Cinnamon-Pepper Fruit and Cheese

• 1 MacIntosh apple
• 1 ripe Bartlett pear
• 1-2t turbinado sugar
• 1±t ground cinnamon
• a big grind of black pepper
• ⅔c cottage cheese
• ¼-⅓c grated Parmesan cheese
• fresh orange zest
• more ground black pepper

Peel and core the apple and cut it into a small-medium glass bowl. Cut up the unpeeled pear and add it to the bowl. Sprinkle the fruit with the sugar, cinnamon and pepper, mix then add the cottage cheese and Parmesan. Stir this in just a little. Top with orange zest and another couple grinds of fresh black pepper. This makes 2-3 small servings. It would be so good with pancakes, grilled fish, chicken, or just by itself. . .Lin

Garlic-Herb-Parmesan Ciabatta Croutons

I'm always on the quest for the perfect bread for croutons.  My first attempt was my best so far, using a French baguette that was crusty outside, perfectly rich yet airy inside.  However, I don't remember where I bought it.  Possibly at our local Co-Op, but I'm not sure.  I bought these chiabatta roll at Aldi's.  They look better than another attempt using French bread that was way too dense with a less than crusty top.  There have to be air holes in the bread for these to absorb the oil and seasonings and crisp up properly.  I only meant to thaw half of them, but time got away from me, so in the end today, I'll have a big batch of croutons!

18oz. ciabatta rolls

2T dried garlic and herbs

3 oz. powdery Parmesan cheese

¼t +/- smokey-peppery seasoning

1t Penzey's Shallot-Pepper Seasoning

2oz. good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Cube the bread into a big ovenproof bowl.  Spread the cubes evenly, up the sides as much as possible.  Bake in a 200* oven until the softness has dried a bit, maybe 30-60 minutes until the cubes are about halfway dried.  Toss them in the bowl several times while in the oven.  Mix the herbs, cheese and pepper seasonings in a shaker.  While still in the big bowl, in a very thin, fast-moving stream, quickly drizzle the bread with the oil, gently tossing with a big wooden spoon as you go.  Quickly sprinkle the seasoned cheese over the cubes, again tossing, to evenly season them.

Transfer cubes to parchment paper lined jelly roll pans.  Bake at - 350* for about 30 minutes.  Shake the pans, turn off the oven and leave them for a couple hours.  Serve on soups, stews and salads.  Crunch some over a vegetable casserole before baking, for a crispy seasoned topping.  You can also use them in place of crackers or rolled oats in your favorite Meatloaf recipe.  Put the cooled cubes in zip-type plastic bags and store at room temperature.  They'll keep a couple weeks, or give some to friends. . .Lin

Parmesan-Panko Roasted Vegetables

3 lg. garlic cloves - minced

½ med. yellow onion - chopped and some minced

½c extra virgin olive oil

½-1t fresh ground Himalayan pink salt

½-1t fresh ground black pepper

1-2T your preferred seasonings:

(Italian, Thanksgiving Herbs, Chili-Lime, etc.)

½c parmesan cheese

½c seasoned panko bread crumbs

In a big bowl combine garlic, minced onion and the rest of first group of ingredients.  Mix then set aside while prepping the vegetables.

3 big carrots

3 stalks of celery

1½# small mixed potatoes

1 med. head of cauliflower - florets

1 can garbanzo beans - drained and rinsed

Cut these in rough chunks, keeping in mind that the carrots and celery will usually take longer to cook than the others in this particular mix.  You may want them a little smaller.

Once the vegetables are ready, add the parmesan and bread crumbs to the bowl, mixing well and quickly, then add the vegetables, stirring and tossing them in the bowl to be sure they're all well coated.  If necessary, drizzle with a little more olive oil to get all that great crumbiness to stick.  Pour out onto a large jellyroll pan covered with parchment paper.

Bake in a 390° oven for 15 minutes after it comes to temperature.  Take it out of the oven, move the vegetables around on the paper to be sure they're all still well coated.  Return to the oven for another 25 minutes.  Raise the heat a bit of you want to dry them out, finish cooking, and have those flavorful crumbs brown them up a bit.  After the second time in the oven, check them.  If they still need a little more time, shut the oven off, and leave them another 15 minutes.

If they're done and browned to your liking, remove the pan now and let cool on top of the stove.  Serve now, or if you too are making this ahead, when cooled, put in a covered container and refrigerate.  To serve, put carefully, back on a parchment paper-lined pan and 'bake' to just dry and heat them, for 20 minutes at about 350°.

Okay. . .take a moment to inhale!!!  C'mon now. . .Another deep breath. . . !  😀 Your kitchen will be beautifully scented by now!  Stop and appreciate this! 😊 Today's the Monday before Thanksgiving, and living in the USA, I'll be having my the part of my family, that lives nearby, here, at my Little-House-On-The-Creek, for a big Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday.  I'm doing some pre-cooking to avoid the 'last-minute-Thanksgiving-morning-frazzle' factor!  I also have a potluck lunch for my Tuesday Morning Bible Study tomorrow.  I'm going to make (yet another) variation on my Mediterranean Pasta Salad for that.  If it turns out well, I'll post my recipe later.

Happy Monday Everyone!
To those of you who celebrate it along with me. . .HAPPY 🙏 THANKSGIVING to you!! . . . Lin