Recipe: Pineapple Casserole

Okay, I know what you are thinking.  Pineapple casserole?!  WHY would I want to eat something like that??  I know you are thinking this because it is what I was thinking when my mom announced it was on our Memorial Day menu.  It's also what I think when she suggests pineapple and cheese sandwiches. 

But like almost everything, I have been proven wrong, and my mother has been proven right.  Pineapple casserole is delicious.  Pineapple and cheese DO go well together and when topped with buttery crackers...yum.  I have no other words.  Other than you might want to find your big girl pants after this, 'cause it ain't light.  It's a true Southern dish. 

{Image from Food Network}

Pineapple Casserole
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1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I like a combination of white and sharp cheddar)
6 tablespoons flour
1 cup sugar
2 (20 oz) cans of pineapple chunks in juice, drained*
1 sleeve of butter crackers (like Ritz), crushed
1/4 stick (4 tablespoons) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Combine the flour, cheese, and sugar.  Stir in the pineapple until evenly coated.  Spread evenly into the prepared pan.  Top with the crushed cracker crumbs, and pour the melted butter over the top.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until gold and bubbly.  Serve as a side dish for pork or ham.

*Some recipes call for crushed pineapple, but my family likes the texture of chunked pineapple.  It's really up to you.

-Adapted from Apron's Simple Meals

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday, Delicious Dishes, and Tuesday Night Supper Club

Recipe: Ricotta and Zucchini Galette

I love how I can turn anything into an adventure.  Or a disaster depending on how you look at things.

Take making this simple dinner for example.  It started last week when I realized I had some ricotta cheese in the freezer that needed to be used up.  I had recently pinned a new dish from Smitten Kitchen and decided that now was the perfect time to try it.  I bought the zucchini and the puff pastry (what, you think I'm going to make my own dough?  Yeah, right.) and put the galette on my menu plan.

Something nagging in the back of my mind told me to check the ricotta cheese the day I was planning on making the dish.  I can't remember if I was checking it to make sure I had enough or checking to make sure it hadn't gone bad.  Either way I ended up with well over a cup on ricotta cheese growing pink mold.  Oops.  Not okay.

So I made a mad dash to the store after work to pick up more ricotta because I HAD to make this for dinner (why I couldn't keep the pastry in the freezer and use the zucchini in something else I don't know.  My mind wasn't working like that on this particular day).  It turned out to be delicious and an excellent dinner decision.  However, now I'm stuck with ricotta cheese that needs to be used up before it too grows pink mold.

Ricotta and Zucchini Galette
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1/2 box of frozen puff pastry (1 sheet), thawed
2 small zucchinis, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
I garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Spread the zucchini out on several layers of paper towels and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Let it drain for 30 minutes then gently blot the tops with more paper towels.  Meanwhile, mix the olive oil and garlic in a small bowl and set aside.  In another bowl mix the cheeses, 1 teaspoon of the garlic oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 400.  Roll the puff pastry dough out (on a floured surface) into a 12-inch circle or square (I have zero patience rolling already square things round, so I went with a square) and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Spread the ricotta mixture out evenly, leaving a 2 inch border around the edges.  Top with the zucchini in an even, single layer.  Drizzle the rest of the garlic oil evenly over the top.  Fold the border over the filling as far as it will go.  It should really just form a crust, not cover the whole top.  Brush the crust with an egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water).  Bake for 30-40 minutes.  Top with the fresh basil, cut into wedges, and serve. 

-Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday, Delicious Dishes, and This Chick Cooks

Recipe: Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese

Until last night, I had never eaten quinoa, let alone cooked it.  I've been wanting to try it for quite some time, but I was having trouble finding it in my regular store.  I finally bit the bullet and went to Whole Foods to find it (and walked out $50 poorer).  I've heard that quinoa is popping up in regular grocery stores, but apparently it's not yet in normal grocery stores in Alabama.  If you can't find it, try online; Amazon has a good selection.

Quinoa is VERY easy to cook and this recipe would make a great side dish, but is filling enough to serve as a main dish in a meatless meal.  Another great thing about this recipe is that it's easily adaptable.  You can make it with almonds, like I did, but I think that pine nuts would be delicious too.  Any sort of white cheese that melts well can be used, so this dish is a great way to use up cheeses that you have in your fridge. 

Quinoa with Spinach and Cheese - serves four
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1 cup uncooked quinoa
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup sliced almonds or pine nuts
6 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 cups baby spinach leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup grated gruyere, gouda, fontina, or other white cheese

Soak quinoa in hot water for 5-10 minutes.  Drain through a fine wire mesh strainer.  Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil and add soaked quinoa.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until quinoa is tender.  Drain well.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Toast nuts in oil for 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, another 2 minutes.  Stir in quinoa and spinach.  Allow the spinach to wilt and quinoa to reheat, then remove from heat.  Stir in lemon juice, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

-Adapted from Cucee Spouts

Linked to Tasty Tuesday, Tuesday Night Supper Club, and Delicious Dishes

Recipe: Potatoes and Zucchini with Parmesan

As so many things in my life turn out, this recipe turned out to be a little more complicated than I originally thought it was.   

Of course, that was because I neglected to read the entire recipe before I started cooking. :)

This recipe isn't hard at all; there are a few steps, but it's so delicious that's it's worth a few extra minutes of your time.  One of the things I love about dishes like this is that it requires so few ingredients and yields amazing and fresh-tasting results.

Enjoy!

Potatoes and Zucchini with Parmesan - Adapted from Gida de Laurentiis

 

4 small new potatoes

2 small zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup Parmesan

Bring a pot of water to a boil; add the potatoes and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove from the pot, cool a little, and cut in half.

Put butter, garlic, rosemary, and thyme into a saute pan.  Heat over medium heat and melt the butter.  Meanwhile, sprinkle cut potatoes and zucchini with salt and pepper.

Put potatoes and zucchini, cut side down, in melted butter and herbs and cook until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.  Shake the pan occasionally to keep everything from sticking and the garlic from burning. 

Preheat the broiler.  Remove the veggies from the saute pan and place on a baking sheet lined with foil, cut side up this time.  Sprinkle with Parmesan.  Broil until the cheese melts, about 4 minutes.  Serve right away!

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday and Delicious Dishes.

Recipe: Lemon Vinaigrette

I have never been one to make my own salad dressings.  In fact, I thought that people who did were just overachievers.  Not that I’m not an overachiever (hello I make all of my own bread), I just thought that going to all the trouble of making a salad dressing that wasn’t going to last as long as bottled dressing was just a waste of time. 

That said, the dressing was what drew me to this recipe, and when I made it on New Year’s Eve, it was a huge hit.  But even after making the dressing and having my family devour it, I still wasn’t convinced that homemade salad dressings were the way to go.

So then why am I about to share a recipe for a homemade vinaigrette?  Because on Sunday, as I was preparing my menu plan and grocery list, I realized I had a lemon on my counter that was on the verge of going bad.  Everything I make using lemons either requires more lemons or more ingredients, and since I’m trying (and failing) to only spend $25 a week at the grocery store, I need to make something using ingredients I already had.  I remembered watching someone on The Food Network (Ina probably.  Or maybe Rachel Ray, but I tend to avoid her as her brightly colored kitchen scares me a little.) make a salad dressing using lemon juice and olive oil, so I decided that a salad would go well with my dinner.  A quick Google search yielded a lemon vinaigrette that was so delicious, I knew instantly I had to share it with you. 

Lemon Vinaigrette – makes ¾ cup

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)

1 garlic clove, peeled

½ teaspoon lemon zest

1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon sugar

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Squeeze your lemon juice into a small bowl (or the bowl you are going to be serving your salad from – no reason to dirty up two bowls).  Use a microplane grater to grate your garlic clove into the bowl with the lemon juice; make sure to check the back for any remaining garlic.  Zest your lemon and add the mustard and sugar.  Whisk to combine and then slowly mix in the olive oil.  Use extra virgin here, even if you usually don’t.  You can really taste the difference between good olive oil and oil that’s better for cooking in a dressing like this.  Whisk to combine and season with salt and pepper. 

Toss with your salad or store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Photo Credit

 This recipe is linked to Tasty Tuesday and Delicious Dishes.

Tasty Tuesday: Hoppin' John

Black-eyed peas are practically a requirement for a southern new year’s celebration.  Black-peas bring luck and when served with some sort of greens (collards, turnip, cabbage – take your pick), you are assured good luck in life and money.  We like to serve some sort of pork with our peas and greens.  This year we decided to expand our pallets a little and make Ina Garten’s delicious pork tenderloin, roasted Brussels sprouts, and Hoppin’ John.

Hoppin’ John has its roots in West Africa and the simple dish of rice and beans was historically a staple food throughout much of the South.  Black-eyed peas occasionally show up on our table during the summer when you can get them freshly shelled at farmer’s markets.  Personally, I prefer lady peas or pink-eyes, but since black-eyed peas are a southern tradition for new years, they belong on our table. 

Hoppin’ John – adapted from All You

6 slices bacon, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

½ cup diced celery

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper, if desired

2 cans (15 oz each) black-eyed peas, one drained, one not

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes (not drained)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cooked white rice

Spray a large saucepan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  Fry bacon until it’s beginning to crisp.  Add in onion and celery and sauté until soft and translucent, 5-8 minutes.  Lower the heat to medium-low if onion begins to brown.  Sprinkle with red pepper if using, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.  Stir to combine and add in tomatoes.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.  Cook 30-45 minutes until the acidity has cooked out of the tomatoes.  Add both cans of peas and cook 30 minutes longer.  Check for seasonings and adjust as needed.  Serve over (or mixed with) cooked white rice.

Photo Credit

This year we roasted some Brussels sprouts instead of serving greens or cabbage (both of which I can’t stand – yuck!).  You can use this recipe from Ina Garten or my (very quick) recipe below. 

Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1½ pounds Brussels sprouts, brown ends and yellow outer leaves removed

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Coarse salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375°.  Spray a roasting pan with olive oil cooking spray.  Cut sprouts in half.  Toss in prepared pan with desired amount of olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring every ten minutes. 

Do you serve anything special on New Year’s Day?

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday and Delicious Dishes.