Creamy Corn Jalapeno Poppers

Ingredients: 12 large (31/2- to 4-inch-long) jalapeño chiles 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1 Tbsp. white miso 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 1 cup fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears) 3 oz. pre-shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese (about 3/4 cup) 2 oz. pre-shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup) 1/4 cup chopped scallions (from 2 scallions), plus more for garnish Directions: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Cut chiles in half lengthwise; scrape out seeds and membranes with a spoon or melon baller. (Discard seeds and membranes.) Arrange chile halves on prepared baking sheet. Whisk together mayonnaise, miso, and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in corn, mozzarella, Cheddar, and scallions. Stuff corn mixture evenly into chile halves. Bake in preheated oven until filling is gooey and bubbly, 18 to 20 minutes. Garnish with additional scallions, if desired. Serve warm.

French Onion Soup Casserole

French Onion Soup Casserole Ingredients: ¼ cup unsalted butter 5 medium Sweet Florida onions, thinly sliced (about 3 lb.) 2 teaspoons kosher salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 3 thyme sprigs 2 flat-leaf parsley sprigs 2 bay leaves 1 (16-oz.) baguette, thinly sliced ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth ½ cup sherry 8 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 2 cups) 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves Directions: Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low; add onions, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley sprigs, and bay leaves; cook, stirring often, until onions are golden brown, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until lightly toasted, 12 minutes. Set aside. Remove and discard thyme and parsley sprigs and bay leaves from onion mixture. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Add broth and sherry; bring to a boil over high. Boil, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Layer half of the toasted baguette slices in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Spoon onion mixture evenly over bread. Top evenly with remaining baguette slices. Sprinkle with cheese; cover with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Increase heat to broil. Remove foil; broil until cheese is bubbly, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme leaves. Recipe adapted from Southern Living

Tom's Favorite Chicken Cacciatore

 

INGREDIENTS

4 lb. chicken thighs with bones                    1/2 cup tomato puree'

1/2 cup oil                                                    3 T. tomato paste

2 onions, minced                                          2 t. salt

1 green pepper, chopped                              1/2 t. black pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed                                 1 t. thyme, dried

4 cups canned tomatoes                               1/2 t. Italian spices

1/2 cup red wine

DIRECTIONS

1.    Toss chicken pieces in the seasoned flour. Brown in hot oil

2.    Add onions, green pepper and garlic. Cook for ten minutes.

3.    Add tomatoes, tomato puree' mixed with tomato paste, salt, pepper, thyme and mixed spice.

4.    Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes.

5. Add the wine, cover and cook for about 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Serves 6-8 

posted by Debi

Grandma Walter's Chili Sauce

Ingredients:

• 30 Plum Tomatoes, rinsed and chopped
• 4 Large Sweet Onions, chopped
• 2 Jalepeno Peppers, chopped
• 2 Finger Peppers, chopped
• 2 Sweet Bell Peppers, one red and one green, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons Salt
• 2 Cups White Vinegar
• 15 Tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 hours. Place in sterilized mason jars.

Posted by Debi

Grandma Walter's Mustard Pickle

Tom's grandmother was German and he remembers how much he enjoyed her Mustard Pickles. She had her own garden which made her recipe all the better. Every Christmas we could count on a package arriving with several jars of Mustard Pickle and Chili Sauce. Family recipes handed down from generation to generation are the best.  (Sorry I don't have a photo yet. Hopefully I'll get one when I make the next batch).

Ingredients:

Pickles

• 4 quarts pickling cucumbers, washed and sliced
• 1 head cauliflower, washed, drained and chopped
• 1 quart small whole onions, washed and halved
• 6 sweet red bell peppers, washed, sliced in strips

Soak overnight in water with a handful of salt.

Drain. Add 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup water and boil until tender. Drain. Make the Mustard Sauce as follows...

Mustard Sauce:

• 5 cups White Vinegar
• 5 cups Brown Sugar
• 3 teaspoons Turmeric powder
• 3 teaspoons Dry Mustard
• 1 cup flour made smooth with a little water

Cook until sauce thickens. Add Pickle Mixture to sauce. Bring to a boil and seal in sterilized mason jars. 

Posted by Debi

Mom's Italian Meat Sauce

This is my Mother-in-love's Italian sauce recipe. She loved to make this for our family on special occasions. There is nothing that says love more than a large pot of sauce on the stove ready to delight family and friends at the table.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground italian sausage and/or ground beef
• 2 large can Diced Tomatoes, undrained
• 2 large can Tomato Puree
• 6 Tablespoons tomato paste
• Oregano, to taste (approximately 2-3 T.)
• Italian Seasoning, to taste (approximately 2-3 T.)
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Garlic Powder, 1/2 teaspoon, or more if desired
• Salt to taste
• 2 leftover, bone-in pork chops

Directions:

Brown ground meat in large skillet. Drain fat and set aside.

In large pot add 8 ingredients stirring well. Add the ground meat and pork chops. Allow to simmer on stove for 2-3 hours. Or you can make this a day ahead. It's always better the next day. 

Serve hot over pasta of your choice. Be sure to add freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese on top.

Buon appetito!

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 lbs small to medium red potatoes
• 2 T. Plus 1/4 t. salt
• 8 T. Olive oil, divided
• 1/2 t. Garlic powder
• 1/2 t. Onion powder
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 T. Chopped fresh parsley, chives and/or green onion

DIRECTIONS:

1. Scrub potatoes and rinse over running water. Remove any nubby sprouts. Place them in large Dutch oven or pot.
2. Fill the pot with water until the potatoes are submerged and covered by an inch. Add 1 T. of salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and continue until potatoes are easily priced through by a fork. Around 20-25 minutes.
3. While potatoes cook, preheat the oven to 425 and drizzle 1T olive oil over a large, rimmed baking sheet. Brush the oil so it’s evenly coated.
4. When the potatoes are done, drain them and let them cook for at least 5 minutes.until they can be handled.
5. Evenly distribute the potatoes on the prepared pan and use the bottom of a glass to gently smash each potato to a height of about 1/2 inch. The thinner they are the crispier they will be.
6. Drizzle the remaining 3 T of oil over the smashed potatoes. Sprinkles the remaining ingredients over the potatoes.
7. Bake until potatoes are nice and golden on the edges, about 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and serve hot.

Bucatini all'Amatriciana Pasta

In August of 2016, Amatrice, Italy was devastated by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake that literally destroyed this once quaint village. It was known for it's pasta dish loved the world over. In honor of the many who lost their lives and homes I wanted to pray for them while preparing their inspiring dish.  I thought I'd share it with you and invite you to pray as well. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 ounces guanciale, cut into slices about 1/8 inch thick and then into 3/4- by 1/4-inch strips (you may use (guanciale is cured pork jowl that provides the best texture, but you can substitute pancetta)
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound dried bucatini pasta (a type of thick, hollow spaghetti; you can substitute regular spaghetti, or even penne.)
• 1 ounce grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add guanciale and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pan, until nearly evaporated, about 3 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Meanwhile, boil pasta in salted water until just shy of al dente, about 1 minute less than package recommends. Using tongs, transfer pasta to sauce, along with 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Cook over high heat, stirring and tossing rapidly, until pasta is al dente and sauce has thickened and begins to coat noodles. Remove from heat, add cheese, and stir rapidly to incorporate. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Serve right away, passing more cheese at the table.

Posted by Debi

Recipe from http://www.seriouseats.com/2016/03/how-to-make-pasta-amatriciana.html

Parmesan Baked Potato Halves

Ingredients

• 6 small potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
• 1/4 cup butter
• grated parmesan cheese
• garlic powder
• other seasonings (to personal preference)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a 9x13 inch pan and spread evenly across the bottom. Generously sprinkle parmesan cheese and lightly sprinkle other seasonings all over the butter. Place potato halves face down on the butter and seasonings. Place in preheated oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool for at least a FULL 5 minutes before removing from the pan, otherwise the parmesan crust won't stick to the potato. Serve on a plate with a side of sour cream for dipping.

Posted by Debi

Recipe courtesy of Favorite Family Recipes blog

Deep Dish Triple Cherry Pie

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 t. salt
1 T. butter, softened
1 jar tart dark cherries, drained
1 jar red cherries (see NOTE below)
1 jar bing cherries, (NOTE: reserve all liquid plus enough from red cherries for 1/2 cup juice)
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. almond extract
2 t. lemon juice
1 pastry for double crust 9 inch pie

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400
2. Drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup juice as noted
3. Combine sugar, cornstarch flour and salt
4. Combine cherry juice, vanilla and lemon juice
5. Add to dry ingredients, mixing well
6. Add cherries and mix well again
7. Add butter and let stand for 15 minutes
8. Pour cherry mixture into pie crust and finish top with lattice crust
9. Bake for 50-55 minutes until golden and bubbly