3 great recipes for late summer and fall

As all of you know, my family has had a very difficult summer
and early fall, so I have not been doing a lot of original cooking.
However, last month I came up with a fabulous book club recipe,
and I have 2 others from this week that I will share all in one post.

The first is the book club recipe.
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls with Blue Cheese Sauce

I just took a can of pumpkin puree, a tub of ricotta cheese and mixed it
together with a sprinkling of nutmeg, corriander, salt and pepper. Then
folded in some chopped sage leaves to taste. I had my cooked and cooled
lasagna noodles standing by. Don't cook them all the way or they
will be difficult to handle. I also used the wider lasanga noodles.

I spread each noodle with a layer of filling, grated some blue cheese
on top and rolled up.

Then I made a sauce of heavy cream, chopped sage leaves, nutmeg,
corriander and salt. Warm it up over low heat on the stove. Put a thin
layer of sauce in your casserole dish, place your noodles in and cover
with the rest of the sauce. Crumble some blue cheese on top and bake
for 20-30min in a 350 oven.


Summer Salad

This is so simple and delicious, you'll wonder how you ever lived without
it. Seed and roughly chop some ripe garden tomatoes; whatever colors you
like. Lightly steam some asparagus and cut on the bias. Roughly chop some
fire roasted red peppers. Mix together with some diced fresh
mozzarella and drizzle with a mixture of Zesty Italian dressing and a
small amount of fine balsamic vinegar. Let this stand for a while, or
refrigerate to let the flavors mingle and mellow. Just before serving
sprinkle with chopped basil and parsley, salt and a fair amount of pepper.
You can even add a little lemon zest.


Basil Bean Soup

Brown off some pancetta in your soup pan. Remove and set aside. Use the
drippings to cook down some onion and garlic. Put in some good white wine,
and some chicken stock and bring to a low boil. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add cannelini beans, reserving some for later. Cook this for about 30 min.
Then, using an immersion blender, blend until very smooth. Add your
reserved beans, pancetta and basil (I used basil paste).

Serve with some crusty homemade bread...or bakery bread-


I hope you will enjoy all 3 of these dishes as the summer closes.
I will be trying to post more regularly again.
Happy Eating!

Warm Pineapple Salsa

I made this to top some steaks, but it would be great on
burgers or chicken; maybe even duck breast.

I grilled off some pineapple spears and then chopped them up.
Then I sauted some sweet onion and jalapenos in some pan drippings.
If you don't have pan drippings, make some with a couple slices of bacon!
No, you can use butter or olive oil or a combo, but if you grilled
burgers, steaks or duck breasts, use those drippings, they are yummy!
I then added the juice of the pineapple to deglaze the pan, added my
chopped pineapple and warmed everything through. I like some snap
still in my veggies so it didn't take long, but if you want everything
softer, cook it longer.

Then top whatever you want! ...Well, maybe not chocolate cake, but
you get the idea.

Caribbean Stuffed Peppers

I made this as a side dish to a delicous steak dinner,
but it could be a meal in itself. The color of the peppers does not matter.

Slice the tops off some bell peppers and clean out the insides.
Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside until
ready to stuff.

Prepare some rice. I use a mix of brown and wild, but use whatever you like
or have. Saute the rice in a little olive oil and butter till nutty; then
add your chicken stock and a little mango juice. Stir in some raisins
and some chopped dried pineapple. Let that cook till the rice is tender.

Meanwhile, saute some small diced onion, hot peppers, celery, mushrooms,
the tops of your bell peppers. Cook until soft then add some chicken
andouille sausage with sundried tomatoes (or any pre-cooked sausage
you like). If you'd rather use uncooked sausage it is fine, just
make sure you cook it through. Add to the rice and stir, then stuff
your peppers. Cook them off in the oven till they reach your desired
tenderness.

Play around with the heat and the flavors of this dish. You could add
coconut, dates, mango, shrimp instead of sausage, anything you like.
Just be creative and enjoy!!

Creamed Mushrooms with Tarragon

This is just a simple sauce that I made for a pork roast,
but it would be just as good on chicken or any other meat.

Take some assorted mushrooms and slice them. Use your fav's,
or what is available to you. Thinly slice some white onion as well.
Saute them down in some butter, then add some minced garlic, salt and pepper.
Add a little white wine (Mary was drinking a Chard, so I used hers)
to deglaze the pan. Sprinkle with some flour and toss to coat. Let that
reduce to practically nothing then lower the temp and add some sour cream
and heavy cream (or you could use milk). Stir in some parsley and tarragon.

There you go, easy peasy!

Chicken with Mango Sauce and Mango chutney

Mary came by for dinner and she wanted something summery with mango, so....
I looked up a recipe from Bobby Flay on the Food Network for a
southwestern chicken with mango. However, I switched out a few things,
some didn't work, but I'll try to adjust it here for better success.
Of course, feel free to send me your favorite adjustments and substitutions
and I will post them for all to see.

I marinated some chicken breasts in a mixture of ground cumin, toasted cumin
seed, garlic, lemon and lime zest and juice, chopped jalepeno( I may switch
up to habenero next time as Mark said it wasn't hot enough) and S&P.

Then I made a sauce of chicken stock, peppercorns, garlic, red wine vinegar,
white wine vinegar, honey, mango concentrate, pepper and a piece of dried
mango. I simmered this till it reduced down to practically nothing.

Then I made a mango chutney with chopped mango, red onion, jalepenos,
lime zest and juice, cumin, cilantro and S&P.

Bobby's recipe called for cotija cheese and you were supposed to dust
the chicken with it and cumin before sauteing. I couldn't find that particular
cheese here in Walkersville, so I substituted asiago, added some ground
cracker crumbs(because I didn't have bread crumbs) corriander and cayenne.
I sauted the chicken(but the cheese stuck to the pan) until golden brown
on both sides, and was supposed to finish in the oven, which I did, but
after all the crust stuck to the pan, the color on the chicken was no longer
good, so I put it back on the stove top and finished it there. Then I
removed the chicken to a plate and put the above sauce in the fry pan to
make a great pan sauce from my stuck on bits. It was a yummy thicker sauce
than the original recipe.

Next time I won't use cheese in the coating, and will have proper bread crumbs,
and just cook all the way through on the stove top, it will make it a whole
lot easier. Also, next time I will just make my pan sauce, and not bother with
simmering large amounts of liquid away to nothing.

Bobby Flay's recipe is called Cumin Crusted Chicken with Cotija and Mango-
Garlic Sauce with Green Onion Pesto Mashed Potatoes.

The potatoes I made with it were excellent and I followed the recipe pretty
closely, though my measurements weren't so precise.

Thank you Mary for the inspiration of mango. And a big Thank You to
Bobby Flay and the Food Network for the basics of the dish!!

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig Chutney

I had called my sis to ask what kind of fruit would go with pork.
She didn't really know, but didn't like my pear idea (she just doesn't
like pears) so she mentioned figs. Figs? Hmmm, good idea, but where to
get them in Walkersville MD???

I finally found some sunmaid dried figs in Safeway. I also thought
of looking for preserves, but didn't have to.

So I made a spice rub of kosher salt, fennel seeds, garlic, pepper,
sage and cardamom. I ground it in my morter & pestal to open up
the oils and flavors, then rubbed a little olive oil on the tenderloin
and spread the spices all over it. I then let it rest a few minutes
while I got my pan hot and started a potato and preheated my oven.

When my pan was good and hot, I seared the tenderloin on all sides.
I then deglazed the pan with a little Fume Blanc, but a dry reisling
would be nice too. Covered it and put it in a 325 oven, for around 20 min.

While the tenderloin was roasting, I carmelized an onion and my dried
figs in a 50/50 mix of butter and olive oil. when they were good and
brown I added a sprinkling of salt and some Fume Blanc. Let that warm
through and reduce a little, then I put in a chopped pear. Stirred
in a pat of blue cheese and about 1/3 of a log of goat cheese,
let it melt then kept it warm while I finished up the tenderloin.

When the tenderloin was med rare I removed it from the oven and let it
rest for about 10-15 min. I served it with the chutney and for sides
I chose a potato and roasted asparagus.

It was very yummy! Mark even said I should write the recipe down
and asked if he could make it for his hunting buddies. I said sure,
but he would need a lot more meat! LOL

Thanks Mary, for the idea of figs!!

My Fav Fried Green Beans

This has been posted before as my hot green beans, and
you will notice the similarities. They are a great side dish
and with a few changes can be made to compliment any meal.

First prepare some green beans. OK, OK...I get frozen
whole beans and thaw them; they are available all year round
like that, and don't take nearly the time to prepare. However,
fresh beans are to die for, and if you are impressing the honey,
go for it!

Then slice a red pepper into strips approximately the same thickness
of the beans. Crush some garlic. Heat a large fry pan(non-stick is
best)very hot. Add you olive oil to the hot pan and dump in the beans,
peppers and garlic.

Now be quick, this is where you want to add your flavorings...
Sesame seeds and a drissle of sesame oil; or hot pepper flakes
and soy sauce; or balsamic vinegar and honey; or basil and cherry
tomatoes then sprinkle with parm; or lemon zest if serving with fish;
or rosemary....or....you get my drift. Anything that will carry
over your meal. Saute only till blistered, still crispy and packed
with vitamins.

Very scrumptious and very healthy!!
Eat up and enjoy experimenting.