Any Kitchen Will Do

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Archive for the category “cheese”

01 Jul 2012
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Squash Pizza

We love pizza and we love squash, especially spaghetti squash. It is not processed like store bought pasta or the flour used in most pizza crusts. Don’t get me wrong – I love pasta and pizza crust and pretty much any bread I encounter, but it never seems to leave after I eat it. I might as well just glue it on to my hips and butt instead of biting into it, because that seems to be where it goes. Not so with spaghetti squash. It is pretty darned good for you, as I have mentioned before, and is a great way to take care of those pizza cravings, because the wheaty crust of the traditional pizza is just not gonna work with our diet strategy. We have officially thrown up our hands and now make a casserole version of pizza. Yes you need a fork to eat it, but is it really a great loss? Not when it helps me keep my weight down. I am not saying this recipe will help you lose weight, but if you are watching your carbohydrate intake like me, there is nothing better for battling pizza advertisements. The squash does a wonderful job of helping the herbs mix and spread their joy, and thick sliced pepperoni is just heaven to me on a pizza. Omigosh is it good!

Squash Pizza

1 spaghetti squash
8-12 ounces pepperoni, sliced thick
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups Italian mix cheese (romano, mozzarella, parmesan…)
2 cups roughly chopped mushrooms (or 8 ounces canned mushrooms)
2 Tbsp dried parsley
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp garlic powder
2-3 tsp sea salt
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp black pepper

Slice squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds and sinew. In a microwave safe dish place halves open side down and add about ½ cup water. Cook on high for 10-12 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit. While the squash cools prepare the rest of the dish – start with slicing pepperoni and roughly chopping mushrooms. When squash is cooled scrape out the ‘spaghetti’ with a fork into a bowl. Add mushrooms to the squash along with half of the herbs, salt and pepper and mix well. In a medium to large rectangular baking dish (no larger than 9×13) sprinkle about ½ cup of the cheddar cheese. Add the squash mixture. Take a mix of the cheese, about a cup, and spread on top of the squash mixture, pushing it into the squash a bit. Add the rest of the herbs and spices. Make a layer of the pepperoni, then top with the remaining cheese. Place in preheated oven and cook for 30-35 minutes, until cheese is melted and there is some browning. Let stand outside the oven for about ten minutes before serving. Slice like a casserole and serve with a simple garden salad.

Posted in baked, casserole, cheese, garlic, pizza, Silver Spring Kitchen, squash, vegetables, wheat free
23 Jun 2012

Sausage Sauerkraut Parmesan

I don’t mean to deceive you with this post. I did not make the sausage, although we have sausage making gear, and I did not make the sauerkraut, although I have made it in the past. I also did not make the cheese, which really brought the dish together. I am really posting about how I combined stuff I never thought of combining and was really surprised about how well it worked together. I have always loved the combination of sausage and sauerkraut, but I just never did much about adding cheese to it. We had some nice fresh Parmesan in the fridge, so after sauteing the sausage and adding the kraut I sprinkled some Parmesan into the mix. Maybe it was the lovely Portabello Mushroom sausages, or the spicy Habanero and Green Chile sausages, but the cheese just seemed to make the whole dish sing. I cannot guarantee that if you use the powdery Parmesan from a plastic shake jar it will have the same zing, but next time you find some Parmesan waiting to be used, toss it in with some sausage and sauerkraut. You may be as surprised as I was with the result.

Sausage and Sauerkraut Parmesan

1 pound sausage links (I used Aidells – yum!)
2 cups sauerkraut (sour, not sweet)
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Make a 2” slit in one side of each sausage. Saute over medium high heat until browned on most sides. Add sauerkraut and toss until brown stuff on the bottom of the pan is blended with it and the sauerkraut is hot. Sprinkle cheese over it all and toss until melted. Serve immediately.

Posted in cabbage, cheese, sausage, Silver Spring Kitchen, wheat free | Leave a Comment
16 Jun 2012

Spaghetti Squash with Meaty Sauce

This is a down and dirty delicious weekday dinner. It uses some basic kitchen pantry ingredients I have on hand pretty much all the time. The first time I had spaghetti squash I did not like it. I think I was about ten and very much looking forward to pasta. It was crunchier and the flavor is very much squashy – of course I was comparing it with soft cooked pasta, so of course it would be different. As I got older I began to appreciate it more, and now love it! We used to try and boil it, which took forever, but then we discovered the microwave method, introduced to us by my mother in law. Of course the sauce would benefit from simmering for five hours, but it was delicious with just 20 or so minutes. I will be doing more quick dishes in the future, and am inspired by my friend Stacie’s blog. Besides her awesome food ideas she also makes wonderful lotion.

Spaghetti Squash with Meaty Sauce

1 medium spaghetti squash
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp butter
2 14 ½ ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
½ tsp sugar
1 pound ground sausage

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat combine tomatoes, garlic, oregano, salt and sugar. Cover and cook until bubbly. While tomatoes are bubbling away add sausage to a frying pan, break up the meat and cook until browned and well done. Drain sausage and add it to the tomato sauce. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the flavors have time to mix. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and stringy membrane. In shallow baking or pie dish add about ¼ inch of water. Add half of the squash, cut side down. Cover with cling wrap and place in microwave. Cook on high for about eight minutes, until squash is soft. With a fork scrape out inside of squash, pulling stringy ‘spaghetti’ out of the shell. Place squash in bowl with butter and cheese*. Stir together and let cheese and butter melt. Serve sauce on a bed of squash.

*Sometimes the squash soaks up some water. If you want to avoid the possibility of having a watery plate when serving, you can add a step before mixing the squash with butter and cheese – lay out a couple of paper towels and spread squash out to dry a bit. After doing this you may need to reheat the squash to make sure the butter and cheese melts.

 

Posted in cheese, sauces, sausage, tomato, vegetables, wheat free | Leave a Comment
05 Jun 2012

Creamy Spinach Chicken

So today I enlisted a canned good that is very comforting to me. I was one of those kids that loved spinach, and most of the time got it out of the can. When my brother and I started pre-school my mom told me that we came home and would not eat our spinach, but looked at it longingly. Apparently we told her we were not supposed to like it, so we did not eat it. Of course she explained to us that the kids who told us such things just had different opinions about spinach and that we could like it if we wanted to. I don’t succumb to peer pressure quite as easily anymore, and am really glad I chose to like it again. Later in life I learned to love raw spinach and the barely blanched but still bright green spinach. They are delicious, but do not replace memories of the canned stuff I ate as a kid. I still sometimes just open a can and eat it all up, at room temperature, with the sharp lid still attached. Thrill seeker, am I! In my quest to always find a new way to prepare chicken I came up with this lovely, rich dish that incorporates my treat in a can.

Creamy Spinach Chicken

8 – 10 bone-in chicken thighs, skin attached
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 small can chopped spinach, drained
½ small white onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, diced
¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

On medium high heat sear chicken thighs on both sides, making sure the skin gets crispy, about 10 minutes. While the chicken cooks melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add spinach and stir until heated through. Add cream and turn down heat, but bring sauce to a simmer and let cook for about five minutes. Add cheese and stir until melted and combined. When chicken is done cooking remove from pan and discard juices. Return chicken to pan and pour sauce over chicken. Simmer covered over low heat until chicken is cooked through, about five more minutes. Serve immediately and make sure you drizzle sauce over every piece.

Posted in cheese, chicken, garlic, onion, sauces, Silver Spring Kitchen, vegetables, wheat free | Leave a Comment
03 Jun 2012

Garlic Infused Cauliflower

I missed roasted garlic when I was without kitchen. I also missed roasted/baked veggies. They always get that nice, slightly dense texture when roasted that you just can’t get when they are steamed or sauteed. And the garlic, which totally changes in aroma and texture when roasted, also shares its pungent flavor with everything else in the oven. Cauliflower is stellar at absorbing flavors it meets – kind of like mushrooms and tomatoes. I combined the two elements into a wonderful side dish, and of course, topped it with cheese. Filled with fiber, flavor and a minimum of carbohydrates, it fit very well into our evening meal. A few of the garlic cloves were left in the bottom of the bowl with some melted cheese. Oh, what lovely mouthfuls of wonder! Next time I will add a few extra cloves just for dessert!

Garlic Infused Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Remove stem and cut cauliflower head into quarters. Spread florets with butter and place quarters close together in deep baking dish. Drop whole garlic cloves into dish. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 50-60 minutes until tender. Serve immediately.

Posted in baked, cheese, garlic, side dish, Silver Spring Kitchen, vegetables, wheat free | Leave a Comment
30 May 2012

Stuffed Courgettes

Zucchini is looking better and better at the store and markets. I was really tempted by the itty bitty little ones – about the size of a small pickle – but then I saw the diced prosciutto nearby and knew I needed to get the big ones. Here’s the thing – Big D is not a zucchini lover. Yellow squash? Yes. Acorn squash? Yes. Zucchini? Well, um, I guess. I figured if I topped it with meat and cheese it might work. It pretty much did. I know. I rule. Although I have made these many times with a variety of stuffings, I always cooked them up in a baking dish. Since our kitchen is still sparsely populated I had to adjust the baking dish pan approach, since we don’t have one yet, and made a little aluminum foil pocket for each zucchini half. They baked up nicely sitting in the foil directly on the stove rack. I am looking forward to late summer when those huge zucchini come around in the farmers markets and I can really beef up the stuffing and make a main course of it. For now, I relish the smaller, more delicate fare.

Stuffed Courgettes

2 medium zucchini, as straight as you can find
4 small garlic cloves
1 cup diced prosciutto or cured ham
1 cup shredded monterrey jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F. Slice ends off zucchini, then cut them in half lengthwise. With a small spoon gently carve out the seedy belly (heh) of the halves, stopping about ½ inch from the ends, making a groove down the middle. Sprinkle each half with salt and pepper. Slice garlic cloves into slivers and spread a clove in each half. Divide prosciutto among the halves, then top with cheese. Place zucchini in baking dish with a little space between them. Bake for about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the zucchini, until tender and cheese begins to brown. Serve immediately.

Posted in baked, cheese, garlic, Silver Spring Kitchen, vegetables, wheat free | Leave a Comment
26 May 2012

Smoky Meat Pucks

I was originally inspired to make meatballs, but when kids are involved who were asking for hamburgers on buns, I compromised and made pucks – either small burgers or smushed meatballs – however you want to think of them. Since the meatball craving included a desire for smoky flavors I automatically turned to paprika and cheese with a bit of a bite. It felt wonderful to fill our new apartment with the smell of onion and garlic and spices. I also had a blast exploring our local Trader Joe’s to find ingredients. I have not lived near one for years, and cherish the fact there is one on my route home from work. This morning as I write about making the pucks I cannot detect a hint of dinner’s aromas in the apartment, but am glad there are a couple of pucks left to heat up and eat along with the morning eggs. I am eager to further break in our new-to-us kitchen with more smells today! Stay tuned! I’m baaaack!

Smokey Meat Pucks

2 pounds 80/20 ground beef
½ small onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
1 egg
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp dried paprika flakes
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup pepper jack cheese

In a medium frying pan melt 1 Tbsp of butter over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook until it is all a dark caramelized color. Set aside. In a bowl place the ground beef, egg and spices*. Add the onions and garlic. Roll up your sleeves and use your hands to blend together all the ingredients. Form meat into thick, small 2-3” patties. Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan over medium high heat. Cook the patties to desired doneness – about five minutes, including flipping, for medium. Plate and sprinkle with cheese before serving.

*This time I actually used Trader Joe’s South African Smoke Seasoning Blend, which gave it the same flavor as the spice combination I used in the list of ingredients.

Posted in beef, cheese, eggs, garlic, onion, Silver Spring Kitchen, wheat free | Leave a Comment

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