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!!

Beef Stroganoff

Not the best picture I've ever taken but between homework and rushing out the door for practice I was unable to take the time to snap a great shot.  It's that time again, when the weather is supposed to turn nice and the kids activities go into full gear.  Well okay,  it's still snowing outside but the kids sports have started and I am back to making dinner before practice.  This is actually quick and easy, plus is a good meal to reheat after we get home.



Ingredients
1 1/2 lb beef sirloin steak or fajita style beef
 2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion chopped
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
3 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
3 cups egg noodles cooked
Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet; add onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are tender; remove from skillet.

Salt and pepper your beef, add to the same skillet. Brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of broth and Dijon mustard. Bring to a boil; reduce to simmer. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes.

Whisk remaining broth and flour together; add to the beef mixture. Add onion mixture and bring to a boil; continually stirring until mixture thickens, about a minute.  Turn the heat off and stir in the sour cream.  Serve over noodles!

Chicken and Dumplings

Super Easy Weeknight Chili

Now that there is a chill in the air, I am ready for some good comfort food.  Unfortunately our schedule is still out of control crazy and I don't have time for a long simmering chile recipe.  This is my very easy week night recipe for chili.  It's not the slow cooking chili that is full of all things good, but it's got the basics and it's quick and easy with a lot of taste. 


Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 16 oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
1 16 oz can tomato sauce
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon minced onion
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
 Place all the ingredients in a dutch oven and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the meat.  I serve this with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Squash Crunch

An easy side dish with a lot of taste! This is a great CSA (community supported agriculture) recipe.  This was our first year involved in the CSA.  I liked knowing where my vegetables were coming from but I was warned that there would not be a lot of variety each week and more than likely an over abundance of one vegetable at a time.  I was able to feel my freezer with things that I can use in the winter.  I also had to come up with some new ways to eat veggies.  This was one of those.


Ingredients
1 yellow squash sliced
1 large tomato sliced
1 green pepper sliced
1/4 cup Feta cheese
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil


Directions
Pre-heat oven to 350'.
In a small baking dish layer squash, tomato and pepper slices. Crumble feta on top of veggies.  In a separate small bowl mix bread crumbs and olive oil together.  Mix well and sprinkle on top of veggies and cheese.  Bake 10-15 minutes or until bread crumbs are browned.

Pizza Bites

Well, it's that time again, the packing of school lunches!  This is a tough one for me, I have a child who does. not. eat.  He is picky and social, a bad combination at the lunch room table.  I am constantly trying new things with him, to only have him return home with a full lunch box.   Last school year,  I tried letting him pack his own lunch and he only chose fruit.  He wanted nothing else.  Though I am happy he eats fruit, I know that he needs other things to get through the day.  I thought this recipe would be great since he like's pizza.  It is small and easy to eat since he would rather talk than eat, and it has some hidden goodness for his paranoid mother that is always worried about him eating.


Ingredients
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup chopped pepperoni or mini pepperoni
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup finely chopped spinach
2 teaspoon pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning
2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese


Directions
Pre heat oven to 375', grease a mini muffin pan or muffin pan well.
Mix all the ingredients until blended.  It should be a wet mixture.   Pour mixture into muffin pan.

Bake for 13- 15 minutes

Lawrenz Potatoes

The Lawrenz Potatoes!  The first time my husband brought me home to meet his parents I was introduced not only to my future in-laws, but this tasty potato dish.  This dish was so very easy but really made an impact on me.  It shows you how just simple food made a simple way can be extraordinary.  Like most things in life, it's the simple things, right?  My mother-in law added morel mushrooms to hers, these were picked by hand.  Morel mushrooms do add a great flavor but I did not have any of these on hand so I used button mushrooms.  The beauty of this dish is the ability to put what you have on hand in and it will just taste good.  It's a wonderful side dish for most anything.


Ingredients
4 small potatoes cubed
2 large carrots chopped
1 large yellow onion chopped
1/2 cup of chopped broccoli
1/2 cup red peppers sliced
1/2 cup mushrooms
2 bratwurst or other sausage link sliced (optional)
1 stick of butter cubed
2 teaspoons of Crazy Jane mixed up Salt  (or other seasoning salt)
salt and pepper to taste


Directions
Place 2 large pieces of aluminum foil on the counter. Place all the ingredients on the foil, and crumble the butter on top of the veggies.  Season the veggies with the seasoning salt, salt and pepper.  Wrap the veggies in the foil. 
You can grill these on the top rack for 20-30 minutes or bake them at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Protein Pancakes

Lighter Egg Salad

Well, summer is coming to a close, with school starting right around the corner.  This means the end of vacations, and vacation eating.  Yes, over the summer I do indulge. Visiting family all over the country allows me to justify the overindulgence of food and drinks.  It's time for all those extra summer pounds to come off and it's time to start paying attention to what I eat.  Now I have to listen to the skinny girl that lives in my head, that I dream of being one day, screaming at me while I try to get back to the gym and take off my summer indulgence.  I really dislike her!

This is a quick and easy light lunch with lots of protein.  You can always substitute the mayo for plain yogurt but be prepared for a tangy zip.




Ingredients:
2 whole hard boiled eggs, crumbled
4 hard boiled egg whites, crumbled
1 tsp yellow mustard
1 tablespoon low fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped stuffed Manzanilla Olives
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
Mix all ingredients and Enjoy!

How to make Hard Boiled Eggs:
Put eggs in a large pot and cover with water.  Put on stove top over high heat.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes and then turn the heat off and let the eggs cool in the water.  This will allow them to continue to cook while cooling.

Zucchini Gratin

One word, CHEESE! Honestly who doesn't like cheese, and what's better then veggies buried in
cheese. This time of year I am over run with zucchini and squash. Though zucchini is one of my favorite vegetables I find myself getting tired of the same old recipes. This is so yummy and easy.  The kids even are inclined to taste it, since it is covered in cheese!

Ingredients
1 onion sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 or 3 large zucchini and/or yellow squash thinly sliced
8 oz grated smoked gouda


Directions
Pre-heat oven 450'
Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium high heat. Place onions in oil and saute until soft and translucent. 
While onions are cooking, place zucchini in a baking dish. I arranged mine along the bottom with them slightly overlapping. 
Once the onions are done pour them over the zucchini.
Then spread cheese over top.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, uncover and continue baking until cheese is golden brown.

Couscous Salad

School is out, the first of two big trips this summer is now behind us and I am back getting ready for the 4th of July! We will be doing what most Americans have planned.  Spending time outside, with friends and family, of course eating, all while enjoying fireworks.  This recipe is quick and goes with everything. It's perfect for a crowd and you won't have to worry about it spoiling in the sun. I put the salad in the endive leaves this time so it was easier for people to eat while standing around, you could also do this with chips or just serve as a side dish.


Ingredients
1 box roasted garlic and olive oil couscous
1 tomato chopped
1 cucumber chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
1 small can of sliced black olives
Juice of one lime
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup feta cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions
Cook couscous according to box instructions. Mix all ingredients well and serve. Seriously that easy!



 

Fathers Day Antipasto

Like most men, my husband loves meat and potatoes.  He has been a great sport with how I have changed our eating habits and rarely ever complains about dinner.  His favorite type of food is anything Italian, and when we were first married, I made pasta all the time.  I have since cut pasta dishes down to about once a week and it's usually whole wheat pasta.  Again, he never complains but on the occasion when I make something from the old days, his face is priceless.  This fathers day I am going to share some of his favorite dishes.  These little antipasto appetizers are great.  They are easy to make, great at a party or just to eat as dinner. This is a man-favorite in my house.

Ingredients:
Sliced salami
Cherry tomatoes
Marinated artichokes hearts
Fresh mozzarella pearls
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350'.  Using a greased muffin pan, place salami in the pan, making a cup shape. Bake in the oven for 8 to 10  minutes or until crispy.  Let the salami cups cool. Mix the other ingredients in a small bowl. Place mixture in each cup. 
 

Not exactly stuffed Tilapia

Well, this recipe started out as stuffed tilapia but very quickly turned into something different.  This happens a lot when I start a recipe from scratch.  It all started with wanting to make fish for dinner but I also needed to use up some greens I had in the fridge, so the idea of stuffed fish was born.  I thought I would use a similar stuffing as in stuffed chicken. Unfortunately once I got the stuffing done and was ready to roll the fish, I realized my fish were too small and cut up the middle. This made rolling them impossible.  So, I decided to dump all the stuffing on top and this recipe was born.  I completed the dish with some couscous, YUM!  Not the prettiest picture I know, but it honestly tasted great!


Ingredients
4 tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 cup fresh spinach
1 cup fresh kale
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup panko bread crmbs
2 tablespoons kalamata olives chopped (can omit or add another kind of olive)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large sauce pan heat oil over medium high heat.  Add spinach and kale and season with salt and pepper.  Cook the greens down until they are wilted and have decreased by half.  Add the garlic, feta, bread crumbs and olives, cook for another minute.   Turn heat off.

Prepare your fillets in a small baking dish, place them very close together so that they are touching. Salt and Pepper your fillets.  Place the greens mixture on top of the fillets.  Spread it evenly over all the fillets.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan.  Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until fish is cooked through.

Lemon Pasta

Lemons always remind me of my parents and the first year their lemon tree produced an abundance of lemons.  They were so proud, and at least once a week by skype they would show me their lemons.  Though I was impressed, I did begin to tease them about their lemons.  Actually, everyone started to tease them.  Since then I always chuckle at the site of a lemon.  This is one of our favorite lemon recipe.  It's just a great light spring time recipe.

Ingredients
1 box angel hair pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 3 lemons
1 tablespoon basil leaves chopped



Cook pasta according to box instructions.  Heat a sauce pan on low, heat olive oil and butter until butter is melted.  Add garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes.  Heat until garlic becomes fragrant. Depending on your stove this can take 5 to 8 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit until pasta is done.  Drain pasta.

In a large bowl add pasta,olive oil and butter sauce, lemon juice, and basil.  Toss and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.