Moussashi

Moussashi... it was a culinary experiment I did tonight that was inspired by the Greek dish moussaka. :) (Get it... inspired by moussaka.... I'm Sashi... so mous-sashi? *grin*) After working all day, I like to make things that are EASY so this is a simplified version of the dish with some changes for the sake of time and effort. Each piece has just under 600 calories but it's all that is needed for the entire meal.

Moussashi

Ingredients

• 2 - 2.5 lbs frozen potatoes, such as Potatoes O'Brien
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb extra lean ground beef
• 14oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 16oz container fat free sour cream
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Spray 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. Add the potatoes and put in the oven to slightly cook while preparing the meat mixture.
3. Over medium-high heat in a large skillet sprayed with cooking spray, cook the garlic and onions for about 5-7 or until the onions are starting to sweat and soften. Add the ground beef and brown until completely cooked through and crumbled.
4. Stir in the tomatoes, nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir until well mixed and simmer while making the topping.
5. In a medium bowl, mix the eggs and milk. Add the sour cream and beat quickly with a large spoon until well blended and smooth.
6. Remove the potatoes from the oven and stir gently. Arrange them so they are evenly spread along the bottom of the dish. Add the meat mixture on top of the potatoes. DO NOT MIX.
7. Top with the Parmesan cheese then slowly pour the sour cream mixture over everything. You may need to stop and allow the mixture to seep through the meat and potato layers before adding more.
8. Let set for 10 minutes then sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and nutmeg. Put in the oven for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and let set for at least 15 minutes before serving. Makes about 6 servings.

Mmm... (pizza) saucy!!!

Pizza is one of my biggest downfalls. I could eat it for 3 meals a day plus a snack and probably still not get tired of it for a few weeks. I think in college, I almost did just that. And there are so many pizza joints with so many options that you can get such a variety! Even frozen pizza is a lot better than no pizza. :)

My husband and I actually have pizza at home about once a week. Usually on Mondays since I tend to be a bit more frazzled from work and pizza can be so simple. Admittedly, we do eat frozen pizza but there are also the weeks where I make my own using Boboli crust as my base. I've also discovered that I *love* making my own pizza sauce so will usually do that at some point over the weekend.


I've tried a few different recipes for a good pizza sauce but this is what I have finally come up with after trial and error with other people's recipes.

Sashi's Pizza Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp minced jarred garlic or 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 ~ 29 oz can Hunt's Tomato Sauce Basil, Garlic and Oregano
• 1 ~ 28 oz can Hunt's Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will get.

Sauce may be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for a month. Thaw for a day or 2 before use. Yield: 5 cups

This is my tried and true sauce recipe. It's nice and tomato-y and the brown sugar doesn't give it that weird tin taste that regular sugar does but helps cut down on the acidity of the maters. And that little bit of red pepper goes amazing far to give it a nice clean bite that let's you know it's there without overpowering everything else. I can eat a plain cheese pizza with this sauce and be perfectly content.

One problem, though, is that if I did not plan well... and I don't... I don't always have the sauce nor have the time to make it before dinner and I am really trying to stay away from pre-packaged foods as much as I can. (Hey! Tombstone doesn't count! It's nectar of the gods, I tell ya! Don't disillusion me! *grins*)

So when I saw this recipe over at Vegetarian Times, I got excited! Since I have most of this onhand most of the time anyway, I can't wait to try it.

Quick Pizza Sauce - Yields 1 cup, enough for a 12" pizza

Ingredients

• 1 6-oz. can no-salt-added tomato paste
• 2 Tbs. finely minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. red wine or red wine vinegar

Directions

Combine tomato paste, onion, garlic, oregano, oil, and wine in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Mmm... soup! Specifically, Apple-Cheddar Soup

I am not a fan of soup. Never have been, really. But with the ice and temperatures in the teens here in Atlanta (shut up, Rainee... I know I've gotten wimpy since moving to the South *giggles*), warm comfort food just seems to be the thing I need.

I came across this recipe on the Better Homes and Garden website today so I'm definitely going to pick up what I need to make it when I go shopping tomorrow. Apples and cheese... warm and melty in a bowl? I'm in!

Apple-Cheddar Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups apple cider
• 1 tsp. snipped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Dash cayenne pepper
• 1 medium cooking apple, peeled, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 4 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)
• Fresh apple slices
• Green Peppercorns

Directions

1. In large saucepan cook onion in hot butter over medium heat until tender. Stir in potatoes, cider, thyme, salt, and cayenne pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Add chopped apple; simmer, covered, 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender. In small bowl combine milk and flour; stir into soup. Cook and stir until bubbly. Slowly add cheese, whisking until cheese is melted.
2. Divide soup among serving dishes; top with apple slices and peppercorns. Makes 4 to 6 side-dish servings

Crab Rolls

I thought this was the perfect first post because really what better way to celebrate the season than to do it with one of my favorite holiday appetizers! Our family used to make this for our Christmas Eve snack fest every year, but of course I like to make these as a main course too :)



Crab Rolls

• 2-6 oz cans of crab meat
• 1 lb of Velveeta
• 1-16 oz loaf of bread
• 3 Tbsp. melted butter
• shallow dish of sesame seeds

The first thing you want to do is take your loaf of bread and cut the crusts off. Using either your finger tips or a rolling pin, you want to flatten each piece of bread. Once you're done with that, set aside. Next you can start on the cheese mixture. In a double broiler, you'll want to melt the Velveeta. Once melted, mix in the crab meat and keep warm so it doesn't thicken. In the meantime you can melt the butter in a small bowl and put your sesame seeds in shallow dish. Now, take a slice of the flattened bread and use a teaspoon to put some of the cheese mixture in the middle. Roll the bread up and brush a little bit of butter on top and lightly dip into the sesame seeds. Place on baking sheet. Continue until all is done.

I have experimented with broiling and baking these and the difference is definately noticeable. With broiling they get more flaky and the sesame seeds are more flavorful. And with the baking, they get more toasty. Broil for 5 minutes or so or bake at 350 for 15 minutes or so until browned on top.

Enjoy!

Creamy Potato Casserole

I want to make this!

I just came across this recipe as part of my daily 100 Days of Holidays e-mail from Better Homes & Gardens. Since I don't eat meat, I would just substitute sauteed mushrooms for the ham. It'd still be high in fat but as a once-in-a-while-dish, this would be so comforting!

Creamy Potato Casserole

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
• 1-3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 of an 8-oz. pkg. reduced-fat cream cheese, cut up
• 1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded (4 oz.)
• 1 Tbsp. snipped fresh chives or green onions
• 1-1/2 lb. Yukon gold or round red potatoes, cut in thin wedges
• 8 oz. sliced cooked Black Forest ham or country ham, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup coarsely crushed bagel chips
• Thyme and/or Italian parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart rectangular baking dish; set aside.
2. For sauce, in medium saucepan cook onion in hot butter over medium heat 5 minutes or until tender; stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and mustard. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat to low. Whisk in cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add 1/2 cup of the Gruyére cheese until cheese is melted. Stir in chives.
3. In bowl combine potatoes, ham, and sauce; toss gently to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish.
4. Bake, covered, 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Uncover; stir carefully. Sprinkle with crushed chips and remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, 10 to 15 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Let stand, 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with herbs. Serves 6.

Goodness from the mountains... and pizza!

This past weekend my husband and I went on a little road trip through Helen, GA. It's not quite as pretty as it is in the summer when everything is lush and green or like it is in the autmn when all the leaves are turning. But it's still an extremely beautiful area!

While we were up there, we drove past a flea market of sorts. It was mostly apples grown in the mountains as well as homemade canned goods with one area being more like an actualy flea market. While Rich was was drooling over all the gadgets and doodads and things I was praying he would not bring home, I decided I *needed* some goodness in a jar. :)

I ended up bringing home a jar of apple butter, mild peach salsa and sweet onion relish made with Georgia's own Vidalia onions.

Last night, I opened up the onion relish and... oh, my goodness... I could just eat it by the spoonful! It has the essense of a bread and butter pickle but the onion flavor just brings it to a completely different and much more savory level. It was definitely an instant love!

I used about half the 16 oz jar to make this absolutely wonderful and sinfully easy pizza for dinner.

Sweet Onion Relish Pizza with Mushrooms and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

• 1 Boboli Thin Crust
• 1 cup onion relish
• 6 oz jar of sliced mushrooms, drained well
• 3 oz pkg sun-dried tomatoes (NOT packed in oil), soaked in warm water for 5-10 minutes, then drained and squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 450-degrees. Spread onion relish evenly over the crust. Top with the mushrooms. Sprinkle on the cheeses and top with the sun-dried tomatoes. Bake for 7-8 minutes or until the cheese has melted and tomatoes have darkened. Let rest for about 5 minutes after taking out of the oven and slice.

If you like your tomatoes a little less chewy, soak them a bit longer and put them on the pizza on top of the mushrooms and under the cheese.

What's the deal with the dip?

I think most people would agree that certain foods evoke certain memories. I also think it is also fair to say that certain memories evoke certain food cravings as well. Whenever I think of my Dad's parents, I think of the annual family fondue and Gran's quiche and crab rolls. I also think of Papa's wonderful dip that my sister and I affectionately started calling Johnson Dip. (Shush now! We were not aware at the time that our last name was also a slang term for a man's... um... member.) Papa passed the recipe down to Dad who would make it for us for the holidays and other special occasions.

It was creamy with a slight tang and sweetness that went perfectly with the crunchy, saltiness of Fritos. Fritos Scoops were even better because of the higher dip-to-chip ratio. Yeah, it was good on vegetables, too, but come on... that was just wrong!

We grew up surrounded by good cooks so it just made sense that our interest would be there from an early age. When I was 15 or 16, I started collecting recipes in a serious manner. I remember spending the summer reading every cookbook and ladies' home magazine I could get my hands on and copying the recipes that sounded good to me. (I know, I know. I was not a normal teenager in a lot of ways....) My family benefited as well, though, when I got to try some of them out on them.

It was that holiday that I had my first culinary "Aha!" moment... after watching Dad make the "Johnson Dip." It started with chili sauce which was innocuous enough, sort of like a beefed up ketchup. Then he added softened cream cheese, a bit of finely minced onion and a splash if milk. That's it. I really couldn't believe that that's all it was... such simple items coming together to make my tongue my happiest body part.

Now that I am an adult, I don't force myself to wait for a holiday to make it. I do use a reduced-fat cream cheese but that's the only thing I have changed. I've also learned that the name brands also make a huge difference so this is one of the few times where I don't let my frugality get in the way.

JOHNSON DIP

• 1 12oz bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
• 2 8oz bricks of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 medium onion, finely minced
• splash of milk

Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl with a spoon until as well blended as possible. Add more milk if necessary but not too much. The dip should actually be fairly thick. When blended as well as you can get it with the spoon, beat with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes on medium speed until creamy and smooth. If possible, let it rest in the refrigerator overnight so the flavors blend. Serve with Fritos Corn Chips. Makes about 4 cups or 16 servings.

Good luck with that. ;)

Hmm... I think I may need to make this this weekend....