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.

Yesterday I found an interesting recipe to use up some of the Thanksgiving leftovers. It was Aaron McCargo's recipe for Turkey and Stuffing Egg Rolls. Being that I already had stuffung, I didn't need to make his. Basically I used my leftovers but his Cranberry Dipping Sauce. That added the finishing touch! They were quick and easy and the best part... delicious!

Turkey and Stuffing Egg Rolls
by Aaron McCargo Jr.

• 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound roasted turkey breast, skin removed and cut into small cubes
• Jazzed Up Stuffing, recipe follows
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon water
• 12 egg roll wrappers
• Gravy, for dipping, recipe follows
• Cranberry Dipping Sauce, for dipping, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl add the turkey and the stuffing and mix to combine. In a small bowl, beat the egg with water to form an egg wash. Layout the egg roll wrappers and spoon 2 tablespoons of the turkey mixture onto each wrapper. Brush the edges of the wrappers with egg wash. Roll tightly, being sure to bring the sides together so the egg roll is tight. Before the final wrap, use some egg wash to seal. Set the finished egg rolls on a platter until ready to fry.

Fry the egg rolls, in batches, until golden brown and crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the egg rolls to paper towels to drain. Allow to cool and arrange on a serving platter. Serve with warm Gravy and Cranberry Dipping Sauce.

Jazzed Up Stuffing:

• About 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 box prepared stuffing
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped sage leaves

In a large saucepan add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer over low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the stuffing and the fresh herbs. Mix well.

Gravy:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup finely diced onion
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Pinch freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups turkey stock
• Pinch salt

In a medium saucepan heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Reduce the heat and stir in the flour and pepper to make a roux. Add the herbs, turkey stock and salt. Simmer over low heat until the mixture thickens.

Cranberry Dipping Sauce:

• 2 cups frozen cranberries
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• Pinch cayenne pepper

In a medium saucepan, add the cranberries, strawberries, sugar and orange juice. Bring to a slight simmer over low heat. Cook until the cranberries pop, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the cayenne pepper and simmer for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add to a blender and puree the sauce until velvety and smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Cranberry Dipping Sauce... what a beautiful color it made!
Egg wash on the egg roll wrappers
Turkey and stuffing in the middle
roll up into an egg roll
Beautiful!
Delicious!

SWEET DINNER ROLLS

I made these rolls to go with last night's dinner. I used the bread machine to complete the first rising stage. You don't need a bread machine though. You can mix everything and left it rise on it's own. You then just follow the rest of the directions.

This dough was so easy to roll out. It never stuck to the rolling pin which IMO, is rare!

They were light and fluffy. Scott couldn't get enough of them and must have had at least 10 of them. He blamed me for putting them in front of him!

I think next time I make these, I may add some herbs to give it more of a savory flavor and see how they are. DELICIOUS!

Sweet Dinner Rolls
SUBMITTED BY: Donna West "This dough makes wonderful dinner rolls but can also be used to make cinnamon rolls. Mixing it in your bread machine but bake the rolls in the oven. They're light, soft and sweet."

PREP TIME
20 Min
COOK TIME
20 Min
READY IN
2 Hrs 20 Min
yield 16 rolls

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, softened

DIRECTIONS
Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.
When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.

YUMMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP!

We bought a HUGE Butternut Squash from Sauders Market, the Mennonite market that we love by Seneca Lake. It was just sitting on my counter waiting for that special recipe to come along.

I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that had great reviews. I decided that we would be having Butternut Squash Soup along with our Chili for dinner.

I'm glad that I read the reviews because i did change some of the ingredients to go along with what the reviewers suggested. I will mark those in RED. Butternut Squash Soup


INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons chopped onion
4 tablespoons margarine
6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash ( I just cubed the whole thing without measuring)
3 cups water
4 cubes chicken bouillon (I used homemade chicken broth that was seasoned in the amt of the water)
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram (didn't use)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (as recomended, I only use 4 oz, not 16!)

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, saute onions in margarine until tender. Add squash (I actually roasted mine 400 for 45 min. I then threw the cubes into the hot broth for 5 minutes), water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.
Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil.

as Julia would say....BON APPETIT !!!!!!

Today I made Julia Child's recipe for French Onion Soup. Along the way, I learned a few things. I had read somewhere that if you keep some type of flame lit near where you are cutting onions, you won't get teary eyed. I decided to try it.

I sliced up 6 POUNDS (4 HUGE) of onions ......

and it completely filled up the dutch oven. Guess what?????? Not one tear!!!!!!
The second thing I learned today was that you shouldn't put so many onions in too small of a pot. Mine was filled to the top and all it did was steam the onions. It took about 2 HOURS before they started to carmelize. CRAZY! I did add more onions than what was called for though.

I had to keep waiting for the liquid to go away so that the onions would finally carmelize.

I added the thyme from my garden... (I saw her use it on her show but it's not in the recipe)

and 1/2 a day later.... we have soup!

I shredded some Emmentaler Cheese (like Swiss, one that Julia mentioned goes well with the soup)

I toasted the bread, then put the soup in the bowls, topped it with cheese and put it in the oven to melt the cheese. I didn't want to broil it because one of the soup crocks (we had 3 different kinds) didn't say it can go in the oven so I didn't want to push my luck.

The soup was delicious and will be gone by tomorrow... if not tonight for someones midnight snack!

JULIA CHILD'S FRENCH ONION SOUP

Julia's Onion Soup
(Paraphrased from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child et al, Volume I)
Serves 6 - 8.

5 C yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 1-1/2 lb)

3 T butter

1 T oil

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp sugar

3 T flour

2 qts boiling brown stock (recipe follows) or store bought beef broth (I used store bought)

1/2 C dry white wine or vermouth

salt

French baguette, cut in 3/4" thick rounds

olive oil

1 clove garlic

Cook the onions slowly with the butter and oil in a heavy covered saucepan for 15 minutes. Add the salt and sugar, raise heat to moderate and cook 30 - 40 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions have turned a deep golden brown. Sprinkle in the flour and stir 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Bring the stock or bouillion to a boil and blend into the onions. Add wine, season to taste, and simmer partially covered 30 - 40 minutes, skimming occasionally. Correct seasoning. If not served immediately, return to a simmer before serving.
Bake the bread rounds on a baking sheet in a preheated 350º oven about 30 minutes, till hard and lightly browned, basting them with olive oil after 15 minutes, and then turning them and basting the other side. When baking is completed, rub each piece with a cut piece of the garlic. Spread one side of each piece with the grated cheese, dribble on a little olive oil and brown under the broiler. Add the hot bread rounds to the hot soup immediately before serving.


Brown Stock
(Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child et al, Volume I.)
Makes 2 - 3 quarts.

about 6 lb meat, scraps and bones, chopped to 2-3" pieces (veal, beef, poultry)

2 tsp salt

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut up

2 medium onions, peeled and cut up

2 medium celery stalks, cut up

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

6 parsley sprigs

2 unpeeled galic cloves

2 whole cloves

option: 2 washed leeks

Roast the meat, scraps and bones with the carrots and onions in a preheated 450º oven about 30 - 40 minutes, turning occasionally to insure uniform browning. Place the meat and bones in a kettle. Drain out the fat from the roasting pan and deglaze with water, scraping the bits and juices into the kettle.
Add the celery, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, garlic, cloves, optional leeks and water to cover. Simmer partially covered 4 - 5 hours, skimming and degreasing occasionally, and adding more water if necessary. Strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth and degrease before using.

MISS GODFATHER'S TACO PIZZA aka LouAnn's Taco Pizza

We went to LouAnn's SWINGIN' SUMMER SOIREE on Sunday and one of the foods was a Taco pizza. It was so good. I decided to make one LAST NIGHT... yum!

Miss Godfather's Taco Pizza

Zucchini Crust
Crust
Large raw zucchini, peeled and shredded (between 1.5-2 cups)2 eggs2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or pizza cheese*)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Grease cookie sheet.
Peel and shred a large zucchini. Add egg and cheese, and mix well (I always use my hands). Spread the dough onto the pan evenly (watch the middle of the crust—it can be too thick) and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is cooked. Let cool.Makes a large crust (14")Nutritional Information:Calories: 785 Carbohydrates: 9 Fiber: 0 Net carbohydrate: 9 Fat: 49 g Protein: 75 g

Taco Pizza
For the Taco Pizza
Layer, in the following order:Pizza sauce mixed with Picante/Salsa

Seasoned ground beef

Shredded lettuceShredded cheddar (you can also add mozzarella and/or colby jack)

Chopped Tomato

Red Onion

Sliced Black Olives

You could also top with guacamole and sour cream if you'd like

(change nutritional information if you do).

Do not cook with toppings added. Serve immediately with a plate and fork!

Refrigerate leftovers.

Makes a large, 14” pizza. Serves 8.

Nutritional information per 1/8 of a pizza (including crust):Calories: 166 Carbohydrates: 4 Fiber: >1 Net carbohydrate: 3 Fat: 16 g Protein: 18 g

OUR NEW ORLEAN'S FEAST...

Scott commented to us that he missed Red Beans & Rice so we thought it would be nice if we made New orlean's favorites and let Scott & Alyssa invite some of their friends over to enjoy it with us. We decided that 'Saturday night' would be perfect.

I didn't realize it when we picked the date (August 29th) for this feast but today is the anniversary of when Hurricane Katrine hit New Orleans. What a perfect day to honor the people and part of what makes them special.
On the menu...
Corn & Crab Soup
Gumbo
Jambalaya
Red BeansRice
Shrinp Etouffee
Corn Bread

Alyssa made the Gumbo.
Making the roux is the toughest part. You need to stir that stuff for like an HOUR before it gets to the proper color! Talk about a labor of love!

Corn Bread in my favorite cast iron pan.

Jambalaya

Shrimp Etouffee

Red Beans

I put labels on the table so everyone would know what they were eating.

My plate!

I have to say... I was very impressed with our efforts. It was a lot of work but everyone enjoyed themselves and had a great food experience. Most of the kids had never had this kind of foods so it was great to have them try them. I think my favorites were the Gumbo and the Shrimp Etouffee. YUM!!! Good times!!

Here's the recipes:

SHRIMP ETOUFEE (or Crawfish)

½ pound butter
¼ cup flour
1 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup green pepper, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon basil
8 oz. tomato sauce
½ teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 tblsp. Worcestershire
Tabasco to taste
2 cups water
2 pounds Shrimp (1 kilo)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tblsp. grated lemon rind
¼ cup minced parsley
2 tablespoons cognac

1. Make a walnut-colored roux with ¼ cup butter and flour.
2. Add green onions, yellow onions, garlic, green pepper, celery, bay leaf, thyme, basil and the rest of the butter. Sauté uncovered, over medium flame for 30 minutes.
3. Add tomato sauce, white pepper, salt, Worcestershire, Tabasco and water. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer slowly, uncovered, for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
5. After 1 hour, turn off fire.
6. Immediately add shrimp, lemon juice, lemon rind, parsley and cognac.
7. Serve over white rice or with French bread.

Best if made the day before or early in the morning. Cover & refrigerate. Reheat quickly, without boiling.

CORNBREAD
1 1/3 cups Flour
2/3 cups Cornmeal (yellow)
2/3 cups Sugar
½ cups Corn Flour (use ¼ Cup Flour and ¼ Cup Cornmeal)
5 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups Milk
5 tablespoons unsalted Butter, melted
1 Egg, beaten

In large bowl, mix Flour, Cornmeal, Sugar, Corn Flour (see note), Baking Powder, and Salt. Mix well, breaking up any lumps.
2. In another bowl, combine the Milk, Butter and Egg.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, blend just until mixed and large lumps are dissolved. Do not overbeat.
4. For Bread: Pour into a greased pan and bake at 350 F until golden brown, about 55 minutes.
For Muffins: Spoon mixture into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake at 350 F until golden brown, about 45 minutes

Red Beans & Rice
1 pound dried red beans
1 meaty ham bone
1 ¾ quarts water (enough to cover ham bone)
3 cups chopped Bermuda onion
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon salt
Dash red pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
Dash Tabasco
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon thyme leaves
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
½ (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
Seasoned salt to taste
Cooked Rice
Soak beans overnight in water to cover. Drain. Cook beans and ham bone in water slowly for 3 hours. Add all ingredients except seasoned salt. Cook slowly for 1 ½ hours. Cool. Reheat and simmer for 1 hour. Add seasoned salt to taste. Served over cooked rice. Serves 8.

The other recipes will be added when I have more time!