Monthly Archives: January 2016

Orange Zest French Toast Sticks

  

Blood oranges are in season and mighty delicious! I put this recipe together to start this bright and sunny warm day (60 degrees) on January 31st in the burgh right. 

I am happy since with this recipe, I was also able to use leftover fresh homemade bread. 

Ingredients:

1 small loaf of crusty bread ( cut into sticks)

1 cup skim milk

1 tsp pure orange extract ( I used penzeys)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

2 th pure maple syrup

1/3 cup egg whites

1 whole zest of a blood orange 

Pinch of nutmeg 

1 tb unsalted butter

This recipes yields 17 French Toast Sticks

Directions:

1. Place a nonstick pan on medium heat and add butter. Add the butter to the pan and allow to melt. 

2 In the meantime place milk, orange zest, orange & vanilla extract, nutmeg, egg whites, maple syrup in a medium bowl.  Whisk the ingredients together well. 

3. Soak slices of bread in milk mixture on both sides. Place the the saturated bread on the hot skillet. Allow to cook 3-4 minutes on each side. Repeat until all the liquid and bread vanish. 

4. Sprinkle with some powdered sugar or drizzle with maple syrup. 

Enjoy!

Nanny’s Cornflake Crust 

  

 My husband’s Nanny Kessman used to make this classic baked chicken dish with cornflakes instead of breadcrumbs. My husband mentioned she would make this family favorite for every holiday. Even when he was growing up she baked this entree. 

This dish comes out very crunchy on the outside and moist in the center without the grease. The pasta sprinkle adds a lot heightened flavor. 

The other day I recalled this dish and thought I don’t think we have ever made it. What a perfect quick dinner recipe that pairs well with actifry fries and a many steamed veggie. 

Ingredients:

3 thin slices pork chops or thin chicken breast 

1 1/2 cups of cornflakes, then crushed

1 TB pasta sprinkle or Italian seasoning

1 large egg

1 TB skim milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Take a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and then place a wire rack in the inside of the pan on top of the parchment paper. Set aside.

3. Take two shallow small bowls. Place the crushed cornflakes in one mixed with pasta sprinkle. In the other bowl place the egg and beat it lightly with the milk. 

4. Take the meat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the meat in the egg wash enough to coat entire piece. Allow excess to drop off and then place the meat in the cornflake dust. Flip the meat and allow to coat both sides. Place the fully coated meat on the rack inside the pan. Repeat with remaining meat. 

5. Bake the meat in the center of the oven at 350 degrees. Set the timer for 12 minutes and flip the meat and bake for 12 more minutes. 

**The internal temperature of the pork should be 145 degrees. The chicken may take longer.If baking chicken the temperature should be 165 degrees. 

Enjoy! 

Nanny’s CornFlake Crust Chicken

  
   

 My husband’s Nanny Kessman used to make this classic baked chicken dish with cornflakes instead of breadcrumbs. My husband mentioned she would make this family favorite for every holiday. Even when he was going up she baked this entree. She would usually pair this dish with her green beans and bacon side with cottage cheese and applesauce. 
This dish comes out very crunchy on the outside and moist in the center without the grease. The pasta sprinkle adds a lot heightened flavor. 
The other day I recalled this dish and thought I don’t think we have ever made it. What a perfect quick dinner recipe that pairs well with actifry fries and any steamed veggie. 

Ingredients:
3 thin slices pork chops or thin chicken breast 
1 1/2 cups of cornflakes, then crushed (you can buy gluten free if needed)
1 TB pasta sprinkle or Italian seasoning
1 large egg
1 TB skim milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil optional 

Directions:



1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Take a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and then place a wire rack in the inside of the pan on top of the parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Take two shallow small bowls. Place the crushed cornflakes in one mixed with pasta sprinkle. In the other bowl place the egg and beat it lightly with the milk. 
4. Take the meat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the meat in the egg wash enough to coat entire piece. Allow excess to drop off and then place the meat in the cornflake dust. Flip the meat and allow to coat both sides. Place the fully coated meat on the rack inside the pan. Repeat with remaining meat. If you wish you can drizzle with olive oil (Nanny did)
5. Bake the meat in the center of the oven at 350 degrees. Set the timer for 12 minutes and flip the meat and bake for 12 more minutes. 
**The internal temperature of the pork should be 145 degrees. The chicken may take longer.If baking chicken the temperature should be 165 degrees. 
Enjoy! 

Mystery Cheese Potatoes

 
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I placed these fries in the Actifry. The reason they are called Mystery  fries is because we went to one of our favorite shops in the strip district & they have a cheese called “mystery cheese. ” Of course we had to purchase some. The owner was too cute and told us what the cheese was even though it was considered quote on quote “mystery cheese.” 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup a blend of grated Parmesan, Asiago, Romano Cheese

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano 

1/2 teaspoon of paprika

2 tablespoons of olive oil

4 medium to medium large local potatoes 

Directions:

1. Clean, don’t peel, & cut potatoes into sticks. Place in actifry. Pour olive oil over the potatoes.

2. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients and set actifry for 45 minutes. Add additional salt to taste. 

3. Enjoy! 

Pasta Pie





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Yesterday despite the snow we ventured downtown to our favorite place to shop for kitchen essentials and pantry staples. I also love to shop the Strip District for inspiration on what to make the following week. Lucky it was Saturday and one of our favorite bakeries & cafe’s was open. I was checking out the showcase and the owner had made an Italian Meat Pie. This inspired me to look for a meat pie recipe. I did not find exactly what I was looking for; however, stumbled across a recipe by One Little Project at a Time, Three Cheese Italian Rigatoni Pie that intrigued me. This will not stop me from researching to find a pastry meat pie recipe, so be on the lookout for more details in the upcoming week.

I slightly modified the original recipe with the link from of above to incorporate some lighter ingredients and add additional seasoning. This pie turns out picture perfect and ridiculously delicious (Husband approved)! 

Ingredients
  • 1 pound Rigatoni
  • 3 cups; plus 1/3 cup of homemade pasta sauce or your favorite store bought sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil,
  • 1 pound extra lean ground beef (93/7)
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
  • 1/4 cup Romano Locatelli (grated)
  • 1/4 cup Asiago cheese (grated)
  • One 16 oz container of fat free cottage cheese (fat free ricotta cheese) or my family always likes a combo of both
  • 1 large egg
  • 1-1/2 cups of 2% mozzarella cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp of Pasta Sprinkle or Italian seasoning
Instructions:
  1. Cook the Rigatoni in a large pot of boiling water. Cook the pasta according to the package but decrease the time by Cook it about 1 minute. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold water.
  2. Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon of oil to prevent it from sticking. Then add the parmesan cheese, asiago cheese, and romano and mix until the cheese is evenly distributed. Set aside.
  3. Spray a large skillet preferably nonstick with cooking spray, sprinkle meat with salt and pepper, brown the ground beef on medium heat. Remove any excess liquid once cooked and no signs of pink meat.
  4. Add 3 cups of pasta sauce to the meat and bring to a boil.
  5. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for at least 20 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat and let it cool for 10 minutes.
  7. Mix together the container of cottage cheese and the egg & pasta sprinkle.
  8. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  9. Cooking spray a 9 inch springform pan and place the remaining 1/3 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of the springform pan. Spread the sauce evenly.
  10. Take the cooked rigatoni and stand each piece up on its end in the pan. Continue until the whole pan is tightly packed. You will feel like you don’t have enough noodles but you will.
  11. Pour the cottage cheese mixture over the rigatoni and spread evenly over all the noodles. Shake the pan and gently pound the pan on the counter to get some of the cottage cheese to venture down in the noodle vessels.
  12. Pour the meat mixture over top and spread evenly over the noodles. Use your a straw to poke the meat and cheese mixture down into the noodles. You can also gently pound the pan on the counter and shake this helps as well.
  13. Bake, uncovered, the beautiful pie for 15 minutes at 400F.
  14. Remove from the oven and top with the mozzarella cheese.
  15. Bake for another 15 minutes at 400F.
  16. Let stand on wire rack for 10 minutes then run a plastic knife (this will prevent scratching of your pan) around the edge of the pan to help remove the springform pan.

 

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Enjoy!

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Bacon & Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies

 

I made these this morning since it was something we could gab and go and be on our way to the strip district! In my opinion it’s the best way to spend a Saturday morning in the Burgh. 

These packed cookies have a little bit of everything to get you going in the morning.

12 large cookies 

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 tsp baking soda 

1/2 cup raisins

2 cups cornflakes

2/3 cup sugar

5 slices of cooked bacon, chopped

1 egg

1 stick of unsalted butter (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup crunchy natural peanut butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two 1/2 sheet baking pans with parchment paper. Set aside. 

2. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment cream butter and peanut butter with sugar, until light and fluffy.  Add egg and and incorporate.

3. Reduce speed & add in flour and baking soda. Slowly increase speed to low medium to incorpate ingredients together. 

4. Add in raisins, bacon and cornflakes. Mix on low to blend ingredients together.

5. Use size 16 scoop to form large cookies placing 6 to a pan. Flatten the cookie slightly with glass cup. Place one sheet at a time in the center of the oven. Bake for 18 minutes. 

6. Remove pan from oven and immediately place cookies on wire rack to cool. 

Pizza Flavored Oyster Crackers in the Actifry

 
Pizza is a favorite in our household. These tasty crackers are a satisfying alternative when you are craving a bite. They are also perfect for a football party. This recipe was inspired by the TOH magazine Feb/March 2016 issue. However I cut the fat down significantly with the power of the actifry by only using a quarter of the fat. 

Ingredients:

1 (10 oz) bag of oyster crackers

3 TB pizza seasoning 

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tb hot pepper flavored olive oil

1 tb of olive oil 

1/3 cup freshly grated peccorino romano cheese

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in the actifry and set the timer for 15 minutes! Let the crackers cool slightly before snacking!

 

Bacon and Cheddar Popovers

Bacon and Cheddar Popovers!

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One of my husband’s favorite meats is bacon or anything pork related. For Christmas he even received a shirt that  has a pig on it and the T-Shirt says “I like PIG butts and I cannot lie”. Hilarious ! These popovers can be very versatile. If you don’t like the bacon & cheddar cheese combo, you can use your favorite breakfast topping like ham or sausage or even pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Or if you want to make them vegetarian (like me) you could use feta cheese and sun dried tomatoes.

This recipe yields 8 popovers

Predirections:

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Generously cooking spray the popover pan
  • Fill 4 of the tins with water about 3/4s full

Gadgets:

  • Popover pan or muffin tin
  • Oven
  • Measuring cup with spout

 

Ingredients:

1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour

2 large eggs (whisked lightly)

1/4 tsp of Ruth Ann’s Muskego Ave Chicken & Fish Seasoning (Penzey’s Spices) (optional)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 cup of skim milk

3 slices of bacon (already cooked & diced)

8 tsp of shredded 2% cheddar cheese ( you can find this at Aldi’s)

 

Directions: 

  1. Mix together in a medium to large bowl the flour, salt, and Ruth Ann’s seasoning.
  2. Add in the milk and whisked eggs, whisk the batter to incorporate ingredients together fully.
  3. Pull the batter in 8 of the 12 vessels using a measuring cup with a spout filling the tins about 2/3s full.
  4. Top each popover with 1 TB of diced bacon and 1 tsp of cheddar.
  5. Place the popovers in the preheated oven at 450 degrees for 15 minute ( no peaking). Peaking with allow steam to remove and that is what create the beautiful popover shape.
  6. Once time has elapsed decrease temperature to 350 degrees and place the timer on for an additional 15 minutes or until popovers are a deep golden brown. Please make sure not to under bake the popovers.
  7. Place the popover pan on a wire rack to cool slightly prior to taking the popovers out of tins.
  8. Enjoy!

 

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Rustic Feta &  Kalamata Olive Loaf

 

Beautiful… Beautiful Bread ❤️

  

If you don’t know it already  I am passionate about baking bread and find time to make a homemade loaf often. Bread takes time and patience and minimal ingredients. I find it magical and always a surprise. 

This recipe yields one loaf and can be made in 2-3 days depending on when you want to bake it. 
Ingredients:

1 tsp honey

1 1/2 tsp dry active yeast 

2 tsp kosher salt

1 & 3/4 cup warm water

3 1/2 cups AP flour (plus some for dusting)

1-2 TB Cornmeal 

1/2 cup reduced fat feta 
1/2 cup katamala olives (chopped) 

Dutchoven 7 or 9 qt 

Cooking spray

Directions:

1. Place the water,honey and yeast in a measuring cup and let proof for 5 minutes.

2. In the meantime place flour, & salt in a very large glass bowl. Mix with wooden spoon to incorporate the salt throughout.

3. Once the yeast has proofed ( becomes activated and foamy) add to the dry ingredients. Mix well with wooden spoon (do not knead) and cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour at room temperature.

4.Punch down the dough. Turn the dough onto a heavily floured surface; pat into a 9-in. square. Fold square into thirds, forming a 9×3-in. rectangle. Fold rectangle into thirds, forming a 3-in. square. Turn dough over; place in a cooking sprayed bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until almost doubled, about 1 hour.

5. Punch the dough down and repeat folding process as mentioned in step 4. Return dough to the same bowl; refrigerate, covered, for 24 to 48 hours.

6. Dust bottom of a parchment paper with cornmeal. Turn dough onto a heavily floured surface. Place the olives and feta on the bread and knead them gently into the dough for 6-8 times; shape into a 6-in. round loaf. Place on prepared parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Preheat oven to 500 degrees with Dutchoven in the center of the oven. Allow the Dutchoven to heat in oven for 1 hour. Which allows the dough to rise well agai, dough inch in size. 

7. Once dough has rised for the last time, remove plastic wrap & take a sharp knife and a cut design on the of top of loaf to allow steam to escape. I like to make a few silts diagonally.

8. Reduce oven setting to 450°. Carefully remove the Dutch oven from the oven and remove the lid with silicone gloves. Place the dough on parchment paper in to the Dutchoven. Cover with the lid and place the Dutchoven back in the center of the oven. Bake bread 1 hour. No peaking. Remove loaf to a wire rack to cool. Yield: 1 loaf (16 slices).




Unstuffed Peppers Remake

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One of my goals this year is to post more dinner recipes. This recipe made me happy because I did not have to stuff peppers. The original recipe is a TOH recipe. I modified the recipe to incorporate more whole grains, lower fat dairy, and lower saturated fat protein as well. I don’t honestly think anyone will miss the extra calories and fat.

Predirections: Preheat oven to 350 degrees

This recipe yields six servings

Ingredients:

2 Medium Green peppers (chopped)

1/2 a medium onion or about 1/2 cup of yellow onion chopped

1 (2 cup ) jar of your favorite marinara sauce (we used our favorite homemade sauce)

1 1/2 tsp of spicy Mrs. Dash

pinch of salt

a few clicks off the pepper mill

3 large cloves of minced garlic

1 pound of 93/7 ground beef or turkey

1 cup of instant uncooked brown rice

1 cup of 2% mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup of whole wheat bread crumbs

1 cup of very low sodium beef broth

cooking spray

2 quart oven safe casserole dish 

 

Directions:

  1. Place a large skillet on the stove on medium heat and spray with canola oil or olive oil spray. Place meat, peppers, garlic, and onion in skillet make sure to cook the meat until no longer pink. Season meat with pepper, salt and Mrs. Dash.
  2. In meantime bring the broth to boil in a small sauce pan add in the rice and decrease temperature & cook for 5 minutes.
  3. Once the rice has cooked thoroughly add it to the meat mixture along with the marinara sauce. Mix the ingredients together well. Add about half of the cheese and stir. 

4. Carefully pour the ingredients into the 2 quart casserole dish. Pat the top with a spatula to make sure the mixture is spread evenly.  Top the dish with the bread crumbs and remaining cheese.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

6. Enjoy!