Category Archives: Recipe

March 7, 2024

Zuppa Toscano (Tuscan Soup)

By Joe

I know that Olive Garden does not have the best reputation in the restaurant industry, and their food only has a passing relationship with Italian cuisine. The last time I went to an Olive Garden, the food was not only inedible, but nearly everything we ordered was “out of stock.” It was not a pleasant night, because I went with a good friend of mine, and we were going to see the movie Bros afterwards. We only went to Olive Garden out of a sense of nostalgia. At one time, I thought their food was good, but then I went to Italy and have eaten at some great Italian restaurants here in the U.S., and my opinion changed dramatically. 

Anyway, there is one thing on Olive Garden’s menu that is a favorite of mine: their Zuppa Toscano. The “Tuscan Soup” is a sausage, kale, and potato soup, that is delicious when it is made correctly. The salad and breadsticks were always good, but the Zuppa Toscano was always the best thing on the menu. By the way, that last time I had it at Olive Garden, it was watery and tasteless. Luckily, I found a wonderful copycat recipe. Some of the copycat recipes you can find online are a pretty good approximation of the original dish. 

The recipe below is, in my opinion, even better than what Olive Garden serves. Some people don’t like kale, and I will admit that I am not a huge fan, but it has the perfect consistency for this soup. I would not use anything as a substitute because while kale wilts in the soup, it has a better consistency and does not add a bitter taste like some greens would. Even if you don’t like kale, give it a try. I think you will be glad you did.

I don’t make this recipe very often, and usually only in the winter. I tend to eat too much of it when I make it, so it’s best to limit myself. I’m actually planning on having some leftover Zuppa Toscano for lunch today. The link for this copycat recipe in on Delish; however, the recipe is now behind a paywall. Below is the version that I have found to be the best.

Zuppa Toscana

Prep Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed *
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth **
• 2-3 cups of russet or red potatoes peeled, sliced, and cut into bite sized pieces ***
• 1 bunch curly kale, leaves stripped and chopped
• 3/4 c. heavy cream
• 4 slices cooked bacon, chopped
• 1/4 freshly grated Parmesan, for serving ****
• French bread or a crusty rustic bread for serving, if desired (it’s delicious for dipping in the soup)

Preparation Steps

1. In a large pot over medium heat, cook sausage, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon, until browned and no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

3. Add onion to pot and let cook until soft, 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

4. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Add chicken broth and potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender, 23 to 25 minutes.

6. Stir in kale and let cook until leaves are tender and bright green, 3 minutes, then stir in heavy cream, sausage, and bacon and simmer 5 minutes more.

7. Season with pepper, garnish with Parmesan, and serve.

Notes:

* I buy the Italian sausage with the casing already removed. It saves time, and I find the casing disgusting anyway. Also, the hot Italian sausage adds the right amount of heat that is needed to make this soup very tasty. I have tried mild Italian sausage, and the soup was just bland. If you think the hot Italian sausage will be too much heat for you, I suggest using half hot and half mild Italian sausage.

** Make sure that you use low-sodium chicken broth. If you use unsalted chicken broth, the soup will be somewhat bland, and if you use regular chicken broth, it will be too salty. Using the low-sodium chick broth allows you to add the amount of salt you desire.

*** I actually use two 15 oz cans sliced potatoes. It is up to you whether you drain the potatoes or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. If I don’t drain them, it adds a thicker consistency to the soup. The canned potatoes stay together better than fresh potatoes. If you cook the potatoes fresh, the red will stay together better than the russet, but they too will begin falling apart. If not using the canned potatoes, a waxy potato works best. Canned potatoes do not need to cook for 23-25 minutes because they are already cooked and just need to be warmed up, but I cook them for 25 minutes anyway to allow for the chicken broth to reduce a little.

**** Because this recipe calls for low-sodium chicken broth, the parmesan adds the perfect amount of additional saltiness to the soup. It also adds a wonderful additional layer of flavor to the soup.

Additional Note:

 If you want to make a large batch and freeze the soup, the canned potatoes do not become as mealy as the fresh potatoes when they are frozen. If you decide to make a large batch and freeze this soup, take out the amount of soup you’d like to freeze before adding the cream. If you add the cream and then try to freeze it, it will not freeze correctly. As a coworker of mine recently said, cream does strange things in the freezer.

4 Comments | posted in Recipe

November 24, 2023

Leftovers

By Joe

Like many others in the United States, I had leftovers from my Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. I ate all the cornbread dressing, but I did not eat all of the turkey. Most people seem to slice the turkey and make turkey sandwiches. I’m not one of them. When I have leftover turkey like I did yesterday, I prefer to make a soup. I love soups, and for me, it’s the best part of winter. I have my usual go to soups: Zuppa Toscano, chili, vegetable soup, Brunswick stew, beef stew, and tomato soup. However, my favorite recipe to make from leftover turkey is actually a Halloween recipe (I used to make this for a Halloween party each year) called Ghostly White Chili. It’s actually not a chili, it’s more of a spicy chicken and wild rice soup, but I’ve never tried to give it another name. So here’s the recipe:

Ghostly White Chili

Ingredients

  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ tablespoon butter
  • ½ medium onion, chopped
  • 1 minced cloves garlic
  • 1 ½ cups cubed cooked turkey
  • 1 cups cooked wild rice
  • ½ can Great Northern white beans
  • ½ can white corn
  • 1 cans diced chilis
  • 3 cups chicken (or turkey) broth
  • ½ teaspoon cumin powder
  • dash of tabasco sauce to taste
  • 3 ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preparation Steps

  1. Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter and olive oil until soft.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cheese and cook until piping hot.
  3. Place in individual bowls and garnish with cheese.

Note: I love white chili and the addition of wild rice makes this dish really special. For the Halloween part, make sure to tell your guests that it used to be normal chili, but it got so scared, it turned white. I prefer turkey in white chili, but cooked chicken can be used. You can also cook this in a slow cooker: 8 hours on low; 4 hours on high. In my opinion it is best if the wild rice fully opens and curls up.

3 Comments | posted in Recipe

November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

By Joe

In the United States, Thanksgiving means different things to different people. For some, it’s about the food. For others, it’s about family and friends. The one thing it should be about is what we are thankful for. I am thankful for many things. I am thankful that Susan is in my life and is such an important person and a wonderful friend. I am thankful for my little furry companion, Isabella. I am thankful for all of my friends and blog readers. We may wish for some things to be different in our lives, but hopefully, we all also have much to be thankful for. On this Thanksgiving, wherever you are in this world, know that I am thankful for you.

This Thanksgiving, I will be cooking just for me. I have a small turkey breast to bake along with some Brussels sprouts. I am also going to make a pan of cornbread dressing. It is one of my favorite holiday dishes, and I thought I’d share the recipe with you. This recipe makes a big batch. I will use less than half of this for mine today since it will just be me.

First, you have to start with making the cornbread. This is a recipe for the cornbread I usually make, but I add in the spices that I need for the dressing: celery salt, onion powder, Cajun seasoning, freshly cracked black pepper, sage (or Bell’s seasoning), and poultry seasoning (to make regular cornbread, omit those spices and just add in one teaspoon of salt). If you’d prefer to have celery and onions in your dressing, chop one to two stalks of celery and a small onion. I prefer for mine to have the taste of the vegetables, but I don’t like either of the vegetables cooked in my dressing. So, here’s the recipe for the cornbread:

Cornbread for Dressing

Prep Time: 7 min
Cook Time: 25-30 min

Ingredients

  • 2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix (if you use plain cornmeal, add 2 tablespoons baking powder and one tsp salt)
  • 1/2 cup self-rising flour (if you use plain flour, add 3/4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/8 teaspoon salt)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 3/4 cups buttermilk or regular milk (Start with 1 cup of liquid if you are using regular milk and add the rest as necessary)
  • 1 teaspoon celery salt, or to taste
  • 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste, optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon of sage (or Bell’s seasoning), or to taste, optional
  • 1 teaspoon of poultry seasoning

Preparation Steps

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Melt butter as the oven preheats in an 8″ x 8″ pan.
  3. Add cornmeal, self-rising flour, and seasonings in a bowl and mix with a fork. Make a well in the center of the mixture for the butter and buttermilk.
  4. Add the melted butter and buttermilk to the well.
  5. Mix until combined.
  6.  Grease the pan well so it does not stick. I spray the pan liberally with additional butter-flavored PAM. Pour batter into the baking pan.
  7. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden and set.

Note: You can also mix in two beaten eggs to this recipe, but I have never liked eggs in my cornbread. Also, never, ever, add sugar, honey, or any other sweetener to this cornbread. If you like sweet cornbread, it’s fine on its own, but you need a more savory cornbread for dressing.

Once the cornbread is done, let it cool enough to be able to handle it. I sometimes take leftover cornbread that I have frozen, thaw it out, and add the additional spices.

Cornbread Dressing

Servings: About 10 to 12 servings
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 45 min

Ingredients

  • 6 cups of cooked, crumbled stale cornbread, as directed above (fresh is also fine)
  • 1 cup of turkey gravy (canned is fine)
  • 4 to 6 cups of turkey or chicken broth or stock, more or less

Preparation Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan and set aside.
  2. Add the crumbled cornbread to a large bowl. Add the gravy, and 2-4 cups of the stock. Taste and adjust seasonings.
  3. Add more of the broth as needed, taking care not to make the dressing too soupy. The dressing should be the consistency of cooked oatmeal. Lightly spoon into the casserole dish, but do not pack down. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. For moister stuffing, baked covered. For a drier stuffing with a crunchy top, bake uncovered.

Cook’s Notes: Make cornbread a day or two ahead when possible and allow it to go stale. This dressing is also excellent with cooked turkey or chicken. Mix in about 2 cups of roughly shredded, cooked chicken or turkey before baking. Serve with gravy on top. My Grandmama use to add shredded chicken or turkey to hers, and it was especially delicious and can become a main dish instead of a side dish.

Make-Ahead Tip: While dressing is best when freshly assembled and baked, you may prep most of the ingredients ahead to save time. To prepare the entire dish ahead, assemble it all the way up to the baking stage the day before, using additional broth to make it more soupy, but don’t bake it. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Any longer ahead than that freeze it. You’ll need to allow for a day for it to thaw in the fridge before baking.

How to fix a too-dry or too-wet stuffing: If you find your stuffing is too dry, add additional warmed broth to it, stir well, and return to the oven, checking periodically. If the stuffing is overly wet and too gummy, cook it uncovered for a bit longer, checking periodically.

PS My leftover turkey is going to become a recipe for a special turkey “chili” that I love. Maybe I’ll post that recipe tomorrow, if anyone is interested. It’s more of a soup than a chili, but it is delicious. It calls for wild rice, which is impossible to find in New England. I had to order it special, and hopefully 🤞 it will come tomorrow.

Leave a comment | posted in Food, Miscellaneous, Recipe

August 8, 2022

Damn Delicious Scones

By Joe

Friday, I was not feeling very well and ended up going to bed at 8 pm. I usually go to bed between 10 pm and 10:30 pm, but I was feeling completely worn out and went to bed early. I was also a little depressed, but I don’t know why. I was just feeling down. I slept for about an hour and a half before I was wide awake again and could not fall back to sleep. 

Earlier in the day, I had planned to mix up some ham and cheese scones. I usually make them up the night before and put them in the refrigerator, so they are ready to take out and put in the oven the next morning. However, with the way I was feeling, I had not done this, but when I woke up after sleeping for an hour or so, I decided to mix up a batch of scones. I mostly use my food processor to mix everything up but the buttermilk, so it’s a pretty easy process, and cooking always puts me in a better mood if I can get myself motivated enough to start.

I put the dough in the refrigerator and went back to bed. Once I got up Saturday morning, all I needed to do was preheat the oven and knead and roll out the scones. It makes it a lot easier in the morning to do it this way. I am putting my recipe below. This is an adapted recipe from the site Damn Delicious, and let me just say, “These scones are damn delicious.” Once they come out of the oven, they are hard to stop eating. If you can resist eating them all, just put the leftovers in a container or Ziploc bag and save them for later. If you do save them for later, you will realize they aren’t quite as fluffy, so what I do is toast them before I eat them. It brings them back to nearly the way they were when they first came out of the oven.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Whenever I make these, it makes my whole day better.

Ham and Cheese Scones

Yield: 8 Servings
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Total time: 35 Minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups self-rising flour1
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup salted butter, cut into cubes
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese2
  • 1/3 cup diced ham3
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Optional:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat or spray a cone pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
  2. In a food processor, combine flour and garlic powder. (For slightly sweeter scones, you can also add 1 tablespoon of sugar.)
  3. Add cold butter, and pulse the food processor until the butter and the dry ingredients resemble coarse crumbs.
  4. Add cheese, ham, and chives, and pulse to combine.
  5. Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in buttermilk until a soft dough forms.
  6. Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together. Using a rolling pill, roll the dough into an 8″ circle, about 1-inch thick, and cut into 8 wedges.
  7. Place scones onto the prepared baking sheet or into the scone pan.
  8. (Optional) Beat egg and milk in a small bowl and brush onto the top of the scones. You may also top the scones with additional cheese.
  9. Place into oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until firm to the touch and lightly browned.
  10. Serve warm.

Notes:
1. If you don’t want to use self-rising flour, you can use 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. If you use these ingredients, use unsalted butter.
2. I like to use Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar
3. I use Smithfield Hickory Smoked Diced Ham

1 Comment | posted in Food, Recipe

December 3, 2021

Busy

By Joe

Yesterday was a busy day, and by the time I was able to stop and write my post for today, it was nearly 11 pm, well past my usual bedtime on a work night. I’d planned to write my post earlier in the day because I had finally remembered what I had planned to write for Thursday’s post. However, I was busy yesterday morning at work and couldn’t work on it then, and I took yesterday afternoon off to run some errands. The errands took longer than I had expected and by the time I got home, it was time to cook dinner. 

I’d found an interesting recipe for Wintertime Braised Beef Stew that I wanted to try out. It was a unique take on beef stew and I thought I’d try it. I’m always trying to improve on my recipe, but I think I’m going to give up on that quest. My simple beef stew recipe from my mother is still the best. Stew beef, potatoes, carrots, and onions cooked in a rich beef stock is far better than anything else I’ve tried. I know some people add celery, but I use celery salt because I hate cooked celery. Other people add peas at the end, but I’m not a fan of that either.I’ve read a few recipes that use red wine to make the stew richer and more robust in flavor. I tend to think it makes it too robust. The one thing I have found that I just can’t handle is putting tomatoes in a beef stew, like the recipe for the Wintertime Braised Beef Stew called for. I do flour and season the stew beef before browning it, which makes for a thicker broth, and honestly, the simple tried but true recipe is still the best.

Anyway, I’ve had a few ideas for posts that I’ll write for next week. I hope y’all will enjoy them. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Until then, I hope all of you have a wonderful Friday and a good weekend.

Leave a comment | posted in Food, Miscellaneous, Recipe

November 26, 2021

TGIF

By Joe

Today is supposed to be a rather messy weather day. I wish I could stay in and just curl up on the couch and watch television, but alas, I have an appointment at the Headache Clinic this morning. I’ll have to be very careful driving down there. The National Weather Service issued the following warning (edited for brevity and clarity):

From 1 pm today to 1 pm Saturday, snow is expected with a total accumulations of 3 to 7 inches and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. The mix of snow and rain is expected develop this morning before transitioning to all snow in the afternoon and continuing through tonight. The snow is expected to taper off Saturday morning. It is advised that drivers slow down and use caution while traveling and allow extra time if travel is necessary.

My travel this morning is necessary. This appointment is my quarterly Botox treatment for my migraines. I am so grateful for these treatments as it seems to be working, but they are a pain, literally. If my headaches had not been increasing over the last two weeks, I might attempt to postpone my appointment, but I feel that this is something that cannot wait. As I wrote this last night, I had a bad headache. With the increased frequency and intensity over the past two weeks, I desperately need some relief.

On a totally different note, my Thanksgiving meal turned out pretty well, especially the cornbread dressing and the dessert I made. Here’s the recipe for the dessert I came up with (I haven’t thought of a name for it yet. Any suggestions?):

Ingredients

  • 12 oz bag of cranberries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 Granny Smith Apple (cored, peeled, and diced)
  • 1/2 cup pineapple
  • 2 oz. good vodka (I prefer Grey Goose)
  • 4 Philadelphia Cheesecake Crumbles
  • 1 can whipped cream (or make your own)

Preparation Steps

  1. Empty a 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries into a saucepan.
  2. Add 1 cup sugar, 1 strip orange or lemon zest and 1/2 cup water to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries are soft, about 10 minutes.
  3. Increase the heat to medium and cook until the cranberries burst, about 12 minutes.
  4. With 5 minutes left, add diced apples and pineapple and stir to combine.
  5. Add 2 oz. vodka and cool to room temperature.
  6. According to what consistency you would like the cranberry mixture, either leave as is or place in a food processor or blender and pulse to your desired consistency.
  7. Divide the mixture between 4 parfait glasses (or I used martini glasses). Top with one package of cheesecake, spreading evenly over cranberry mixture.
  8. Top with graham cracker crumbles and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
  9. Just before serving, top with whipped cream.

Leave a comment | posted in Health, Recipe, Weather

August 26, 2021

Cooking vs. Baking

By Joe

I can cook most anything. Sometimes, I use a recipe, but sometimes I don’t. However, baking is a different story. Other than cookies, I’ve never been much of a baker. I can make a very tasty coconut custard pie, but I inevitably overfill the pie crust and it overflows when cooking and causes a hell of a mess. Before i go further, let me explain what I think of as the difference between cooking and baking. For me, cooking usually refers to a savory dish that you eat as part of a meal, whereas baking is sweets or desserts made in the oven, such as cookies, cakes, or pies. For a more detailed and precise definition of the two, see this article about “Cooking vs Baking.” Cooking is an art, while baking is more of a science. With cooking, you can experiment with the ingredients to make the dish a creation of your own, and the variations can be endless. Baking, however, requires exact measurements. The order in which ingredients are added is also often a factor in baking. While I can follow a recipe just fine, I’ve often not been very successful with more elaborate cakes. Cookies and pies, I’ve pretty much mastered. The exception is pound cakes.
I have been craving a good pound cake for a few days now, and I plan to make one. But, what kind should I make? My mother is a master at cake making, and while measurements have to be exact during baking, my grandmama could make most of her cakes with her eyes closed. Also, pound cakes are usually a pretty simple recipe with only four ingredients and one measurement: a pound each of butter, flour, sugar, and eggs. But there are many variations of the pound cake: classic, butter, sour cream, cream cheese, etc. I love a good buttery pound cake, but my favorite is a brown sugar pound cake, so that s what I plan to make, a Brown Sugar Pecan Pound Cake. I doubt I’ll have the energy to make one after work tonight, and I probably won’t make one tomorrow night. However, this weekend is supposed to be cool (our high Saturday is 65) and rainy, so what better day to make a cake and have the oven on for over an hour.

This recipe is a Southern twist on a classic. I’ve never made this particular recipe. It comes from dinnerthendessert.com,which claimed that this Brown Sugar Pecan Pound Cake is rich, moist and full of pecan crunch and takes just over an hour to cook. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

Brown Sugar Pecan Pound Cake

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 1 hr
Serves: 12 Servings

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar, (packed)
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 3 large Eggs
  • 1 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 cup Whole Milk
  • 1 1/2 cups Flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 cup Chopped Pecans

Preparation Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray a 9×5 loaf pan with baking spray.
  2. In a stand mixer on medium high speed, add together the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add in the eggs one at a time until fully combined, then add in the vanilla.
  4. Add in the milk and flour, baking powder and salt (alternate them in thirds) until just combined.
  5. Add in all but a handful of the chopped pecans and stir.
  6. Pour batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle on the rest of the pecans.
  7. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Leave a comment | posted in Food, Recipe

March 4, 2021

A Delicious Breakfast (Brunch, Lunch, or Dinner)

By Joe

Whenever I visit Manhattan to see my friend Susan, we often have breakfast at Pret a Manger. One of my favorite menu items at Pret is their Ham and Spinach Frittata. I also love their “Pret’s Famous Ham & Cheese” sandwich. I judge a sandwich by its bread, and Pret’s baguettes have a perfect crisp crust and chewy center. However, I have had their Ham and Spinach Frittata more often than I have had their ham and cheese sandwich. It’s been over a year since I was last in Manhattan, and I have been having a bit of a craving for their frittata.

I have an app on my iPhone called AnyList, which I use to collect recipes. AnyList helps me organize my recipes and quickly add recipes from other sources, like email messages, websites, and blogs.  I used to copy and paste all my recipes into a Word document, but then I found it wasn’t easy to find a recipe when I needed it. AnyList also allows me to tap on ingredients to add them to my shopping list, and I can plan an entire week or month of meals with the meal planning calendar.

Every day, I get an email from Taste of Home, and if there are recipes I want to save, I can easily do so with the AnyList app. I clicked on the link in Monday’s email for the “Recipe of the Month.” Clicking on the link was the only way to see the recipe they described as a “spring dish can be served for breakfast, brunch or dinner.” The email described the dish as pretty, colorful, and absolutely delicious. They also said it always wins compliments. How could I resist checking out this recipe? It turned out to be a recipe for a Bacon and Asparagus Frittata, which looked easy enough and reminded me of Pret’s ham and spinach frittata. So, I did a Google search for ham and spinach frittata and found one for a “Ham, Cheese, and Asparagus Frittata” at The Rustic Foodie. It’s actually a ham, cheese, asparagus, and spinach frittata, and I made it for breakfast on Tuesday, halving the original recipe.  It was delicious, and the addition of the asparagus was perfect. My cast iron skillet was too small, so I finished it in an 8″ x 8″ cake pan (a very versatile piece of cookware). Even at half the recipe, it was a lot of food for just me. Yesterday, I made the recipe again but omitted the asparagus and made a quarter of the original recipe so that it would fit in my cast iron skillet. It tasted just like the Pret version.

I had never tried to make a frittata before making this recipe. I always thought it was a little too involved. However, it turns out to be exceedingly simple and easy to make. I prepped the ingredients the night before so that they were ready to go when I got up in the morning. In just twenty minutes, I had a lovely breakfast with minimal effort. It beat my usual breakfast of a sausage and cheese English muffin, my version of a McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin, except that mine is better. I use English muffins from the Vermont Bread Company, which makes all the difference (I’ve tried numerous different English muffins brands, and I have found that the Vermont Bread Company makes the best.) As I said before, without good bread, a sandwich is just mediocre.

I hope y’all will enjoy this recipe.

Ham, Cheese, and Asparagus Frittata

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Serves: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped ham steak (make sure ham is precooked)
  • 2 cups chopped asparagus
  • 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
  • 10 eggs
  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup grated cheese (any variety—I used Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar)
  • salt (adjust to taste)
  • pepper (adjust to taste)
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions or chives (optional, but I used some chopped chives)

Preparation Steps

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Chop all of your ingredients – ham, asparagus, and spinach and then grate the cheese.
  3. Heat cast iron skillet and add cooking oil of choice.
  4. Add chopped ham steak and cook for 3-4 minutes or until lightly caramelized.
  5. Add chopped asparagus and sauté for 4-6 minutes or until slightly tender.
  6. Deglaze with cooking stock if necessary.
  7. Mix eggs, heavy whipping cream, grated cheese, and generous pinch of kosher salt and pepper.
  8. Add the egg mixture to the pan and then toss in spinach. Gently fold spinach into the egg mixture.
  9. Cook for 2-3 minutes on stove top until the edges start to set.
  10. Top with chopped green onions or chopped chives.
  11. Transfer skillet to oven and cook for 10-14 minutes.

Notes
This Ham, Cheese, and Asparagus Frittata recipe is easy and makes a healthy breakfast. This baked vegetable frittata is great for brunch or a quick dinner!

Leave a comment | posted in Recipe

February 1, 2021

Cooking Under Pressure

By Joe

Last week, I bought something that I have been wanting for a few years, an Instant Pot. I had never used one before because I will be honest, I’ve always been a little scared of cooking with a pressure cooker. However, I finally gave in and decided to give it a try. I had come across a few recipes that called for using an Instant Pot, so I decided I’d finally buy one. I am glad that I did. The first thing I cooked using it were some thick-cut pork chops, and they came out juicy and tender. However, I would probably not cook something like pork chops in it again because you don’t get the sear on the pork chops like you would if you were frying them in a pan. The next recipe I made was chicken tacos. Now, this was a recipe that came out very well. Here’s the recipe:

Instant Pot Chicken Tacos

Prep Time: 2 min
Cook Time: 15 min
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (store-bought or homemade)
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • ¾ cup salsa
  • ¼ cup tomatoes with green chilis (I usually use Rotel)
  • Taco shells or tortillas
  • Topping of your choice: cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, and/or sour cream

Preparation Steps

  1. Salt and pepper chicken breast.
  2. Place chicken breast in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
  3. Add chicken broth, taco seasoning, salsa, and tomatoes and green chilis into a blender (I don’t like chunky sauce so I put all of it in the food processor or a blender and blend until smooth, but you can just mix the ingredients together without blending them). Pour mixture over chicken breasts.
  4. Close and lock the lid and turn the steam release handle to Sealing.
  5. Press “Pressure Cooker” and cook on high for 15 minutes.
  6. While the chicken is cooking, heat the taco shells or tortillas in the oven for 8-10 minutes at 325 degrees.
  7. Either let the pressure release naturally or use the quick release.
  8. For a thicker sauce, simmer on sauté mode for 5 minutes.
  9. Shred chicken with two forks. Combine with sauce in Instant Pot.
  10. Spoon chicken onto taco shells or tortillas and add preferred toppings.

Simple and delicious. I’m glad I got the Instant Pot. It does make cooking quicker and simpler. Also, the chicken was much more tender than whenever I tried to make it on the stovetop.

2 Comments | posted in Recipe

November 26, 2020

Happy Thanksgiving!

By Joe

Like many of you, I will be spending Thanksgiving alone. I plan to cook a full meal and have leftovers for several days. I don’t usually do this just for myself, though I have spent Thanksgiving by myself; however, I have made a small meal in the past. This year, I feel I have some things for which to be thankful. Thanks to the Botox injections, my migraines seem to be under control for the first time in decades. I have had a few migraines the past few weeks, but I believe that has more to do with my abscessed tooth than my usual migraines. I am also thankful that my friends and family have so far remained safe during the pandemic, and I am grateful for my continued good health during this time. I am thankful that my diabetes seems better controlled with my new medicines, and I have even lost weight (close to 30 pounds now). I am grateful that I still have a job when so many are looking for work due to the hardships placed on the economy because of the pandemic and the federal government’s inadequate response. I am thankful for all my readers who visit this blog daily and comment and encourage me to continue to write. Finally, I am thankful that I can make a Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings during these challenging times. Feel free to comment below about what you are thankful for this year.

I am posting my menu and the recipes for what I am cooking today. I hope that all of my American readers will all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that those outside the United States will also enjoy a joyous holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

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Menu

Dutch Oven Braised Turkey

Cornbread Dressing

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Cheesy Potatoes au Gratin

Green Beans

Cranberry Sauce

Coconut Custard Pie

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Click below to see the recipes.

1 Comment | posted in Recipe