Kelli's Kitchen

Basic Tomato Sauce

Day two of Summer Cooking Camp with the kids.  Today I showed them how to make a basic tomato sauce.  It was very easy and fun for them to put together.  We used the sauce to make a lasagna and it was delicious.  What makes this sauce, is the fresh herbs, straight from our garden.  The fresh herbs just gives it more flavor.  I highly recommend buying them fresh for this recipe.  It was also fun to show them how to store the sauce in mason jars and freeze for later.  They are really enjoying getting messy and I am getting a good lesson on how to relax.

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
2 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon chopped Thyme
1 teaspoon chopped Basil
1 teaspoon chopped Rosemary
Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions

Heat oil in a large sauce pan or dutch oven, over medium-high heat.  Add onions and carrots and cook until soft, about 5 to 8 minutes.  Add the garlic, cook for just a minute, then stir in the cans of tomato.  Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer and stir in the herbs. Simmer for about an hour or longer.  I took an immersion blender to mine since my kids are texture freaks and the bits of tomato and onion turns them off.  It taste just as good without blending it.

Layered Taco Dip

Left Over Yolks!

Did you know that according to the surgeon general you should only be eating one egg yolk a day.  If you think about it, even if you don't eat eggs you may be eating more than one a day.  If you eat ice cream, cookies, cake, or even a pancake you are usually eating egg yolk.  Egg yolks carry most of the calories in the egg and are also high in cholesterol.  I am not trying to persuade you into eating egg whites or cutting out sweet treats.  Just a little knowledge for you guys to ponder!

I usually eat egg whites in the morning and I don't buy the egg whites in the cartons. I use my eggs at home and separate them.  This unfortunately leaves me with many egg yolks at the end of the week.  Since I am married to a man who waste nothing, I am left to get a bit crafty with my yolks!

I am sharing some recipes I have found online in case any of you guys out there are looking for ways to use some left over yolks!

How to Freeze Egg Yolks

Place one egg yolk in each ice cube cavity of a clean ice cube tray. Add a pinch of salt to each yolk (if you plan to eventually use them in savoury recipes) or a pinch of sugar (if you will use them in sweet recipes). Freeze overnight until solid, then transfer to an airtight freezer bag.
To use, thaw in refrigerator and then mix well. They will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
Leftover egg yolks can also be refrigerated for 3-4 days.



 Cheese Straws (BBC Food)

 Ginger Cupcakes (Cooks.com)

 Basic Aioli (Gourmet Sleuth)

 Hollandaise Sauce (Cooking Nook)

 Caesar Salad Dressing (Food.com)

 Mississippi Mud Pie (RecipeLand)

 Fettucini Carbonara (All Recipes)

 Lemon Pound Cake (Southern Food)

 Chocolate Mousse (BBC Food)

There are many more, you just have to search egg yolk recipes!

Braised White Beans with Rosemary

  Eating at a restaurant recently with a friend, I found a bean dish that I absolutely loved.  I immediately came home and researched recipes and found multiple recipes.  I decided that I would take a few and combine them into one.  I thought this was a close match and still very tasty.  It's a great side dish with anything!



Ingredients:
1 can white beans washed and drained
1 Tbsp butter
1 1/4 cup chopped red onion
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp olive oil


Directions:
Melt butter in sauce pan, add onions and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until softened.  Add garlic, rosemary, paprika, salt and pepper. Let cook for about a minute or until fragrant.  Add chicken stock, olive oil and beans. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer and cook for another 10-12 minutes. Stirring occasionally to keep the beans from burning to the bottom of the pot.

*The sauce will thicken but if you like a thicker consistency you can use a blender or an immersion blender and blend the beans a little.  Don't blend to much and make soup.

Spinach Stuffed Fish

This is truly a recipe I made up as I was going along.  It was Friday, during Lent and eating meat was off the table. I had some grouper in the freezer and wanted something different then just pan fried fish with veggies.  I did not write down the recipe as I was going, so the measurements are more old school style then exact.  It was surprisingly very tasty and my biggest critics were also impressed.

Ingredients
Filling
5 white fish fillets (season with salt and pepper)
8 oz of light cream cheese softened
Handful of fresh spinach (you could use a box of frozen spinach thawed)
1 clove of garlic chopped or a little garlic powder
1 to 2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

Sauce
1 Tbsp butter
Zest of a whole lemon
Juice from zested lemon
2 Tbsp capers with a little caper juice
What ever is left over from the filling
1 to 2 Tbsp milk

Directions
Heat oven to 375'

Mix cream cheese, spinach, garlic, and cheese together.  Using a tablespoon, spoon mixture into fish and roll fish, using toothpicks to secure the fish. Place in baking pan, and bake for about 20 minutes or until fish is flaky.

While fish is baking, using a medium frying pan, melt butter. Add lemon zest, capers, and left over filling. Mix well until bubbly, then add lemon juice and milk and heat through.  It will thin the sauce out enough to pour over the fish.  Pour over fish and serve!

Appetizer Night

Ever have one of those nights where you have food in your house, lots actually, but really don't feel like making dinner.  I feel this way a lot and I usually tackle this with brinner, which is breakfast for dinner or Appetizer Night!  I just go through the fridge and pantry and pull out any left overs and all the finger foods I can come up with.  It's always been a great way to get my picker eaters to try something new.  I throw a blanket on the floor in front of the television, yes I said television and you've got yourself a fun dinner with the kids.  Plus the clean up is super easy!

Crockpot Chicken And Wild Rice Casserole

A tasty crockpot meal that I can throw together with just a few items in my pantry and off I go.  This is a combination of wild rice soup and chicken and rice casserole.  I used frozen chicken for this recipe but you can always use left over chicken.  Also, make sure you use long cooking rice or you will have a mushy mess!



Ingredients

1 medium onion chopped
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 10 ounce cans low sodium cream of chicken soup
1 10 ounce can low sodium cream of mushroom soup
2 cups milk
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 cups wild rice (not the fast cooking)
1 lb chicken breast (I use frozen)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste


Directions

Throw everything into the crockpot and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for about 4 hours. 
Easy Easy!!