Green Beans with Walnuts and Gorgonzola

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I made this recipe up one day when faced with an overly ambitious purchase of green beans. In hunting through the fridge, I found Gorgonzola cheese and thought, why not? It’s pretty tasty.

1 lb. green beans, washed and trimmed
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted in the oven or in a pan for 5-7 minutes
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese
2 Tbsp vinaigrette
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

In a medium pot, bring half a pot of water to the boil. Drop green beans in and boil for just a few minutes. Drain water, and add walnuts, cheese, vinaigrette,salt and pepper. Toss to coat and slightly melt the cheese. Check seasonings and serve.

Molasses Taffy

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When I was in second or third grade we made Molasses Taffy at school and I remember being enthralled with the way the color lightened into a golden brown as we pulled it. I never saw a recipe or made it again until a couple of years ago, when I saw it in a cookbook in Florida. It is an unusual taffy, flavored with molasses.

2 cups sugar
1 cup molasses
1/4 cup water
2 tsp vinegar
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp baking soda

Add sugar, molasses and water to a large pot. Bring to a boil and add vinegar. Cook until the mixture reaches 268 degrees. (Hard ball stage.)

Remove from heat, add in baking soda and butter.

Turn out onto a buttered tray and butter hands. Once taffy is cool enough to handle, start pulling and twisting it. It will get a light golden color and get quite soft. Pull it into ropes about 1/2″ thick, and snip 2″ sections. You can wrap them in little rectangles of waxed paper, twisting the ends like a hard candy.

Maple Bourbon Banana Pudding Cake

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I wrote “Good!” on this recipe and it is really a little bit of heaven. The maple syrup, brown sugar and bourbon form a wonderful sort of puddingy glaze on top.

6 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 large ripe bananas
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

Blend all these until very creamy and smooth.

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
pinch salt

Blend the dry ingredients in a little bowl and add to the banana mixture. Gently stir until smooth. Pour into a medium-sized baking dish.

1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup hot water
2 Tbsp bourbon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Heat the syrup, brown sugar, water and bourbon in a microwave safe container for a few minutes until everything is well blended. Be careful opening the microwave as the alcohol from the bourbon can make your eyes water!

Drizzle maple glaze all over the batter. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top. Bake 40 minutes at 375.

Can double this for a larger baking pan.

Louisa’s Wassail

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I have to give thanks to my friend Louisa, who always has a pot of this amazing hot drink simmering on her stove on holidays, especially the Winter Solstice. She shared her recipe and I’ve made this for family get-togethers, Halloween parties, a very chilly block party one year, and of course for Christmas. (Our block party was on such a cold day one year that my neighbor Rachel saved the day by bringing out hot homemade chicken noodle soup in cups on a tray!)

2 bottles dry red wine (Trader Joe’s Three Buck Chuck is fine.)
10 cups fresh apple cider
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp whole cloves
2 tsp whole allspice
2 cinnamon sticks, broken up
2 oranges, sliced thickly and studded around the edge with whole cloves

Add wine, cider and sugar to a large pot or crockpot. Tie the spices in a sachet of cheesecloth, or a coffee filter loosely tied with a rubber band. Add to the pot along with the orange slices.

Bring to a low boil in the pot. Let simmer for 20 minutes and turn heat down. You can remove the spice bundle if you like, but I often just leave it in. Ladle into mugs.

Ina’s Celery, Walnut & Parmesan Salad

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You wouldn’t think that celery could be the star of a dish, but this salad from Ina Garten pairs crisp cool celery with the tartness of lemon, the crunch of toasted walnuts and the salty goodness of Pecorino Romano. (Ina uses Parmesan.) I also make it with apple cider vinegar if I don’t have lemon juice. The dressing is good on lots of fresh vegetables – and I make this salad out of tomatoes and cucumbers when they are abundant.

Mix dressing in a big bowl:

1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp lemon zest 
1/4 cup lemon juice or 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp shallots, minced, or a little bit of garlic, mashed
1 tsp celery seeds
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce (from Asian market)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

5 cups chopped celery (Usually one whole stalk of celery.)
big handful of grated Pecorino Romano, grated on the biggest holes in a box grater
2/3 cups toasted walnuts, rough chopped.

Roast walnuts for 10 minutes in a 350 oven, or you can pan roast them for several minutes on medium high heat, shaking them constantly.

Add celery, nuts and parmesan to the dressing and toss well. Delish!

Amazing Green Beans with Walnuts and Dill Seeds

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2 Tbsp butter
1 shallot, diced
1 lb fresh green beans
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup walnuts, rough chopped
2 tsp dill seeds

Melt butter and saute shallot for a few minutes. Add salt, pepper and dill seeds and saute a minute or two more. Turn down heat, add green beans, cover and cook for several minutes, shaking occasionally. Add walnuts, stir and serve.

Fish Tacos

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This is so good and if you use frozen panko-breaded tilapia, it’s crazy quick.

4-5 piece of panko-breaded tilalpa from Costco. (Sorry – can’t remember the brand)
cumin powder
cayenne powder

Sprinkle a pinch of cumin and cayenne on the fish and bake as directed. When you remove them from the oven, slice them into 1/2″ slices.

Meanwhile, put together the avocado relish and yoghurt sauce, and warm the tortillas.

Avocado relish:

1/2 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup jalapenos
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup onion
1/2 cup diced avocado (can add more if you like)
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp salt salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Mix all gently.

Mayo sauce:

1 1/2 Tbsp plain yogurt
1 1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
dash hot sauce (can use Tabasco or Sriracha)

Mix together.

corn tortillas
diced cabbage
1 bunch cilantro, diced
Mexican cheese (not taco cheese)

While fish is baking, wrap tortillas in foil, pop them in the oven for 5-6 minutes and assemble avocado relish and mayo sauce.

On a plate, place a warm tortilla, and fan out one fish fillet on each tortilla. Top with a spoonful of Avocado relish. Add a spoonful of cabbage, a sprinkling of cilantro and cheese. Drizzle with mayo sauce and serve. Sooo good.

Flattened Chicken

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My neighbor Rachel told me about this mouthwatering way to cook chicken and let me borrow her “Mad Hungry” cookbook that the recipe came from. I liked it so much I ended up ordering a used copy of my own, though I do make this dish slightly differently than the cookbook. Just chalk it up to laziness and the “it still tastes good” excuse.

1 whole chicken prepared as explained below.
salt and black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Heat oven to 400.

Lay chicken on its breast. Using a kitchen shears, cut out the backbone. Push down hard on both sides of the chicken until you kind of “split” the breast. Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a cast iron skillet on medium/high heat. (Watch so it doesn’t start smoking.) Lay the chicken breast side down and cook it for three minutes. Flip it over and pop the skillet into the oven. Bake it 1 1/4 hours.

Remove chicken from pan and let sit for 10 minutes while you make the sauce. If there is a lot of chicken fat, you can remove most of it and save it for another time.

Add butter, garlic and lemon juice to pan, scraping up as much of the browned on bits as you can. Cook 2 or 3 minutes. Add remaining olive oil and red pepper flakes.

Cut chicken into pieces, lay on a platter and pour pan sauce over the top.

Tangy Chicken Tacos

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These tacos use all green ingredients and have flavors that remind me of Salsa Verde. They are delicious.

If you are lucky enough to have a Mexican grocery store nearby, you can easily get tomatillos, serrano pepper, cheese and good fresh corn tortillas.

I often use Asadero cheese or Queso Fresco, but most grocery stores sell shredded Mexican cheese, and I use that sometimes, too. (Do not use Taco cheese, which is seasoned, as it will really drown out the other flavors.)

If you can’t get tomatillos, I’ve read that you can use green tomatoes and a splash of lime as a substitute.

Be careful with the serrano pepper – they are 5 times hotter than a jalapeno. You can also substitute a jalapeno for the serrano.

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 1/4 tsp cumin
1 serrano pepper, diced
1/2 lb. tomatillos, rough diced
3/4 cup cilantro, rough chopped
corn tortillas, warmed
1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese, crumbled or shredded
2 cups romaine lettuce, rough chopped
1 cup chicken broth
limes

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper and saute 5 minutes. Add onion, cumin and pepper, and cook for a few minutes until onions are soft. Add tomatillos and chicken broth. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 25 minutes.

Check salt and pepper and sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve with warm tortillas, cheese and lettuce and fresh lime.

These would also be good with Shrimp. Just remove the shrimp from the shells, and add them 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Chicken with Mushrooms, Thyme and Wine

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1 1/2 lbs. chicken cutlets (Can also use boneless, skinless thighs, flattened a bit)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp fresh thyme or 2 tsp dry thyme
1 lb. button mushrooms, quartered
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Heat oil and butter in a large frying pan on medium heat. Mix flour, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken cutlets in the flour, shake to remove excess flour and place in frying pan. Brown both sides, and remove from pan. Check to be sure the chicken is cooked all the way through. If you’re using cutlets, they cook really quickly, but thighs might take a bit longer.

Add Thyme and mushrooms to pan, and saute 6 minutes. (Can add a bit more oil if you need to.)

Add wine and chicken broth and cook 3 more minutes, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Return chicken to the pan, and let cook 2 or 3 minutes Sprinkle with parsley and serve.