RECIPES: Heather's Roasted Creamer Potatoes

I was craving a traditional Sunday dinner meal the other day. You know-- the kind that includes mashed potatoes and maybe some roasted veggies and gravy? I came across some creamer potatoes at the farmer's market, and I decided they would do...

Heather's Roasted Creamer Potatoes

Creamer potatoes (or small red new potatoes)
Onions, slivered
Olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 
• Put creamer potatoes in a roasting pan with onions. Cut up larger potatoes into bite-size chunks. Drizzle with EVO. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt and ground pepper.
• Roast until done (I don't remember how long it took.)

Very easy, and very good! And very good with caramelized onion salmon.

RECIPE: Heather's Mexican Rice

I needed a Mexican-type side dish the other day, and I came up with this.

Heather's Mexican Rice

2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic
3 scallions, sliced
1 cup long-grain rice
2 cups water or vegetable broth
1/2 chopped tomato
1/2 small can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cumin
Cilantro

1. Saute pepper in EVO for a few minutes. 
2. Add scallions and garlic and saute a minute. 
3. Add rice and toast until turning brown.
4. Add water/broth and tomato. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
5. Stir in tomato sauce and season with chili powder, salt and cumin.
6. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve.

Actually you should do the tomato sauce to suit you. I think I'll go a little easier on the sauce next time, as it was a little too tomato-ey for me. Otherwise it was a nice little dish.

RECIPES: Thanksgiving 2012

This Thanksgiving, Zook and I went over to my Mom's house. As usual, I spent all morning cooking in preparation for it. Not eating meat, I'm always especially concerned that there won't be enough for me to eat. So I make a lot of side dishes. This year I took as my main course Quinoa Stuffed Portobello, along with Radicchio Apple Salad, Sweet-Roasted Rosemary Acorn Squash, Green Beans with Mushroom Sauce, and Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Maple Pecan Sauce for my sides. I also made Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

Quinoa Stuffed Portobello with Pine Nuts and Raisins
from glutenfreegoddess.com

Ingredients:

1 large Portobello mushroom per person
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

For the stuffing:

Chopped fresh garlic, to taste
About 1/3 to 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa per mushroom cap
A handful of yellow and red grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered depending upon size
1 scallion (spring onion) per person, sliced
A sprinkle of raisins
A sprinkle of toasted pine nuts
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
Fresh chopped parsley, basil or mint

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly oil the bottom of a baking or gratin dish.

Gently clean off the mushroom caps; slice off the stems and using a sharp teaspoon carefully scrape out the gills. Place the caps in the baking dish. Drizzle with a scant amount of olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Season with a little sea salt and pepper.

Pre-bake the mushrooms for about 15 minutes to soften a bit.

In a skillet, heat a little olive oil and toss in the garlic. Stir for a minute. Add in the cooked quinoa, tomatoes, scallions, raisins, pine nuts. Season to taste with sea salt and ground pepper. Stir to combine. Moisten with more olive oil, as needed. Gently heat through, briefly. Remove from heat. Add in the fresh chopped herbs.

Stuff each mushroom cap. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, till the mushroom cap is tender. Tent with foil to keep it moist.

You can also assemble these ahead of time, and refrigerate. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or more, as needed.

Cook time: 1 hour

Yield: Serves 1 per person

My thoughts: I didn't realize until writing this post that I goofed this one up (that's what happens when you've got so much going on Thanksgiving morning!) I didn't cook the filling in a skillet, but simply mixed it up in a bowl. Perhaps that would have made a big difference. As it was, the mushroom was "okay". When I tasted the filling on it's own earlier in the day, I liked it. It was after stuffing it that I wasn't impressed. I think I would like the filling on it's own with a little fets, like a Mediterranean salad.



Radicchio-Apple Salad
from Makobi Scribe

Ingredients:

    1/2 cup buttermilk
    1/3 Waldens mayonnaise
    4 ounces crumbled feta
    1/4 finely chopped red onion
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon pepper
    8 cups of sliced radicchio (1 large head)
    3 Granny Smith apples,cored and thinly sliced
    1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

Combine the buttermilk and mayonnaise until smooth
Add the spices
Toss together radicchio, feta, apples, and lemon juice.
Toss the dressing with the radicchio mixture
Chill and serve.

My Thoughts: This was pretty good. Not fabulous, but a nice change of pace. If it doesn't sit too long, it can add some nice crunch to your meal. But you are likely to let it sit for awhile, and it softens up.


Sweet-Roasted Rosemary Acorn Squash Wedges
from Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

2 whole Acorn Squash, Cut Into 8 Wedges Each
4 dashes Olive Oil
Salt To Taste
1 stick Butter
1/2 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)
2 Tablespoons Rosemary (minced)

Preparation Instructions

Place wedges in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt, then roast in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes.

Combine butter, brown sugar, salt, and rosemary in a bowl and mix into a paste.

Remove squash from oven and smear paste all over squash. Return to the oven for 30 minutes, until brown and caramelized.

Halfway through roasting, your paste will have become a sauce. Brush sauce over the top of the squash and then continue roasting until time is complete.

Serve in the baking dish, drizzling more sauce at the end. Yummy!

My Thoughts: I only did one squash. This was okay. The butter-sugar paste melted off, so it didn't caramelize on the wedges as I had hoped. And the rosemary flavor was a little strong. But it wasn't bad.


Green Beans in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce
adapted from Closet Cooking

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
salt and pepper to taste
1 handful parsley, chopped
1 pound green beans, trimmed

Directions

The recipe called for steaming the green beans, but I began by blanching my green beans first. Bring water to a boil, and then toss in the beans and cook for about 5 mins. I then drained the beans, put them in a foil pan, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper, and roasted in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 4-6 minutes.

Add the garlic and thyme (I used dried thyme), and saute until fragrant, about a minute or two.
Add the mushrooms and saute until the start to caramelized and turn golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. (The recipe called for cremini and dried porcini mushrooms, but I chose to keep it simple.)

Add the cream and parmigiano reggiano, season with salt and pepper and simmer until it thickens, about 2-4 minutes. (The recipe called for you to add the rehydrated porcini along with the water they had soaked in, which would have possibly made the sauce a little thinner and more diluted. I didn't do that. Solid cream and parmesan.)

Remove the mushrooms from the heat and mix in the parsley. (I just sprinkled some parsley on top of the beans and sauce as it was served, to dress it up and give it some color.)

Serve the green beans covered in the mushroom sauce.

My Thoughts: Oh, this was so good! This is a definite keeper! High in fat and calories, so I wouldn't do it often, but it definitely adds a lot of flavor to an otherwise simple dish. I think I will use the leftover mushroom sauce to serve over a grilled portobello mushroom, like a steak and shroom sauce!


Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Maple-Pecan Sauce
from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

2/3 cup roughly chopped pecans
4 sweet potatoes, cut into large dices
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 450 degrees F and arrange rack in the middle.

While oven heats, place pecans on a baking sheet to toast until they smell nutty and are slightly darker, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and toss to coat. Roast until golden brown and tender when pierced with a knife, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it foams, stir in maple syrup and cayenne and let cook briefly, about 1 minute. Serve sweet potatoes with a drizzle of maple butter and a scattering of pecans.

My Thoughts: Very good! I made some changes that I think degraded the quality of the dish, and it was still very good! Next time I will try it strictly by-the-book, and see how much better it is!

So this wound up being my vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner (with the addition of the AuGratin Potatoes my mother made)...

Lucky me!

Then we finished off later with coffee and Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding
from Southern Food on About.com

Ingredients:

8 ounces French bread, torn into small pieces, about 5 cups (I used Challah egg bread)
2 cups half-and-half, or half milk and half cream
3 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
1 cup dried cranberries (or you can use raisins or chopped pecans)
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla
cinnamon sugar, optional

Preparation:

Butter an 11x7-inch baking dish. Heat oven to 350°.

In a bowl, cover the torn bread with the half-and-half; set aside.

In another bowl, combine eggs, sugars, pumpkin, cranberries, melted butter, spices, and vanilla; blend well. Pour pumpkin mixture over soaked bread and stir to blend.

Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle top with cinnamon-sugar, if desired. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until set.

Serve with a vanilla dessert sauce or brown sugar sauce, whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream.
Serves 8.

My Thoughts: Very good! I will definitely do this one again, but next time I may try pecans rather than cranberries. I used Challah bread rather than french bread, as I had just recently watched an episode of America's Test Kitchen where they tried to create the best bread pudding, and they found that bread gave them the best texture. I have to agree. It was almost custard-like. Serve it warm with whipped cream or a la mode. Delicious!

The day was enjoyable, and even my boy Zook got a little taste of some of the dishes (he even got a bite of Mom's turkey breast, which is very special, since he is normally a pescatarian like me and doesn't eat meat).

It was a good day, and I discovered some great new recipes to add to the recipe box. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

RECIPE: Ginger-Glazed Mahi Mahi and Wild Rice

The other day I made swordfish. Tonight it was Mahi Mahi.

Ginger-Glazed Mahi Mahi
from allrecipes.com (Serves 1)

Ingredients:

    2-1/4 teaspoons honey
    2-1/4 teaspoons soy sauce
    2-1/4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
    1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root (I did about 1/8 tsp ground ginger)
    1/4 clove garlic, crushed or to taste
    1/2 teaspoon olive oil
    1 (6 ounce) mahi mahi fillets
    salt and pepper to taste
    3/4 teaspoon vegetable oil

Directions:

1. In a shallow glass dish, stir together the honey, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and olive oil. Season fish fillets with salt and pepper, and place them into the dish. If the fillets have skin on them, place them skin side down. Cover, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to marinate.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove fish from the dish, and reserve marinade. Fry fish for 4 to 6 minutes on each side, turning only once, until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove fillets to a serving platter and keep warm.
3. Pour reserved marinade into the skillet, and heat over medium heat until the mixture reduces to a glaze consistently. Spoon glaze over fish, and serve immediately.

For the wild rice, I basically just melted about a 1/2 tbs of butter in a saucepan, and sauteed about a 1/4 tsp of garlic for a minute. Then I added about a 1/2 cup of wild rice and toasted it for a minute before adding 1 cup of vegetable broth. Bring to boil, stir, cover with a lid and simmer for 50 mins. Toss in a little Italian Seasoning (I probably added about 1/2 tsp), and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and recover and let sit for 10 mins.

Very good! The rice was just a little on the salty side, but luckily I like salt! I actually didn't use any oil in the pan for the fish. It probably would have been better if I had though. The honey is very sticky and caused the fish to stick a little at times. I also did not add any salt or pepper to the fish. Nevertheless it was quite good! And I was very happy with the way that the wild rice turned out. It's another two keepers!

RECIPE: Grilled Swordfish and Oven-Roasted Peppers and Pasta Salad

The other day I decided to try some swordfish, which I haven't had in many years and couldn't remember whether I liked it or not. I know that there is a higher risk of mercury with swordfish, so I won't be able to eat this often, and that's too bad-- because it was really good!

Grilled Marinated Swordfish
from allrecipes.com (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

    2 cloves garlic
    2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons white wine
    2 tablespoons lemon juice
    1 tablespoon soy sauce
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1-1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning (I used Lawry's Seasoning Salt and Emeril's BAM instead)
    1/8 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon pepper
    2 swordfish steaks
    1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
    2 slices lemon, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. In a glass baking dish, combine the garlic, white wine, lemon juice, soy sauce, olive oil, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix just to blend. Place swordfish steaks into the marinade, and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning frequently.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
3. Grill swordfish steaks for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

Oven-Roasted Peppers and Pasta
from Vegetable on the Side (Serves 6)

Ingredients:

    4 large bell peppers, 2 red and 2 green, thickly sliced
    2 large onions, thickly sliced (I'll do them thinner next time)
    2-3 tbs olive oil
    1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
    3 tbs chopped fresh oregano
    3 cloves garlic, minced
    2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (I might use grape tomatoes next time)
    salt and pepper
    1 lb small pasta, like shells, bow ties, rigatoni or corkscrews, cooked and kept hot
    Fresh grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In a large bowl, toss peppers and onions with oil. Spread them in a shallow roasting pan. Roast in the oven, turning the vegetables from time to time with a spatula, until tender and beginning to brown, 30-45 minutes. 
3. Sprinkle with parsley, oregano and garlic and tomatoes. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Roast 5 minutes more. Remove pan from oven.
4. Toss pasta with vegetables and pile in serving bowl. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve hot.
5. Good served with grilled fish (fish steaks like tuna or swordfish). Also good tossed with cheese-stuffed tortellini or ravioli.

Both of these were really good! The soy flavor of the fish was a little strong at first, but after a few bites you find that you really like it! The pasta was really good, but would have been better with grated Parmesan (I only had shredded Parm). I served it with a salad of chopped tomatoes and cukes marinated in Italian dressing, and sliced string mozzarella cheese (I picked this up from Nutrisystem when I was on it for a short time). The soy marinated fish probably doesn't pair best with the Italian flavors of the pasta and salad, but I needed to use up some tomatoes and peppers, and these were the best options I could quickly come up with. Next time I'll probably go with a grain like quinoa or wild rice and some steamed veggies.

Both recipes are definite keepers!

RECIPE: Mexican Pasta Salad

I saw this on the Facebook page of What are my kids eating? Unfortunately she didn't really post a recipe, but just the ingredients. So I had to wing it. I'm not sure of the amounts I really used, as I just kept adding more to taste, but I'm estimating it went something like this:

Mexican Pasta Salad

Whole wheat pasta (I used regular elbow macaroni, 1 lb box)
Corn (11 oz can crispy corn)
Scallions (3 scallions, sliced)
Black beans (can, rinsed and drained)
Kidney beans (can, rinsed and drained)

For the dressing, in a bottle mix together:

Juice of 3 limes (about a 1/4-1/3 cup)
Taco sauce (1 jar Taco Bell mild)
Chili powder (1/8 tsp)
Chipotle chili powder (1/4 tsp)
Cumin (1/2 tsp)
Onion powder (1/8 tsp)
Garlic powder (1/4 tsp)
Salt (1/2 tsp)
Pepper (1/8 tsp)
Olive oil (2-3 tbs)

Mix together salad ingredients in a large bowl. Then pour dressing over entire salad, and stir to coat. Serve in bowls sprinkled with Mexican cheese. Eat hot or cold.


Not bad at all!

Christmas 2010 Rewind (RECIPES: "World's Best" Mac and Cheese, Roasted Autumn Vegetables, Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms, and Two-Apple Crisp with Caramel Sauce)

I hope that a wonderful Christmas was had by all! Mine was quite enjoyable! Here is my Christmas in a nutshell:

I got the tree put up a few weeks ago. (The tree never goes up before Thanksgiving!)

This year I squeezed it into my small dining room.

My Christmas cards were ordered from Pear Tree Greetings, and due to a shipping glitch on their end, didn't arrive until December 23rd. So my cards didn't get mailed out until that day. I sent a card to my cousin's husband, who is serving in the Middle East. I included a few extra cards for him to hand out to anyone else in his outfit that may need a little "pick me up".

Zook spent much of his time in front of the heater. If he hears you turn the heater on, he will come running from anywhere in the room to get within inches of it.

I had stored up my winnings and Secret Santa gifts that have come in over the last month...

...to open up on Christmas Eve.

 

Of course most of the packages contained books...

 

Some, like Mockingjay, I had bought. Most, like Sandman Slim, I had won. Some were Secret Santa gifts.

One Secret Santa got me Clockwork Angel, which was on my Wish List!

 

And another Secret Santa sent me The Passage, The Handmaid's Tale and Dracula-- all from my Wish List! (She also included a cool magnet!)

 

What an awesome job done by my Secret Santa's! One of the books turned out to be an unsolicited review copy of Sins of the Flesh sent by the author Caridad Piniero.

I also opened up my gift given me by my boss. There was a very heavy card which contained 4 Troy Ounce silver bars!

We had talked a couple of months ago about how I wanted to get some silver as an investment. I'll be putting this away in a safe place-- perhaps in a safety deposit box! He also got me a calendar.

Included in my Christmas Eve gifts were some things purchased with coupon codes that I had won. For example, with my $100 CSN gift code I got this pressure canner for canning vegetables...

...and this Rachael Ray saute pan...

This was me on Christmas Eve with all of my loot!

 

(Is that "Hang Ten" that I'm doing? I know not what I do...)

I also spent part of Christmas Eve cooking for the next day. This year was a vegetarian Christmas, and nearly all of my recipes came out of this Pure Flavor cookbook. I believe that I won this cookbook a year or two ago. These recipes all come out of a restaurant in Seattle...

The first recipe was for roasted vegetables...

Roasted Autumn Vegetables
Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp Italian herb blend
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 lbs), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I couldn't find celery root, so I just used celery instead)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. While that was heating, I prepped the veggies.

 

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, herbs, salt and pepper. Add the squash, bell pepper, onion and celery. Toss until the vegetables are evenly coated in the dressing.

Pour the vegetables onto two baking sheets in a single layer.

 

Roast without stirring for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue roasting for another 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are brown and easily pierced with a fork. Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

(I put the roasted vegetables in the frig, and then heated them the next day for dinner in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.)

I also roasted the portabello mushrooms for my Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms, which would be playing the role of main course the next day...

They were coated in an herbed oil mixture. The recipe will follow in a moment.

And I also made "World's Best" Mac and Cheese.

"World's Best" Mac and Cheese
Serves 4

Ingredients

6 ounces penne (I only had about 4 ounces, so threw in some corkscrew pasta to make up the difference)
2 cps Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce (recipe follows)
1 ounce Cheddar, grated (1/4 cup)
1 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
1/4 to 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or oil an 8-inch baking dish.

Cook the penne 2 minutes less than package directions. (It will finish cooking in the oven.) Rinse the pasta in cold water and set aside.

Combine the cooked pasta and the sauce in a medium bowl, and mix carefully but thoroughly. Scrape the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the cheeses and then the chili powder.

Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let the mac and cheese sit for 5 minutes before serving.

(I made up the mac and cheese, and then stuck it in the frig without cooking. On Christmas Day, I popped it into a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.)

Beecher's Flagship Cheese Sauce
Makes about 4 cups
(Use leftover sauce in all sorts of ways. For example, spoon over poached eggs or steamed broccoli.)

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
14 oz semihard cheese, grated (about 3 1/2 cups)- I used cheddar
2 oz semisoft cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)- I used a Colby and Monterey Jack mix
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Preparation

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Continue whisking and cooking for 2 minutes.

Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.

Add the cheeses, salt, chili powder and garlic powder. Stir until the cheese is melted and all ingredients are incorporated, about 3 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms
Serves 6

Ingredients

1/3 cup plus 3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 large mushrooms, such as portabellos, stems and gills removed, caps wiped clean
3 medium zucchini, diced (I used 2 fairly large)
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 oz (6 tbs) cream cheese
3 tbs unsalted butter, softened
1 green onion (white and green parts), thinly sliced
1 oz Parmesan or other hard cheese, grated (1/4 cup)
2 tbs sliced drained sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 tbs chopped fresh basil
1 tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbs fresh bread crumbs
3 plum tomatoes, cut into 6 slices each (I used about 1 1/2 plum tomates, as I had small portabello)
4 oz semisoft cheese, grated (1 cup)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To cook the mushrooms, combine 1/3 cup of the olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and half the garlic in a large bowl. Using a pastry brush, coat the surface of the mushrooms, inside and out, with the oil mixture. Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet, domed side down. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the centers of the mushrooms are tender. Drain the mushrooms on paper towels and set aside to cool. Keep the oven on. (I did this the night before, and then put the mushrooms in the frig to finish on Christmas Day.)

To make the filling, in a large skillet, heat 2 tbs of the olive oil over high heat. When the oil is nearly smoking, add enough of the zucchini to make a single layer in the pan. Cook the zucchini without stirring until browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Stir the zucchini and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until lightly browned on all sides. Remove to a medium bowl and repeat the remaining zucchini.

Add the bell pepper, onion, and remaining tbs of oil to the skillet, and cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes, or until browned. Stir the mixture and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper mixture to the zucchini.

Season the vegetable mixture with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Let it cool in the frig while preparing the rest of the filling.

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl. Fold in the green onions, Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, remaining garlic, bread crumbs, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper.

Mix the cheese mixture into the vegetable mixture, combining thoroughly but gently.

Place the mushrooms, domed side down, on a baking sheet. Divide the filling evenly among the mushroom caps, mounding it slightly. Push the filling to the edges to fill the entire cap.

Top each with 3 slices of tomato (I could only fit 2 slices), and sprinkle with the semisoft cheese (I used a Colby/Monterey mix), mounding it high.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the mushrooms are heated through and the cheese is melted and is beginning to brown.

And viola! Dinner is served!

The mac and cheese was quite good. I probably could have used a little more chipotle for an extra boost. Good mac and cheese!

The stuffed portabellos were quite good! Very nice flavor! Tommy and Woodrow both deemed this their favorite of the dinner.

The roasted veggies were also awesome! I could eat this all by itself! Woodrow described them as tasting sort of like stuffing. I'm guessing that was probably due to the Italian seasoning along with the celery.

I also made some green beans with shallots.

Finish it off with some crescent rolls, and you're talking good eating! Also, might I note that you can't tell in this picture, but that tree is actually leaning in the corner in order to remain standing.

I pulled out the dining room table yesterday, and then got down on the floor and began moving the tree over to the corner by pulling the base of it, when it suddenly fell over on top of me! We couldn't get it to stand on its own after that. I don't know that the stand actually broke. I think it may have just come apart. I hope so. This tree is so much nicer than most of the ones that I see for sale today that cost upwards of $200, so I don't want to have to dispose of it. If the stand is broken, I'll have to search for a replacement stand.

Later on I made Apple Crisp for dessert. This recipe also came from my Pure Flavor cookbook! However I decided last minute to skip the caramel sauce, as I was tired and it was getting late and Mom and Tommy needed to get home to their animals. So we just did the apple crisp with ice cream.

Two-Apple Crisps with Caramel Sauce
Serves 8

Intended to be baked in individual servings (as this recipe comes out of a restaurant), I did it in a 13x9 inch baking dish.

Ingredients

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp table salt, plus a pinch for the apples
 8 tbs (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 lbs Golden Delicious apples (about 3 large apples), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 1/2 lbs Granny Smith apples (about 3 large apples), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of nutmeg (I used pumpkin pie spice)
Caramel sauce (I omitted it, but I'll include the recipe below)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the topping, combine the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium bowl. Using a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside until ready to use. (I used gloved hands to mix it instead of a fork. It worked great!)

In a large bowl, toss the apples with the granulated sugar, lemon juice, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Divide the apples among 8 ramekins, mounding them. (Or just put in a buttered 13x9 inch baking dish instead.) Cover the apples with the oat topping, pressing the mixture lightly onto the apples. Make sure the apples are completely covered by the topping.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork. Let the crisps cool for 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle each one with caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce
Makes about 1 1/4 cups

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 2 tbs granulated or turbinado sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/4 tsp table salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

Pour 6 tbs water into a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan. Add the sugar and heat over medium-high, occasionally swirling the water gently, until the sugar melts, about 3 minutes.

While the sugar is cooking, bring the cream and salt to a simmer in a separate small, covered saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. As soon as the mixture starts to simmer, remove it from the heat.

Once the sugar is completely melted, raise the heat to high and boil it for 6 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture turns the color of straw. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for 2 mintues, or until the syrup is a deep amber color. (Pay close attention during these last 2 minutes of cooking so the syrup does not burn.)

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour about one-third of the hot cream into the caramel. The mixture will bubble vigorously. Let the bubbling subside and add the remaining hot cream and the vanilla, whisking until smooth. Serve warm.

Even without the caramel sauce, this is delicious! But...aha!...while typing up the recipe I realize that I used 4 apples instead of 6. That explains why it was so skimpy! Still good though...

 
Woodrow and Tommy went back for seconds.

And here is a glimpse at just a few of my gifts...

A super comfy sweater...

Lots of kitchen gadgets, which I always love!

A birdhouse to add to my growing collection...

And a sign perfect for me. I can think of a few people whose homes I would like to hang this over the front door...

And Mom made up a bath basket for me, which includes a beautiful bottle of cucumber melon bath salts.

So today is a day for recuperation. Zuchi is resting his injured leg...

I don't know whether he is nursing an injury from jumping off the bed or from tearing around the yard as if it is a race course, or if he is dealing with a birth defect of the knee, which chihuahuas are prone to. However I could swear that it was his right leg that initially bothered him on Thursday, but now it is the left. So I am wondering whether he could have both. He may have a knee defect that was triggered on Thursday after he ran around the yard, but then he was favoring that leg when he jumped off of the bed and landed on his left leg. So now it is his left leg that is bothering him. I'm giving him a few days to see whether it improves. If not, he'll be heading to the vet this week.

After Mom and Tommy left last night, I was so exhausted that I promptly fell asleep on the couch at 9:30 and didn't get up until nearly 1 AM and go to bed. This morning everyone is recuperating.

Momma and Zuchi are curled up on the couch with me...

Delilah is sleeping on the new condo I got the cats for Christmas...

Fancy is sleeping up on the kitchen cabinets...

Shotsie is sleeping on some of my Christmas gifts...

And Simon is on the floor by my feet, hidden under the blanket covering my lap. Even Odie was silent this morning until I started thinking about him a moment ago. Now he is chirping and screaming up a storm. I swear he has a psychic connection to me and knows when I am just thinking about him, as he often seems to respond to my thoughts.

So today will be a quiet day of lounging and then some clean up. Thankfully I am off this coming week, so I don't have to get everything done today!

Merry Christmas everyone!