Creamy and satisfying, this recipe comes together in less than 15 minutes. I used one small package of baby Bella mushrooms, some leftover Ricotta, and a package of frozen potato gnocchi. The gnocchi cooks quickly and should be removed from the cooking water as soon as it floats to the top.
Sauté sliced mushrooms in olive oil with garlic, onions, and a splash of red wine.Cook frozen gnocchi as per package instructions, drain, saving one cup of cooking water. Add 1½ cups of Ricotta Cheese; stir to mix, adding water as needed to adjust moisture. Sprinkle with dried oregano and parsley, to taste.Top the gnocchi with the cooked mushrooms and serve. Shown here with broccoli and butternut squash sides, leftovers from a previous meal.
I’m only referring to the recipe, not the actual animal when I use the term “quick”. 😆 This was made with the leftovers from a supermarket rotisserie chicken. The meat was skinned and deboned, cut into cubes, mixed with coarsely chopped celery, mayonnaise to moisten, and salt and pepper. Grab a roll and pile the chicken mixture on, pour some iced tea, and there is lunch! (It’s also good on lettuce if you’re looking to reduce the carb content of your meal.)
This recipe is a family favorite that is easy to prepare and can be used as a side dish for any meal you are preparing. The quantities here will make a 9×9 baking dish size. If you need a larger one, just adjust the quantities accordingly. I recently made this for an office Pot Luck luncheon and it seemed to be a hit with many co-workers asking for the recipe! So here it goes……
3 medium size zucchini
1 medium onion
6 tbsp butter, divided
1 cup bread crumbs (I used seasoned Panko style)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Salt & pepper, to taste
Cooking spray
Using a mandolin for uniform slices, slice the zucchini and the onion
Spray casserole dish with a little cooking spray.
Layer 1/3 of the zucchini in the bottom of the dish, followed by 1/3 of the sliced onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.
Repeat 2 more times to fill the dish.
Melt the butter and drizzle half of it over the casserole.
Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top. And then sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top of that.
Mix the remaining butter with the bread crumbs and sprinkle evenly over the top to finish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 – 50 minutes or until you can test it with a sharp knife and it goes in smooth with no resistance.
Serve immediately and it’s also great if leftover and heated up.
Hope this will become a favorite of your family too!
Osso Bucco is typically prepared with veal shanks (which this vegetarian will not use), so my family is having a faux version using beef shanks. As long as the meat cooks long enough to fall from the bone, it will be tender and tasty regardless of your preference for beef or veal. My “Nosso Bucco” 😁 will be prepared with thick Portabella mushroom slices in place of the meat, using the same ingredients and process, skipping the step using the kitchen twine and reducing the cooking time to about 30 minutes in the oven.
Beef shanks, seared and ready for the braising mixture.
6 meaty shanks (veal or beef)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic
2 cups broth (reserve about ½ cup to add to pot if needed)
1 cup red wine for beef shanks or 1 cup white wine for veal shanks
salt and pepper
Beef shanks covered with vegetables and wine sauce; cover and bake @325°, or until the meat falls from the bone.“Nosso Bucco”; replace the meat with generously cut slices of Portabella mushrooms.This mixture of rough-cut carrots, onion, celery, and garlic is called Soffritto in Italian and Mirepoix in French. It is the base for many soups, stews, and other slow-cooked dishes.
Tie the shanks with kitchen twine, salt and pepper generously, and sear all edges in large pot to which you have added the olive oil. Remove shanks from pan and set aside. Chop the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and sauté in oil and pan drippings until onion is translucent. Add the broth and the wine and simmer for about 5 minutes. Return the shanks to the pan with the vegetables, add enough broth and the wine to just cover the meat and simmer slowly for one hour. Turn the meat over, check the liquid, adding more if it has cooked away, and simmer for another 1½-2½ hours or until the meat falls from the bone. (Alternatively, braise the meat in a tightly covered braising pan @325° oven for about 2½-4 hours- no need to turn the meat. Just let the oven do its magic.) Serve with risotto, mashed potatoes, or polenta. Provide Italian bread to sop up the lovely liquid. No other side dish is needed since the Mirepois/Soffritto mélange makes a colorful complement.
Two versions of the same dish! These will be served later this evening with garlicy mashed potatoes, Italian bread, and some Montepulciano. 🍷 Joyful Holidays from the Sistas to you!
A true soufflé is a time-sensitive operation that is temperamental due to the delicate nature of the eggs. This very easy “faux soufflé” recipe is perfect for a large group. Because it is prepared the day before, it gets popped in the oven less than 2 hours before serving time, leaving you a breather in the morning to set the table, cut some fresh fruit, read the paper or answer your emails. When the children were small, I’d put the French Toast Casserole (see yesterday’s post) in the oven to bake on Christmas morning while we opened our gifts. We had plenty of time to “ooh and ahh” over the presents, toss the wrappings, shower, dress, and be ready when the oven timer announced the casserole’s completion. My friend Mary Zablocki made this version for a brunch at her home recently and was kind enough to share her recipe with me. Now, you have it, too!
The casserole is oven-ready – to be baked and served tomorrow morning. I’ll share a picture of it ready-to-serve then.
Sourdough Bread Cheddar Cheese Soufflé
1 large loaf of sourdough or country French bread, thickly sliced, crust optional
1 dozen eggs
4 cups milk
1 teaspoon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
Beat the eggs, milk, mustard, and salt in large bowl. Butter a 9×13 casserole dish and line with the bread slices. Top with the cheese. Cover with the egg mixture making sure to drench the slices. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator overnight*. Bake uncovered @350° for 1-½ hours. Serve immediately for the “soufflé” effect! Goes well with fresh fruit or applesauce, and maple syrup. (*If you don’t have the time for an overnight soak, just give the casserole about an hour to absorb the egg mixture.)
This dish works perfectly on Christmas morning. Set it up the night before and put it in the oven about 30 minutes before you want to serve it. It’s quite elegant and extremely easy to prepare..
The French call this “Pain Perdu” – lost or wasted bread – because they make it from stale bread.
1 loaf of bread – French bread works great🥖
8 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
3 apples, cored and sliced
lemon juice
cinnamon to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup golden raisins
Prepare a 9×13 casserole with the melted butter. Slice the bread and set aside. Sprinkle the apples with lemon juice to keep them from browning; add the cinnamon and let the apples sit. Beat the eggs, add the milk, vanilla and salt; place the apples and raisins in the bottom of the casserole; top with the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight; bake @350 uncovered for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve with fresh fruit, whipped cream, maple syrup, and sausage or bacon, as preferred.
This side dish is great with almost any meat, poultry, or fish main dish. It is another of my go-to recipes because it pretty much cooks itself, leaving the chef time to attend to other parts of the meal preparation. I hope you’ll enjoy the savory goodness!
Stir the spices and the oil to coat the potato wedges.Ready for the oven.
Wash three large potatoes -these are Russets- and cut them into wedges. Place them in a large bowl; pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, desired amounts of garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, and Parmesan cheese on top of the potato wedges. (I have also used Hungarian Paprika, Chili Powder or Lemon and Pepper to change things up and properly complement a particular main course.) Stir to blend the spices and the oil; and coat the potatoes. Place on a foil-covered baking tray and bake for 30 minutes @375°.
Crispy and tasty, and so much healthier than deep frying.
Feeling a little nostalgic today and wanted to share one of my mom’s signature cookie recipes. Here she is frosting the dozens of cookies we prepared at Christmas time in 2005. She has been gone since 2008, but every time I make this recipe, she is with me.My children and most of my cousins would agree that, when you remember Aunt Jay, one of the first things you think of is her chocolate cookies. cake-like mouthfuls of Heaven.
1 cup shortening
1¾ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup cocoa
2 cups milk
(nuts or raisins, optional)
Adding the dry ingredients to the shortening mixture, alternating with the milk. Never overmix the dough, as it will toughen and produce a dry, subpar cookie. (Notice the recipe card in my mom’s handwriting.)
Cream shortening and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Mix all dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to shortening mixture alternately with milk and mix gently until blended. Dough will be sticky. (My family doesn’t like raisins or nuts in the recipe, but plenty of people do, so don’t be shy about adding them, if you wish) Roll into balls about 1″ diameter or about the size of a walnut. Use a very small amount of flour if dough is too sticky. Handle gently and do not overwork the dough. Bake @350 for 10 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned and cookie is slightly firm to touch.
My mom used to grease the cookie tray with a small amount of shortening. I use parchment-covered cookie trays instead.Hot out of the oven!
Frost with a mixture of powdered sugar, vanilla, and whole milk – not too thin or thick. I do as my mom did, gently roll the cookie in my frosting coated fingers. Set the cookies on sheets of wax paper and let them dry on one side. I usually let them sit overnight. Then, turn them over and let dry thoroughly, (another couple of hours) before storing in metal cookie cans separating layers by wax paper. Store in an airtight tin.
First phase of drying the frosted cookies. Second phase is to flip them over to make sure they are dry before storing them. Damp cookies risk getting moldy in storage containers.
Anytime I come across a recipe card written in my late mom’s handwriting, I like to prepare it. Somehow it makes me feel closer to her. Today, it was this cookie recipe. Quite often, oatmeal cookies are made with brown sugar. The white sugar gives these cookies a lighter color as well as an airy texture. Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as we do.
Following a recipe written in my mom’s handwriting is one way of keeping memory alive.
1 cup raisin
1 cup water
¾ cup shortening
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
2 cups rolled oats (uncooked)
½ chopped nuts
Combine raisins and water in small pan. Simmer 20 minutes. Drain liquid into measuring ½-cup measure – add more water if not enough. Let drained raisins and liquid cool. In large bowl beat shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until creamy. Stir in the reserved liquid. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Blend the flour mixture into the wet mixture. Fold in the oats, raisins, and nuts. Drop by teaspoon on parchment-lined cookie tray. Bake 8-10 minutes @375°. These cookies freeze well – if there are any left!
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8×4” loaf pan or a 12-cup muffin tin.
Place the dates in a bowl, sprinkle with the baking soda, and pour the hot coffee over the dates and baking soda. Set aside. Hand mix the butter and sugar; add the egg and vanilla and beat fluffy. Mix the salt and flour; add to wet ingredients and blend well. Fold in the walnuts or pecans. Place batter into the loaf pan or muffin pans. Bake the loaf for 40 minutes – bake cupcakes for 20 minutes – or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Let sit in pan for a few minutes before removing to rack or serving tray. Serve plain or with butter or cream cheese.
Date and Nut Muffins. Make a pot of tea or coffee and enjoy!
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