Artichokes

Thanksgiving in our Italian household requires artichokes...stuffed, steamed and served with melted butter on the side. I can smell the garlic and deliciousness now! 

10 artichokes(1per person) 

3 cups seasoned bread crumbs

2 cups grated Parmesan Romano cheese 

10 cloves of garlic 

Olive oil for drizzling

1 lemon

First, juice one lemon into a small bowl.

Cut the top inch of the artichokes off and cut the stems off too.  Keep the stems! Peel them and add them to the pan later. 

Dip the tops and bottoms of the artichokes in the lemon juice to prevent oxidation...browning. 

Next, combine the bread crumbs, grated cheese and diced garlic into a bowel. Mix well.

It's time to stuff the artichokes.  Spread open each artichoke.  You are loosening it up so you can stuff it with the bread crumb mixture.  Once they are loosened up, grab a table spoon and spoon the mixture into EACH leaf of each artichoke.  This tedious work will make a tasty artichoke.

Place the artichokes into a pan with a lid.  I need two pans with 10 artichokes. Fill with an inch of water. Drizzle each artichoke with olive oil.  Cover, simmer...add water as it evaporates.

  Do not allow the water to completely evaporate or they will burn.  You just worked way to hard to burn these. After a half hour, try pulling off a leaf.  If it falls off when you pull, they are done.  

Serve with melted salted butter. Enjoy! 

Apple Dumplings

My mother came over for dinner last night and I made one of her favorite desserts...Apple Dumplings! 

I modified a recipe from Allrecipes.com.  It came out so gooey, hot and tasty....and it was impressive and E A S Y.

2 lg Granny Smith apples

2 tubes crescent rolls (low fat...why not)

1.5c sugar/brown

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 stick  butter (I use unsalted...the original recipe called for 2 sticks)

1 cup Mountain Dew...I forgot to pour it on top before the dumplings went into the oven and it made no difference in how much we loved this dessert.  Feel free to try it!

350 degree oven

Peel and core apples.

Cut each apple into 8 slices. 

Roll each apple slice up into the crescent roll dough completely encapsulating it. 

Heat butter in a skillet with the sugar and cinnamon...when completely dissolved and a gently bubbling I poured the deliciousness onto the crescent rolls that I arranged in a baking dish. I used a tablespoon to help distribute the mixture.

Pop that bad boy into the oven for 25 minutes.  Serve 2 per person with vanilla bean ice cream. 

*A day later we heated the leftovers and served them up...still delicious! 

Stuffed Shells...you can do this!

It's a cold night so it's time to heat up the kitchen!

Preheat oven to 350F

1 box jumbo shells

30oz ricotta 

2 eggs

8 oz grated parm

16 oz shredded mozzarella 

2tlbsp dry parsley

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 jars sauce...a homemade sauce recipe is on its way soon!

Boil shells until they are very aldente...cuz you're gonna bake them.

Run them under cool water so you can handle them.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta, half the parm and half the mozzarella, salt, pepper and parsley.  Stuff a plastic storage bag with the cheese goodness and carefully pipe into the cool shells.  Add all shells to a deep glass or ceramic baking dish.  Cover with sauce.  Top with parm and extra mozzarella.  Bake at 350 for 45-60...uncovered...look for bubbling.

Tonight,  I froze most of the shells on a cookie sheet.  I placed 4/5 in 2 small Corning wear bowls , covered with sauce and cheese which made 2 beautiful individual servings.  

Enjoy! 

( I have also cut the recipe in half and it works just fine.)

Chicken Fajitas

These fajitas got 2 thumbs up from the hubby:

(Makes 5/6 fajitas) 

1 pkg chicken thighs(you want 4 thighs total)

1onion

1 red pepper 

1 green pepper

1 packet low sodium fajita seasoning 

1 bag fajitas..I like the medium size

1 c shredded Mexican cheese

Use 2 skillet

Heat both on media

Swirl some olive oil in both

Sauté sliced veggies in one and chicken thighs I'm the other. 

I pull the thighs out, slice and throw them back in after I brown them. 

Add the fajita seasoning packet to the sliced thighs and follow the directions on the back of the packet. 

Warm the fajitas w/ cheese in the microwave..then fill with the veggies and chicken. 

Beef Barley Soup/Stew

Sunday dinner?  Why am I thinking about it today? Cuz that's what I do...and I hear it's so much better the day after you cook it.

Beef Barley and Mushroom Soup/Stew
2lbs stew meat
3 stalks celery-diced
3 carrots-diced
1 onion-diced(I used 2)

2 cloves garlic-diced
1 lb mushrooms-diced

2 bay leaves 
7 or 8 cups beef broth...1/2 beef 1/2 veggie stick is great too
1/2 c cooking sherry
1c pearl barley
Add a little of any or all...
Parsley/italian seasoning/garlic/a shake or two of Worcestershire sauce

Add all ingredients except for the mushrooms...simmer for 1.5 hrs...you want the meat to be tender...THEN add the diced mushrooms.  Cook for 25+ min. When it tastes done, it's ready to roll. 

I'm gonna grab everything at the market and buy frozen bread dough to make a loaf for Sunday. (Ps...just made the beef barley stew and it is BEYOND. :)