Antipasto-Charcuterie Pasta

I had a little bowl of leftover pasta from the chicken-shrimp thing I made recently. I almost pitched it this morning. Then I noticed olives, pickles, and some other fun ingredients and decided to make this up. . .for breakfast today! 🙃

1c cooked thin spaghetti

1-2T truffle infused EVOO

everything bagel seasoning

Combine these in a little bowl, chop the following and add to the bowl:

1 thick slice Swiss cheese

4 baby dill pickles

5 Kalamata olives

1 big green onion

1/3 ripe avocado

1/2 small tomato

Toss all this together and heat it for 30 seconds in the microwave. Mmmm. . .Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, or a great, colorful, side to grilled fish, chicken, or steak. Pasta. . .It's not just for Marinara anymore .. 😊 .. Lin  

Chunky Vegetable Salad

1 med. tomato

2 mini English cucumbers

½ med. onion

6 mushrooms

3 big radishes

½ avocado

Rough-chop all the vegetables into a medium size bowl. Top with your favorite dressing and toss. Makes 3 side salads or 1 large salad. . .Lin

Very Lemony Cherry-Broccoli Salad

¾c dried cherries (or craisins) - chopped

1 lemon - zest and juice

2T water

1lg crown of broccoli - florets

½c chopped celery heart

1 Vidalia onion - chopped

½c± mayonnaise

fresh ground pepper

salt - if needed

~ toasted/glazed pecans - optional
~ slivered almonds - optional 

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small glass bowl. Microwave until hot, a minute or so and set aside. Put broccoli florets, celery and chopped onion in a medium glass bowl. Add last 3 ingredients to the cherries. Combine and pour over broccoli and onions (pecans/almonds). Mix well and chill a couple hours before serving. . .Lin

Black Beans And Friends

This was an unlikely combination, but I was craving black beans and sweet potatoes, so I put them together. It turned out well.

1-3 med. sweet potatoes~ peel and cube

1 lg. elephant garlic clove, sliced

1 med. onion, chopped

1-2T butter

1 can drained-rinsed black beans

Combine the first three ingredients in a covered pan. Add a little water, fresh ground pepper, cover and simmer about 5 minutes. Add 1-2T butter, uncover and continue to simmer until liquid is almost absorbed. Add the black beans, cover and heat a few additional minutes. Serve as a side or main dish. . .Lin

Green, Purple and White Vegetables

They're not just a side-dish anymore. Today this was breakfast. This made enough for 2 servings or 3-4 servings to go with meat for lunch or dinner.

¼-½c slivered almonds

1T butter

1 6” diameter broccoli 'tree'

1 kohlrabi, purple or green, peeled and sliced

1 med.-lg. Onion, sliced or chopped

1 med. potato, sliced-cubed – optional

Goat cheese – grated, sliced or cubed

In a non-stick pan, dry toast the almonds to bring out their smokey flavor. Toast until light brown and your kitchen smells like a movie theater. Remove from heat, cool just a little, then add butter, the rest of the vegetables and ½c water. Cover, bring to a simmer then turn the heat way down. Steam in this way until water evaporates, vegetable colors brighten and they're still crisp-tender. A little crunch is a good thing and much more flavor is retained by stopping before overcooking. Top with cheese, cover a minute or two to melt and serve. . .Lin

Red, Yellow, Green and White Vegetables

Slice or chop the vegetables shown.

Simmer them in a little butter and a blend of olive oil and vinegar. My favorite is a 50-50 mix of extra virgin olive oil and a really good fruity Balsamic vinegar.

Saute' until the zucchini becomes a little translucent, then add tomatoes and parsley. Simmer until everything's done the way you like it. Season with a sprinkle of my Rosemary Seasoning.

Serve, with grated cheese and some nuts or seeds, by itself or with a side portion of chicken or fish. . .Lin

Beans and Beets

Combine for a quick lunch or a side-dish for dinner:

Leftover beets and 1/2 can drained-rinsed black beans in a small pan. Add 1/2 a Vidalia onion, sliced very thin. Simmer a few minutes until the beets and beans are warm, toss a few times to soak and heat the onions. Drain the cooking liquid, add crumbled Feta or Blue Cheese. Nice and quick. This tasted great with a big glass of iced Sun Tea. . .Lin

Bright, Colorful Summer Squash and Corn

3 ears of corn

1-2T each: butter and toasted sesame oil

1 medium yellow and green zucchini - slice-chop

3 patty pan squash, remove seeds then slice

3 red and orange mini-peppers

2 med. purple or green kohlrabi. Peel and slice, top to bottom

1 lg. Onion or equivalent leftover onions - slice-chop

1 can of tomatoes - sliced or chopped

Boil the corn for 8 minutes, cool slightly and cut off the cob. You can eliminate this step if you want - just cut the raw corn into a bowl. Put butter and oil in pan and add all the squash. Finely chop a little of the onion and add that also. Saute' the squash 15 minutes or so, until a little translucent. Add peppers, kohlrabi and the rest of the onion. Stir, in tomatoes. Bring this mixture to a simmer and cook another 10-15 minutes or until all vegetables are just crisp-tender.  Don't overcook.

This is a great summer lunch or dinner. It can also be used as a side dish for a cook-out. It would go great with shrimp, steak or chicken on the grill. Serve with fresh grated Asiago cheese and a handful of roasted sunflower seeds. Happy Summertime everyone! . . . Lin

Eggplant and Summer Squash

Sauteed Summer Squash

This is the post that almost wasn't - due to ingredients. The two varieties of squash shown on either side of the eggplant were not good choices as they cooked up with a very bitter taste. Instead of these I would substitute other varieties of summer squash: green and yellow zucchini would be great choices.

2-3 sm-med yellow and green zucchini - slice-cubed

1 med-lg Vidalia onion - chopped

1/4-1/2c almonds - chopped

1 med tomato - chopped

Saute' squash, onion & almonds in a little butter until they're almost translucent. Season with any herbs, salt and pepper you'd like. Add tomato, cooking just a little longer to heat everything and blend the flavors. Serve with eggplant. . .Lin

Crispy Corn-Floured Eggplant

1 beautiful eggplant - slice 3/8” thick

3-4T Balsamic vinegar

a little bowl of salt-peppered corn flour

Measure the vinegar into a shallow bowl. In another flat bowl, stir together seasonings and corn flour. Meanwhile, heat equal amounts of butter and olive oil – (toasted sesame or coconut oil could also be used). Dip the eggplant slices in vinegar, coat with seasoned flour then fry quickly in hot butter-oil. Put on a flattened brown paper bag to absorb oil. Lightly pat top surface with a paper towel. Serve with sauteed summer squash. I drizzled mine with a little Honey-Dijon salad dressing - Peppercorn Ranch would also be good.  Serves 4 as a side dish, 1 or 2 as a main entree'. . .Lin

Crispy Corn and Black Beans

2-4  ears of corn - cook, cut kernels off cob 
1/2 - 1  can of black beans - drain and rinse
1/2 - 1  medium onion - chopped
5  lg  cloves of garlic - sliced
3 sm  stalks of celery and tops - chopped
1/2 - 1 c  salsa

You can make the smaller version if it's for 1 lunch or 2 side dishes.  Increase amounts if you're serving more people.

In a non-stick pan, combine the corn kernels, onion, garlic and celery with a tablespoon of butter and stir-fry until the onion is a little cooked but still crispy.  Add beans and salsa.  Stir and continue to heat a few more minutes. . .Lin

Millie's Much Requested Cucumber Salad

¾c mix of Heinz Salad Vinegar and white
      vinegar

¾c granulated sugar

¼c canola or light vegetable oil
a sprinkle of sea salt and some fresh ground pepper

Stir and heat these ingredients until sugar dissolves. Cool to about 100*F then pour over vegetables in a pretty glass bowl:

1# little pickling cucumbers or - mini-English
     cucumbers - rough peeled and sliced

1   Pink Tomato – slice-chopped

1   medium Vidalia onion

Chill several hour or overnight. Stir-mix several times before serving to be sure all vegetables are marinated well. Pink tomatoes were such a surprise to me - their flavor is so full and fresh. I like this salad just this way - the way my mother-in-law always fixed it. However, you could add some fresh dill, (possibly basil or cilantro would work as well.) . . .Lin

Fresh Gazpacho

I've been eating so many salads lately! I was craving vegetables just now, but wanted them in a little different form. The first time I had Gazpacho was in a Spanish Tapas restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin. The Chef gave me a 'yes or no' on the ingredients as I guessed them, but gave no proportions. Over the years I've had fun with this, adding and subtracting as my mood or vegetables on hand dictated. Today it was:

1½ tomatoes

1-2 stalks of celery with tops

1 Vidalia onion

2 lg cloves of garlic

2 mini English cucumbers

2 carrots

2T extra virgin olive oil

2T balsamic vinegar

zest of 1 lemon

juice of ½ lemon

salt and pepper – if needed

*optional*1c± V8 or tomato juice

Combine everything in a food processor. *If you like gazpacho more soup-like, add juice and blend ¾, then recombine. This recipe turns out thick, almost the consistency of salsa that's been put in a food processor. I like it as a side dish. To get a chunkier texture, you could also 'process' certain ingredients and finely chop others. . .Lin

A Beany-Chunky Chef's Salad

1/2  can light red kidney beans

        rinsed and well drained

3      mini English cucumbers

1      Mexican brown tomato

1sm onion - sliced

1 pc smoked string cheese

3oz  mesquite turkey

Chop-slice then combine all the above.  I used Great Value Spicy Ranch dressing on this and it was really a good choice.  I'll try duplicating that soon. . .Lin

Carrot-Raisin Coleslaw

So, we're smack-dab in the middle of a mini-blizzard - and what am I craving?  Beef Stroganoff?  Venison Chili?  Chicken Soup?  No, today, out of nowhere, I'm suddenly craving coleslaw!  Go figure!

1/3c   golden raisins

1 sm  sweet onion - sliced

1-2T  white balsamic vinegar

  (this pear-infused vinegar is amazing!)

3 lg    carrots - grated or finely chopped

2 sm  heart stalks of celery, plus tops - sliced

1/2 sm  head of green cabbage

~ 1/2c   slivered almonds ~ optional

Kraft Creamy Poppyseed Salad Dressing

Combine raisins, vinegar and onion in a small bowl.  Heat in the microwave for a half a minute or so.  Fix the rest of the vegetables and combine all in a medium size bowl.  Add a little salt, some fresh ground pepper and just enough dressing to hold it all together.  Chill a couple hours before serving, stirring every half hour or so. . .Lin

Dianne's Crookneck Squash Casserole

A friend of mine from high school posted this picture on her Facebook page.  It looked SO good to me I asked her for the recipe and if she would mind if I posted it here.  I haven't tried it yet myself but will soon.**

Lots of steamed yellow squash
2   eggs
Grated cheddar cheese
     as much or little as you like
1   package of Stove Top
     Stuffing

The stuffing mix seasons it perfectly, and takes the place of bread crumbs.  Mix the squash with a hand mixer, like mashing potatoes.  Stir in rest of the ingredients and bake at approximately 350° for 30 minutes - uncovered.  Thanks again Dianne!

**I'm also thinking I'm going to make a variation of this substituting a big bag of chopped, frozen spinach for the squash - as well as another using a big bag of frozen chopped broccoli.

A Big (and-really-good) Salad

2      handfuls of salad mix - I made this one using romaine

        hearts, red lettuce, red cabbage, onion and mini English

        cucumbers - slice-chop-tear each of these any way you like

1/2   can of white beans - rinsed and drained

1/2   lg. tomato - chopped

1oz  spicy venison (or beef, etc.) jerky stick - cut crosswise

2oz  Swiss cheese - cubed

Tonight I just combined all this, sprinkled with a splash of balsamic vinegar and added a little poppy seed dressing.

Oh my. . .it was wonderful! . . . Lin

Cucumbers, Craisins and Grapes - Oh My!

My granddaughter made brownies yesterday.  We have chips and nuts in the pantry as well as chocolate ice cream.  I'm up late tonight and all of a sudden got hit by The Hungryys but none of that sounded good.  Then I saw the craisins and cucumbers and thought, ahhhh, a fruit and vegetable salad!  (Later I 'caved' and also had a brownie and ice cream :o)

2       mini English cucumbers
         halved and sliced

1/2c craisins - or regular or
         golden raisins

1c     red seedless grapes -
         halved

2       carrots - grated

fresh ground pepper

Combine all and dress lightly with my Lemon Oil Dressing, Raspberry Lemon Salad Dressing, your favorite vinaigrette or Poppy Seed Dressing.  Serves 2-4. . .Lin 

Joann's Danish Cabbage

This is not an original creation of mine, but it's so good I had to post it.  It's also one of those not-to-be-altered-or-messed-with-recipes.  Believe me, I've tried and only succeeded in screwing it up!  Perfection is best left alone. . .

1 lg head of red cabbage-chopped

1/4 c  butter

1/2 c  sugar

1/2 c  white vinegar

1  t     salt

1/4 c  current jelly

Combine first 5 ingredients.  Simmer - covered - on low 2-3 hours.  Stir in jelly.  IF there are leftovers, it keeps well for up to a week, covered in the 'fridge.

1/2#  Swiss chard

Cut off stems, wash and chop in 3/4" lengths.  Put stems in a big pan with a little boiling salted water.  Bring back to a boil and add the chard leaves that have been washed  and sliced into 1/2" strips or cut into 1-2" pieces.  When water simmers again cover and simmer another 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and leave it for another 5 minutes.  Then drain the chard in a colander.  Now fix in one of the two ways below:

~~Zesty Swiss Chard~~

Dry the pan and add:

2T  butter

1 med onion - chopped

1/2t  moist-powdered chicken soup base

1/4t  fresh ground pepper

Cook and stir over low heat until the liquid dried up a bit and the onions are translucent - then add:

1/4c sunflower seeds

2   cloves garlic - finely minced

1T Balsamic vinegar

2T sour cream

Continue to heat and stir a few more minutes.  Makes 2-4 servings (as pictured). . .Lin

~~Simple Swiss Chard~~

1-2T butter

1/2   onion

Saute' onion in a little butter on medium heat a few minutes.  Add drained, cooked Swiss Chard and a little drizzle of Balsamic or Salad vinegar and a little Maple syrup - if needed.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Parmesan cheese if you like.  Makes 2-4 servings. . .Lin

Sauteed Cabbage with Onions

1/2 sm  head of cabbage - chopped
1  med  chopped onion

1  T       butter

1/4  c    white wine

1  t        powdered chicken soup base

             - or - 1/4-1/2 t  salt

1/8-1/4 t  pepper

1/4  c   sour cream

Saute' the first 3 ingredients together, add wine and the seasonings.  Simmer covered 10 minutes.  Stir in sour cream just before serving and heat another minute or so. . .Lin