Laila's Breakfast Casserole

1 1-pound package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes or tater tots
1 pound bulk pork sausage, crumbled and cooked
2 cups grated sharp cheddar
10 large eggs
2 cups milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper


Place a layer of hash browns potatoes (or tater tots) in the bottom of baking dish. Brown sausage and onions until golden brown and drain excess grease on a paper towel. Once drained, sprinkle the sausage and onions over the potatoes. Mix together eggs, milk, dry mustard, garlic powder, pepper and salt, beat well. Pour egg mixture over the potatoes, sausage and onions. Cover with cheddar cheese on top. Bake casserole until puffed and center is set, about 50 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and cut into squares.

Casserole can be made the night before and refrigerated overnight.

7/2009

Honey Mustard Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mild honey
1/4 teaspoon salt





Stir together all ingredients in a bowl until combined well. Chill until ready to serve.

9/2009 - Gourmet

Tomatillo Sauce

1 1/4 pounds tomatillos, husked
2/3 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup chopped green onion tops
1 large jalapeño chili, sliced





Cook tomatillos in pot of boiling water until soft but still whole, about 4 minutes. Drain. Place tomatillos in processor. Add remaining ingredients; puree. Transfer to bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

9/2009 - Bon Appétit

Squash Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce

2 small butternut squash (about 2 1/2 pounds total), halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup drained canned corn
12 6-inch-diameter corn tortillas
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 8 ounces)
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 8 ounces)
Sour cream
1/3 cup chopped pitted black olives (optional)
Tomatillo Sauce





Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour enough water into roasting pan to come 1/2 inch up sides of pan. Place squash halves, cut side up, in pan. Bake until tender, adding more water as necessary, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Cool squash completely. Remove seeds from squash; spoon squash into bowl. Discard squash skin.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Mix in squash and corn. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tortilla over direct flame until soft and heated through, turning with tongs, about 10 seconds per side. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Place 1 heaping tablespoon squash mixture down center of each tortilla. Top with 1 tablespoon of each cheese. Roll up tortillas. Arrange seam side down in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead; cover and chill.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spoon Tomatillo Sauce and remaining cheese over enchiladas. Bake until enchiladas are heated through, about 20 minutes. Place 2 enchiladas on each of 6 plates. Top with sour cream. Sprinkle with olives.

9/2009 - Bon Appétit

Bobby’s Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime

1 (3 1/2 lb) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
3 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon Mayonnaise
1 Garlic Clove, minced
Finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 Lime
3/4 teaspoon pepper
Salt to taste
Chopped parsley to garnish





Preheat the oven to 400. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. In a bowl, whisk together the mustard, mayo, garlic, lime zest and juice and pepper. Season the chicken generously with salt. Pour the mustard-mayo mixture over the chicken, tossing well to coat. In a large baking pan, arrange the chicken in a single layer. Bake until it is cooked through; breasts take about 30 minutes and legs will need 5 to 10 minutes more. Serve the chicken with pan juices drizzled over top and garnished with chopped parsley.

2009 – Paula Dean Family Cookbook

Indian-Spiced Chicken and Spinach

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, minced
1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 cups water
2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/3 pounds in all), cut into 3 pieces each




In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes longer. Stir in the cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook until the spices are fragrant, about 1 minute, and then stir in the jalapeños and tomatoes. Add the cream, cinnamon stick, and water. Squeeze the spinach to remove excess liquid and add the spinach to the pan. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pan, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Stir in the chicken and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover, and simmer the stew until just done, about 10 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick before serving.

9/2009 - Food and Wine

Vegetable Tikka Masala

1 cup Plain Yogurt
1 Lemon, juiced
Ginger root, 1 inch chopped
2 Onions, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, chopped
1-1/2 tsp. Turmeric Powder
1 tsp. Cinnamon powder
1 tsp. Red chilli powder
2 tsp. Coriander powder
2 tbsp. Butter or ghee
Fresh Vegetables (Suggested: Mushrooms, peas, carrots, cauliflower, potato. Can use other vegetables too) 2 cups
20 Cardomom pods
1/2 cup Coriander leave
Salt and pepper to taste





Combine the yoghurt and chopped ginger, garlic and onions into a blender. Blend until smooth.Then add the lemon juice, salt and Pepper. Lightly mix. Next, add the spices but stopping before you get to the cardomom pods. Blend all the spices until nicely mixed. Add a few of the fresh coriander leaves and again mix until lightly blended. (At this stage this will smell fantastic). Add the butter or clarified butter to a pre-heated slow cooker or large pot. Melt until the butter or clarified butter starts slightly bubbling. Add blended ingredients. Take the cardomom pods and add to the sauce. Cardomom pods have a sharp taste and could surprise you with a sudden zingy flavor during the meal. To avoid that, powder these pods before adding them to the sauce. Add the two cups of vegetables and mix lightly. Add the rest of the Coriander leaves. If cooking in a slow cooker, set to "low" and leave for about 6 hours. If using the pot to cook, keep on low heat until the mixture bubbles and the vegetables are to your liking.

Serve hot with rice and naan bread

Crawfish Pasta Salad

1 bag 12 ounce size of rotini pasta
1 pound crawfish tails
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup ketchup
Zatarain's crab boil
Tabasco (to taste)
Salt (to taste)





Boil the rotini noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a separate pot, season water with crab boil and add crawfish. Bring to a boil, remove from heat. Let the crawfish soak in the seasoned water. This way the crawfish can absorb more flavor. Drain before combining with other ingredients.

In a glass bowl, make a dressing with the mayonnaise, ketchup and Tabasco. Toss in the noodles, celery, and crawfish. Serve warm or refrigerate and serve cold.

5/2009

Spicy Coleslaw

1 head green cabbage, shredded
2 carrots, grated
1 red onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions, chopped
1 red chile, sliced
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Creole mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Several dashes hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper




Combine the cabbage, carrot, red onion, green onions, and chile in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar; stirring to incorporate. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the coleslaw with celery seed, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Chill for 2 hours in refrigerator before serving.

6/2008 - Tyler Florence

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

For Dry Rub:

3 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons coarse salt
1 (5 to 7 pound) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt

For Cider Vinegar Barbecue Sauce:

1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup yellow or brown mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
12 hamburger buns
1 recipe Spicy Slaw, recipe follows
Pickle spears





Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork and marinate for as long as you have time for, as little as 1 hour or up to overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Put the pork in a roasting pan and bake for about 6 hours. Basically, roast the pork until it's falling apart and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 degrees F.

To make the barbecue sauce: combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves.

Remove the pork roast from the oven and transfer to a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While still warm, take 2 forks and "pull" the meat to form shreds. Using 2 forks, shred the pork by steadying the meat with 1 fork and pulling it away with the other. Put the shredded pork in a bowl. Pour 1/2 of the sauce on the shredded pork and mix well to coat.

To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom 1/2 of the hamburger bun, and top with the spicy coleslaw (see recipe here). Serve with pickle spears and the remaining sauce on the side.

6/2008 - Tyler Florence

French Onion Soup

2 1/2 pounds yellow onions, halved, and sliced 1/4-inch thick (8 cups)
1/4 pound unsalted butter
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup medium-dry sherry
1/2 cup brandy or Cognac
1 1/2 cups good dry white wine
4 cups beef stock
4 cups veal stock
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan




In a large stockpot on medium-high heat, saute the onions with the butter and bay leaf for 20 minutes, until the onions turn a rich golden brown color. Deglaze the pan with the sherry and brandy and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the white wine and simmer uncovered for 15 more minutes.

Add the beef and veal stocks plus salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, taste for salt and pepper, and serve hot with grated Parmesan.

1/2009 - Ina Garten

Hummus

2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6-8 garlic cloves
6-7 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water
6-8 dashes of Tabasco Sauce
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)





Add garlic to food processor and blend until garlic is finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve with warm pita bread.

Pan-Fried Haloumi Cheese

2 packages of haloumi cheese (8-10 ox. per package)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bulb of garlic
4 - 6 tablespoons of flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper





Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Slice the haloumi into broad flat slices of 1/4" thick. Peel the garlic cloves and make into a puree using either a mortar and pestle or a small food processor. Place garlic paste in to a small bowl and mix in about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to make garlic a thinner consistency. In another bowl mix flour and cayenne pepper together for dredging. First dredge the haloumi slabs through the garlic paste mixture and then throught the flour mixture to give a light coating of each.

Lay the cheese slabs into the skillet and fry on one side until flecked with golden brown, about 2-4 minutes. Flip carefully and fry on the other side until the other side is also flecked with golden brown spots. Remove from the pan and place on plate with a paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

Serve with warm pita bread and hummus, if desired.


Serves 4-6.

4/2009

Mexican Lasagna

1/2 pound ground mild pork sausage or ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
1 (15-ounce) can jalapeno ranch-style pinto beans, drained
2/3 cup canned diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of celery soup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce
9 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium avocado, chopped




Cook sausage and ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain. Stir in beans and next 5 ingredients; cook until thoroughly heated.

Stir together soups and enchilada sauce in a saucepan; cook until thoroughly heated.

Spoon one-third of sauce onto bottom of a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; top with 3 tortillas. Spoon half of beef mixture and one-third of sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with half of Cheddar cheese. Top with 3 tortillas; repeat layers ending with tortillas. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese and next 3 ingredients.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Top with avocado.


5/2009 - Southern Living

Lemon Meringue Pie

1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons, juiced
3 lemons, zested
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
4 egg whites
6 tablespoons white sugar



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

4/2009

Mulligatawny Soup

1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter), or vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 green chile peppers, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 pods cardamom, bruised
1 tablespoon chopped fresh curry
1 carrot, chopped
1 apple - peeled, cored, and chopped
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 cup Masoor dhal (red lentils), rinsed, drained
8 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken meat
3 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
2-3 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro





Heat ghee or vegetable oil in large pan (use low heat); cook onion, garlic, ginger, chilies, spices and curry leaves, stirring, until onion is browned lightly and mixture is fragrant. Do not over brown the onion or else it will give the soup a burnt taste.

Add carrot, apple, potato, dhal, and chicken stock to pan; simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Discard cardamom pods and curry leaves.

Blend or process soup mixture, in batches, until pureed; return to pan. Add tamarind, lemon juice and coconut milk; stir until heated through. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves before serving.


2/2009

Recipes To Try

Moqueca de Peixe - Brazillian

Prawn Curry - Sri Lankan