Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Recipe courtesy Ree Drummond

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

45 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

12 servings

Ingredients

• 5 pounds Yukon gold or russet potatoes
• 1 1/2 sticks softened butter, plus more for baking
• 1 1/2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Milk, if needed, for thinning

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel the potatoes and rinse them in cold water. Chop the potatoes in fourths. Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain the potatoes, and then return them to the pan. With the burner on low heat, mash the potatoes with a potato masher; the more steam that's released while you mash, the better. Mash for about 5 minutes. Turn off the burner.

Add the butter, cream cheese, half-and-half, and seasonings. Stir to combine, and if the mixture needs thinning, add milk. Check the seasonings, adding salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour the mashed potatoes into a large casserole pan. Dot the surface with butter. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.

GRILLED PORTOBELLO AND TOMATO

Last night I made a delicious 'side' from Mrs. Celenza's cookbook FROM THE TABLE OF PLENTY. It was Grilled Portobello And Tomato. Let me first say that my picture doesn't do it justice. I should have plated it for the picture but oh well! It was simply DELICIOUS! It made me think 'summer' when I tasted it but would be just as good an comforting in the winter! It was super easy also.

GRILLED PORTOBELLO AND TOMATO
From the Table of Plenty, Marion Celenza

1 lb. Portobello mushroom caps, rinsed, drained, sliced into 1/2" thick pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced (I used a red onion)
2 beefsteak tomatoes, ripe but firm, 1/2" slices
3-4 bay leaves
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Lightly coat a 9x15" solid metal grill pan. (I didn't have one so I just used a jelly roll pan). Preheat broiler.
Pat dry mushroom slices with paper towels. In a small bowl blend oil and vinegar. Brush this mix over both sides of the sliced mushrooms. Lay mushrooms, side by side, on the grill pan. Arrange tomato slices and sliced onion over mushrooms. Sprinkle with garlic, cheese and black pepper. Lay bay leaves upon various areas of the vegetable mix.
*Broil vegetables 5 inches below heat for 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts and is light golden brown. Turn off broiler. Allow tray to sit in oven for another minute. Remove bay leaves and discard.
Serve hot; use a spatula to assist in serving. Serves 6.
* When broiling, do not run out to the grill and get distracted like I did. This cooks FAST!

CORN and BASIL CAKES...

This was a delicious recipe adapted from Eating Well. Adding the basil made for a nice fresh taste. They were very easy to make.

Corn and Basil Cakes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
2 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 2 large ears) or frozen (thawed)
1/2 cup chopped basil

Whisk flour, milk, eggs, 1 Tablespoon oil, baking powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in corn and basil.

Brush a nonstick skillet (I used my crepe pan) lightly with remaining oil; heat over medium heat until hot (but not smoking). Cook 2 cakes at a time, using 1/4 cup batter for each. Pour the batter onto the skillet (batter will be very thick) and pat down a bit with the back of a spoon, but leaving them thick. Cook until the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, 1 to 3 minutes more. Repeat with remaining oil and batter, making ten cakes total. Reduce the heat as necessary to prevent burning.

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

This 'salad' is delicious! It's light and very tasty! I read the reviews and most of them said to double the dressing so that's what i did. The recipe is the original one though. I used Israeli Couscous because I like the texture better.

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked couscous 1 1/4 cups chicken broth 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

8 green onions, chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.	Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
2.	In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.
3.	Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mrs. Celenza's Mushroom Au Gratin

Last night I made Mrs. Celenza's recipe for Mushrooms Au Gratin. They were really good and VERY easy.
Mrs. Celenza and her husband John,were very good friends of my Mother & Father In Law, Lena and Stan. My kids knew Mrs. Celenza as "the Hat Lady" because she always wore a very fashionable hat. She had hats in every color and style imaginable and they all looked good on her!
Mrs. Celenza always enjoys the company of others, always has a GREAT stories and Always had GREAT food!
Mrs. Celenza has written 3 or 4 cookbooks over the last 20 years. She sent us a box that had 5 copies of her latest book From The Table of Plenty ... Food for the Body, Manna for the Soul. These were to go to the 5 children of Lena and Stan. These are a collection of recipes from her childhood (Italian immigrants living in Brooklyn) and also her favorites that have lived on through the years. What I like best in this book are her stories of the holidays, parties etc. It has a few pics of my in laws in the book but also has the recipe for Superb Golden Crescents, which we call Uncle Stan's rolls. That recipe was from Lena's mother, Elizabeth Kosmach.
So, getting back to the Mushrooms AuGratin, these were delicious. I love garlic and mushrooms together. My picture doesn't do it justice as I forgot to take a picture of it when it came out of the oven. This picture is from this morning, straight out of the refrigerator in Tupperware!

MUSHROOM AU GRATIN
by Marion Celenza

3 lbs. white mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and quartered
5-6 slices of white bread made into crumbs in the food processor
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup grated Romano Cheese
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil

Par-boil mushrooms for 5 minutes and then drain. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic, grated cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.
Form a layer of mushrooms on the bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the bread crumb mixture. Drizzle 2 TBSP olive oil over the mix. Repeat the procedure 2 or 3 more times, finishing with the olive oil.
Roast mushroom casserole, uncovered, in a preheated oven @ 350 for 15 - 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Serves 8 or more.

Greek Pasta Salad with Shrimp, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Peppers, and Feta

I made this pasta salad for Scott and Alyssa to take with the to Linda's house in Rhode Island this weekend. I saved a little for me to have for lunch today and that is the reason it made it to the blog. It was sooo good! I'm not a fan of Feta Cheese or Kalamata Olives either but I knew that Linda's family likes them so why not give it a try. I was very pleasantly surprised and how good it was! Maybe because it was a day later and the flavors melded. Whatever the reason, I will be making this again!

***As usual, I did change something. Instead of using the oven to BAKE the veggies and shrimp, I GRILLED them outside. I think that little bit of charring really made it!

SUBMITTED BY: USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson PHOTO BY: DeAnna

"The ideal outdoor meal: this colorful main-course pasta salad chock-full of protein, vegetables and bold flavorings. For fresh flavor and peak texture, toss the salad right before serving. Pack the dressing in a jar and the salad ingredients in a gallon-sized zipper bag. When ready to serve, drizzle on the dressing, close the bag and squeeze it all over until the dressing completely coats the salad. Pour into a serving bowl."

Greek Pasta Salad with Shrimp, Tomatoes, Zucchini, Peppers, and Feta

INGREDIENTS

Dijon Vinaigrette
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 large clove garlic, minced
Big pinch of salt
Black pepper, to taste
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Pasta Salad
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 medium yellow pepper, halved lengthwise, seeded
2 tablespoons olive oil
Ground black pepper and salt, to taste
2 tablespoons salt for pasta water
1 pound medium pasta shells
1 pound cooked shrimp, halved lengthwise
8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup coarsely chopped, pitted Kalamata olives
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 small red onion, cut into small dice
2 teaspoons dried oregano

DIRECTIONS
To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the first five ingredients, then slowly whisk in the oil for a thick consistency. Pour into a jar with a tight-fitting lid to transport it to the picnic.
Adjust oven rack to highest position and turn broiler on high. Toss zucchini and bell pepper with olive oil, salt and pepper, and arrange on a large baking sheet with sides. Broil eight to 10 minutes, until spotty brown, turning zucchini slices and pepper halves once. Set aside in a large bowl to cool, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
Bring 1 gallon of water and 2 Tbs. of salt to boil. Add pasta; boil using package times, until just tender. Drain thoroughly (do not rinse) and dump onto the baking sheet. Set aside to cool.
Put vegetables, pasta and remaining ingredients (except dressing) in the bowl or a gallon-sized zipper bag (can be refrigerated for several hours). To serve, add dressing; toss to coat.

WARM BACON & SPINACH PASTA SALAD

Many years ago Kris introduced me to a great pasta salad recipe. We both made it for many dinners and gatherings. I had wanted to make it for one of my kids confirmations but couldn't find the pasta anywhere! I borrowed Kris's last package! When I went to replace it, I searched high and low and couldn't find one. It turned out the Mullers stopped making it! So for the coming years, I tried a few different brands but they weren't too good.I found the recipe the other day and my quest has started again! I mentioned it to Kris and LouAnn this morning and LouAnn suggested to throw in a packet of Lipton's Garlic & Herb soup mix.
I thought that was a great idea! So I made it and think it turned out GREAT!!!!

Warm Bacon & Spinach and Pasta Salad
6 slices of bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 knorr chicken bouillon cube (I actually used chicken stock)
1 TBSP cider vinegar
6 oz Muller's Savory Collection Roasted Garlic & Herb Rotelle, cooked and drained ** they don't make this pasta anymore so you'll need to find another brand OR add one packet of Lipton Garlic & Herb soup mix to the simmering bouillon.
4 oz fresh spinach, torn into bite size pieces

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large skillet, cook bacon until browned. Drain bacon on paper towels; set aside. Pour off all but 3 TBSP of the drippings.
2. Add onion, and carrots to the drippings; stirring frequestly, cook 4 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of water and bouillon cube; bring to a boil; stirring. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar.
3. In a large bowl combine pasta and spinach. Add carrot mixture and bacon; toss to coat. Makes
4 servings Prep time: 15 minutes

UNHEALTHY ASPARAGUS YET DELICIOUS!

Normally I just steam or grill asparagus and we eat them without anything on them. Being that we were changing things up for Easter, I thought I'd add a little pizzazz to them. I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that every reviewer liked so I thought that's the one to try. They were very good. If you don't want to grill these, they can be put in a 450 oven for about 15-20 minutes, turning to get all sides brown. You can then put it on broil for about 3 minutes to crispen the bacon.

*The ingredient amounts are really up to you. I had some thin asparagus so I wrapped the bacon around 5 spears and some were thick so I used 3 spears. In the recipe, she wraps each spear. (I sense a heart attack!)

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
SUBMITTED BY: Patricia Kitts

PREP TIME
20 Min
COOK TIME
10 Min
READY IN
30 Min


INGREDIENTS
30 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
15 bacon strips, halved lengthwise

DIRECTIONS
Place asparagus on a sheet of waxed paper; coat with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with pepper; turn to coat. Wrap a bacon piece around each spear. Grill, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 8-12 minutes or until bacon is crisp, turning occasionally.
OR place in a 450 degree oven for 15-20 minutes

I made homemade Pierogies for the first time. I used a recipe from who else but Aaron McCargo. You can't go wrong with his recipes! We'll be eating them on Easter though! Stan will be joining us for dinner on the beach for Easter. I wanted to include a food that he probably doesn't get anymore now that he's in the home. They were easy to make and I was actually quite impressed! I used PJ's egg circle thing to cut out the dough. I forgot to take a final picture!

Smoked Ham Stuffed Perogies
Recipe courtesy Aaron McCargo Jr.
Cook Time
15 min
Yield
12 perogies

Ingredients
Filling:
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1/2 cup smoked ham, diced
1/4 cup frozen sweet peas, thawed
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere

Dough:
2 cups bread flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup warm water

To cook:

1 gallon salted water

For the onions:

1 small onion, sliced
1/2 stick butter
2 scallions, sliced
Sour cream, to garnish
Directions
In a medium bowl, add filling ingredients and combine well. Set aside.
In a large bowl add both flours, baking powder and salt and mix well. In a separate bowl add the remaining dough ingredients and whisk until combined. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredient using a wooden spoon to form a ball. Cut in half. (You can freeze dough for another time, if desired.)
Flour a work surface and roll dough about 1/8-inch thick. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter to cut out 12 rounds from the dough.
Place a dollop of filling in the center of each dough round. Fold dough over filling to form a half moon. Press edges together with your thumb. Seal the edges using the flat tines of a fork.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a simmer. Add perogies and cook for about 2 minutes. Drain perogies.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over high heat, melt half of the butter and add the onion.
Cook onions for 5 to 6 minutes until slightly caramelized. Add perogies and the remaining butter. Allow to saute for a few minutes, then add the scallions.
Remove to a platter and serve with sour cream.

3 NEW RECIPES CREATE A GREAT MEAL!!

I spent most of yesterday cooking. Sadly, I was very happy about it! There were some recipes that I wanted to try so I put them together to make a meal. Let me just say that I got compliments from EVERYONE on last nights dinner so I guess they were all winning recipes! I had bought 2 packs of those 2" in diameter pork tenderloins thinking that was enough for 4 adults. I knew one wouldn't cut it with the boys appetites. I was surprised to see when I opened it that each pack actually had 2 tenderloins so now I had 4! What the heck. Maybe the leftovers would make good sandwiches. Boy was I wrong! There were NO leftovers, just happy faces!!! I'm beginning to think that people are right that soaking meat in a brine is the key to moist meat.

As for the Asparagus Salad... What can I say. I think I ate 1/2 of the asparagus BEFORE I even grilled it. The dressing was so addicting I couldn't stop myself. It must have been all of the garlic! PJ started picking at it as soon as he came home from work. He was very impressed!

The AuGratin Potatoes were very good except I had to bake them for an additional 45 minutes. But we took helpings from the sides of the pan. Those were cooked through. They were very tasty though.... a little different being that they had nutmeg in the mixture.

Asian-Glazed 'Melt-in-Your-Mouth' Pork Tenderloin

INGREDIENTS
1 gallon water
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons finely grated ginger
1/4 cup grated onion
1 lemon, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1 (1 1/2 pound) pork tenderloin

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup sweet and sour sauce
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons finely grated ginger
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice


DIRECTIONS
To make the brine, mix together the water, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, 2 tablespoons ginger, onion, lemon, 5 cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce in a large container. Add the pork tenderloin, cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.
For the glaze, whisk together 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce, sweet and sour sauce, hoisin sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons ginger, brown sugar, and orange juice.
Prepare an outdoor grill for high heat.
Cook the pork tenderloin on the preheated grill until no longer pink in the center, 7 to 12 minutes per side. Remove the tenderloin from the grill and cover with foil; allow to rest for 10 minutes. To serve, brush with glaze, and cut into thin slices.

Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomato Salad
Recipe courtesy Aaron McCargo

He won the Food Networks 's latest Star contest.
Show:
Big Daddy's House

INGREDIENTS

2 bunches asparagus, stems trimmed and split lengthwise

2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped rosemary leaves

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped thyme leaves

1 (8-ounce) jar julienne sliced sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained, oil reserved

12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced thin ** SEE NOTE AT BOTTOM

DIRECTIONS

Preheat grill on medium-high heat.
Add asparagus, chopped garlic, salt and pepper, rosemary and thyme to a large bowl. Mix together. Grill asparagus for 3 to 4 minutes. Place asparagus back into bowl. Add julienne-sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Mix together.
Remove 2 tablespoons oil from asparagus mixture, and place into saute pan. Add mushrooms; cook for 3 to 4 minutes until browned and crisp.
Remove mushrooms and mix into asparagus mixture. Serve at room temperature.

** I think any mushroom would be fine. The shiitake mushrooms are sturdier when cooked but are also quite expensive. I did a bad thing... I took the stems off of my mushrooms while in the store so I wasn't then paying for pieces that I would throw out! I do that with Portabello's also! SHHHHHHHH!

Herb Potatoes au Gratin
Recipe courtesy Aaron McCargo
Show:
Big Daddy's House

INGREDIENTS

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups milk 1/2 cup grated yellow Cheddar

1/4 cup grated American cheese

1/4 cup grated white cheddar

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 pounds russet potatoes, washed and scrubbed, peeled and sliced thin

Au Gratin:

1 stick butter, melted

2 cups panko bread crumbs

2 teaspoons smoky paprika

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large sauce pot over medium-high heat, add butter. Stir in the flour until pasty. Add milk; stir to remove lumps and let cook for 6 minutes until it gets thick. (mine got too thick so I added more milk until it had a good creamy consistancy) Lower heat and add the cheese, bouillon, nutmeg and black pepper. Whisk until well combined and sauce thickens, approximately 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a bowl, combine butter, panko and smoky paprika. Stir well.
Place potatoes into a casserole dish. Pour cheese over potatoes and sprinkle au gratin on top. Wrap with foil and bake in oven for 35 to 45 minutes. ( I had to increase my baking time for an additional 45 minutes!) Remove foil and cook for 10 minutes uncovered. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.

BOK CHOY SALAD, RIBS & BBQ CORN YUM!

This is a really nice, summer salad. Kris made it for the shower. I had 2 helpings and would have gone back for more had I not wanted to look like a pig!

I decided to make it last night to go with our RIBS and BBQ SMOKED CORN (recipes at the bottom).

As with all of the recipes that I try, nothing ever goes without some sort of problem. The recipe is easy enough but you need to pay attention! I put the 'mixture' on the stove to saute until golden brown. I then ran outside to put the corn in the smoker. I was rinsing out the cooler that the corn was soaking in with the hose when Alyssa came running out to tell me that the stuff on the stove is BLACK! Yup! I forgot about it! So I had to start all over again! Then when I was making the dressing, I put it in a tupperware container that has holes in the top that the steam can come out of. Being that this was very hot, I thought it was a perfect choice. I poured it in and it came to the top. That was my problem! As I snapped the top on, the hot oil mixture shot out onto my shirt and across the kitchen! What a mess. This recipe is really easy, it's just my mistakes that make everything so difficult!

The salad came out delicious and everyone enjoyed it, so much so that Alyssa and Scott finished off the leftovers this morning for breakfast!

BOK CHOY SALAD

4 Bok Choy (or 4 bags of coleslaw)

3 bunches of scallions

4-6 pkgs Ramen Oriental noodles soup

6-8 oz slivered almonds

6-8 oz sunflower seeds (I bought dry roasted)

Garlic powder

Chop Bok Choy and Scallions (white and green parts) and put in a large ziploc bag with holes in it. Refrigerate.

While still in unopened packages, crunch up ramen noodles well with your hands. Disgard the seasoning packets. Pour noodles into a large bowl; add almonds and sunflower seeds to make a nice even mix. Add garlic powder (as much as you want. I added quite a lot!). Mix well.

Saute 1/2 of the dry mix in a large skillet in some vegetable oil. WATCH CAREFULLY and stir often sop it doesn't burn! When a little golden brown, remove the mixture from the pan and repeat with the rest of the mix. Allow to cool. You can do that in advance and store in a container at room temp.

DRESSING

1 cup olive oil

3-4 TBSP soy sauce (I used low sodium)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

Boil all dressing ingredients together, mixing constantly while cooking. Remove from heat IMMEDIATELY when mixture comes to a boil and keep stirring until it stops boiling. Let cool and pour into a container and refrigerate. (I forgot to let it cool. That's where I went wrong!)

Prepare salad by mixing all ingredients together RIGHT BEFORE EATING so it doesn't become soggy.

BBQ CORN

INGREDIENTS
10 ears fresh corn with husks
1 quart beer
1 (7 pound) bag of ice cubes

DIRECTIONS
Place whole ears of corn in an ice chest. Pour beer over top. Dump ice out over the ears of corn. Place the lid on the cooler, and let sit 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat smoker** to 250 degrees F ( 120 degrees C).
Place corn in the smoker and close the lid. Cook for 1 to 2 hours, turning every 20 minutes or so. Kernels should give easily under pressure when done. To eat, just peel back the husks and use them for a handle.

**You can also cook these on a grill for about 30 minutes if you don't have a smoker.

PJ smoked the ribs the day before in the smoker. All I then had to do was brush on a BBQ sauce and grill them to warm them up for dinner. I chose to make my favorite BBQ sauce from my idol... Tyler Florence!

The Ultimate Barbecue Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 slice bacon , cut into 1/2 " pieces

1 bunch fresh thyme

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if available

Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute bacon for a few minutes. Add the thyme and cook slowly 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a nice smoky taste. Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly without coloring for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low. Cook slowly for 20 minutes to meld the flavors. Once the sauce is done cooking, remove about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and reserve for serving along side the ribs at the table. The rest of the barbecue sauce will be used for basing the ribs.

BLACK BEAN VEGGIE BURGERS AND PASTA SALAD..

While we were in Ithaca, I ordered a Black Bean Veggie Burger because I was feeling daring! I like black beans but thought it would be pretty boring. Too my surprise, it was delicious! The burger was topped with red onion, tomato, Montery Jack cheese and a Jamaican Jerk BBQ sauce. I decided to give it a try. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. They turned out delicious! To go with it, I made a pasta salad which will follow.

Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers


PREP TIME
15 Min
COOK TIME
20 Min
READY IN
35 Min
Original recipe yield 4 patties

INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 eggs
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs
DIRECTIONS
If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

Pasta Salad... A La Lynn

16 oz tri color pasta, cooked

Green Pepper, Red Pepper, Red Onion, Zucchini, Cucumbers, sliced olives, cherry tomatoes and a can of marinated artichiokes, drained, and whatever else you want to add.

1 bottle of Wishbone Bountifuls Tuscan Romano Basil salad dressing

Cut up all the vegetables into bite size pieces and put in a large bowl. Add the pasta and toss a bit with your CLEAN hands. Pour an entire bottle of the dressing into pasta salad mix and toss around. That's it! It was very flavorful and just right for a summer night when you don't have much time to spare!

Potato, Tomato, Corn and Basil Salad

This is a very nice refreshing type of salad to have when you're BBQing. It can be made ahead of time to make it easier. I've made it with and without the potatoes... both are good. The only thing I did different this time is that besides the regular basil, I also used some Lemon Basil from the garden. YUM. I rough chopped both and then put a few whole leaves throughout.

Potato, Tomato, Corn and Basil Salad
Recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman
Recipe SummaryDifficulty: Easy Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Yield: 6 to 8 servings User Rating:

1 pound baby red potatoes

scrubbed 5 medium ears of corn (about 3 pounds)

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1 small red onion, peeled and sliced thinly (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup)

1 large bunch fresh basil, rinsed, dried, and leaves picked

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large lemons, juiced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

About 15 grinds freshly ground pepper
Place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to boil. Cook until just fork tender, about 15 minutes. Fish out the potatoes with a spider or slotted spoon and place them in a bowl of ice cold water to stop them from cooking.
Shuck the corn and break each ear in half. Cook in the same boiling water for 5 to 7 minutes until tender but not soft. Remove the cooled potatoes to a dish-cloth to drain. Immerse corn in the same ice bath until cool. Cut each potato into quarters and place in a large bowl.
Remove corn from water and also let drain. Use a chef's knife to cut the kernels off each ear. Add kernels to bowl. Add grape tomatoes, onion, and whole basil leaves. Add olive oil and lemon juice and toss gently to combine. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve immediately

COMFORT FOOD NIGHT!!!!

Tonight was definately a comfort food night. I'll be walking extra miles after this one!

I made a spiral sliced ham along with Scott's favorite side that we call That Corn Dish. A friend from town gave me the recipe stating that 1/2 of the town makes it on Thanksgiving. I shared it with a bunch of friends who now also make it for Thanksgiving. You can't have it more than a few times a year because it's sooo unhealthy! Then we had my Grandmother's favorite way to cook cabbage which is now PJ's favorite also. It's an old Dutch recipe that was handed down to her. When I first made it I ended up in the ER needing 12 stitches from shredding the palm of my hand! Now I'm more careful! Last but not least, a healthy side, steamed carrots mixed with my favorite herb, dill. Here's the recipes:

NANNY'S CABBAGE

1/2 head of cabbage, shredded

5 slices of bacon cut into 1" pieces

a sprinkle of caraway seeds

a few dashes of black pepper

a little salt if you wish. I don't add the salt because the bacon is salty enough.

In a pan, saute bacon until brown. Put cabbage in pan (yup, in all that bacon fat!). Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until cabbage is wilted. I like to cook it so some of the cabbage is actually getting golden in color. That's is, simple and delish!

THAT CORN DISH

1 can of creamed corn

1 can whole kernal corn - lightly drained

1 stick of better, melted

1 pkg corn muffin mix - Jiffy works best

1 cup sour cream

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all and put in a casserole dish. Bake 45 minutes or until center tests clean and top is a little golden in color.

I haven't met ANYONE that doesn't like this dish!

Steamed Carrots mixed with fresh chopped dill. That's it... no butter or salt! The ONLY healthy part of the meal! YUM!

STUFFED BAKED POTATOES FOR CRAIG

Craig is having a party today and he invited us. That NEVER happened before!!! I asked what I could bring and he was almost afraid to answer. He said he's been craving my stuffed baked potatoes lately so I offered to make them! Nothing in my life has gone smooth without a glitch but it's always a learning experience. While the potatoes were baking, I kept hearing noises and thought my neighbor must be working on something. NOT! Aboyut 5 of the potatoes exploded in the oven! What a mess. I guess when I poked them with the knife, I must have missed a few! I was baking 35 potatoes so it's easy to miss a few!

I don't have a real recipe for making these. I bake the potatoes for about one hour @ 350 but this time it took 1 1/2 hours until they were cooked through. I then slice them in half, scoop out the insides and add some warmed milk (or cream or 1/2 and 1/2), some melted butter, some sour cream and salt and pepper. This time I also through in leftover creamcheese that had bacon and scallions in it from the bagel store and a handful of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. This is definately NOT the food of choice if you want to live a long healthy life! I mash that all together adding more liquid as needed. Then I refill the potato skins and put into a baking dish. I then top it with shredded cheddar and chopped scallions. At the party, we'll bake them at 350 for about 45 minutes. I ended up with about 55 of these which Craig will probably eat about 20 of them!!!

DON'T COOK WHEN YOU'RE BORED!!

Yesterday was a nasty day in NY. What better thing to do when you're homebound than cook. NOT! It was brought to my attention after I was finished... "Ma, I think you over did it a little, don't you"?

I needed to use up the beautiful peppers that I bought a few days ago. The price was right so I sprung for the yellow and orange ones besides the usual red and green ones. My first thought was to cut some up to save for a taco salad for maybe Wednesday's dinner and to slice some for Sausage and Peppers. That didn't work because I threw them all into the pot to cook! They were so pretty... like springtime!

I had a ham in the oven for dinner but when PJ called to see what was for dinner, I could tell Ham wasn't what he was in the mood for. That's fine. We can make other meals out of the ham. I told him to call me back when he figures out what he'd like. He called and said he'd love to have either hotdogs or Brats. Such a simple man! So Brats it is... smoked and also New Orleans style. One pack would have been enough but I wanted to try the New Orleans style and I know the guys like the smoked so what the heck. In the mean time I had defrosted a package of ribs, just because. There wasn't enough for an entire meal so I figured they could be added to brats for dinner. The leftover brats can get thrown in the Sausage and Peppers. There has to always be a plan! Today I will finish making the sausage and peppers.

I hope the neighbors didn't see my at the grill. There's only 3 of us at home and a lot of food on the grill! Good thing they didn't know there was a ham in the oven and a pot full of peppers and onions!

We ended up having a very nice dinner. I liked the brussel sprouts the best though. (recipe for B.S's and ribs below. YUM!) Now I don't have to cook for a few days. I guess that means I have to do the laundry!

Barbecue Ribs
INGREDIENTS:
4 pounds pork spareribs
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup rum
1/2 cup chili sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 dash ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1.Boil ribs in water for approx 1 hour.
2.In a bowl, mix together brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, rum, chili sauce, garlic, mustard, and pepper. Coat ribs with sauce and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight.
3.Preheat grill for medium heat. Position grate four inches above heat source.
4.Brush grill grate with oil. Place ribs on grill, and cook for 30 minutes, basting with marinade.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.