Baked Italian Savoy Cabbage and Sausage Casserole

This is a really filling, really tasty, comforting dish that almost satisfies a lasagna craving! Incredibly flavorful and hearty.

Ingredients:

2 lb. savoy cabbage, sliced into 1/2 inch ribbons
1 T. olive oil, plus more as needed
4 sweet Italian sausages, removed from casings and crumbled
1/2 cup diced tomatoes in juice (or more, depending on your taste)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup grated mozzarella
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (I used a little more)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (you can do this while preparing the dish).

Bring a large pot of water to boil, and prepare an ice bath (cold water + ice) in a large bowl. Add cabbage to the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (or drain in a strainer) and add immediately to the ice bath to stop the cooking. Allow to cool, then drain well. Using a salad spinner, dry the cabbage well.


In a medium skillet, heat 1 T. oil over medium heat. (I actually didn't find the oil necessary, as I had normal pork sausage, which is fatty enough.) Add crumbled sausage and cook until done through. Stir in the tomatoes, and season with salt & pepper to taste (I didn't find salt to be necessary). Allow the water from the juices to cook off.

Oil a medium-sized casserole dish (my Le Creuset was too large...a 2.5 quart round casserole dish would have been way better).

Place 1/3 of the cabbage into the bottom of the dish. Season generously with salt and pepper. Top with half the mozzarella and sauce. Repeat this layer. Top with the last third of the cabbage and all the parmesan cheese.

Pour the cream over the top and bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until browned and bubbly.


Serve in shallow bowls (there will probably be some liquid) with a lovely glass of wine! And bread, if you're not doing low-carb :D.


(Once more, excuse my dumb cell phone pictures.)

Kalyn's Ratatouille Wanna-Be and Almond-Pesto-Encrusted Haddock

This is one of my favorite side dishes. Very flavorful, very simple, and filled with super-healthy ingredients!

Ratatouille Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil
1 onion, preferably red, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow/orange bell pepper, diced
2 large zucchini, diced
1 28-ounce can whole or diced tomatoes with juices
1 T. dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh basil, minced
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and peppers and saute until the onion is cooked through and the garlic is fragrant. Add in the zucchini, and cook for about 5 minutes, until it begins to soften.


Add in the tomatoes and spices and stir together. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook over low heat for about an hour. I prefer if most of the liquid is cooked off. Adjust spices to taste before serving.


I'd never cooked haddock before, and it's one of those flavorful whitefishes like cod, pollack, tilapia, etc. You could substitute any of those fish into this recipe as well, just adjust your cooking time.

Haddock Ingredients:

3 haddock filets (or other white fish), about 6 oz. each
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic
3-4 T. mayonnaise

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sprinkle salt & pepper over the haddock filets and place them on an oiled, foiled-lined baking sheet.

Place almonds in a food processor and process until they become a meal. Add the parmesan, basil leaves, and garlic, and pulse until combined. Add mayo and blend together.

Spread the mixture evenly over the fish and bake for about 20 minutes, until the fish flakes easily. I had to broil the fish for a couple of minutes to brown the crust.


Serve hot out of the oven! Some asparagus would be delightful with this fish as well, but I didn't have any.


Excuse my cell phone pictures, my camera was dead when I was making this and I wanted to document it!

CHEAT DAY: Strawberry-Banana Bread Pudding

I made brioche this weekend and had quite a bit leftover from breakfast yesterday, and I decided to make something delicious with it.

Bread pudding it is!

I couldn't find a recipe I exactly wanted to make, so I pretty much made this up, loosely following some recipes I looked up online.

Ingredients:

6 cups stale brioche, cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups half-and-half
3 eggs
3 overripe bananas, mashed
1 T. vanilla extract
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling

Instructions:

Cube up your bread and place it in a large bowl. Mix in the sliced strawberries.



Using an electric mixer, combine the cream, brown sugar, and eggs until blended. Then add the bananas, vanilla, and cinnamon, and mix until blended together.


Pour the liquid over the bread and strawberries and allow it to soak for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a casserole dish (I used a tall, round one, but I would suggest allowing the bread pudding to be more spread out, as you won't need to cook it as long). Pour in the mixture and press it down into the dish. Sprinkle the top with some brown sugar and bake for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped and the interior reaches a temperature of 170 degrees F.


The finished product! It is divine.

Broccoli-Carrot Slaw with Cranberries and Almonds

Good day, everyone!

I have finally decided to sit myself down and write up a bunch of posts. I apologize for neglecting this. My motivation in the last week has been lacking. It's been problematic lately, but I'm trying to get back in the saddle.

This recipe is a nice summer side dish, especially for grilled meats and hot days. It's great if made a day ahead, too, as the flavors all get to meld together! It's very versatile, and you can remove or add any flavors you might prefer quite easily.

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli
2-3 carrots (depending on size)
1/4 cup grated onion
1/2 cup dried cranberries (get the unsweetened kind)
1/2 cup almonds or other nut, chopped (pine nuts or sunflower seeds work very well)
A creamy, low-sugar vinaigrette dressing (the one I used will follow)

Instructions:

Grate up the broccoli stalk, and chop up the florets into tiny, bite-sized pieces. In all, you should have about 3-4 cups of broccoli (the florets included).

Grate up the carrots. You should have twice as much broccoli as carrots.


Combine the carrots, broccoli, onion, cranberries, and nuts in a large bowl. Adjust the onion to your taste (I like a little more).


Either buy a nice, tangy vinaigrette dressing, or make your own. I really like this one!


Combine with the dressing and allow to sit for at least 1 hour. Serve chilled! We had it with grilled sausage and caramelized onions.

Turkey Chili

Half of my extended family hails from Texas, and chili recipes abound in our cookbooks. I have learned from the best, and though many will say that "real Texas chili doesn't have beans in it," I have always had beans in my chili. I like it better. I feel like meat-only chili is something to be reserved for adding to hot dogs or cheese dip.

Trying to stretch our groceries, I had a 7-lb. turkey in my freezer and cooked that last week, and used most of the leftovers for this chili. You could certainly make this with chicken, beef, pork, or a ground variety of any of these as well.

Chili is versatile! Chili is filling! And chili is pretty darn healthy!

Ingredients:

3 cups diced, cooked turkey (about 1 pound of meat in total, I think)
1 1/2 cups total of dried black and kidney beans, mixed, soaked overnight (you could also use two 15 oz. cans of beans)
1 large can tomato sauce (I always try to buy low-sodium, and I think the large can is something like 24 oz.)
1 can water (use the tomato sauce can)
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons chili powder
1-2 tablespoons cumin (depending on how strong your cumin is)
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon (or more, to taste) salt

Instructions:

This is super-duper easy. Get out your slow-cooker. Toss everything into the slow-cooker. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours (depending on what time you start it). Taste and re-season about an hour before serving. YOU ARE DONE.


For those of you who don't have a slow-cooker:

Get out a big pot. Heat up a tablespoon or so of oil. Cook onion, bell pepper, and garlic until soft. Add tomato sauce, water, and spices. Bring to a simmer. Add meat and beans. Cook for 1-2 hours (at least) over low heat. Season to taste before serving.

Serve topped with your choice of garnishes! Appropriate ones include: sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, hot sauce, cilantro, lime wedges, chopped jalapenos, etc.

Chicken & Zucchini Parmesan

Long break! Sorry! I've been getting everything back on track this week, and I've also been repeating some recipes, so not too much new to post :).

So, I kind of made this up, kind of drew from other recipes. It was an experiment that tasted great, but also failed.

I thought I could encrust the chicken and zucchini with grated parmesan cheese and fry it in a half inch of oil, but that didn't work AT ALL. The cheese got all melty and fell off, despite an eggwash to hold it on. While it became deliciously crunchy, it didn't work. I will spare you that part of the recipe.

Ingredients:

3 zucchini, sliced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Olive oil
1-2 cups of finely grated parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
2-3 cups of marinara sauce

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.

Place about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the zucchini and fry in the oil until browned on each side. This is NOT to cook the zucchini through, so it should be only a couple of minutes on each side at the most.



Drain the zucchini on some paper towels, and then place them in a single layer at the bottom of the casserole dish. Cover with 1 cup of marinara sauce (at least) and half of the parmesan cheese.


Salt & pepper the chicken. Using the same oil, fry the chicken over medium-high heat until browned on both sides, a few minutes each. Once more, this is not to cook the chicken through, just to give it a crust.

*You can see the failure all over those chicken breasts.*

Place the chicken on top of the zucchini in the casserole and cover with the rest of the sauce and cheese.


Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese is bubbly and browned.


It's a really simple recipe and, while not perfect, it sure does taste good!

If you need a really basic marinara sauce recipe, I use 1 onion, chopped, 4 cloves of garlic, and 2 or 3 cups of whole Italian tomatoes. Cook the onion and garlic in a tablespoon of oil until cooked through (I like the flavor of letting them brown a bit) and then add the tomatoes. Allow that to cook over low heat for 30 minutes, then toss in a handful of fresh torn basil leaves. Cook another 5-10 minutes. Blend together in a processor or blender and season with salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of sugar or Splenda. Tadaaaa, basic marinara!

Lemony Green Beans with Leeks and Feta

Good morning, everyone. I'm dying.

No, not really, but I sure feel like it. Caught Charles' flu thing and the aches and pains have started, on top of congestion and coughing. I never get sick! Why is this happening?! Cue dramatic crying.

So, here is the green bean recipe from yesterday. I found them a good accompaniment to the pork.

Ingredients:

2 cups sliced leeks, whites-to-light-greens only
1 lb. green beans, washed and trimmed
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 T. olive oil
Juice from 1/4 of a lemon
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of paprika
Pinch of salt
1-2 oz. crumbled feta cheese
Lemon zest for garnish, if desired

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add in leeks and garlic and allow to cook until softened, 3-4 minutes.


Add in green beans and spices and continue to cook until the green beans are tender and bright green (the bright color is a sign that they have reached their peak in cooking!).


Once done, add lemon juice to pan and toss to coat. Remove from heat and served topped with lemon zest and feta!


Super easy, and I think they'd go with many many dishes.

Pork Chops with Tomato, Onion, and Feta

Good Monday, everyone! It was quite a busy weekend for us (we had many things to do) and now both Charles and I are sick with some flu-like ailment, so forgive any grumpiness that comes through my post :P.

I've made this recipe a couple of times now, and I absolutely love the topping. It could easily go on any other meat, and I just enjoy munching it on its own, haha.

Ingredients:

3-4 pork chops, 1 inch thick (of course, depending on their size...mine were massive)
2 T. olive oil, divided
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups whole tomatoes in juice, chopped, or diced tomatoes
1 T. dried basil (there was basil in my canned tomatoes already, so I didn't add this)
2 T. balsamic vinegar
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper, and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes each. I don't recommend cooking them all the way through on this step, as they may dry out during completion of the dish. Remove from pan and set aside.


In the same pan, heat the rest of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and garlic and cook until translucent, and slightly browned.


Add in the tomatoes, vinegar, and dried basil. Cook for about 5 minutes.


Bring to a simmer and add the pork chops back in (I think this gives them a great flavor and allows them to finish cooking). Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or so.


If your sauce still has a lot of liquid, remove the chops and allow the liquid to cook off. Taste your sauce and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

When finished, serve pork and top with sauce. Crumble feta cheese over the top and enjoy!


This was served with a tasty sautee of leeks and green beans, and I'll post that recipe tomorrow. Until then, enjoy!