Caramalized Onion, Bacon, Cheese and Baby Kale Strata

Before I say good bye to winter, I must share my latest strata (last of the comfort food hopefully?). Remember, I live in New England and while a lot of the country has been enjoying comfortable temperatures, I made this dish 3 days ago when it was hailing on my way home from work. It's a simple fix, and I know you're going to like the caramelized onion/cheese/bacon/kale combo. Oh and the little tang of Dijon mustard is just perfect. Here's what you need to put this little darling together, and you don't have to be having a tough winter to make this, it's a great brunch entrée- hot out of the oven or served at room temp.

End of the Winter Strata
Serves 6

6 slices bacon chopped 1 inch pieces
1 T olive oil
2 medium sized onions chopped
1/2 cup Fontina cheese shredded
1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese crumbled
3/4 cup baby kale chopped
8 slices hearty white or Italian bread cut into 1 inch cubes
4 large eggs
1-3/4 cups milk or half and half
1 T Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 T unsalted butter melted

Let's do this with pictures. It will help me next year when I'm at my wit's end with cold weather. Yes, that might help!

Sauté bacon in a large pan.

 

When just about crisp, remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Save 1 T of bacon fat and place back in pan and add 1 T of olive oil. Add your onions and cook on low heat for at least 20-30 minutes.

 

 

Add a little salt and pepper if you like. I did. While onions are caramelizing, shred your Fontina cheese and crumble the Gorganzola. Now chop your baby kale, slice your bread, melt butter and prepare your egg custard. In mixing bowl or large measuring cup mix eggs, milk, mustard, salt, pepper and cooled melted butter.

Prepare an 8" x 8' baking dish with cooking spray and layer 4 of the sliced pieces of bread.

Add your cooked bacon, caramelized onions, cheese and kale.

Top with the rest of the sliced bread and add the egg custard. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about an hour.

Since I've been making strata's all winter, I've been reading up on the "setting-up in the fridge" time of this lovely dish, and I am of the belief that 1 -2 hours is all you need. Some say overnight. Sorry- I don't have time for that, and also...I don't think it bakes as well. Yeah, I'm a rebel. But try it my way, I think you'll be happy. So put this little dish of deliciousness in a 325 degree oven and bake for 50-55 minutes. Oh, you can also add a bit more cheese to the top. It is a farewell to winter right? Take a look. Imagine how good it tastes.

Christmas Orzo

I made this dish last week to go with a yummy pot roast and it made my meal feel festive. Now I'm not suggesting that you serve this at your Christmas dinner, but the colors just screamed Holiday and Christmas, so I gave it the name Christmas Orzo. And during this hectic time of year, isn't it great to put together a healthy, colorful side dish that's ready in less than half an hour? I certainly think so!

Christmas Orzo
Serves 4

1 cup uncooked orzo
1 T unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1-3/4 cups canned chicken stock or broth (low sodium, fat free)
1 T additional olive oil for sautéing vegetables:
1 red pepper chopped
4 oz cremini mushrooms chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 cups baby kale chopped
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
1/4 - 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan (optional)

Prep your raw vegetables.

And slice/chop the baby kale, which by the way is an excellent source of vitamins A, K and Folate. You can use more or less of the kale than I've recommended, but if you're not sure about the flavor (which is rather pronounced) go with a lesser amount. Here's the package I bought:

In medium size saucepan on medium low heat melt your butter and oil. Add the orzo and toast on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes until some of the grains become toasty and brown. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Now add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low (very low) and cook 12-13 minutes.

While orzo is cooking add your olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat on medium to medium low (my stovetop cooks hot). Add your prepped red pepper, mushroom and onion and coat with oil. Add a pinch more of salt and your Herbes de Provence. Stir to combine veggies and seasoning. After the vegetables soften (about 5 minutes) add your chopped kale. Cook another minute or so until the kale wilts.

Mix the warm vegetables into the cooked orzo and add some cheese if desired.

Serve alone or with anything your holiday heart desires. Merry Christmas!

Flavor Explosion

A few weeks ago at our pot luck Halloween lunch at work I sampled kielbasa cooked in yellow mustard and apple jelly. It was served on toothpicks as an appetizer. And wow, was it good. So last week I took this yummy idea a step further and made a soup with kielbasa, cabbage, onions and potatoes. And cooked them in the mustard and apple jelly mixture. Flavor explosion is all I can say. And easy peasy.

Kielbasa and Cabbage Soup
serves 4

1 package kielbasa (I used the light)
1/2 head green cabbage sliced or chopped
1 large onion sliced
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp canola oil
water to cover kielbasa
2 cups chicken broth
1 Russet potato diced
9 oz apple jelly
4 oz yellow mustard
salt and pepper

Let's get cooking. Slice your kielbasa so it fits in a medium size sauce pan. Cover with water and cook on medium heat until the sausages begin to plump, about 25 minutes.

Prep your cabbage and onions and set aside. Remove kielbasa from pan and let cool. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid for broth. When kielbasa is cooled a bit slice into 1/2 inch rounds and mix together the mustard and apple jelly.

In large soup pan on medium heat, add canola oil and toast the mustard seeds for almost a minute, until they start to pop. Now add the cabbage and onions and lower heat to medium low. Cook cabbage/onions until slightly wilted.

Now add the apple jelly mixture and reserved cooking water and chicken broth. Add back the kielbasa and the chopped potatoes. Cook another ten minutes and your soup is done. Taste to see if you need to add any salt and pepper. I added a pinch or two of both.

This is one hearty meal, and the combo of the apple jelly and mustard just takes it over the top. It's a little bit sweet and has just the right amount of tang due to the mustard. Yummers, I'm going to try this again and add a little bit of bacon. And next time, you can be sure I'll have a crusty loaf of bread on hand for dipping. Oh yeah, I'm getting ready for winter.

Tortellini Lasagna, oh yum

 

Here's a little ditty I made while talking on the phone with Didi the other night. Yeah, it's that easy. And it's delish. Kinda like a quick lasagna. I warn you, there's lots of cheese involved (my weakness) but you can adjust it to your tastebuds. I made this with ground beef, but I think it would be just as good as a vegetarian dish with the mushrooms and spinach while omitting the beef. It would make a great appetizer either way or a main course with a salad and some crusty bread (my other weakness). Here's the recipe:

Cremini Mushrooms and Spinach Baked with Ground Beef and Tortellini
I'm not sure how many servings- 9 for an appetizer and maybe 6 for a main course

1 T olive oil
1/2 large onion diced
8 oz cremini mushrooms diced
1 lb ground beef
2.5 oz fresh baby spinach
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper
salt and black pepper
1 12 oz bag of frozen tri-colored tortellini
1 28 oz jar of marinara sauce
1-1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese

In large skillet on medium heat, add your olive oil. Now add your onions and mushrooms. Cook a few minutes and add the ground beef. Add salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook mixture until pink disappears from the meat. Drain any fat that accumulates.

Now add your spinach. It looks like a lot, but really, next time I'll add more because it sure wilts down to almost nothing. And I might chop it next time too.

Now add your marinara sauce and pre heat your oven to 350 degrees.

In small baking dish (I used an 8x8 inch Pyrex) add a layer of sauce to coat the bottom of the pan. Add half the bag of frozen tortellini.

Top with half the meat sauce, then add half the shredded cheese.

Repeat the tortellini/meat sauce/cheese layer. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15 minutes uncovered. Let cool about 15-20 minutes before serving. Ooey, gooey, cheesy deliciousness, that's what it is, yum.

Earthy

I've been having some issues with my computer lately and missing sharing some new recipes that I've been making. Computer issues lead to stress, and cooking for me is a stress reliever. And orzo seems to do the trick. Yeah, I've been on an orzo kick this year. Bear with me folks because I'll latch on to something else soon (maybe, maybe not so soon), but this is a flavorful side dish (now my favorite) that will go with anything you serve for lunch or dinner. If you're a mushroom fan and like the earthy flavor of creminis and spinach, this is a must make. And it's a quick fix.

Cremini Mushroom and Spinach Orzo
4 servings

1 cup uncooked orzo
1 T unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper
1-3/4 cup water or chicken stock (both work great)
1 T additional olive oil to saute mushrooms and onions
8 oz cremini mushrooms
1/2 onion diced
1 cup (or more) fresh baby spinach chopped
1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese (or as much as you like)

Melt butter and olive oil in medium size saucepan on low heat. Add orzo and toast on medium heat for about 2 minutes until some of the pasta has become toasted. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Now add your broth or water and bring to a low boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 12-13 minutes. While orzo is cooking, slice the mushrooms. Don't they look yummy already?

Dice your onion. In separate pan saute mushrooms and onions in olive oil. I use a medium low heat. Add a little salt and pepper and any other spices you might like. I think tarragon or garlic would be nice, but I've taken the simple route. Just S and P.

Now take the spinach and add it to the pan. Cook for a minute until it wilts.

The buttery, toasted orzo is just about ready. Take your veggie mixture and add it to the orzo, stir and serve hot. Oh, and right before you're ready to eat, add your shaved parm and give the dish another stir so it gets melty and a little gooey. You're gonna like this!

 

Baked Beans with a Little Extra Heat

Jenny's Baked Beans have been a favorite of mine for the last few years. Today I did a quick re-mix and subbed Sriracha for Franks Hot Sauce and used Dijon mustard instead of the yellow. It's hot, but not too hot, so don't let the sriracha scare you. To me, it was just perfect, and the recipe is super simple!

There are a lot of Saucy Mamas out there, and I'm one of them!

I've been blogging now for almost five years. I love the writing and the cooking, love the friends I've made and love the newest opportunity that came my way a few weeks ago. I've been chosen as one of 25 bloggers to compete in the Saucy Mama blogger challenge.  And it's a big one. The winner of the challenge will win $1,000, a Golden Ticket to the World Food Championships and a $1,000 travel stipend. Barhyte foods sent me 6 of their Saucy Mama sauces and asked me get saucy with an original recipe. The package included: 12 oz each of Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Wing Sauce, Jamaican Jerk Wing Sauce, Honey Barbecue Wing Sauce, Hot Wing Sauce, Honey Dijon Dressing and Four Leaf Balsamic.

So the tasting began. Each and every sauce has a quality of it's own. My two favs were the Orange Habanero and Four Leaf Balsamic, but I could have been happy creating with any one of the six. Those who know me have probably guessed by now that I fell in love with the Orange Habanero Wing Sauce. The flavors are complex (as are the other sauces), but this baby won my heart. I love me some heat and citrus and I was on the road to happiness.

My mom used to make the creamiest orzo (pasta) and I decided to add a little zest/oomph to her recipe and update it by adding orange supremes, a little orange zest and a tad of the Habanero Orange Sauce. And what goes better with orzo than shrimp? Well probably nothing... and so my cooking adventure began. I did a few test runs to get the recipe just the way I wanted it, and here's what I came up with.

Zesty Orzo Smothered with Orange Habanero Shrimp
Serves 4

Orzo
2 cups uncooked orzo (I used Barilla)
3 T unsalted butter
1 T canola oil
1/2 cup onion diced
Salt and pepper
3-1/2 cups chicken broth with extra juice from the oranges
1-1/2 T Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Wing Sauce
Zest of 2 navel oranges
2 navel oranges supremed (save the juice to add to broth)

Shrimp
1 pound Gulf shrimp peeled and deveined (I like the 16-21 per pound)
1 medium onion chopped
5 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 T unsalted butter
1 T canola oil
1 tsp Azafran seasoning
1/3 cup Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Wing Sauce
1 bottle Shock Top orange beer
Juice of half lemon and juice of half orange

I'm ready to put this dish together with some pictures. It's really a quick fix and simple, simple, simple.

To make the orzo: Add butter and oil to medium size skillet on medium low heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until softened (3-4 minutes). Don't brown them, just soften. Now add your orzo and toast the pasta in the butter mixture kind of like you're making risotto. Add the Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Sauce and combine. Add a small amount of salt and pepper and take a moment to admire the toasty goodness of the orzo.

Now it's time to add the broth, zest and orange supremes.

Cover pot and cook on a low simmer for 15 minutes. Voila! Creamy orzo is ready.

Set the orzo aside and let's get ready to cook the shrimp. Besides the Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Sauce, there's another secret ingredient to this dish. It's orange beer, and apparently easy to find. One stop at a liquor store and I found what I was looking for.

 In large pot add butter, oil, garlic and onions. Cook on medium to low until onions and garlic are translucent, but not brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add beer, Saucy Mama Orange Habanero Sauce, Azafran, lemon and orange juice. Increase heat a bit and add shrimp.

Cover and cook on a low boil 5-6 minutes until shrimp become pink. Remove shrimp from cooking liquid and set aside to cool a bit.

Once shrimp are removed, increase stove heat slightly and reduce the beer, habanero orange sauce mixture to intensify the flavors. Do this with the cover off. This takes about 10-15 minutes. While you're reducing the liquid, I give you permission to taste the shrimp, just one or two though. Aren't they delish? And that's without the decadent sauce. A few more minutes and you're ready to eat.

While my sauce was concentrating, I put together an avocado, orange, scallion, and Fresno chili salsa to go with this flavorful meal. It's certainly not a necessity, but I always like some veggies with my meal.

And now for the reader giveaway. Saucy Mama would like you to try their sauces and has offered a give-away to my readers. Simply leave a comment here on the blog or on my facebook page by the Saucy Mama post and you could be chosen to receive 3 Saucy Mama wing sauces. That's a saucy way to begin the summer season, don't you think?

More Comfort Food

Yes, I've been cooking a lot of comfort food lately. It's March and New England weather is so cruel and it's been getting me down. My comfort food routine has been mostly re-heatable dishes and casseroles that allow me to spend some time chatting with my friends on the internet and not slaving over a stove after a snowy ride home from work (like today). My friends are a lot like me, and Carol J (another New Englander) has a recipe on Just a Pinch that I recently "pinched" that most definately had my name on it. I kept hearing it talk to me in my head saying, "Try me. Try me". And so I did. It's definately blog worthy and I hope you'll give it a whirl. It's meaty, cheesy, and contains quite a bit of spinach, my kind of food for sure. I made a few minor changes and tried to cut the calories and fat wherever I could, 'cause that's what I like to do so I can maybe fit into my spring clothes.

Ground Beef, Spinach and Cheese Casserole
Inspired by Carol J from Just a Pinch Recipe Club

12 oz frozen chopped spinach
8 oz neufchatel cheese at room temp
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
3 T skim milk
1 T Boursin spreadable cheese
1 scallion chopped
1/2 medium onion diced
1 pound lean ground beef
2 cups uncooked penne pasta (I use Dreamfields low carb)
15 oz marinara sauce (homemade is best, store bought is fine)
1 cup lower fat shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Cook spinach. I used the microwave on high for 3 minutes.

Let cool and squeeze out all the moisture. Set aside and cook the penne according to package directions. While pasta is cooking brown your ground beef with diced onion on medium heat. Add a little salt and pepper if you like, I did. I also would recommend some crushed red pepper flakes. I forgot to do that (but I did add it when I served myself a heaping portion at the dinner table).

Now I'm not into stress in the kitchen, but if you can handle this... while beef is browning and pasta is cooking, mix your cream cheese, Boursin, milk and chopped scallion in a bowl and set aside. I was actually able to do this. And I pre heated my oven to 350 degrees as well.

When pasta is done, drain and add to beef mixture. Make sure you drain off any excess fat from the beef before you do this. Now add your marinara sauce. Doesn't this look like a meal on it's own?

Time to get the casserole together. I used my large souffle dish of course, because every casserole deserves to be served in a nice dish, plus it's my all time favorite. Spritz your casserole dish with a little cooking spray and place half your pasta/beef/sauce mixture in the bottom. Top with half the cream cheese mix and top that with all the spinach.

Add the rest of your pasta beef mixture, cover your dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven, add the remaining cream cheese mixture and top with shredded cheddar. Bake for another 10 minutes uncovered and you're ready to eat this melty, ooey, gooey, yummy meal. 

I served this with some toasted slices of parmesan pita triangles so I could scoop up some of the cheesy goodness and was a very happy gal. And no salad needed with this casserole, my veggie was waiting for me inside. Great dish Carol J, it's a definate keeper!.