SUMMERSET ABBEY by TJ Brown and Mustard Roasted Potatoes

Today I welcome author T.J. Brown, who has an incredible personal story about overcoming cancer, and an incredible debut novel. If you like Downton Abbey, you're going to love her new book, SUMMERSET ABBEY!

She's also a great cook, so read below for a recipe that I'm definitely going to try!

 

TJ Brown's Recipe: Mustard Roasted Potatoes

I have found an absolute passion for cooking now that my children are grown…no more picky eaters to please and I get to make what I want! This recipe is originally from the Barefoot Contessa, but I modified it to suit our tastes. These are perfect for a party because you can make them ahead of time and then put them under the broiler for a few minutes  to reheat.  

• 2 1/2 pounds small red potatoes (or any potatoes really)
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• Salt to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the potatoes into bite sized chunks, and place them on a sheet pan.  Mix together the olive oil, mustard, 2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a bowl and pour over the potatoes. Mix together well with your hands. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are lightly browned on the outside and tender on the inside. Toss the potatoes from time to time with a metal spatula so they brown evenly.

Serve hot sprinkled with chopped parsley and a little extra salt.

 

And now, about the book, SUMMERSET ABBEY (available in bookstores nationwide):

1913: In a sprawling manor on the outskirts of London, three young women seek to fulfill their destinies and desires amidst the unspoken rules of society and the distant rumblings of war. . . .

Rowena Buxton

Sir Philip Buxton raised three girls into beautiful and capable young women in a bohemian household that defied Edwardian tradition. Eldest sister Rowena was taught to value people, not wealth or status. But everything she believes will be tested when Sir Philip dies, and the girls must live under their uncle’s guardianship at the vast family estate, Summerset Abbey. Standing up for a beloved family member sequestered to the “under class” in this privileged new world, and drawn into the Cunning Coterie, an exclusive social circle of aristocratic “rebels,” Rowena must decide where her true passions—and loyalties—lie.

Victoria Buxton

Frail in body but filled with an audacious spirit, Victoria secretly dreams of attending university to become a botanist like her father. But this most unladylike wish is not her only secret. Now, Victoria has stumbled upon a family scandal that, if revealed, has the potential to change lives forever…

Prudence Tate

Prudence was lovingly brought up alongside Victoria and Rowena, and their bond is as strong as blood. But by birth she is a governess’s daughter, and to the lord of Summerset Abbey, that makes her a commoner who must take her true place in society—as ladies maid to her beloved “sisters.” But Pru doesn’t belong in the downstairs world of the household staff any more than she belongs upstairs with the Buxton girls.  And when a young lord catches her eye, she begins to wonder if she’ll ever truly carve out a place for herself at Summerset Abbey…

Other books in the series:

A BLOOM IN WINTER (Summerset Abbey #2) March 5, 2013

SPRING AWAKENING (Summerset Abbey #3) August 6, 2013

Thanks for visiting, T.J.! This book looks awesome!! For more about the book, the series or TJ herself, visit her website!

Shirley

Easy Spanish Rice

Spanish rice is one of those things that I figure should be easy, but has never really turned out that good for me. I hate the packaged stuff, but love what I get in a Mexican restaurant. This tried and true Spanish Rice recipe is a favorite with my whole family. I forgot to take a picture -- sorry!

Easy Spanish Rice

2 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white rice (I use Jasmine just because I always have that but you can use whatever)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups chicken broth
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 lime
1 scallion, green and white parts chopped

Heat a pan over medium heat. Add oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the rice, onion and garlic, stir until the rice is coated with the oil, and the onions soften. Add the cumin and salt and stir for one minute (it helps release the spice when you heat it in the pan). Add the chicken broth and canned tomatoes (with juice). Simmer the rice for about 15 minutes, until it absorbs all the liquid. If you need to add more liquid, add 1/2 cup at a time and simmer until gone. When the rice is cooked, top with cilantro and scallion, then squeeze the lime juice over it.

An easy, quick side and a big hit with my family!

Shirley

Thanksgiving Success! Rerun

This has been my Thanksgiving plan for three years in a row, so I thought I'd rerun the tips. I have changed this slightly--in that I bought the brining bags at the store instead of using a pail (Farberware makes them and they were in the aisle with the roasters and kitchen twine, etc.). I have had success every time I use this recipe. Buying a fresh bird makes life ten times easier, but I have in a pinch defrosted a frozen bird and then brined it.

(and as an aside, for those of you who are friends with me on Facebook, on Monday I posted a link to my blog and a friend who is a professional chef shared his tips for brining, so check that out!)

Thanksgiving was a HUGE success in my house. Brining the bird was DA BOMB and I highly recommend it. I mean, HIGHLY recommend it. I have never had a juicier, more delicious turkey--it was beyond simple to cook, and twelve people devoured nearly an entire 21-pound bird. Lots of going back for seconds and thirds that day!

Take notes if you want for next year, because here's how I did it (and managed to have a LOT of relaxation time on the big day, too):

Wednesday Night: Brine the Bird (in the fridge by 8pm)
Equipment needed: 5-gallon pail from Lowe's or Home Depot
Alton Brown's recipe for Brining from I'm Just Here for the Food
(which involves essentially cooking some water, brown sugar, peppercorns, bay leaves and kosher salt, then cooling and adding to the bucket).
Plus: 3 gallons ice water and 1 1/2 cups kosher salt

Thursday Timeline:
7:00 a.m.: Remove bird from Brining Liquid
Preheat oven
Dry bird, stuff with an onion, celery sticks. Brush whole bird with melted butter, then tent with foil, stick a meat thermometer in it, then put the bird in the oven.

8:00 a.m.: Cook sausage for stuffing, chop vegetables for stuffing (celery, carrots and onions), then cook when sausage is done. Add dried cranberries, leave to cool and set aside

8:15 a.m.: Peel 8 pounds of potatoes and start boiling them for mashed potatoes

8:45 a.m.: Start simple syrup for kids' Floating Island Punch
Put Frozen raspberries, pink lemonade and sugar in bowl to thaw for Poinsettia Punch for grownups :-)

9:30 a.m.: Mash potatoes and put in crock-pot--done till 11:15 a.m. (take a nap, read the ads for Black Friday shopping...I do all my house cleaning on Wednesday, so I'm chilling for these two hours)

11:30 a.m.: remove foil tent from turkey, baste with more butter and turn oven temp up to 425 degrees
Start green beans (I made a healthy version, which I can post later)
Start Citrus-Glazed Carrots

12:15 p.m.: Assemble stuffing

12:30 p.m.: Remove turkey from oven and let set
Put rolls in oven
Put stuffing in oven
Make gravy

1:00 p.m.: Serve and eat ;-)

My MIL made the pies, and I had baked cookies on Wednesday night, so all the rest was done ahead of time. I usually make the pies a day or two ahead of time, but this time someone else did them, so I was saved that chore. This turkey was SO SO good, though. I just can't even tell you ;-)

How was your Thanksgiving? Was it a huge success? I do dishes as I go, and run the dishwasher about halfway through so that everyone can eat on real plates. Clean-up is still a lot of work, but it's not AS bad as it could be.

And if you want to read about my Black Friday adventures, I posted on RTB today about them!

Shirley

Grilling Tonight :-)

I know, I know, I haven't been here in a while. Sorry! In the summer, I don't cook as much--it's mainly just easy stuff on the grill (we travel a lot in the summer too, so it's simply a matter of not being here either :-) I had a couple favorite recipes that I wanted to share today. Simple, easy, and uses some of the bounty from the garden :-)

I made grilled chicken tonight--did a dry rub on it and let it set for a half hour, then cooked it and basted it at the end with barbecue sauce. Totally delicious. If I get a chance, I'll post that recipe another day (I forgot to take a picture of it). I served it with this cilantro-lime grilled corn and a tomato salad. The corn is really yummy and super easy, and good even off the cob :-)

Cilantro Lime Corn

1 stick butter (or margarine)

1/2 lime, zested and juiced

1 teaspoon salt

dash cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

8-10 ears of corn, shucked

Tear off enough pieces of foil for all your corn and either preheat the grill or the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the butter, lime juice and zest, salt, cayenne and cilantro in a bowl. Reserve a couple tablespoons of the butter for after the corn is done. Take the rest and rub it all over the corn, then wrap each ear tightly in foil and either grill or bake for about 25 minutes. Delish!

Tomato Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon oregano

Salad:

1 cup lettuce

3 tomatoes, sliced thin

1/4 cup minced red onion or Vidalia onion

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

1/4 cup feta

Mix all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk. Assemble the salad, then drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately. Easy and delicious...and super healthy!

Enjoy! Tell me, what's your favorite thing to grill?

Shirley

Beer Battered Fish and Onion Rings with Low-Fat Tartar Sauce

My son pronounced this my "best dinner ever." I think it's because I put Red Robin seasoning on the fries and onion rings, LOL (I baked up some fries too, but they weren't on my plate, hence, not in the photo). And yes, I made a vegetable, too, but it was just broccoli, so I didn't put it in the picture.

I was going to make baked fish. Then realized I had all the ingredients for beer batter, and a hankering for some fried food. So I made this, and made the low-fat tartar sauce to kinda offset the calories (it's the Big Mac and Diet Coke theory ;-).

Beer Battered Fish

1 pound of cod or other whitefish
1 12-ounce bottle of beer
2 cups of flour, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
more salt and pepper

Canola oil

Heat about an inch of the oil in a thick bottomed pan to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Also preheat the oven to 200 degrees and put a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

Cut the cod into two-inch pieces. Mix the beer and 1 1/2 cups of flour in a bowl. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup flour with some salt and pepper to season it.

Dredge the fish in the beer batter, then shake gently to remove the big bits of batter. Dredge in the flour. Fry, a few pieces at a time, about 4 minutes per side, turning once. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt while it's still hot. While other pieces are cooking, put the first pieces on the cookie sheet and into the oven, to keep them warm.

When the cod is done, if you happen to have a sweet white onion (like a Vidalia), cut into 1/2 inch rings, dredge in the batter (skip the flour), then fry, about 3 minutes per side. You might need to add more oil and reheat the oil to 375 before cooking the onions. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

For the low-fat Tartar Sauce, mix 1 small container plain yogurt with 3 tablespoons relish (I used my zucchini relish :-), a dash of hot sauce, a little lemon juice, and a tablespoon or so of lite mayonnaise to thicken it.

Shirley

Thai Mango Chicken, Glazed Carrots and Coconut Rice

I must be in an Asian mood lately because I've been making all kinds of Thai-inspired meals lately (my oldest, who loves Asian food, is in heaven). I made the Spicy Thai Shrimp and Mango Salad twice this week (sooo good that I want to have that one every day) and tonight I made Thai Mango Chicken, Glazed Carrots and Coconut Rice. A hearty thumbs-up from the the kids and me (DH won't be home till later).

I've made the Thai Mango Chicken before, and my son (who loves the recipe) requested it when he saw I had mangoes in the kitchen. This time, I got to take a picture before everyone ate ;-)

Thai-Mango Chicken Stir-Fry

Chicken:

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Mango Sauce:

2 fresh ripe mangos, chopped

3/4 teaspoon chili sauce

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
juice of 1/2 lime
1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 thumb-size piece ginger, minced (use a microplane)

3 cloves garlic, diced
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
zest of 1 lime

Also:

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 to 1 mango, cut into chunks (to finish the dish)
Optional: 3-4 Tbsp. coconut milk OR water

Put the chicken pieces into a zip-type bag. Sprinkle with rice vinegar, then cornstarch. Close bag and shake until chicken is evenly coated. Set aside.

In a food processor or blender, mix all the ingredients for the mango sauce and blend until mango is pureed. Set aside

Heat oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry, a few minutes per side, until cooked on all sides. Take chicken out and put it on a plate or paper towel. Clean out wok/skillet, then reheat it and add the mango sauce and red pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until red pepper is softened. If it's too thick, add the coconut milk (I did). Put in the chicken and extra mango chunks and cook until heated through. Top with cilantro and serve on top of coconut rice.

Coconut Rice

2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice
1 cup good-quality coconut milk
2 cups water
2-3 Tablespoons dry shredded unsweetened coconut (baking type)
1/2 teaspooon salt

Put all ingredients in a rice cooker. Stir to mix. Then cook until done. When the cooker switches from Cook to Warm, let it cook a couple minutes more to thicken and make it stickier. Stir before serving.

Glazed Carrots

3 cups carrots, chopped on the diagonal into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

Put all ingredients in a pan. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 10-15 minutes, until carrots are cooked and sauce has caramelized. If you're in a hurry, you can microwave the carrots for 3 minutes with a little bit of water, then cook with the sauce...it only takes about 5 minutes then.

None of this was much work--a little prep, but with Chinese food, the key is to chop everything in advance. I did that earlier today, put everything in baggies and then just had to assemble and stir. Not bad at all :-)

Shirley

Hosting a Crowd

This weekend, I had a bunch of friends over, from Thursday till mid-Sunday (with people arriving at varying times), which meant lots of cooking for me (I TRULY enjoyed it). I wanted a menu that would appeal to lots of people, work for large crowds (at the height of everything, we had 20 people here total between adults and kids), and not be too much work. I think it all worked out (even my friend who eats gluten-free was able to enjoy a few things, though I wished I had more on the menu for her).

I planned my menu about a week ahead of time, choosing things I have cooked more than once (several of which are on this blog) and made a pretty extensive grocery list (though I still ended up running out for a few forgotten things). I also tried to create menus that were flexible--meaning if I didn't feel like making one dish one day, I could substitute it with another from the next day.

I also gratefully accepted all offered help. My friends were FABULOUS and cut vegetables, boiled water, shredded cheese...all kinds of helpful jobs (including helping me keep up with the mountain of dishes!!). It became a truly fun event to cook, with everyone standing around in the kitchen enjoying munchies like mango salsa and homemade hummus in between preparing a meal.

Here are some of the recipes I made:

For snacks, we had Hummus (I only used 1/2 cup of the Tahini, more of a to-taste thing) and Samantha Hunter's Mango Salsa. This is SOOO yummy and easy. Use the fresh ingredients for sure.

Samantha Hunter's Mango Salsa

2-3 mangoes, peeled and diced

2-3 cups chopped and seeded tomatoes

2 shallots, minced

1/2 big bunch cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 T. ginger, minced (I use a micrograter to get it tiny)

2-3 T lime juice (about 2 limes)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and let sit for a couple hours before serving

Here are some of the other recipes I had:

Giada's Lasagna (pictured here). With this one, I substituted cooked Italian sausage and mushrooms for the ground beef. This was an AMAZING lasagna, if I say so myself. Simply delicious.

Served with: Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese (yummy and pretty easy). For dessert, we had Fruit Pavlova (pictured above).

For breakfast the next day, I did baked apple pancakes (basically, you layer apples on the bottom of a pie plate, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, then top with pancake batter. Bake at 350 until done; about 10-15 minutes).

We went out for lunch, then for dinner, prepared Giada's Baked Fettuccini, Insalata Rustica (read my notes here for the changes I've made to the recipe), Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts with Chausser Sauce, and for dessert, DH's favorite dessert, Ina Garten's Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars.

On the last day, I made an egg bake for breakfast, then had burgers and homemade potato salad. I tried to make the last day's dishes far lighter in prep work because we'd all been staying up WAY too late talking and laughing :-)

All in all, I think everyone had a great time, and I know they left with full bellies! One of my friends brought along these AMAZING peanut butter truffles. Loved them. I think spending time in the kitchen with good friends is one of the best things in life :-)

Shirley

Mediterranean Night: Tandoori Chicken and Cauliflower Tabouli

With some dinners, you hit a home run on the first bite. That's how this Tandoori Chicken was--simply AMAZING. I can't wait to make it again and am so glad I made twice as much so I have leftovers :-)

The recipe called for cooking this in the oven, but I was still in grilling mode, so I did it on the grill, on medium-low. Worked out just fine and smelled divine while it was cooking. I also didn't use boneless, skinless thighs, which is what the recipe calls for (I'm really not a fan of chicken thighs or my own thighs for that matter, LOL). Instead I used bone-in chicken breasts. I'm sure you could use boneless, and I think I'll try it again with boneless next time. I just like how tender bone-in comes out on the grill.

I made the Tabouli a couple hours before dinner and it definitely tasted better after it had sat in the fridge for a while. The kids weren't so wild about it, but DH and I liked it. I sure wished I had some pita bread to serve with it, but didn't. Probably just as well--it would have ruined the whole "healthy dinner" thing ;-)


A couple tips--you can store ginger in the freezer in a zip-type bag. I buy one big piece and store it in between uses. Takes up very little space, and then you always have it around. I also store tomato paste in the freezer (in a zip bag) because I always seem to need a little bit at the weirdest times.


I served this dinner with Honey-Ginger carrots and some steamed rice.


Tandoori Chicken


6 bone-in chicken breasts (or boneless if you want to do that ;-)
juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt
1 small container plain yogurt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 small red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped (use fresh ginger, it makes such a difference)
4 teaspoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 3/4 teaspoons hot paprika
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


Toss the chicken in a zip bag with the lemon juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. In a mini or regular food processor, blend 2 tablespoons of the yogurt (reserve the rest), the vegetable oil, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, coriander, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the paprika and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss the chicken in this mixture and marinade it for 15 minutes.


(Note: the original recipe, from Food Network Magazine's May issue called for cooking this in the broiler. I hate using the broiler pan. The darn thing is impossible to clean. So my directions are for the grill :-). Preheat the grill to medium-low. Put the chicken on the grill, bone side down, and cook 15 minutes. Flip, cook for another 10-15 minutes, just enough to crisp that side, then flip back to bone side and continue cooking until done and internal temperature is 165 degrees. (For me, that was about 40 minutes total, give or take). When done, remove to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.


Meanwhile, combine the remaining yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, the cilantro and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Serve with the chicken. (I wished I'd doubled the sauce...I LOVED how it offset all the flavors just right).


Cauliflower Tabouli


When I was in Washington DC last year, I went to a Lebanese restaurant with some fellow author friends. We had the waiter choose a variety of dishes for us, and he did a great job. One of the menu items was Tabouli, and it was fabulous. This one wasn't as good as the restaurant one, but it was pretty darn good :-)


1 head cauliflower
2 plum tomatoes
2 chopped scallions
1 bunch parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons mint, chopped (the original recipe called for 2 tablespoons but to me, adding a bit more made the flavors more even)

1/3 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

salt and pepper


Grate the cauliflower on a box grater (on the biggest holes) and put in a large bowl. Dice the tomatoes, then the scallions, and add to the cauliflower. Stir in the parsley and mint. Mix the lemon juice, oil and soy sauce and toss with the cauliflower mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let sit for 30 minutes in the fridge before serving.


Not sure what else is on my menu this week. I'm thinking of trying a Japanese pork dish. Although I just bookmarked a bunch of recipes for the grill in the latest issues of my food magazines :-)


Shirley

Chili Glazed Ribs and Tangy Coleslaw

Yesterday, I got the bright idea to grill. I didn't check the weather report first--heck, it's been raining here for days, and it looked like rain, which isn't really a big deal for grilling.


Until the rain turns into torrential downpours and lightning when you're supposed to be basting baby back ribs for the last thirty minutes of cooking time ;-) I was going out there with an umbrella balanced on one shoulder, the basting liquid and brush in my hands, trying to stay dry and still get the ribs done. Then DH saw me and being a smarter person than me, LOL, dragged the grill to sit in front of the patio doors and under the overhang.


Uh, duh. ;-)


The ribs were fabulous. A little crispy but I wasn't as vigilant as I could have been, what with the rain and lightning and all ;-). I served them with a Tangy Mustard Coleslaw and baked potatoes. I'd like to try these ribs again, on a better weather day. :-)


I also didn't read the directions before I got this bright idea, so I did not let the ribs set in the fridge for the hours recommended. Next time, I'll do that. So do these either the night before or the morning before you grill them. They also take a LONG time to cook (they're slow cooked) so start them about 3 hours before you're planning to eat.


Chili Glazed Ribs (from the Food Network Magazine, May 2010 issue)


2 racks pork spareribs (about six pounds)
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder (which I didn't have, so I used regular chili powder)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups apple cider
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce


Prepare ribs ahead: Make shallow cuts between ribs on bone side with a sharp knife, piercing just the membrane. Mix 1 tablespoon kosher salt, the brown sugar, garlic, thyme, chili powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Rub the spice mixture over the ribs, then place them on a rack in a roasting pan, loosely covered. Refrigerate four hours or overnight.


Prepare the grill: Set it on low, then set the ribs bone-side down on the grill. Close the lid and cook until tender, about 2 1/2 hours.


Meanwhile, prepare the glaze: mix the cider, ketchup, mustard and Worcestshire in a saucepan. Heat over medium at a simmer until reduced to two cups (I reduced it to about 1 1/2 cups because it seemed too thin at 2 cups. I still had WAY more than I needed).


After ribs have cooked for the 2 1/2 hours, start basting them with the glaze every 10 minutes, for another 40 minutes. Remove from the grill, let sit for a few minutes, then cut into pieces.


Tangy Mustard Coleslaw


I'm not a big fan of regular coleslaw, BTW. And I really despise coleslaw with pineapple in it. But I like this--it's low calorie and has a bit of a bite to it. The one kid who would try it (kids, argh!) liked it.


1 bag shredded coleslaw mix
1 small red onion, minced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise (as I've said before, DH is a Miracle Whip only guy so I used Miracle Whip)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper


Mix the coleslaw mix and onion in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients, then toss with the coleslaw. Let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes, and stir before serving.


Happy grilling! More recipes to come this week, including Tandoori Chicken!

Shirley

Cinnamon Honey Roasted Butternut Squash

I love butternut squash--love all kinds of squash, actually--but my family (especially the kids)...not so much, LOL. Same with asparagus. I could eat it every week, but my kids would rather not.

Then I saw a recipe for cinnamon honey roasted butternut squash, and thought about adding asparagus and pecans to that recipe. How yummy would that be? VERY, it turns out. I loved it, DH loved it and one of the two kids did (the other one was just being grumpy, I think, because she's getting a cold). Anyway, it's SUPER simple and would make a good Thanksgiving side dish.

Cinnamon-Honey Roasted Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 bunch asparagus, chopped (I don't use the last three or four inches of the stalks; too bitter, IMO)

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I microwaved the squash chunks until they were fork tender (because otherwise this dish would bake for an hour). Drained them, then added the asparagus and pecans. Mix the sauce ingredients, then mix with the vegetables. Roast for 20 minutes (or until everything is tender).

That's it! Very easy, and I loved it so much, I had more for lunch today :-)

Shirley

Herb Roasted Chicken and Smashed Potatoes

It's back-to-school time, which means back-to-routine, and back to cooking ;-). We've been gone nearly the entire summer (two weeks in Massachusetts, two weeks in California, nearly a week for me in Washington, DC), which meant I barely cooked all summer, and when I did, it was mainly throwing those Bertolli 9-minute meals into a pan. Don't get me wrong--those are pretty awesome and yummy.



But now I have that cooking bug again and am going to try to fit in a few new recipes among two very, very tight deadlines :-)



I had this recipe for an Herb-Roasted Whole Chicken with Tomatoes from the Food Network Magazine that I'd been wanting to try. Trouble was, I didn't have a whole chicken ;-). I only had chicken breasts. I knew the recipe would be infinitely better with a whole chicken, but I wasn't about to run out to the store just for a chicken. I had these fabulous and fresh tomatoes that my friend Marci had given me from her garden, plus plenty of herbs, so that part of the recipe was set. I didn't have walnuts, and don't really like them outside of salad, so I nixed those.

Instead, I pan-seared the breasts, smeared them with the herb mixture as the recipe indicated (tarragon, dill, cilantro, parsley, salt, pepper ), then roasted it at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Added the tomato slices, tossing them with the herb mixture, too, then roasted for another 10-15 minutes at 375. Served it with the sauce on the side, because my family isn't big on sauce, even if I am :-)

I also made smashed potatoes, which are way easier than mashed. Boiled my potatoes, then peeled them, and mashed them in the pan with some milk, 1/2 of an 8-ounce package of low-fat cream cheese, 3 tablespoons of butter and salt and pepper to taste. DH was very happy to have real mashed potatoes (not that I even make boxed ones) and so were the kids.

Served it with Garlicky Green Beans, a perennial favorite around here. :-)

All in all, a great meal, and family was pleased to see home-cooked on the menu once again. Even after two weeks of restaurant dining in sunny California :-)

Shirley

The Thanksgiving Plan

Tomorrow's the big day. For a home cook, it's that make-or-break show, KWIM? You can truly screw up Thanksgiving, or you can do it and do it well. No pressure ;-)

This year's plan is a little healthy cooking, a little traditional. The Today Show scared the pants off me when that toothpick thin nutritionist chick said the average Thanksgiving Day dinner has 4000 calories in it (IMHO, that woman is way too thin and could use more than one helping of T-Day dinner, but hey, that's just the opinion of someone who has to convince her jeans that they'll fit her thighs today).

So, here's the plan for the big bird day. We have about 14 or so people coming:

A 21-pound turkey. I like leftovers. Sue me.
Mashed Potatoes (the ones I keep warm in the Crock-Pot)
Healthy Green Beans--I just got the Food Network magazine and they had a recipe for healthy green beans. None of that soup stuff in there. I figure I save 3999 calories with these ;-)
Sausage and Cranberry stuffing
Cranberry Sauce
Sweet Potato Gratin--if I have time. This is one of those don't-have-to-have-it sides
Glazed Carrots
Gravy--Homemade; none of that canned stuff here
This Poinsettia Punch I came across on Fine Living.com

The guests are bringing dessert, so that's off my plate this year. For appetizers, I have cheese and crackers. Hey, enough cooking there already. We got new great room furniture delivered today, and I am brining the turkey for the first time ever. I sure hope that works out well because if you screw up the turkey...

Well, you've pretty much ruined everything.

All the reports I read about brining say it rocks, though, so I have high hopes :-)

Shirley

Mom's Quick & Easy Ziti Dinner & an airline rant

Here's a quick and easy ziti dinner that's a favorite with my kids, maybe because my mom always used to make it, and eating it brings up memories of dinners with her. Or maybe just because it's loaded with cheese, and my kids love cheese ;-)

I need a quick-and-easy dinner this week (in fact, I need a whole LOT of them) because I'm on deadline and Thanksgiving is coming, which means Christmas shopping is coming, and my life is INSANE. Ten million things going on at once, and only one me, who has to be writing all day long.

If I have time, I'll post all about the Crimebake conference later this week (and my apologies for missing the Writing Advice Monday post, but I was on a plane traveling back from Boston and just didn't get time between flights to post. Plus I had to get up at the ungodly hour of 4:30 to make my flight out of Boston. I'm an early riser, but NOT THAT EARLY, not anymore, LOL).

One quick story that really told me a lot about the awfulness of people. While I was at the airport, this elderly lady ahead of me (I was way back in the snake line, and she was up at the ticket counter), fainted and fell over, right on top of her luggage. Just...bam, dropped to the floor. There were, no lie, THREE American Airlines ticket agents standing there.

Not one helped her. Not one.

The first, the closest to her (and I mean, within inches), went right on entering the next customer's ticket info into the self-serve computer. Yes, the ticket agent saw the woman fall. She just looked down at her, and went right back to the computer. The other two were behind the desk, and they went on with their jobs. As if this woman was a piece of paper that had fluttered to the floor. No security people sprang forward, no airport staff. None of the people you expect to be in charge in an emergency did a thing. I had no idea what to do. I have all the emergency training of a houseplant, and didn't want to make the situation worse. I wished my husband was with me--he's the former Navy guy with all the knowledge about CPR and bandaging and stuff. My Go To guy in an emergency.

Anyway, a passenger who was a couple feet away from the woman, did rush to her aid. I think the rest of us thought she was a nurse, but after a minute of seeing her with the woman, I don't think she was. I think she was just a nice person. I was way back, in that snaked off line, and there were a good thirty people ahead of me. None of them moved. But this woman get out a tissue, cleaned up the cut on the other woman's head (did I mention she was BLEEDING?) and soothed her until her daughter came over.

The airline staff never did anything. Never. All the people in front of me were moved forward, AROUND the woman's legs (by that first ticket agent, who seemed completely annoyed by this mess on her floor in the way of all her ticket computers). We were all shuffled through the line. The daughter tended to her mother, who was still sitting on the floor when I was done. The airline people never called a doctor or the EMS people or anything.

Then I watch the news this morning when the attorney general collapses and wham, there's a whole slew of people helping him. You could argue he's the AG of the US, but that woman in the airport was just as important to her family as the AG is to the government or to his family.

I didn't fly on American Airlines for 10 years after a really horrible incident when I moved to Indiana. I wrote them a long letter, and got no response. I'll be writing a letter about this incident, too, and will once again not fly AA, not that my one protest will make a huge difference in their bottom line, but it will make me feel better.

Okay, I'm done ranting. I don't do a lot of that on my blog, so my apologies for those who came here just for a recipe. :-)

And now on to that recipe I promised.

Mom's Quick and Easy Ziti

1 pound ziti or penne, cooked and drained

16 ounces American cheese slices

1 stick butter or margarine

salt and pepper

28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray non-stick cooking spray on a 9 by 13 pan. Layer one-third of ziti on pan, then top with 1/3 of tomatoes, 1/3 of cheese slices, 1/3 of butter (cut into little pats) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat layers, ending with cheese and butter. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

That's all there is to it. It's not exactly diet friendly, LOL, but it's really good with veggies. Pictured there are green beans I sauteed in a little olive oil, then added some Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing to, tossed in the pan until heated and cooked through. That was easy and tangy. A quick dinner -- the best of all worlds ;-)


Shirley

Brussel Sprouts = Yummy? Yes, Indeed!

I don't know about your family but my family DESPISES brussel sprouts. When my kids saw me buy not one, but two one-pound packages of brussel sprouts at the supermarket this week, they started gagging right there in the vegetable aisle. Begging me to put them back. Offering to do chores if I would please not torture them with those hideous mini cabbages.


Now, I happen to love brussel sprouts. I have other vegetables on my "I'll never cook them" list (well, only two--beets and turnips), but brussel sprouts are on my like list. Still, I wanted to find a way to make brussel sprouts that my kids would like.


Then I saw that impossibly-thin-for-the-food-she-cooks Giada de Laurentiis (seriously, how can anyone be that thin and eat ITALIAN FOOD? It's all carbs!) on the Today show, cooking brussel sprouts. She made a couple yummy looking recipes, which they didn't post on the site, but one involved bacon. I came across a couple variations of Giada's recipe in some magazines, and decided I'd try it.

So here's my version of what I saw. And guess what? They ate the brussel sprouts. No one complained. No one gagged. ;-) I feel like there's a little more health in my house. I LOVED them, and DH did too. I wouldn't say the kids were doing cartwheels, but they said they "weren't bad." For kids who were acting like flu victims in the aisles at Kroger a couple days earlier, I figured that was a ringing endorsement ;-).


Brussel Sprouts with Bacon


2 pounds brussel sprouts (frozen worked great for me)
8 slices bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Cook brussel sprouts in boiling water for five minutes until crisp-tender (I put them in a bowl of water in the microwave for five minutes). Drain. Cut bacon into one-inch pieces and cook in large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Drain off all but one tablespoon of bacon fat from skillet.

Add olive oil, reheat pan, then add onions. Cook until onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add brussel sprouts and cook, until brussel sprouts are heated through and slightly browned.

Add salt and pepper, cook one more minute, then add bacon and cook another minute, until bacon is heated through. Serve.


That picture is them in the pan, and the other is them on the plate. I don't think either picture does them justice, but then again, that's probably why I write books instead of take pictures for a living ;-)


Shirley

Parmesan Crusted Chicken & Ginger-Honey Carrots

Just typing that subject headline made me hungry again. :-). I wish I had enough leftovers from this meal to have had it more than once, that's for sure. Although if I do it again, I think I might add just a bit of a kick to the chicken. Maybe a teeny bit of cayenne pepper, just to take it up a notch.

The Parmesan Crusted Chicken Piccata was a little bit of work (and don't get me started on how one of my dogs stole two pieces after I was done cooking it. If he was going to pick a meal to do that to, choose one that isn't that much work, for Pete's sake).

Now, according to Rachael Ray, this is a 30-minute meal. Uh, not exactly. It took me about 45 minutes. And I needed more like 3 cups of finely grated Parmesan (I used fresh, BTW) not, 1 1/4 cups. I did the Rachael trick for pounding the breasts thin--put them between two pieces of wax paper and whack the heck out of them with a heavy pan (I had a small cast iron pan for the task). MUCH faster than a meat pounder. So here's the recipe, if you want to try it. It was very yummy. :-)

I served it with Carrots with Ginger-Honey Glaze, which were insanely easy and VERY good. I'm not a big fan of carrots in their natural state. You know, just steamed. I like them sweetened up. Usually I cook them with butter, a bit of brown sugar, some cinnamon and a dash of nutmeg. But this was a nice change.

Carrots with Ginger-Honey Glaze

1 pound baby carrots
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped and peeled fresh ginger (and it makes a difference, so buy this and use it)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Cook carrots until just tender, either in the microwave or in boiling water. Drain. In a large saucepan, melt the butter, then add the honey, fresh ginger and ground ginger. Stir in carrots. Cook for a couple of minutes over medium heat, until the glaze coats the carrots. Serve.

I served this with Crisp Garlic Oven Fries, a recipe I found over on SparkPeople. My husband really liked these, so did the kids. I thought they were pretty good, but I wasn't as raving about them as the rest of the family. Maybe it was just me. Or my mood that day. :-)

And yes, those are new plates in the photo. I was so tired of the ones I had bought like 15 years ago that I went and bought the new Food Network ones they have at Kohls. They're pretty cool, and nice and white. So far, I really like them--and love how deep the bowls are. Now to get the rest of the accessory pieces :-)

Shirley

Two Quick and Easy Side Salads

I forgot to take pictures of these two before I brought them to a party. Sorry! Anyway, these are two quick and easy side salads, that you may have tried before.

Red Onion Broccoli Salad

1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
5-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup Miracle Whip
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons vinegar

In a large bowl, mix broccoli, onion and half of sunflower seeds, along with half of bacon. In a small bowl, stir together Miracle Whip, sugar and vinegar. Toss dressing with broccoli mixture. Sprinkle remaining sunflowers and bacon on top of salad. Chill for one hour before serving.

Oriental Cole Slaw

1 pound package shredded cole slaw
1/2 of a small package sliced almonds
3 scallions, sliced
1 package ramen noodles, chicken flavor (or oriental works, too)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used olive, BTW, and it worked out great)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons soy sauce
seasoning packet from soup


Break up the noodles into small pieces and mix in a large bowl with cole slaw, almonds and scallions. In a separate bowl, mix oil, sugar, vinegar, pepper, soy sauce and seasoning packet. Taste the dressing and add more soy sauce or sugar to taste. Toss dressing with cole slaw mix. Refrigerate at least 1/2 hour to let all flavors come together, before serving.

Both of these went over well at the potlucks I had to go to this week. And best of all, they were inexpensive and easy to put together :-)

Shirley

Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Two Rockin' Side Dishes

All I can say about this dinner is...

I wish my stomach was bigger. I'm not usually a huge fan of pork, because to me, it's just one of those blah meats. But I now have two recipes that really kick butt. One is the ever-popular Roast Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Ginger Sauce, the recipe that gets a hit every single day on this blog, and the second is this one.

I kind of stumbled on making this because I didn't have the right ingredients for another recipe, so I improvised. :-) And this I think turned out way better than the other might have (though I think I might still try the other...maybe.)

Glazed Pork Tenderloin

1 2-3 pound pork tenderloin
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 1/2 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix spices together, rub meat with half of dry ingredients and reserve other half to mix with honey. Set aside. Drizzle meat with chili sauce, then bake for 15-20 minutes. Baste with honey/spice mix, blending with the chili sauce as you do (otherwise, all that great baked chili sauce will just fall off the meat). Bake until meat is done and meat thermometer registers 160-degrees F. About 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit on a cutting board for 5 minutes before slicing.

This second recipe for penne rapini I got from the April 17th issue of Family Circle magazine. I didn't have any broccoli rabe, which is what the recipe calls for, but I found that buying the "premium" frozen broccoli gives you really tiny broccoli florets, and those seemed to work just fine. I also forgot to buy fresh mushrooms, and used canned instead, but they worked out fine. This was really good. Another one that everyone had seconds on, so I knew it was a hit :-). So click here for that one and see their much better picture, LOL.

Third is my yummier take on baked apples. I threw these in with the pork, for the last 30-40 minutes or so of the pork cooking time. I don't really remember exactly how long I cooked them, but it was around 30 minutes at 425 degrees F. I had the candied walnuts from another recipe for a salad that I haven't posted yet (I keep forgetting to take a picture because I'm always too hungry for lunch and end up eating it first!). FYI -- I usually quadruple the walnut recipe and make a ton of them so I have them for this kind of thing and for the apple-feta salad I've been eating for lunch.

Candied Walnut Baked Apples

6 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup walnut pieces
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 Gala apples
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small saucepan. Add walnuts, white sugar and butter. Stir until sugar is melted. Spread on baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring every few minutes.

Meanwhile, core apples and scoop out centers. Set apples in small baking dish. Fill centers with half a pat of butter, evenly divided amounts of the brown sugar, then other half of pats of butter (basically dividing the butter and brown sugar between the four apples). Top with candied walnuts. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes, or until fork-tender.

The kids saw this as dessert, so that was great. Everyone loved the apples, and wished I'd made more. :-)

Shirley

Healthy Veggie Side Dishes

In my quest to get my kids to eat veggies that they'll actually like, I'm getting more and more inventive ;-). This week, the recipes are all about healthy sides and meals that I tried and had success with (well, there was one that didn't go over so well, and for the life of me I can't even remember what it was, but whatever meal that was, I didn't save the recipe). So, today I've got a zucchini and a potato recipe, but coming up this week I've got a pasta with broccoli, mushrooms and black olives, a really YUMMY baked apple recipe, a bit of a twist on macaroni and cheese, and a turkey burger that had fruit toppings (and that my kids actually ate!) so look for those recipes later on this week.


Both of the recipes I have for today are SUPER easy, BTW:


Parmesan Garlic Zucchini


2 medium zucchini, cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt (my preferred cooking salt)
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded

Heat oil and butter over medium heat until butter is melted. Add zucchini and cook for six or seven minutes, or until squash is tender-crisp. Add garlic and spices, and cook another two to four minutes, or until zucchini is done. Just before serving, top with cheese.



This second recipe is from a recent issue of the Rachael Ray magazine (I love this magazine, though I probably only make about a third of the recipes. Some are just too odd, at least in my opinion).

Italian Smashed Potatoes (original recipe linked here)

2 pounds red potatoes (the recipe says to halve them, I didn't do that, because my potatoes were small)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (the original recipe calls for adding more EVOO to each serving of potatoes. These were yummy without oiling up people's potatoes on their plates, so I didn't do that either)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In large saucepan, cover potatoes with enough cold water to cover them by one inch. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Smash them with the back of a large spoon, then stir in the olive oil and salt and pepper.

I served these two sides with cod, which my eldest hated, but DH and I loved :-). Can't please everyone. The kids did love both these side dishes, though, and we had very little leftovers!

Shirley

Some Carbolicious Side Dishes

Here are two side dishes that I tried in recent weeks, one that was a big hit, one not as much of a big hit, but I think that's because my family isn't huge on zucchini (but never fear, I have another recipe coming up later that did go over well with the big green veggie. I'm nothing if not determined to get those veggies into my kids ;-).

First, Pasta with Zucchini in a Lemon Cream Sauce. I got this recipe from the Planet Green site (I love Emeril Green and have tried several of his recipes with great success. This wasn't one of his recipes, but one that was listed beside one of his). My beef with this recipe was that it needed a thicker sauce. If I do it again, I'd start with a roux, and then thicken it like any white sauce. The kids weren't wild about this one, but then again, this isn't their favorite vegetable ;-).


Second, Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon and Cheddar Cheese. This was VERY yummy. It's one of those Kraft Food and Family recipes, and was beyond easy to make. I made another red potato recipe this week (I actually made the roasted red potatoes a while ago, and am just now getting to posting about it ) that was just as easy and yummy; I'll be posting that one later too.

I'd give the second recipe four sets of thumbs-up, meaning the whole family voted to have them again ;-). So if you're a fan of the potato, you might want to try that one. If you're more a pasta person, try the first one. :-)

Shirley
PS: Don't forget to scroll down to yesterday's Monday Writing Advice post for a chance to win one of my books! And visit every Monday for more writing advice and more chances!

Layered Cauliflower Salad

A friend asked me for a good recipe to take to a potluck today and I realized I've never posted this fabulous and easy recipe a friend gave me ages ago. This might not be the exact recipe my friend gave me (you know how it is, you lose the exact recipe, so you just start winging it). I kind of add what I have on hand anyway :-)

Layered Cauliflower Salad
1/4 to 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 head broccoli, chopped
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 bag frozen peas, defrosted
4 green onions (scallions), chopped
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 to 6 slices bacon, cooked and diced

Dressing
1 cup Miracle Whip or regular Mayonnaise
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch mix

Layer the veggies in a deep bowl. Mix the dressing together. Just before serving, toss dressing with vegetables and serve. You can add other vegetables that you like to either replace or augment this salad. It's pretty much a what-you-like kind of salad :-). I've added sliced black olives when I've had them, too. And sometimes sunflower seeds. Sometimes croutons. Whatever is on hand and sounds yumm-o. :-).

I just got back from the Midwest Writers Workshop -- a lot of fun and VERY exhausting. More on that in a day or two when I get caught up!

Shirley