Sweet Potato Casserole

40 oz. can sweet potatoes, 1/4 cup liquid reserved
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter,softened
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup cold butter
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350.

Mash together sweet potatoes with liquid, maple syrup, sugar, softened butter, cinnamon and vanilla. Place in a casserole.

Add flour, brown sugar and oatmeal to a bowl. Cut in cold butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Add in chopped nuts, mix well.

Sprinkle crumb topping over sweet potato mixture. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Lentil Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 bay leaf
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 lb. dry lentils
8 cups water
4 chicken boullion cubes
1 lb. spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a deep pot. Add onion, and saute until translucent. Add carrots, celery and garlic, saute 2 minutes. Add oregano, bay leaf, basil, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, lentils, water and boullion cubes. Bring to a boil Lower heat to a simmer. Cover, simmer one hour, or until lentils are tender. Add spinach and vinegar. Cook until wilted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Black eyed Peas with ham hocks

2 smoked ham hocks
1 tbsp. hot sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 chopped onion
1 lbs. dried black eyed peas, soaked overnight

Place ham hocks in a pot. Cover with water. Add hot sauce, black pepper, bay leaves, minced garlic and onion. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add soaked black eyed peas. Simmer uncovered an additional 1 1/2 hrs, adding additional water as needed. Remove ham hock, allow to cool. Remove and mash 3/4 cup of black eyes peas, stir back into pot to thicken. Remove meat from ham hock, shred, add back to pot. Add salt if needed.

Santa Claus Melon

Santa Claus Melon

(Scientific Binimial Name: Cucumis Melo)

Selection Information

Usage: Raw in fruit salads or in fruit platters. Serve at room temperature.

Selection: Santa Claus Melon is a netted cultivar of Muskmelon also known as the Christmas Melon. Good-quality Santa Claus melons will be fairly large and firm with a small amount of softness at the stem end. The coloring will be mottled yellow and green. The skin will have a slightly waxy feel when the melon is ripe.

Avoid: Avoid product that is too firm, too soft, has dark blemishes on the skin or is extremely green-colored.

Storage: Keep uncut Santa Claus melons at room temperature for two to four days or until fully ripe, then refrigerate for up to 5 days. Refrigerate cut up melon in a covered container up to 3 days. Keep in mind that once cut, melon odor will penetrate other foods.


Seasonal Information

Santa Claus melons are available from California and Arizona from June until October, with the peak in July.

Product from South America is available during the winter months. For this reason they're also known as Christmas melon. The flavor can be good, but they won't be as sweet as those available in the summer months.


Santa Claus Melon Nutritional Information

Serving Size: 1 cup

Amount Per Serving


Calories 61
Calories from Fat 2



Total Carbohydrate 16g

Potassium 14%

Source: PMA's Labeling FactsProduce Oasis - Santa Claus Melon

Ham and Hash Brown Casserole

* 3 tablespoons butter
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 cups milk
* 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 4 cups diced ham
* 1 package (32 ounces) frozen hash brown potatoes (cube style), thawed
* 1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
* 1/2 cup bread crumbs

Over medium heat, melt butter in a large saucepan; add flour. Stir until smooth; add milk. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly; remove from heat and stir in cheese and mustard. Place half of the ham in a lightly greased casserole. Top ham with half of the hash brown potatoes and half of the cheese sauce mixture. Spoon spinach over the top. Repeat with the remaining ham, potatoes and sauce. Top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350° for about 45 to 55 minutes.

Peachy Chicken

About 9 or 10 years ago, I used to cook a recipe called "Peachy Chicken" ALL THE TIME!! I have been searching for the recipe for the past few months. I thought I had gotten it off the internet somewhere, and that I would NEVER find it again. Then, about a week ago, I was thumbing through Sylvia's Family Soul Food Cookbook (one of the only cookbooks in my HUGE collection that I ACTUALLY use on a regular basis) and lo and behold, there was the recipe I was looking for!! I could not believe it had been right under my nose this ENTIRE time! It seems like a really odd combination or flavors, but it is truly delicious! I highly recommend removing the skin from the chicken before cooking, or else you will end up with soggy skin.

3 1/2 lb. chicken, cut into eighths
2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
16 oz can sliced cling peaches in syrup
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Sprinkle lemon pepper, salt and pepper over both sides of the chicken. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, preferably a few hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain the syrup from the peaches into a bowl. Add lemon juice and soy sauce, mix thoroughly.

Place chicken in a baking dish. Pour syrup mixture over the top.

Cook, uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour, turning half way through.

Add peach slices to the baking dish. Cook an additional 15 minutes.

Beer Braised Stew Beef

I was trying to figure out what to do with the beef cubes I had in my freezer forever, and saw a suggestion online to braise them in beef. So, I took the idea and ran with it. Now, I DO NOT drink beer EVER... I think it tastes nasty, but let me tell you, cooking with beer is a whole nother animal! This dish simmers all day in the slow cooker, and has the most delicious gravy!

3 lbs. beef cubes or bottom round roast
4 8 oz cans mushroom slices
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
12 oz can beer
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar
2 beef bouillon cubes
3 Tbsp. quick cooking tapioca

Put beef in the bottom of a slow cooker. Sprinkle mushrooms over the top. Mix together pepper, onion soup mix, garlic, beer, thyme, bay leaves, sugar, vinegar and bouillon cubes. Pour over been mixture. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove 1/2 cup of juice from the slow cooker. Add tapioca to the hot juice. Mix thoroughly into a paste. Pour into the slow cooker, being sure to mix thoroughly. Cook on low 1 additional hour.

My Best Meatloaf

When I was younger, one of my favorite meals was meat loaf, with a side of rice and some broccoli. And, of course, lots of gravy! Thursday night was meatloaf night in my house growing up. And, once my mother returned to work, she would often rely and my sisters and I to do most of the prep work for dinner. When it was meatloaf night, I used to prefer to take over in the kitchen.

My mother used to buy three pound packages of ground turkey. I always added bread crumbs, ketchup and an egg or two. And after that, I would go wild. I would grab every herb and spice I could find in the cabinet, and dump it into the mix. And, invariably, it would taste pretty darn good.

Then my Mom discovered the recipe for meatloaf featured on the back of the onion soup package, and that became our go to recipe for our favorite comfort food dish. I carried it over into my own house when I moved out. Sometimes I would use a mixture of meats (pork, veal and beef) sometimes just beef, and on occasion, turkey. But the add in ingredients were always the same: Italian seasoned bread crumbs, water, ketchup, eggs and onion soup mix.

The one day, I was looking through a magazine and saw a recipe that called for V8 in lieu of ketchup. I tried that recipe, and really loved it. With a few of my own personal touches, I came up with this tasty meat loaf recipe.

3 lbs. ground beef (you can use meatloaf mix or ground turkey if you choose)
12 oz. can V8 vegetable juice
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Using your hands, thoroughly mix all ingredients together. Press into a loaf pan. Cook at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes
Note: I say the parmesan is optional only because I left it out by mistake this time, and it still turned out delicious!

BBQ Short Ribs

I had never had short ribs until I was introduced to them by a room mate a few years ago. This is the recipe she used, and which she taught to me. I do not eat them very often, since they are kind of expensive and a bit fatty, but I do enjoy them when I make them. When I do cook them, I make sure to refrigerate the leftovers in two separate containers (the meat goes in one and the gravy goes in the other). After cooling them overnight, you can discard the thick layer of fat that accumulates on the top of the gravy) I actually prefer the leftovers, because they are less greasy!
4 lbs. bone in short ribs
2 tsp adobo
½ cup white vinegar
1 bottle barbecue sauce
1 sliced onion

Put short ribs in deep pot or dutch oven. Add adobo, vinegar, onion and barbecue sauce. Add enough water to cover by an inch. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook on low 3 hours or until meat is falling off the bone tender.

Pork Cutlets with Mushroom Gravy

6 pork cutlets (or boneless pork chops)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
10 3/4 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp. horseradish
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Sprinkle pork cutlets with salt, pepper and garlic powder> Heat oil in a large skillet. Sear pork cutlets of chops in oil on both sides. In a bowl, mix together cream of mushroom soup, milk, horseradish and worcestershire sauce. Place pork cutlets in a oven safe casserole. Pour mushroom soup mix over the cutlets. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Roasted Chicken

So, today I decided to make a roasted chicken. Since I live alone, I used a small fryer (about 3 lbs). First, I rubbed the chicken with about 2-3 Tbsp. of olive oil. Then I sprinkled about 1/2 tsp. of adobo, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1/2 tsp. dried thyme and two packets of sazon and rubbed it into the chicken. Then I put the chicken in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The chicken SHOULD HAVE been done at this point, but unfortunately the BREAST took longer than the legs to cook. When I checked the temperature of the thigh, it was 175, while the breast still had a tinge of pink inside it, and only read 164 on the thermometer. I think the problem was that the chicken MAY NOT have been fully defrosted in the breast area when I popped it in the oven. So, I raised the temperature of the oven to 400 and roasted for 15 more minites. After that, the breast read 178. I was worried it would be dry (since I have been told you should only cook chicken to 170 degrees, but it was not. It was perfectly moist and delicious, with a nice crispy red skin. While I am not a huge fan of roasted chicken, I really did enjoy this!

Deviled eggs

So, I decided that I was going to make deviled eggs for the Fourth this year. Never mind the fact that I have never made deviled eggs before... I LOVE them... in fact I love ANY kind of egg dish. So, I searched for some good ideas online.... came up with something pretty darn good too... of course, I had to go through the usual drama with peeling eggs... I have tried using fresh eggs, I have tried using older eggs, I know my cooking method is perfect, and I always make sure to cool them down in running cold water, but I still end up tearing some of the eggs apart.This time I peeled 15 eggs, totally ruined 3, knicked about 6 and had about 6 perfectly peeled eggs. Of course, they all taste delicious anyway, so it is all good! Anywhere, here is what I came up with... some really tasty deviled eggs.

12 peeled hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup real mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. dried chopped onion, reconstituted in a Tbsp. of water, then drained
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Cut each egg in half, remove the yolks into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, curry powder, dijon mustard, onion and pepper to the yolks. Mash the eggs and mix THOROUGHLY, until the mixture is smooth. Spoon the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Refrigerate overnight, then serve.

Sausage and Peppers

My grandmother used to make sweet Italian sausage with peppers often when I was younger. It was one of my favorite meals. But, I never seemed to be able to cook the peppers the way that I liked them without burning them before they reached the desired tenderness. So, I tried roasting them in the oven first, THEN sauteeing them, and ended up with the results I wanted. This recipe does take quite a bit of time, but it is well worth it.

8 links sweet Italian sausage
8 red bell peppers, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
8 oz can tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a sheet pan, place sausage on the pan. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes. Set aside. Toss bell peppers with olive oil. Place on sheet pan, cook in 350 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Place onion in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes on high. Heat up a large skillet on medium heat. Add the peppers to the skillet (make sure you also use all of the juices and oil from the pan) Add the onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute about 15 minutes or until the peppers are very tender, stirring often. Meanwhile, slice the sausage into disks. Add sausage and tomato sauce to the peppers and onions. Cook an additional 10 minutes, stirring often. Serve with fresh Italian bread.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

* 12 oz. Bag broad egg noodles
* 2 Tbsp. Butter or margarine
* 12 oz fresh mushrooms sliced
* 3 6 oz cans solid white tuna broken up with fork
* 3 10 3/4 oz cans cream of mushroom soup
* 1 canful of milk
* 1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
* 1/4 tsp. Black pepper
* 10 oz box frozen peas thawed
* 8 oz. Shredded sharp cheddar cheese divided
* 6 oz. Can french fried onions divided

Directions

* Cook noodles as directed on package. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in a saute pan. Add mushrooms and saute until cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain noodles and add back into pasta pot. Add tuna,cream of mushroom soup, milk, garlic powder, pepper, peas, half of the cheddar cheese, half of the french fried onions, and the sauteed mushrooms. Mix together thoroughly, then pour into a large casserole. Sprinkle the second half of the cheddar cheese on top. Cover with foil. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil, add second half of the french fried onions. Cook, uncovered, 15 additional minutes. Serve with a side vegetable of your choice.

Smothered Pork chops

I LOVE pork chops, and I LOVE gravy. This recipe combines the best of both worlds... pork chops and yummy gravy all in one skillet! I like to serve this with white rice topped with the gravy!

4 bone in pork chops
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 1/2 tsp. herb mixture, divided (see below)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. flour
14 oz can chicken broth

1. Sprinkle pork chops with salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and 1 tsp. herb mixture.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet, brown pork chops 3-4 minutes per side.
3. Remove pork chops, set aside.
4. Add onions and peppers to the skillet. Saute for 3 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 more minute.
5. Add flour to the vegetable mixture. Stir until it is absorbed by the oil.
6. Slowly stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil
7. Add pork chops back to the pan, lower heat, cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Herb mixture:
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

Toss all herbs together and use the quantity called for in your recipe.

Chicken Liver and Onions

I don't recall my mother ever making liver and onions when I was a child, although my father and I enjoyed eating them. My grandmother used to make chicken livers coated in bread crumbs and fried, the top them with some sauteed onions. Very tasty, but I have never actually made them that way myself.
I actually started making chicken livers this way after reading Patti LaBelle's book "LaBelle Cuisine". She had an amazing recipe in her book for calves liver with onions and a nice, beefy gravy. I made it several times in the past, and then decided to try making it with chicken livers and chicken broth (her recipe used beef broth). Her recipe also called for sauteeing the onions first, but I prefer to sautee the onions AFTER the liver, so that the browned bits of liver flavor the onions.
I made this for my father one day, and at first he looked at me like I was crazy.. he had never eaten liver and onions with a gravy! But, once he tasted it, he was hooked, and I have made it for him several times since. I LOVE to eat this with some white rice smothered in the gravy! Bon Apetit!
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 lbs. chicken livers
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup flour
1 large onion, thinly sliced
14 oz can chicken broth

1. Season the chicken livers with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour until well coated.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil over medium heat. Brown chicken livers, about 2 minutes per side.
3. Remove liver from the pan.
4. Add onions to the pan, saute, scraping up the browned bits as you go, stirring often.
5. Add remaining Tbsp. of oil to the pan.
6. Add 2 tbsp. flour to the pan, stir until the oil absorbs it.
7. Add liver back into the pan.
8. Add chicken broth slowly, stirring constantly.
9. Lower heat, cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.
Serve immediately with white rice

Grandma's Pitsate Cookies

Every year at Christmas time, Grandma would make these delicious Italian cookies. They are not very sweet, and they are not very pretty, but they ARE very TASTY! I was so grateful to find this recipe after my Grandma passed. These were always my favorite cookies... I could eat a whole tray of them. Since I have never been big on baking, I have never actually made these myself. But, I just recently began to enjoy making baked goods, so I definitely will have these in mind when I make holiday cookies!! Christmas is just not Christmas without these yummy treats!

Ingredients

For cookies:
* 1 lb. chopped roasted almonds
* 4 cups flour
* 2 tsp. baking powder
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 3 1/2 tsp. Nestle Quik
* 1 cup coffee
* 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
* 4 eggs
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
* 1 1/2 tsp vanilla OR almond extract
* Zest of one lemon
* Zest of one orange

For glaze:
* 1 c. powdered sugar
* 2 tbsp. water
* 2 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

* Combine all of the cookie ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Roll out into 3/4 inch thick ropes. Cut diagonally into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Bake at 350 fpr 12 minutes. Meanwhile, make glaze out of confectioners sugar, water, and lemon juice, adding liquids gradually until it reaches the desired consistency. Let cookies cool, then dip into lemon glaze.

Whew, that was close!

If anyone saw Top Chef last night, they would clearly see that Angelo attempted to set Kenny up to be eliminated. Thank goodness it did not work. But, I did not like Angelo from the VERY FIRST moment I saw him (when he was name dropping and bragging about all of the places in the world he has been). Now, my negative impression of him has been confirmed.

Angelo knows that Kenny is one of the strongest competitors this season. So, he wanted to try to get him out of the game early. By choosing Kenny for his team mate, he knew that one of two things would happen: Kenny would help his team win, OR Kenny would be at risk of elimination if his team lost. So, he sabotaged the challenge!

Come on, really, celery with peanut butter?? Can you REALLY claim that is a healthy vegetable dish?? His INDIVIDUAL dish could have cost SOMEONE ELSE (Kenny) his spot in the show! Luckily the judges were smart enough to see that this was manipulation, pure and simple!

GO KENNY!!! Take it home!!!

Pork Chops Pizzaiola

* 2 to 4 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
* 2 to 4 teaspoons dried basil, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
* 4 bone-in pork loin chop (7 ounces each)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 3 medium onions, thinly sliced
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 cups hot cooked noodles

Directions

* In a small bowl, combine 1-1/2 to 3 teaspoons oregano, 1-1/2 to 3 teaspoons basil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper./ Sprinkle over both sides of chops. In a large nonstick skillet, brown pork on both sides in oil over medium heat; remove from skillet.
* In the same skillet, saute onions and garlic until tender. Add the tomato sauce, water and the remaining oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Return pork to the skillet. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°. Serve with hot noodles.

Just Like Grandma's Stuffing

Every year for Thanksgiving, my Italian grandma would make a delicious stuffing chock full of sausage, apples, celery and onions. After my Grandmother passed, no one knew how to replicate her dish. And, we started going to my father's wife's family's house for Thanksgiving, and they preferred STOVE TOP!! FOR THANKSGIVING!!! To me, that is a sacrilege!

My father's wife did attempt to make Grandma's stuffing last year, with truly AWFUL results! The stuffing was a mushy, salty MESS!! So, for Christmas, I decided to make a valiant effort to duplicate Grandma's delicious stuffing. I came up with this recipe, and it came out PERFECT on the VERY FIRST TRY! I am hoping to persuade my father's wife to allow me to bring this dish to the next Thanksgiving meal!

* 6 links italian sausage casings removed
* 1/2 stick butter
* 3 stalks celery sliced thin
* 2 macintosh apples peeled and diced
* 1 medium onion chopped
* 2 Tbsp minced garlic
* 1 bag seasoned stuffing cubes
* 1 14 oz can chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350. Put sausage in large skillet. Saute sausage until no longer pink (about 10 minutes). Remove from skillet. Melt butter in skillet. Add celery, apples and onion. Saute until slightly tender (about 10 minutes). Add garlic. Saute 2 more minutes. Put sausage and vegetable mixture into a large bowl. Mix together. Add bread cubes. Mix thoroughly. Add chicken broth, toss together until all the bread cubes are damp (they will be moist, NOT WET) Put mixture in a large casserole or aluminum pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.