In the spirit of cleaning out the fridge: the leftover batter from Nana’s Cream Waffles along with some blueberries made the perfect pancake breakfast for a cheery, fall Saturday morning.

Submitted by L

This recipe comes from my mom’s file, the one that inspired me to create a cookbook in her memory in 2013. She used to make these delicious waffles for the family on Sunday mornings using an old circular waffle iron that dated back to the 1940s. That appliance is long gone, replaced by the model you see here. This one is pretty fool-proof due the system of lights that indicate doneness. It also has a non-stick surface, making cleanup pretty effortless.

Cream Waffles

• 2 eggs
• ½ cup butter
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1¾ cups milk or cream
• 2 cups flour

Melt butter, beat the eggs, mix everything together in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Cook in a heated waffle iron. (My mom’s direction: Do not stir the batter between each waffle baking.) After preheating my waffle iron and spritzing with some pan spray, I poured about ¼ cup of the batter into each section and let the machine do its magic.

Submitted by L 🥣

Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli

• 1 pound large shells
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1⅓ cups milk
• 1½ cup half and half
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated

In a large pot, cook the broccoli to crisp tender; remove with slotted spoon to a large bowl. Using the broccoli water, cook the pasta according to directions; drain well and move to the large bowl with the broccoli. Melt butter in the same large pan over medium heat; add garlic and shallot, cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, half and half, and Dijon mustard until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cheese and stir to melt. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir the pasta and broccoli with the cheese mixture until well-combined.

Serve immediately.

Submitted by L 🥦

We have done many posts about vegetables and today, I’d like to share a medley of stuffed squashes and eggplant.

To start, wash and cut the vegetables lengthwise, scoop out those that have pulp, salted and pepper the shells, and place them in casserole pans. Cube the scooped pulp, add diced onion and some chopped garlic to taste.

Pour some olive oil in a saucepan and add the chopped vegetable mixture. Sauté it for about 5 minutes. Mix in some raisins, and a large can of crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, oregano, and a dash of baking soda to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Scoop some of this mixture into the hollowed out vegetables in the casserole pan. Add about ½” of water and bake, uncovered, @375° for 30-40 minutes, or until tender. You may sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese at the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Meanwhile, slowly simmer the rest of the tomato and vegetable mixture until it is thickened and the vegetables are cooked. Serve over rice or pasta as an accompaniement to the stuffed vegetables.

Submitted by L 😊

Here’s another “clean Out the fridge” basic recipe that you can have as-is or add any number of things to make a completely different dish as you like. Go ahead and use your imagination! This is what I found in my fridge……

• 2 bell peppers, any color, sliced
• 2 zucchini, cut into chunks
• 2 onions, sliced
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• A pint of grape tomatoes
• 1/2 head garlic, minced (I like garlic)
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Sauté all items in a large skillet in the oil over med high heat til cooked thru as you like it.

So here is your base. You can serve this as a side dish or add what you like. Here are some suggestions:

Additional spices such as red pepper flakes, cumin, rosemary, basil, thyme, Provençal spices, Italian blend, grated cheese etc….

Serve over pasta or rice

Add in other vegetables, sliced sausages, ground meat, shrimp, boneless chicken chunks, etc……

Use as stuffing for a spaghetti squash or any squash for that matter

Add to eggs for an omelet or frittata

The choices are infinite! What will you have? Let us know!

Submitted by G ♥️

So many treasures in the produce aisle today! These tiny, tender looking Brussels Sprouts were among the purchases from Wegmans. It seemed like the best way to prepare them to bring out their sweetness would be to oven-roast them.

Bon Appétit!

-Submitted by L 👩🏻‍🍳

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes! A little different and a little spicy like me! But a very easy one-pot dish perfect for a weeknight.

• 4 bone-in chicken thighs (skinless or skin-on, as you like it)
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 4 tbsp butter
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped or sliced
• 1 sweet pepper, chopped or sliced (any color that you like)
• 4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sriracha

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Using a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, melt 3 tbsp butter

Season the chicken with salt & pepper and sear it in the skillet 5-7 minutes, then remove from pan and set aside

Add the last tbsp butter to same skillet and sauté the onions, pepper and garlic for 2 minutes. Then add potatoes and season with salt & pepper. Continue to sauté for 4-5 minutes

Return the chicken to the skillet

Mix the brown sugar and sriracha til smooth and pour over the chicken and vegetables evenly.

Place the skillet into the oven and roast for 30-40 minutes til cooked through

Serve with a side of Parmesan Asparagus roasted in the same oven for 20 minutes

Submitted by G ♥️

We try very hard on this blog to offer recipes that are easy to prepare, some of which include the use of time-saving devices, like this bread machine. It was my son Mark’s, who took a great interest in baking bread in the mid-1990s when bread machines first became popular. When he moved out, he left the machine with me.

Back then, he was the head baker at our local Montana Mills Bakery. Assisted by his sister Jamie, who also worked there during their college years, they produced hundreds of pounds of the bread, scones, and muffins for which this company was famous and beloved.

The bread machine takes away all the guesswork and worry that often scare us away from making homemade bread. The machine automatically handles correct yeast temperature, proper kneading, and adequate proofing. My favorite cycle is the “dough” setting which I use frequently for breads of all sorts and for pizza. At the end of that cycle, you can still take out your frustrations by kneading the dough by hand, if the spirit moves you.

Like my Sista G, it’s important to me that food doesn’t go to waste. (Perhaps it was my Depression-Era mom and her older sister who drilled that into my head.) In any case, I had a few slices of ham, some leftover marinara sauce, about 15 black olives, about ¾ cup of grated mozzarella cheese, and a half-container of Ricotta cheese in the refrigerator. Eppie Rolls and Pizza seemed to be the ticket!

Eppie Rolls are basically small Calzones. What a great way to use my “finds”! So, here we go!

Bread Machine Dough

• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1¼-1⅜ cups water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Add the water and oil to the bread pan. Then, add the flour, salt, and yeast. I added some black pepper and a ½ teaspoon of dried oregano to give the dough extra zip.

Follow the directions on the bread machine to set it to “DOUGH”. When it is done, let the dough sit for a few minutes, then, give it a few turns on floured board or countertop.

I cut it into halves and used one half to make 6 Eppie Rolls by dividing it further into 6 equal pieces. I set aside the other half for a small pizza.

Pat the 6 pieces of bread into small circles; place some chopped pieces of ham, a tablespoon of Ricotta, and 2 teaspoons of marina sauce in the center of each; brush the edges with an egg wash and seal. Brush the tops with the remaining egg. (If you prefer, just make 12 Eppie Rolls- make the pizza next time!)

Bake at 400° for about 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with marinara sauce.

Pizza:

Press the other half of the pizza into a small cookie tray; spoon on some of the marinara sauce. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese and sliced black olives on the par-baked crust and bake 10-15 minutes longer.

Submitted by L 🥟🍕😋

Inspired by G’s post of September 23, 2019, this is my version of the Pie. No changes were made from the posted version. Absolutely a winner!!!

Hey, I showed you mine. Now, show me yours!!!

Submitted by L 😋

Stuffed Butternut Squash

1 large butternut squash

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup white wine

½ cup fresh spinach*, chopped

salt, pepper, ground sage – all to taste

olive oil

¼ cup bread crumbs

¼ cup granted parmesan cheese

Cut the squash lengthwise; scoop out the flesh, leaving a ¼” shell. Chop the scooped squash, chop by hand or using a food processor; set aside. Cut the squash halves in half to make 4 servings. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; place in an oven-proof casserole with ½” water, cover with foil; bake @350 for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. 

Add olive oil to a skillet; sauté the onion until translucent; add the garlic and sauté 3 minutes; add the chopped squash and the white wine, cooking until the squash is tender. Add the spinach and continue cooking until the spinach is wilted. Fill the squash quarters with the sautéed mixture. At this point, the dish can be refrigerated until about 15 minutes before serving. Top with cheese of choice. Place in oven-proof casserole (no water this time)and bake @350° to heat through and melt cheese topping. 

(*Frozen chopped spinach may be used in place of the fresh spinach. Add it to the pan with the chopped squash.)

Submitted by L 😊