes and memory immediately after my search after watching the show.

Julia Child’s Napoleon’s Chicken

1 chicken cut into pieces for frying

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup of dry white wine

1 tablespoon of Napoleon's cognac (or Brandy)

2 medium onions, diced

2 lbs peeled, cored, seeded and diced tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic, crushed (Julia used a garlic press.)

1 tsp Italian Seasoning, c/s (This is exactly what she used from a jar!)

8 large white mushroom caps with stems

1 Tbsp. EVOO

½ cup dry white wine

More EVOO

8 rounds of ¼” thick sliced Italian bread

(Julia used a loaf of square sliced white bread, removed the crusts, and cut it in half into triangles.)

12 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

(If you can find large crawdad tails, use them!)

More EVOO

4 eggs

1 teaspoon chopped, fresh parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper

black olives

Process:

Rinse and pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large seasoned skillet (a chicken fryer with 3” to 4” high sides) over medium high heat until hot. Add chicken and brown well on all sides.

Add white wine, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add cognac and flame. Add onions, cover and simmer another 10 minutes. Remove chicken to platter.

Remove stems from mushroom caps and dice. Reserve caps. Spoon some grease from pan. Sauté garlic and mushroom stems. Add tomatoes, white wine, and Italian seasoning stirring up all the chicken bits. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a high simmer. Return the chicken pieces to the skillet, folding into the tomato sauce. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 15 – 20 minutes until chicken is no longer pink.

While the chicken is cooking, heat a saucepan over high heat with EVOO and white wine. Add the mushrooms. Toss lightly a few times until they are tender, but not soggy or overcooked. The caps should be white and retain their shape. Set aside and keep warm.

Heat a frying pan with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil (may need more) until hot, but not smoking. Lightly fry the rounds of bread until slightly browned. Set them aside on paper towels. Keep warm in oven.

Add the shrimp to the hot oil and fry until they just curl up, about 1-2 minutes. Set them aside on paper towels. Keep warm in oven.

Heat another saucepan over high heat with EVOO at least an inch deep. Poach the eggs one at a time in the hot oil for a minute or so, lightly stirring with large spoon to keep egg together. Remove with a slotted spoon and set on paper towel to drain.

Putting it all together:

Set chicken pieces on serving platter. Spoon the tomato sauce over the chicken pieces and garnish with black olives.

Place the eight croutons around the chicken. Place an egg on every other crouton and garnish with parsley. Place 3 shrimp on each of the other 4 croutons.

Julia Child’s Spinach Turnover

I watched “The French Chef” again, and again her recipes are NOT to be found written on the web, but you can watch the videos. A great visual was watching her squeeze the spinach by hand. She went to Provence for the assembly segment with her great friend, Simone Beck (Simcha). So, from my notes and memory, I wrote this out immediately after watching the show. This would make a great hors d’oeuvres.

Julia Child’s Spinach Turnover

The French Chef - “The Spinach Twins”

Pastry for 2 - 9” crusts, (unbleached pastry flour)

9 oz. fresh spinach, washed (Yield 2 cups blanched, drained- squeezed dry, chopped)

4 oz. fresh white small mushrooms, quartered

½ cup diced (3/8”) ham

1 Tbsp. butter

Sauce Bouillée:

1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)

¼ cup butter

½ cup flour

1 2/3 cup hot milk

1 egg

Salt & pepper to taste

Pinch of nutmeg

2 eggs, 1 separated

1 tsp. water

For Cream Sauce:

Remaining Sauce Bouillée

½ cup or more cream or milk

Salt & pepper to taste

1/3 cup shredded Gruyère cheese

Wash spinach well and plunge into a large kettle of boiling water for about 2 minutes, then immediately shock it in cold water. Drain well, squeeze dry and chop. Reserve 2 cups in the kettle.

Wipe mushrooms with clean damp rag. Quarter mushrooms and sauté with diced ham in 1 Tbsp. butter, set aside. 

In a heavy bottomed 2 qt. sauce pan, ("We don't like soggy bottoms in pastry or scorched bottoms in sauces." ), sauté onion over low heat in 1/4 cup butter until translucent. Put half the onion in the kettle with the spinach.

For Sauce Bouillée:

Add the flour to the remaining onion and cook the roux over medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk. Whisk in the hot milk a little at a time. This sauce is going to be THICK, like paste. Take the pan off the heat and beat in an egg.  Salt and pepper to taste and add a pinch of nutmeg. ("You don't ever want someone to taste something and say, 'Oh: nutmeg.'") Put about a ½ cup of the sauce in with the spinach.

For Cream Sauce:

Stir ½ cup or more of milk or cream into remaining Sauce Bouillée until it is thinned to a sauce consistency. ("I'm using cream but I suppose you can use milk if you're on one of those hideous diets.") Simmer slowly, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to finish cooking the flour. Remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cheese, to let it melt and keep a skin from forming. Set aside. When ready to serve, warm it over low heat and stir in the cheese.

To assemble the pastry:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roll the dough into a 10” by 15” rectangle, ¼” thick. Trim the edges so that it is even and square, saving cut scraps. Lay the dough 2/3 over parchment or wax paper, to simplify rolling over the top. Paint the pastry with egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp. of water.

Spread half the spinach mixture on the lower 1/3 of the pastry that is NOT on the paper, keeping a 1/2” edge bare for sealing. Place mushrooms and ham on top. Spread remaining spinach over ham and mushrooms.

Grabbing the paper, fold the pastry up and over. Seal the edges with fingers, then press with tines of fork.

Place on greased baking sheet. Cut pastry scraps into strips. Paint turnover with an egg glaze of 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water. Decorate with strips, laying them on a diagonal. Trim edges that hang over. Glaze again. Press cross hatch designs all over with a fork.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until nicely browned and crisp.

Slide it onto a board to cut diagonally and serve with the warmed Cream Sauce.

This can be made ahead of time, without glazing, and refrigerated. Glaze just before baking. If baking cold, it will need a little more baking time.

Reuben Spread

This spread sounds very rich and tasty. Be wary if you need a low fat or low sodium diet!

2 1/2 cups cubed cooked corned beef
1 jar (16 ounces) sauerkraut, rinsed and well drained
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
Snack rye bread

In a 3 quart slow cooker, combine the first five ingredients.  Cover and cook on low for three hours.  Stir occasionally.  Serve warm with rye bread.  Makes about five cups

From: Taste of Home by Pam Rohr 

Steamy Smoked Oyster Dip

Smoked oysters are a favorite of my DH. I will substitute Neufchatel for cream cheese, and probably omit the butter. Almonds can be toasted in a seasoned cast iron skillet without added fat.

7 oz Smoked Oysters, rinsed, drained and mashed
1 Tbsp Butter
1/2 cup Almonds, sliced
1 1/2 tsp prepared Horseradish
1 pkg (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
2 Tbsp white Onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Milk
Black Pepper, to taste

1.      Melt the butter in a frying pan. Brown the almonds on all sides and set aside.

2.      Beat the cream cheese until smooth then blend in the milk. Add pepper to taste, horseradish, and chopped onion, blending well. Fold in the oysters and pour into a casserole dish.

3.      Sprinkle the browned almonds on the top and bake at 375 °F for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

4.      Put in a chafing dish and serve hot.

Makes about 2 1/4 cups of dip.

From: dailyrecipes@yahoogroups.com

Date: 4/2/2007 7:31 PM

Submitted by: Richard Lee Holbert

Walnut Cheese Spread

When I made this I did not roast the nuts.....also used pecans instead and was short on time, so chopped the nuts. Still makes a great spread. - Bert

4 cups (16 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup walnuts, roasted, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients and let stand in refrigerator overnight. Spread on assorted crackers.

To roast walnuts: Place the walnuts in the oven for 10 minutes at 250°F.

From: dailyrecipes@yahoogroups.com

Date: 9/3/2009 1:00 PM

Submitted by: Bert Detraz

Bacon and Green Onion Dip

I will substitute non-fat sour cream here. Beware, this would appear to be very high in sodium. Do you think this recipe came from Nabisco or Kraft? I think they are both owned by Philip Morris.

1 lb. (16 oz.) Velveeta cheese, cut up

1/2 cup green onion slices

1/2 cup crumbled bacon

1/2 cup sour cream

1.      Mix Velveeta, onions and bacon in large microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high 5 min. or until Velveeta is completely melted, stirring after 3 min.

2.      Stir in sour cream.

3.      Serve hot with assorted cut-up fresh vegetables or Wheat Thins Crackers.

From: dailyrecipes@yahoogroups.com

Date: 9/3/2009 1:31 PM

Submitted by: Bert Detraz <bdetraz@******.net>

Ham-It-Up Dip

I don’t buy deviled ham. I think I will make this with ground ham. I also use Neufchatel instead of cream cheese for lower fat content. Thanks, Bert.

2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
2 (6 oz) cans deviled ham
2 heaping tablespoons horseradish
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until cream. Add all the other ingredients. Chill and serve with crackers.

From: dailyrecipes@yahoogroups.com

Date: 9/3/2009 1:31 PM

Submitted by: Bert Detraz <bdetraz@******.net>

Garbage Dip

Here’s an interesting dip, despite the name.

I have joined a new recipe group on appetizers. I figured if I posted it to them, I ought to post it here…

1 can pitted black olives

1 can chopped green chilies (or chopped green bell pepper)

4 to 6 green onions

2 tomatoes

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Big dash Tabasco

Chop all, including onion tops. Combine all and chill overnight. Serve with Doritos.

From: dailyrecipes@yahoogroups.com

Date: 9/3/2009 1:31 PM

Submitted by: Bert Detraz <bdetraz@******.net>

Lois’ Family Favorite Cheese Ball

This is our family favorite cheese ball. Most of our family doesn't like nuts. - Lois

2 (8 oz.) pkgs cream cheese, softened

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheese (cheddar, Colby etc.)

1 (1 oz.) pkg. (1 Tbsp.) Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix

4 slices bacon, cooked, drained, finely crumbled

1.      Combine cream cheese, shredded cheese and ranch mix in mixer, beating until well mixed.

2.      Shape into ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until chilled.

3.      Remove cheese ball from refrigerator; unwrap and roll in crumbled bacon until well coated.

4.      Wrap ball tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 24 hours.

From: FamilyFare@yahoogroups.com

Date: 2/4/2008 5:51 PM

Submitted by: Lois

Christmas Cheese Ball

This makes 1 large ball or 2 small balls. Here is a good example of the way recipes are passed around the internet, posted by Terry, Sharon, and Lois, then me. ;-)

This is a very nice cheese ball and it is very tasty. I think the 12 ounces of cheese would be plenty. I received this recipe from another group and it was posted by Terry.  – Sharon

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
12 ounces (3 cups) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 package (1 ounce) (1 Tbsp.) Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
¾ cup chopped pecans
4 pecan halves

Mix together cream cheese, grated cheddar cheese, and dressing mix. Form into one large ball or two smaller balls. Roll in chopped pecans to cover. Decorate the top with pecan halves. Refrigerate at least a couple of hours or overnight before serving.

From: FamilyFare@yahoogroups.com

Date: 2/4/2008 5:51 PM

Submitted by: Lois

Buffalo Chicken Dip

My friend Lisa sent me this recipe in 2004.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

2 cups Franks Red Hot sauce

1 cup ranch dressing

1 cup celery finely chopped

2 (8oz) packages cream cheese

2 cups Monterey jack cheese

Poach chicken and shred.

Heat in large skillet with red hot sauce until hot.

Mix cream cheese, celery, and ranch dressing with a mixer until creamy.

Stir into chicken in skillet until hot and creamy.

Pour into a 13” x 9" glass baking dish.

Sprinkle with Monterey jack cheese and bake at 350 °F for 30 minutes.

Eat with Tostitos bite size chips.