Summer Tortellini Salad

This boil-and-toss salad is a versatile and hearty dish that makes a great one-bowl meal. You can also serve it as a side dish; just prepare the recipe without the meat.

Joan discovered this recipe in the July 2007 issue of Southern Living. The recipe was submitted for publication by Shirley Wood of San Antonio, Texas.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS
PREP: 10 MIN., COOK: 10 MIN., CHILL: 25 MIN.

1 (19-oz.) package frozen cheese tortellini (Joan used Wegmans Cheese Tortellini.)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/4 cup sliced green olives

1/4 cup sliced black olives

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

2 Tbsp. chopped sweet onion

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. herbes de Provence (1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning may be substituted.)

1/4 cup canola oil

Salt to taste

Garnish: fresh parsley sprigs

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain and place in large bowl. Stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients.

2. Whisk together mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, and herbes de Provence. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until smooth. Pour over tortellini mixture, tossing to coat. Stir in salt to taste. Cover and chill at least 25 minutes. Garnish, if desired.

Tuna Tortellini Salad: Substitute 1 (12-oz.) can albacore tuna, rinsed and drained well, for chicken. Prepare recipe as directed.

White Bean Salad

To complement pork steaks which were smothered in Sweet Baby Rays Gourmet Sauce, Joan prepared this quick salad with ingredients readily available in the pantry cupboard. Also, included Wegmans fresh corn-on-the-cob with the meal.

1 19-ounce can Cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained

1 large stalk celery, thinly sliced

1/2 roasted red pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt

Ground black pepper

1/2 cup basil leaves, torn


Place beans, celery, red pepper, vinegar and oil in a medium bowl. Toss until well combined.

Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Add basil and serve immediately or chilled.

Sweet Potato Salad

This salad is a yummy mix of flavors.

A peculiar day. Started off at 63° at 7 AM. Quickly climbed into 80°s by noon. Then a brief shower. A period of sunshine. Then a hailstorm. A return to sunshine. Plans for barbecued chicken could proceed. Joan made this dish to enhance the meal. Our neighbor, Susan, earlier in the day brought us some fiddlesticks. These added some zest to our dinner. The fiddlesticks tasted like a cross between an asparagus and a bean. Joan simply steaming them.

2 Ibs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 t. salt, divided
1/2 c. onion, diced
1/3 c. green pepper, diced
3 T. brown sugar, packed
1 T. dried parsley
1/4 c. plus 1 T. white vinegar
1 T. oil
1 t. hot pepper sauce
1 t. mustard
3 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

Arrange sweet potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray. Sprinkle potatoes with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, or just until tender; let cool slightly. Stir together remaining ingredients except bacon until blended. Add potatoes and toss gently to coat: sprinkle with bacon. Serve warm or chilled.

Serves 6 to 8.

Chicken Fajita Chowder

Heather called to inform us that they had 6 inches of new snow last evening. Joan thinking warm prepared this soup. While its preparation took her a bit of time, this savory soup was well worth it. Served with cornbread.


3 T. all-purpose flour

1 4-oz. pkg. fajita or taco seasoning mix, divided

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

3 T. oil

1 onion, chopped

1 t. garlic, minced

15 1/4 oz. can sweet corn & diced peppers, drained

15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

14 1/2 oz. can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes

4 1/2 oz. can chopped green chiles

3 c. water

1 c. instant brown rice, uncooked

Optional: dried cilantro to taste
10 3/4 oz. can nacho cheese soup

Garnish: sour cream, shredded, Cheddar cheese, chopped, green onions, crushed tortilla chips

Combine flour and 2 tablespoons seasoning mix in a large plastic zipping bag; add chicken. Seal bag and shake to coat. Sauté chicken in oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until golden. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add onion and garlic; sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining seasoning mix and all ingredients except soup and garnish. Bring to a boil: reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add soup; stir until heated through. Garnish as desired.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Frittata with Vegetables

For Easter brunch Joan offered up a new dish that she found in a newspaper flyer ad for Sorrento Ricotta Cheese. Fresh Wegmans pre-sliced mushrooms provided a flavor boost and texture. This tasty frittata will certainly make a return appearance at the dining room table.

1 cup Sorrento Part Skim Ricotta Cheese

8 oz. Sorrento Mozzarella Cheese, sliced

12 large eggs

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 zucchini, thinly sliced

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup dry white wine

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese


Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a 13” x 9” pan with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. In large flying pan, heat 2 Tbsp-.olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and red pepper and cook for 5 minutes until onions ore soft and slightly browned. Add zucchini, mushrooms and wine and sauté until zucchini is soft and wine has evaporated. Add soil and pepper. Whisk eggs, add ricotta and whisk together until smooth. Stir in vegetables. Pour frittata into pan. Top with sliced mozzarella and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until set. Serve immediately.

Michael’s Hash Brown Casserole

For our Easter brunch Joan served one of Michael’s favorite side dishes, Hash Brown Casserole. Usually Joan prepares this recipe the day before and bakes it off just before serving.

2 - 10 3/4 oz. cans condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted

1 C. (8 oz.) sour cream

1/2 tsp. reg. salt or garlic salt

1 pkg. (2 Ibs.) frozen hash brown potatoes

2 C. (8 oz.) Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 C. Parmesan cheese (opt.)


Mix all together. Pour into a greased 13x9'' baking dish. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350° for 50 to 60 minutes or until tender. Can make ahead and just reheat.

Hollandaise Sauce

Joan created this tangy hollandaise sauce for our Pre-Easter dinner. While Joan drizzled it over asparagus, it would compliment other spring vegetables such as sugar snap peas or broccoli. While traditional hollandaise is high in calories and labor-intensive, this version is very tasty and ready in just five minutes.

1/2 cup Light Mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1 tsp. yellow mustard

1 tsp. lemon juice


Mix all ingredients in saucepan.

Cook on low heat 5 min. or until heated through, stirring constantly.

Serve over hot steamed fresh fresh spring veggies.

Makes 1 cup or 8 servings, 2 Tbsp. each.


Jazz it up: Serve sauce over vegetables as directed, then garnish with chopped fresh parsley or finely chopped red peppers.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Brian and Heather arrived on this Good Friday for the Easter holiday. Emily also joined us for dinner. Along with the traditional pierogi and kielbasa, Joan prepared macaroni and cheese. This classic dish is favorite of the boys.


2 Tbsp corn starch
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard (optional)
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp margarine or butter
2 cups (18 oz) shredded American or Cheddar cheese, divided
8 oz elbow macaroni (about 1 3/4 cups), cooked 7 minutes and drained


1. In medium saucepan combine first 4 ingredients; stir in milk. Add margarine; stirring constantly, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in 1 3/4 cups cheese until melted. Add elbows. Pour into greased 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with reserved cheese.

3. Bake uncovered in 375°F oven 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 4 to 6 Servings

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Bake Time: 25 minutes

Additional suggestion:
Baked Ham N’ Cheese Macaroni: In step 2, stir in 1 cup diced ham with elbows.

Pesto Lasagna Rolls

Is there anyone on earth who doesn't like lasagna? Besides Garfield, I mean. Here is an alternative to traditional lasagna. A lighter, brighter and more interesting version - the lasagna roll.

Originally an old Sunset magazine recipe. The lasagna rolls were baked in whipping cream enriched with a jolt of pesto. Joan borrowed the preparation style, but added some spinach to increase the nutrients, cut way back on the cheese and used tomato sauce instead of whipping cream to cover the rolls.

12 lasagna noodles
1 jar (26 ounces) pasta sauce
or 3 cups homemade
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach
thawed, squeezed dry
1 jar (3'/2 ounces) prepared pesto
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain.

Heat oven to 350°. Spread 2 cups of the tomato sauce in bottom of a greased 13-by-9-inch pan. Combine garlic, ricotta, spinach, pesto, egg, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Place a lasagna noodle on a clean kitchen towel; spread 1/4 cup of the ricotta mixture on the noodle. Roll noodle up; place seam-side down in pan. Repeat with remaining noodles. Pour remaining tomato sauce over noodles; sprinkle with mozzarella. Cover with foil; bake 20 minutes. Uncover; cook until cheese is golden brown, 10-15 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Meatloaf

While Spring will officially be sprung at 8:07 this evening, the outside temperature has not realize it yet. So there is still time to serve a family favorite. This recipe is from the kitchen of Mildred Council, known as Mama Dip to her family, friends and customers.

Serve with masked potatoes — a must! But a baked potato will fit the bill. Aunt Dorothea's sweet pepper jelly sauce makes for a splendid topping.

2 pounds of ground beef
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
l tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Mix all the ingredients together; place the mixture in a loaf pan or shape into a loaf and place in a baking pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until firm when pressed in the center.

Serves 8.

As fate would have it wouldn't you know that thanks to Steve Parton Michael got a job checking IDs at the Meatloaf concert at the Onondaga War Memorial in Syracuse On Thursday evening of March 22nd.

Mark Bialczak’s review of the Meatloaf concert.

Hamburger Soup

Since it is snowing again, and Brad and Michael are traveling to Syracuse to work on Rusty’s project, and Joan is going to her Seymour Library book club, Hamburger Soup seems to be just the right item for the supper menu. Easy to prepare and warms the body.

1 pound of ground beef
5 cups of water
1 6 oz. can of tomatoes
2 medium onions, chopped (1 cup)
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/3 cup pearl barley
1 package beef bouillon (1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 teaspoon dried crushed basil
1 bay leaf (optional)
salt and white pepper to taste
1/4 cup ketchup

1. In a large pan brown the ground beef. Stir slightly to breakup large pieces. Drain off the excess fat.

2. Add the water, undrained tomatoes, carrots, onions, celery, barley, bouillon, seasoned salt, basil, ketchup and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for one hour or until the vegetables are tender.

3. Season with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaf.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Joan purchased a Deni Meat Tenderizer from QVC. With this kitchen aid in hand, she tenderized the chicken breasts before making this meal.

2 boneless, skinless whole chicken breasts (4 chicken breast halves)
l/3 cup goat cheese
1/2 cup roasted red pepper strips from a jar,drained
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh or frozen spinach
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons lemon olive oil (or any extra virgin olive oil)
Salt and pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry chicken breasts well. Tenderized chicken breasts. Lay each whole chicken breast half on its own large sheet of nonstick foil or foil coated with canola cooking spray. Spread half the goat cheese over half of each whole chicken breast. Top the goat cheese with roasted red pepper strips.

Blend parsley, spinach, garlic and olive oil in a small food processor or electric mixer. Add salt and pepper to taste if desired. Use 1/4 of the mixture on each chicken breast to top red pepper strips, then fold the breasts over to create the stuffed chicken breasts. Divide remaining parsley mixture and use to top the four stuffed breasts. Completely
wrap each with the foil. Place the foil pouches on a 9-inch-square baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes. Open the pouches to uncover the chicken breasts and broil, if desired, for about a minute or two to lightly brown the top.

Makes 4 petite servings.

After dining on the stuffed chicken breasts, it was agreed that a white sauce might add to this entree.

Summer Dessert

Since the deep snow at Ross Place proved too much for Aunt Winnie's narrow skis, she decided to stay inside and send us this favorite family recipe. She noted the grandkids renamed it Pepto-Bismol.


1 8 oz. Cool Whip or heavy cream
1 pt. (2 cups) softened sherbet
1 cup boiling water
1 lg. Jello or 2 sm. (to match sherbet)
1 cup sliced mushrooms


Dissolve Jello in boiling water add softened sherbet, fold in Cool Whip. May use electric beater after dissolving Jello. Place in frig. Do not cover. Can be made previous nite.

Curried Fruit

After gazing at the mountainous snow banks on Ross Place, Aunt Winnie decided to stay inside and send us this favorite family recipe.

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup oleo or butter (1 stix)
1 1/2 cup zucchini, sliced 1/4" thick
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Melt and pour over drained canned fruit - 9 by 13 pan

1 lg. can each
- pears (sliced)
- peaches (sliced)
- pineapple chunks

optional
1 sm. can mandarin oranges
1 sm. jar cherries

May refrigerate overnite.

Bake in oven 325° for 1 hour.

Baked Beef Stew

Although not as cold as last week, this is still a winter day here. Michael and I went to Bibben's and purchased parts and oil for the sleds. Using a borrowed snow rake, I cleared the roof of the reading room. John, our UPS courier, brought Joan a new cast iron pot so she decided to warms us with this chunky oven-baked stew.


1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4 cup water
1/4 red wine or beef broth
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 teaspoon browning sauce, optional
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
5 small red potatoes, quartered
4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 celery ribs, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, water, wine or broth, tapioca, sugar, seasoned salt, browning sauce if desired, marjoram and pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes. Add the meat, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and bread crumbs.

Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Cover and bake at 375° for 1-1/4 hours. Uncover; stir in peas. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Tortellini Spinach Soup

Happy Valentine's Day. Last evening a Northeast wind dumped 12 inches of snow on Perrine Street . The front porch thermometer read 11° at 6 AM. Snowplowing started off on the wrong foot. We got stuck in our driveway. This was the first of three stoppages during the course of the day. After paying a visit to Lori, Joan returned home to prepare this soup in her new red cast iron Dutch oven. Needless to say after Dave Eichorn announced the final snowfall total for the day in Auburn to be 18 inches, there were plenty of smiles beaming above the piping hot soup bowls at 88.


1 tablespoon olive oil or oil
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced, or 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic in oil
3 (14 1/2 oz.) cans ready-to-serve chicken broth
1 (9-oz. pkg.) refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
2 cups frozen cut leaf spinach (from 16-oz. pkg.)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is tender. Add broth; bring to a boil. Add tortellini; boil gently 4 to 5 minutes or until tortellini is almost tender. Add spinach and oregano; simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until spinach is tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

4 (1/2-cup) servings.