Cod poached with tomatoes and spinach

 A one dish dinner.  Serve over rice.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ tsp (scant) cinnamon
1 ½ Tbsp. minced garlic
1 c water
¾ c dry white wine
2 Tbsp. capers, drained
1 14.5- oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
¾ tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
3 c fresh baby spinach
4 6-8-oz cod fillets
¼ c sliced olives (Green, Black, and Kalamata all work)

Directions
Heat olive oil in large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add garlic and cinnamon and sauté for about 1 minute, or until lightly browned, being careful not to let it burn.
Add canned tomatoes with liquid, water, wine, capers and all spices.  Stir to combine, then bring to a boil.
Add spinach and stir until wilted.
Reduce heat and nestle cod fillets into sauce.  Cover and simmer 5-6 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. 
Serve over rice with about 2/3c of sauce and top with olives

Sweet Corn Gazpacho

 A fabulous late summer meal. Trust me, go to the trouble of finding yellow tomatoes. It's worth it. Recipe from The Endless Meal.

2 lb yellow tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
3 ears of corn, removed from cob (save a few kernels for garnish)
1/4 cup white onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Optional: 1/4 jalapeño pepper, (seeded, for texture, not spiciness)
2 teaspoons sea salt 
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice – from about 1 lime
Sea salt, to taste
Olive oil, cilantro, corn and fresh cracked pepper, to garnish

Combine the yellow tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, onion, garlic and jalapeño pepper in a large bowl. Sprinkle the sea salt over the top and mix well using your hands. Set the bowl aside on your counter for half an hour. (Can be left for up to 4 hours, if needed.)
Working in batches blend the soup along with the olive oil. I like this soup quite creamy, but if you think you might like it a little chunky blend the soup just a little, taste, and then continue to blend it until it's perfect for you.
Stir through the sherry vinegar and lime juice then season to taste with sea salt. This soup can be made up to 3 days in advance. Keep it covered in your fridge until you are ready to serve it.

Pasta with Pancetta, Snap Peas and Mint

 Adapted from Food52 which always has great recipes and ideas

Ingredients

4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound chopped pancetta (I get this at Trader Joes and it's great!)
4 shallots, minced
1 pint cream
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/2 pound fresh snap peas, whole, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
salt and fresh ground pepper
3/4 pound (3/4 box) pasta, farfalle or orecchiette


In a heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook pancetta until crispy. Take out the pancetta and add the garlic, cooking for 2 minutes until just beginning to color.

Add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes to soften, and season with a pinch or two of salt and a turn or two of fresh black pepper.

Meanwhile, bring your pasta water to a boil, salt it, and add your pasta. You will want to time the pasta to be finished just as the sauce is finishing so that the cream doesn't sit long.

With about 3 minutes left on your pasta, add the peas and cook for 2 minutes. We want them to retain their crunch. With one minute remaining, add the cream and quickly bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the cheese, stir, and reduce the heat to low.

Drain the pasta, and toss with the sauce to coat. Sprinkle liberally with fresh mint, and serve with black pepper and extra Parmesan cheese. 

Baked Scallops with Parmesan and Panko

 From Eating Well

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound large dry sea scallops (about 16 scallops)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil. Pat scallops dry; arrange in a single layer in the dish. Sprinkle the scallops evenly with salt and pepper.

Whisk melted butter, lemon juice and shallot in a small bowl; pour over the scallops.

In the same bowl, combine panko, Parmesan, parsley and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the scallops.

Bake until the scallops are opaque and the topping is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken Pot Pie

 I found this recipe from another member of an online recipe group. Normally I don't care for "cream of something" soups in recipes, but I make an exception here!

Ingredients:

1 Premade pie crust (2 crusts) 

2 Chicken breasts, chopped 

8 oz frozen Peas and Carrots
16 oz Southern Style Hash brown potatoes (cubes) (1/2 bag)
3 cans of “Cream of” soup (chicken, mushroom or celery-your choice or combination)
½ onion, diced
Salt and pepper

Place 1 of the pie shells in a pie plate.
Mix together chicken, veggies, potatoes, onion and soup.
Heap mixture in pie shell and top with second shell. Crimp edges and poke top of shell.

Bake at 350°F, for 1 hour, or until golden brown.

Recipe compliments of Bob - http://www.thatswhatbobscooking.com/2014/12/chicken-pot-pie.html 

Baked Lemon Herb Parmesan Salmon

 This is a real winner from Wholesome Yum. We keep frozen salmon from Wild Alaskan in the freezer and this is a quick recipe I've been known to do from frozen in a pinch (just add 5-10 minutes in the oven).

Ingredients

Up to 2lbs salmon fillet (if you're cooking less you'll just use less spread and topping)
Sea salt
Black pepper

For Spread:
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon zest
2-4 cloves garlic, minced

For Topping
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 400* F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Place the salmon onto the lined baking sheet. Season both sides with sea salt and black pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the spread (grated parmesan, mayonnaise, lemon zest and minced garlic). Spread the mixture over the top of the salmon.

In a dry bowl, stir together the remaining 1/2c parmesan cheese, parsley, and dill. Add the melted butter and stir until crumbly. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the salmon and pat lightly.
If you have the lemon left from making the zest, and feel daring, squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the fish.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Taco Pie

 My go-to when we have too many eggs. This is based on a recipe from Simply So Healthy, but I've made it more eggy!

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef 
1 packet (approx 1/4c) taco seasoning 
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup Mexican blend cheese , divided
6 large eggs
2/3 cup heavy cream (although I've done this with half and half as well as 2% milk just fine)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a 9" round deep dish pie dish.
Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Drain as needed.
Add taco seasoning and take off the heat.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and heavy cream. Stir in the green onions, salsa, 3/4 cup of the cheese, and the salt.
Stir prepared taco meat into the egg mixture. Pour this mixture into the prepared pie pan. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Bake pie in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes or until the top is brown and the pie is set. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite taco toppings such as salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

Greek Chicken, Lemon and Rice Soup in the Instant Pot

 From 365 Days of Crockpot

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
6 cups chicken broth 
2 large carrots, cut into quarter inch slices
1 rib of celery, diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3/4 cup long grain white rice
2 chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
feta cheese


Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting and add the olive oil. 

Stir and saute the onion for about 3-4 minutes. 

Add the broth and let the broth heat up while you cut up your carrots and celery. 

Add in the carrots, celery, salt, pepper and rice.
Cut your chicken breasts in half, so they are half as thick. This will help them cook at the same rate as the rice. Add them into the pot.
Set the manual/pressure cook button to 5 minutes (high pressure).
Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then move the valve to venting.

Pro tip: drape a dish towel over the release valve because this tends to splutter a lot when venting manually and it will reduce clean up a lot!

Remove chicken and place on a cutting board to rest.
In a bowl whisk together the melted butter and flour until smooth. Ladle a cup of the soup into the flour/butter mixture and whisk until smooth. Ladle the mixture back into the pot. This will help to thicken the soup.

Add the lemon juice into the pot.
In a bowl whisk together the eggs until frothy. Temper the eggs by ladling a tablespoon of the hot soup into the eggs and whisk, then repeat the process a few times. This way the eggs won’t scramble. Add the entire mixture into the pot and stir. This will make the soup creamy and thick.

Shred the chicken and add it to the pot.
Ladle soup into bowls and serve with feta.

One Pot Italian Beef and Rice

 A quick one pot meal from I Wash You Dry.

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef
15 oz diced tomatoes, canned
1 1/2 cups mixed veggies, peas and carrots
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups beef broth
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Brown the ground beef and onion in a large skillet until no longer pink, drain any excess fat.

Return skillet to stove top and add in the tomatoes, mixed veggies, rice, beef broth, oregano, garlic salt, basil and pepper. Stir until combined and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let cook until rice is tender - about 17 minutes.

Gently fluff rice with fork and top with mozzarella cheese. Cover with the lid for about 3 minutes to let cheese melt. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Pecazelnut Pie

This recipe was from a Beekman 1802 newsletter a few years back. When I lost the original email and my google searches only resulted in 404 errors, I contacted Beekman and they were gracious enough to send me the recipe.

Ingredients:
Pastry dough for single crust pie.
¾ stick unsalted butter
1 cups packed light brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
¾ cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liqueur
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 cup pecans
1 cup hazelnuts, roasted in 400F oven for 7 minute until toasted.
1 teaspoon coarse finishing salt

Preheat oven to 350F.
Roll out pastry dough on floured surface to 12″ round. Place into 9″ pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a ¾” overhang. Fold over edge and crimp. Chill in refrigerator or freeze for 20 minutes.

Melt butter in medium heavy saucepan. Add brown sugar and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add maple syrup and corn syrup, whisking to combine. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla,  ¼ teaspoon salt, and liqueur.

In separate bowl, gently beat eggs. Add liquid sugar mixture to eggs and stir.
Remove crust from freezer, put pecans and hazelnuts in pie shell and gently pour liquid mixture over them. Sprinkle surface with coarse salt.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until set. Cool and serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

https://beekman1802.com/

Apple Cider Caramels

My go-to fall treat. It's before everyone is sugared out with holiday confections and these are unique and extremely flavorful. I also like that they're on the soft side.

Ingredients:

4 cups apple cider
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (fun fact: I've also used homemade pumpkin spice and it's nice too)
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into chunks (tbh, I've used salted butter, and it's fine if you cut down the sea salt a tad)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
Neutral oil for the knife

Boil the apple cider in a 3- to- 4- quart saucepan over high heat until it is reduced to a dark, thick syrup, between 1/3 and 1/2 cup in volume. This takes about 35 to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Line the bottom and sides of an 8- inch straight- sided square metal baking pan with parchment. 

Stir the cinnamon and flaky salt together in a small dish.

Once you are finished reducing the apple cider, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter, sugars, and heavy cream. Return the pot to medium- high heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side, and let it boil until the thermometer reads 252 degrees, only about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it, stirring constantly.

Immediately remove caramel from heat, add the cinnamon-salt mixture, and give the caramel several stirs to distribute it evenly. Pour caramel into the prepared pan. Let it sit until cool and firm—about 2 hours. 

Once caramel is firm, transfer the block to a cutting board. Use a well- oiled knife to cut the caramel into squares. Wrap each one in waxed paper or glassine, twisting the sides to close. Caramels will be somewhat on the soft side at room temperature, and chewy/firm from the fridge.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Garlicky Cuban Pork in the IP

Ingredients:
8 garlic cloves
juice of 1 grapefruit (about 2/3 c)
zest and juice of 1 lime
3 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs fresh oregano leaves
2 tsp cumin
1.5 Tbs kosher salt
4-5# boneless pork shoulder, but into 4 pieces
1 bay leaf

In a blender, combine garlic, grapefruit juice, lime zest and juice, 2 Tbs oil, brown sugar, oregano, cumin and salt. Process until blended. Transfer to large bowl and add the port and bay leaf; toss to combine. Marinate at room temp for 1 hr or refrigerate up to 6 hrs.

Using the saute function, heat 1 Tbs oil. Remove pork from marinade, shaking off excess and brown it on all sides. You'll need to do this in batches, transferring browned pork to a plate as you go.

When all the pork is browned, return piees to a pot along with juices from the plate. Add reserved marinade to the pot. Cover and cook on high pressure for 80 minutes. Let pressure release naturally.

Remove pork from liquid. Taste jus and if too bland, cook boil it down a little, 7-15 min. Remove bay leaf and use a fat separator, if desired. Shred the meat and toss with jus (1.5-2 c) to taste.

From Dinner in an Instant, by Melissa Clark

Pork Tamale Pie

For a 10 in cast iron skillet

Ingredients:
1/4 c vegetable oil
1# ground pork
6 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
2 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper
1-15oz can black beans, rinsed
1-14.5oz can diced tomatoes
1 c frozen corn
1/2 c chicken broth
4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded (1c)
3/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c cornmeal
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 c buttermilk
1 large egg

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400*
Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add 1 Tbs oil and heat until just smoking. Add pork and cook, breaking up meat, until just beginning to brown, about 5 min.

Stir in scallion whites, chili powder, oregano and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 min. Stir in beans, tomatoes in their juice, corn and broth. Bring to simmer and cook until mixture has thickened, about 5-7 min. Off heat stir in cheese until well combined. Season with s&p to taste.

Whisk flour, cornmeal, soda and powder, scallion greens and 3/4 tsp salt in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, egg and 3 Tbs oil until smooth. Stir in buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Pour batter over meat mixture and smooth into even layer. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until topping is golden brown, 15-20 min. Let cool 10 min before serving.

Arroz con Pollo in the IP

Start by making a batch of sofrito. One batch will get you 6-8 servings of what you need for a single recipe.

Sofrito Ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, cut into pieces
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into pieces
8 cloves of garlic
1 large bunch of cilantro
1/4 pimento stuffed green olives
1 Tbs capers, drained
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 c olive oil

To make the sofrito, put everything in a food processor and blend until a thick paste is formed. Measure 1/2c servings into individual plastic bags and freeze for future use.

Arroz con Pollo Ingredients:
1/2 c sofrito, previously prepared
1 Tbs olive oil
1/4c pimento stuffed green olives, sliced
1 Tbs capers, drained
1.5# chicken (thighs or breast) cut into 1-in pieces
1.5 c white rice
1 c chicken broth
1 c tomato sauce
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro for serving

Set the IP to saute and heat the olive oil, Add the sofrito and saute for 5 minutes, until it loses its raw onion bite. Add the olives, capters, and chicken pieces. Stir to combine, coating chicken evenly. Add the rice, pouring it in an even layer over the chicken.

Stir together the broth and tomato sauce. Pour this mixture over the rice, making sure all the grains are coated with the liquid.

Set IP to sealing, turn off saute function, select poultry setting and cook for 10 min at high pressure.
Let pressure release naturally for 10 min, then vent remaining pressure.
Serve, scooping from bottom of pot to get chicken. Top with cilantro.

From The Essential Instant Pot Cookbook, by Coco Morante

Velvet Pork Chops

Serve with broccoli or anything else that soaks up that great sauce. Rumor has it, this works with chicken breasts too.

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup cream

Season pork chops while melting butter in a large skillet. Cook pork until browned on both sides. With chops still in skillet, pour in broth and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes, until broth has reduced significantly.

Remove chops at a slightly undercooked stage and tent with foil on a plate. While pork rests, turn off heat but leave pan on the burner. Add cream and cook, scraping skillet for any brown bits. Cook until thickened, 2-4 minutes. 

Serve pork with sauce drizzled over.

Recipe from Southern Plate

Zuppa Toscana

I've never had the Olive Garden original that this is a copycat of, but it is tasty. The original recipe billed this as a crock pot recipe, but it works just fine on the stove.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground Italian sausage
1 tbsp garlic minced
1 yellow onion chopped
4 russet potato diced
1 pinch salt to taste
1 pinch black pepper to taste
4 cup chicken broth (32 oz)
1 bunch kale stems removed and torn into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese for garnish

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes. Add onion and garlic cooking 2-3 minutes more. Drain extra fat. Transfer sausage and onion mixture to a crock pot or stock pot. Add diced potatoes, cover with chicken broth and season with salt and pepper. If potatoes aren't entirely submerged, add more water to ensure they're covered.

Cook on stovetop until potatoes are tender, in crock pot 3hr on high or 6hr low (this seems really long to me).

Add kale and heavy cream and cook 15-30 minutes more.

Adapted from Homemade Hooplah's recipe

Basil Coconut Curry in the Instant Pot

Ingredients:
1.5-2# chicken breast, cut into 1in pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp curry powder, generous
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 Tbsp dry basil
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp grated ginger or ginger paste
1 can full fat coconut milk
1 Tbsp corn starch

Set instant pot to saute and lightly brown chicken pieces and garlic in oil. Add in all spices and stir to coat chicken, then add red onion. Turn off saute and pour in coconut milk. Set IP to sealing and set timer for 5min high pressure. Rapid release pressure when done. Scoop out about 1/4c of cooking liquid and stir with corn starch. When lumps are stirred out, add corn starch mixture back to pot, stir and let thicken for 2-3 minutes. Serve over rice garnishing with fresh basil and fresh cilantro, as desired.

Recipe from Rebooted Mom

Chex Mix, Suzi Style

Suzi makes chex mix for Christmas, always. She has a few seasoning adjustments compared to the 'original' recipe.

Preheat the oven to 250*

Melt 1 stick of butter
Add 2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1/4c Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning, preferably coarse grind

Stir together and pour over
3 cups each of rice, wheat and corn chex cereal
3 cups of nuts, pretzels or your favorite add ins
Toss thoroughly with your hands
Bake for 1 hour in a roasting pan, stirring every 15 minutes

When done, pour out on paper towels to cool and ensure crispiness

Superior Cinnamon Rolls

I have used a different cinnamon roll recipe in the past. They are good, but these are easier and they are so light and fluffy! This makes 24 rolls, but I have halved it and they were still fine.

Mix and let sit for 15 minutes:
3 1/2 c. warm water
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
6 T. yeast (yes, that really is tablespoons)

Then add:
1 T. salt
3 eggs (when I halved, I used 2 eggs)
10 1/2 c. flour

Mix together for 10 minutes, then sit for 10 minutes. Oil countertop, dump out dough. Divide in half. Press one half out into rectangle. Spread with ¼ c. melted butter and then with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll up tight, but not too tight. Divide into 12 rolls and place on greased cookie sheet. Repeat with other half of dough. Let rise. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 400.

Cinnamon-Sugar
1c. sugar
1 T. cinnamon

Frosting
1 cube butter >> or swap out partially for cream cheese, my preference
2 dashes salt
2 t. vanilla
6 c. powdered sugar
milk added to get to the consistency you prefer

Via Pinterest