Greek Chopped Salad Pitas

• -1 small head romaine lettuce, chopped
• -1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• -1 tomato, diced
• -1 small cucumber, diced
• -1 small red pepper, diced
• -1/2 small red onion, diced
• -3/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
• -3/4 cup feta crumbles
• -2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• -Pita bread, for serving

DRESSING:

• -1/4 cup olive oil
• -2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• -1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• -1/2 teaspoon salt
• -1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Add dressing ingredients to a large bowl and whisk until combined. Next, add all remaining chopped salad ingredients to the bowl and stir until everything is mixed together.
2. Spoon chopped salad mixture into warm pita bread and enjoy!

Haluski

• -2 ounces pancetta, diced small
• -6 tablespoons butter, divided
• -2 cups onion, diced
• -1 ½ pounds green cabbage, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
• -1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• -½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• -6 ounces dry No Yolks® egg noodles, any size noodle

1. In a medium to large skillet, over medium high heat, cook pancetta in 2 tablespoons of butter until crisp. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 2 more tablespoons butter, cabbage, salt and pepper, cover and once mixture is hot, reduce to medium and cook for ten minutes.
2. While cabbage mixture is cooking, cook No Yolks® noodles according to package direction and drain.
3. Once cabbage is tender, remove cover and add drained noodles.
4. Add remaining butter and cook to bring to serving temperature.
5. Season with additional salt and pepper as desired. (Lots of black pepper is traditional!)

Cowboy Caviar

-1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

-1 can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained

-1 pound roma tomatoes, chopped

-1 can sweet corn, drained (or 2 cups frozen corn)

-1/2 – 1 red onion, chopped

-1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

-1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (or orange or yellow)

-1 cup chopped cilantro

-1/2 cup pickled jalapeno peppers, chopped

-avocado

Dressing:

-1/2 cup olive oil

-1/3 cup white wine vinegar

-1 tsp salt
-lime juice

Whisk ingredients for dressing together.

In separate container, combine all ingredients and stir dressing over top.

Avocado Hummus

-30 ounces Chick Peas/Garbanzo Beans (2 cans), rinsed and drained
-1 avocado
-1/2-1 cup cilantro
-1 tsp garlic
-1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 small limes)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-3 tsp salt


Blend in blender until smooth slowly adding the lime juice and olive oil as you go.


From the kitchen of Andreia Waggoner.a

III Forks Off the Cob Cream Corn

-10 ears of fresh corn, shucked, cooked and off cob (or large bag -2.5 pound bag - of frozen corn)
-1 cup heavy cream
-1 cup milk
-2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon white pepper
-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon Accent seasoning
-1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
-1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
-4 ounces unsalted butter
-2 tablespoons flour

In a large saucepan, combine the first 10 ingredients.  Slowly bring it to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer.  Allow to simmer for three minutes.

In a separate pan, melt the butter until  it begins to pop, then stir the flour into the butter.  Add  the butter and flour mixture to the simmering corn.  Stirring occassionally, allow to simmer for three more minutes.  Keep warm until served.

From the kitchen of Deatra Smith...courtesty of Chef Vogeli, Executive Chef at III Forks in Dallas, Texas.

Macaroni & Cheese

 

Here's my go to mac and cheese recipe...adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe. 

You can easily divide this recipe in half.  Use a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish (9X9) if you do.

-6 pieces bread cut in cubes (I use 3 sleeves crushed Ritz crackers for the topping instead)
-8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
-5 1/2 cups milk
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons kosher salt
-1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
-2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
-1 pound elbow macaroni
-12 sliced of bacon, cooked crisply and chopped (my addition)

 Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish (9X13); set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. **As mentioned about, I used crushed Ritz crackers instead of bread for the breadcrumbs.  Combine Ritz crackers with the butter and set aside.

In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. **I typically use pecorino Romano since it's half the price of Gruyere.  Set cheese sauce aside.

Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

Grandma Drake's Baked Apples

These baked apples have been a holiday staple in our family since my Mom was a little girl.  From what I understand, the recipe was passed along to my Grandma so I'm sure it goes back even farther than I know.  My mom and I tried to make these for Christmas while she was visiting this year.  However, we didn't trust the original recipe (thought there was too much flour) and ended up botching the entire batch.  I tried making them again this week and they turned out PERFECT!  It's amazing how food can bring back so many memories from childhood.  We eat these right along with the turkey dinner, but you could also serve them as a dessert.   

 -3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in half
-1 cup white sugar
-1/2 cup margarine (cold)
-3/4 cup to 1 1/4 cup flour (enough to make thick dough like consistency)
-1 teaspoon vanilla
-cinammon

To make the filling, use a pastry cutter.  I couldn't find mine so I just used a fork.  In a large mixing bowled, cut margarine into the sugar with a fork (or your pastry cutter) until thoroughly combined.  Then, slowly cut in flour until you get a VERY THICK, dough like consisentcy.  I ended up using a little over a cup or so of flour.  (When my mom and I made these we did not use enough flour and the filling just melted off the apples...make sure the filling is super thick).  Add vanilla and combine thoroughly with fork/pastry cutter. 

Lay apple halves, core side up in a 9X13 inch pan.  Spoon a generous amount of filling into the core/top of each apple.  Sprinkle lightly with cinammon (use your fingers to sprinkle just a tad on each apple.

Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for about 1/2 -1 hour.  Baking time depends on your oven and the apples. Start checking apples for doneness at 30 minutes but they will most likely cook for close to an hour.  Use a fork to poke the apple to see if it's tender.  It should be tender, but not completely soft.

Roasted Asparagus

This is the only way I make asparagus anymore.  All three Segal boys fight over these at the dinner table....no joke.  So, so good (and easy)!

-1 bunch thin asparagus spears, trimmed (woody stalks removed)

-a few tablespoons olive oil

-Parmesan cheese

-sea salt

-ground black pepper

Lay asparagus on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle generously with a salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese.  Toss the asparagus with your hands and make sure spears are evenly coated in oil/seasoning.  Arrange the asparagus onto the baking sheet in a single layer.  Bake at 425 degrees until tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. The spears will just be starting to brown.  I promise you'll never make your asparagus any other way!

Roasted Broccoli

This is my favorite way to eat broccoli!  I think it tastes so much better this way instead of steamed.  Plus, it's super simple. 

-Head of broccoli, cut into bite-site florets

-Olive oil

-Garlic powder

-Salt

-Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.  Layer broccoli florets on a baking sheet.  Spray with olive oil (I have one of those Pampered Chef sprayers).  If you don't have this or something comparable, you can just drizzle with a little olive oil (1-2 T maximum).  Mix broccoli around to make sure it's well coated.  Sprinkle generously with garlic powder, salt and freshly ground pepper.  Bake for about 10 minutes (give or a take a few minutes) until the florets start to brown.  Keep an eye on it.  It changes quick.  You are usually safe for at least 8 minutes.  I love that the broccoli stays bright green and is still a little crunchy.  My kids love it too.  Enjoy!

Ina's Sweet Potato Fries

Does anyone else love Ina Garten?  I saw her make these on Barefoot Contessa a few weeks ago and had to try them for myself.  They were a hit with all 3 boys.  A & Z especially loved that I was giving them permission to eat as many "fries" as they wanted.

-2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled

-2 tablespoons good olive oil
-1 tablespoon light brown sugar
-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise and cut each half into 3 long spears. Place them on a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil. Spread the potatoes in one layer.   Combine the brown sugar, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on the potatoes.  Bake for 15 minutes and then turn with a spatula. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Drain on a paper towel.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and serve hot.

Creole Potato Salad

I am not generally a fan of potato salad, mainly because mayonnaise grosses me out a little bit.  However, I was introduced to this zippy mustard based potato salad by my friend Katie this past weekend.  Yum with a capital Y.  I'm in love!!!  I also love my friend Dori's Pesto Potato Salad which uses pesto sauce instead of mayo as a dressing for the salad.

-3 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed well and cubed
-3/4 cup mayo
-1/2 cup Creole mustard (recommended: Zatarains)
-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
-1 teaspoon sugar
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
-2 stalks celery, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, chopped

Place the cubed potatoes in a large pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil. Cook potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain in a colander and let cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
Once cool, add potatoes to a large bowl. Add chopped onions, celery, and garlic. Pour the dressing over the potatoes and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Link for video on how to make it....
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/down-home-with-the-neelys/creole-potato-salad-recipe/index.html

From the kitchen of Katie Talbert (courtesy of the Neely's).

Orzo Salad with Kalamata Olives, Peppers and Feta

This one is very similar to the Greek Couscous Salad I often throw together.  However, I don't think I'll go back to the couscous.  The orzo works so much better in something like this.  I could live on it...so yummy!

-1 tsp salt
-2 cups orzo (I used an entire 1 pound box of orzo)
-1 red bell pepper, diced (I only had red, green & orange peppers so I used those)
-1 yellow bell pepper, diced
-6 oounces feta cheese, crumbled (I've stated this before but I LOVE FETA.  Therefore, I used a 10 ounce container!)
-1 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
-4 green onions, thinly sliced
**I also added in a cup of halved grape tomatoes
Dressing:
-6 tablespoons olive oil
-2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (it's the juice of half a large lemon)
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/4 cup flat leaf parlsey, chopped
-3/4 tsp salt
-1 tsp pepper

Cook orzo in salted water until al dente ( 8-10 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with olive oil. Add bell peppers, cheese, olives, and green onions.

To make dressing: in a small bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, garlic parsley, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.
Add dressing to salad and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Remove from refrigerator for 30 min prior to serving.

From the kitchen of Megan Guttman

Fried Cauliflower

I haven't had this for YEARS and have been completely craving it lately. I remember eating this all the time growing up. Made it tonight with dinner tonight...so yummy!!!

-1 head of cauliflower
-Bisquick or pancake batter mix
-Salt and pepper
-Oil (I always use olive oil even though I know you aren't suppose to fry with it)

Core cauliflower. Steam head of cauliflower for 5-10 minutes or until tender (not too soft though since you will still fry it later). Refrigerate cauliflower for 2 hours or even overnight. When you are ready to fry, cut cauliflower into bite size (1-2 inches) pieces. Pour 1/4 cup or so of oil in a fry pan and pre-heat over medium heat. Meanwhile, prepare some pancake batter. You don't need the egg...just the pancake mix and water. Add more water than it calls for...you will want a runny consistency. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper to the batter to your liking. Dip cauliflower pieces into batter, generously coating them. Shake off excess batter and then carefully place in hot oil in fry pan. Continue with the rest of the cauliflower (you will have to do a couple fry pans full as all the pieces won't fit in one round), turning after each sided is lightly browned and crisp (tongs work well for this). Place on a paper towel lined plate to drain and then serve warm.

Growing up, we would eat this as a side dish or sometimes as an appetizer at a party.

From the kitchen of Cheri Midagliotti.

...didn't realize that my Stella made it into the picture. I will say that these do taste great with a beer!

Kim's Smoothies

Scott and I were addicted to smoothies back in our pre-kid days. While on vacation last week, he had a craving for one and it's now become part of our everyday breakfast routine again. The kids are loving them and beg for one in the morning. They are so easy and healthy. Plus, the kids LOVE pushing the on and off buttons on the blender for me. They will eat anything that they had a hand in making.

I've never followed a recipe, but wrote down some estimated ingredients for Scott's sake the other day and thought I'd also share with you.

-2 bananas
-2 cups orange juice
-3/4-1 cup of yogurt (I use plain low-fat yogurt, but you could also use greek yogurt. In a pinch, any flavor yogurt will do...this morning I used vanilla because I ran out of plain)
-2 cups frozen fruit
-1-2 T wheat germ
-1-2 T honey

Dump all your ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. I always use frozen strawberries or blueberries, but I'm sure raspberries, peaches or other frozen fruit would work well too. You could also use fresh fruit but then would need to add some ice to your smoothie before blending. Makes about 4 cups.

Broccoli and Spinach Mac & Cheese

This is the new mac and cheese staple in our house. Everyone loves it and I don't feel guilty giving it to the kids.


-12 ounces bowtie pasta
-1 bag (12 ounces) frozen broccoli
-1 T unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
-2 shallots, chopped (I never have shallots so I always use regular white onions)
-1 package (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms
-4 cups whole milk (I always use 2% or skim...whatever we have on hand)
-1/4 cup flour
-1 t kosher salt
-1/2 t freshly ground pepper
-1 bag (5 ounces) baby spinach
-5 ounces fontina cheese, grated (1 1/4 cups)
-1/3 cup, plus 2 T grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Butter a shallow baking dish (approximately 3 quart dish). Cook the pasta according to package directions, adding the broccoli during the remaining 3 minutes of cooking. Drain and return the broccoli and pasta to the pot.


Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add onions and mushrooms and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, flour, salt and pepper. Pour into skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the fontina and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese.


Pour sauce into pot with pasta and broccoli and toss to coat. Transfer to the prepared dish and sprinkle with remaining fontina and Parmesan. Bake until the cheese melts and is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.


Per serving: 394 calories, 18 grams protein, 18 grams carbs, 4 grams fiber, 13 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 40 mg cholesterol, 606 mg sodium

Guacamole Salad

-1 pint grape tomatoes, (halved)
-1 yellow pepper (diced)
-1 (15 oz) can black beans (rinsed and drained)
-1/2 cup diced red onion
-2 Tbls. minced jalapeno pepper
-1/2 tsp. lime zest

Place above in a large bowl.

Dressing:
-1/4 cup fresh lime juice
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. pepper
-1/2 tsp. minced garlic
-1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Whisk together, pour over vegetables and toss well.

-2 ripe avocados (DICED)

Just before serving, fold the avacados into the salad. Serve at room temperature.

Creamy Pasta & Chickpeas

Yummy new Family Circle recipe for you to try. This is a great one for the Fridays of Lent!

-1 pound asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
-1 red pepper, chopped ( I use whatever color peppers I have on hand)
-1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper
-8 ounces penne pasta
-1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1 pkg. (4.4 ounces) light spreadable herb (I use a 6 ounce container of Alouette brand...you can find it by the feta, brie, and other soft cheeses)
-heavy dash of nutmeg

Cooke penne in boiling salted water for 12 minutes. Drain; reserving 1 cup pasta water.

Meanwhile, coat a medium-size nonstick saucepan with a few tablespoons of olive oil;  heat over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, red pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to pot. Cook, stirring, for 6 minutes.

Over medium heat, stir pasta into veggie mixture.  Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper, chickpeas, cheese and nutmeg, adding reserved pasta water as needed to thin sauce. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 280 calories; 4 g fat (1 g sat); 15 g protein; 47 g carbohydrates; 8 g fiber; 553 mg sodium; 6 mg cholesterol

Holiday Potatoes

These are the tastiest mashed potatoes I've even eaten! They are so much easier than regular mash because you make them the night before. My mom tried making them for the first time on Thanksgiving and I made them again for Christmas dinner. I don't think I'll ever go back to "plain old mashed potatoes."

-5 pounds of potatoes, cooked and mashed

Add the following ingredients one at a time and mix with an electric mixer:
-8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
-1 stick butter or margarine
-1/2 cup sour cream
-1/2 cup milk
-2 eggs, slightly beaten
-salt and pepper to taste
-onion powder to taste

Pour into a 9" X 13" greased casserole dish (the mixture will be runnier than regular mashed potatoes). Bake at 350 degrees - covered with foil for 30 minutes and then uncovered for 15 minutes. Before putting it back in the oven for the last 15 minutes, I sprinkled with paprika - made it look and taste good too!

FYI - When I made these for Christmas, it was just the 4 of us so I cut this recipe in half and it turned out just fine. I just used a 9" X 9" square pan instead.

P.S. No one said these were healthy! Everything in moderation, right?

Pesto Potato Salad

Thanks to my friend Dori for introducing this dish to me at a dinner party a couple years back. Since then, it has become a staple in our household and is definitely preferred over traditional potato salad (it's probably a little healthier too).

Pesto:
-3 cups packed fresh basil leaves
-2 to 3 cloves garlic, to your taste, peeled
-2/3 cup olive oil
-¼ cup walnut pieces or pine nuts (optional)
-1/8 tsp. salt
-¾ grated Parmesan cheese

In a blender or food processor, process the basil, garlic, olive oil, nuts (if using), and salt until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. Scrape the mixture into a small bowl and stir the Parmesan. Cover and refrigerate, tightly covered, until using. If you’re not using within several days, freeze the pesto. It will keep for 2 to 3 months.

Salad:
-2 ½ lbs. red skinned potatoes (7 medium-size ones), scrubbed
-Salt
-1 lemon, halved
-¾ prepared pesto
-Freshly ground
-Black pepper to taste
-1 pint cherry tomatoes
-4 ounces feta cheese, coarsely crumbled

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to moderately low, and simmer, covered, until potatoes are just tender (check with the tip of a paring knife), 20 to 25 minutes. Drain. When cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces (peeling the potatoes, if desired) and spread the pieces on a baking sheet. Squeeze lemon juice over the pieces. Let cool. When the potatoes have cooled, transfer to a medium-size bowl. Add about two thirds of the pesto and toss well to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a shallow serving dish. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or as long as overnight. When ready to serve, halve the tomatoes and scatter them over the top. Top with the cheese, then dot the top with the remaining pesto. Toss gently, then serve.

From the kitchen of Dori Spaulding.

==================================

Here's my quick "CHEATER VERSION" of it...I know, I know, could I be any lazier...

-2 ½ lbs. new potatoes, halved or quartered
-1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
-1 packet of McCormick's pesto seasoning
-6 oz. container feta cheese
-Olive oil

Boil pre-cut potatoes for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and let sit out to cool. Empty pesto packet into a tupperware container (about 10 cup container) or a large bowl, add 3-5 tablespoons olive oil to the seasoning and mix to create a paste/sauce. Once potatoes are completely cooled, put potatoes, tomatoes, and feta into the tupperware container. Seal with the lid and give it a gentle shimmy and shake until all the ingredients are coated with pesto. Drizzle with additional olive oil if needed and shake again. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Potatoes:

• 2 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

To prepare potatoes, place potatoes in a Dutch oven, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until very tender. Drain; cool slightly.

Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add half-and-half, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add eggs; beat well (mixture will be thin). Scrape mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

To prepare topping, sprinkle miniature marshmallows over top of casserole. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans, and sprinkle over potato mixture and marshmallows. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

From the kitchen of Dori Spaulding.