Stuffed Mushrooms

This is my standard stuffed mushroom recipe from Kraft. It is really easy and always delicious! :)

(photo credit: Kraft)

Ingredients:

20 fresh mushrooms
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
2 tbsp finely chopped red pepper
14 Ritz crackers finely crushed (1/2 cup)
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

Remove stems from the mushrooms, and finely chop 1/4 cup of stems and discard the rest. Melt the butter on medium heat, add chopped stems, onion and peppers; cook and stir until tender. Add cracker crumb, cheese and seasoning; spoon into mushroom caps.

Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 or until heated through.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

This is one of the only recipes that will get my six year old to eat potatoes...not only does she eat them but she asks for seconds!

The Ingredients:

• 4-5 medium sized russet potatoes, sliced
• 1 can of Campbells Cream of Cheddar condensed soup
• 1 1/4 cups of milk
• 1 tsp of minced garlic
• 1 tbsp minced onion (dry)
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

The How-To:

1. Slice the potatoes and layer in a 9x13 casserole dish.
2. Mix all of the other ingredients, except the grated cheddar cheese, and pour over the potatoes.
3. Top with grated cheddar cheese.
4. Bake for 60-70 minutes at 350, broil for the last few minutes.

Notes:
Next time I make these I think I might go as far as to add some crumbled bacon and green onion to the mix! They were absolutely delicious as is but I think these additions would be amazing!

Mosaic Dip

This is a Moxie's restaurant copycat recipe. It is SO good!! Hubby and I are both huge fans of this dip and order it whenever we have a date at Moxie's, so we decided to try making it at home!

The Shopping List:
1 tomato, chopped up (or a half a container cherry tomatoes)
2 garlic cloves, crushed (I use jarred)
1/4 cup sweet onion, finely chopped
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup goat cheese (or a bit more if you LOVE it the way we do!)

Mix the tomatoes, garlic, onion and pinch of salt in a small baking dish (8x8 or a bit smaller). Make sure you finely chop each ingredient. That's your first layer. Set aside.

Add the olive oil to a frying pan and cook mushrooms about 5-10 minutes or until tender. Add the soy sauce. Turn off your stove and add the cream cheese.

Spread the mushroom mixture on top of the tomato mixture. Top with the goat cheese (crumble on top)

Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for about 15 minute. Remove and serve with warm naan bread or pita.

Makes 2-4 servings

Twice Baked Potatoes

When I grew up; it seemed like in my family, at least, that suppers usually 9 times out of 10 consisted of meat, potatoes and vegetables. Often times we had frozen mixed vegetables, which to this day I cannot eat…..I didn’t like them as a child and still don’t enjoy them as an adult. But, nowadays, it seems people are getting more and more creative and diverse in their meal preparation. Twice baked potatoes seem to be a popular side dish right now (or even appetizer for some); and they definitely dress up an everyday meal or add a little ‘sparkle’ to a fancier dish.




I found this recipe on the kraft website – it’s a great site for easy meals; and I usually end up loving the finished product. These were no exception. The garlic cooking alone, smelled amazing! They were a bit complex the first time; and don’t seem to be nearly as pretty as some could make them I’m sure, but the flavour was really really good. MS and I are both potatoe lovers….add cheese, bacon and garlic into the mix – Heaven!

PS – I halved this recipe where it was just for the two of us and it turned out perfectly – and I wished that I had done the whole recipe so that we had leftovers!




What you will need:

1 head of garlic
1 tsp. oil
4 large baking potatoes
1 cup of light sour cream
1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese – divided
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
4 slices of bacon, crispy, cooked, drained and crumbled (I just purchased the ‘real’ bacon bits and they worked perfectly)


Directions:

Preheat oven at 400F. Bake your potatoes normally, prick with a fork and place on an oven rack. Cut a thin slice off the top of the garlic head to expose the cloves. Place this on a sheet of foil, drizzle it with oil, wrap loosely and bake for one hour.

Cut the bottoms off of each potatoe – small slice. This will allow them to stand up for presentation purposes. Then when they are cooked you will cut them in the middle to scoop out the excess – centres. Place the potatoe flesh in a medim bowl to mash. Squeeze the garlic to get the cooked portion out – this will be really easy and it will come out right away. Add to the potoatoes. Then add your sour cream and 1 ¼ cup of cheddar and the parmesan cheese. Beat until fluffy, and then spoon this mixture evenly into the shells – mounding – use it all. Place them in a shallow baking dish.

Bake for another 30 minutes and then top them with the remainder cheddar and bacon; and then bake them for another 5 mins until the cheddar is melted and Enjoy!

Printable Chicks Recipe :

How to blanche Fiddleheads

On the East; we have a wonderful little treasure that grows once a year in the springtime called Fiddleheads. They are available usually for a few weeks to a month; in May – and you can either pick them yourself on the riverbanks or purchase them at a roadside stand for $3.00 a pound in smaller Towns; and $4.99 a pound in large Cities.

Fiddleheads are a fern; and also known to some as the Fiddlehead Fern. You pick the heads as they just sprout up from their encasing – you don’t want the ones that are grown up tall; or almost a fern. The flavour is said to resemble asparagus, or green beans.


MS and I really enjoy fiddleheads and we usually go up to my parents place and my dad takes us down to his favourite spot to pick them. We usually end up with a full bucket; which for the two of us lasts a year. In order to keep them; you must blanche them first before freezing. If they are blanched and frozen you can keep them for up to 18 months in your freezer. It’s a fun family activity – and rewarding to have gone out and picked your own food!

What you will need:

Strainer
Pot
Large bowl
Ice
Cold Water
Large spoon with holes in it
Salt
Freezer bags
Timer/Watch

To blanche fiddleheads:

1. Firstly, you will need to clean the fiddleheads; this is a difficult task as they have a silky brown casing on them; similar to that in a peanut shell and this can be difficult to wash away. It is best to do this in a stream if possible, and then rewash at home.


2. Once this is done, boil a pot of water – with a dash of salt in it; once the water is boiling place some fiddleheads in the pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Have a bowl full of very cold water and ice cubes ready in the sink – after the 2 minutes is over, scoop the fiddleheads out of the water and place in cold water. This will stop the cooking process. (You will notice that the fiddleheads have turned a lighter green shade; and your water will be black…do not be alarmed this is normal.) Disgard the water and start the process again.


3. Take the fiddleheads from the cold water and place in a strainer – after a few minutes in the strainer, place handfuls in a freezer bag – portion for the size of your family and then they are ready to freeze.


Fiddleheads are best boiled or steamed - served with vinegar, butter and salt and pepper! Enjoy!

Spinach and Feta Potaoes

The Grocery List:

6 potatoes (about 5 lbs.)
1 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup light sour cream or regular sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 (10 ounce) package spinach, thawed and drained (or I buy the frozen spinach in the bag and use 4 or 5 pieces)
1 cups crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese or regular feta cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cooking It All Up:

Peel and cook potatoes. Mash with a potato masher. Stir in butter, sour cream, salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Combine the spinach, garlic and feta cheese. Make sure the spinach is thawed and as dry as possible.

Stir spinach mixture into potatoes.

Spoon into buttered dish swirling top slightly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake, uncovered until golden and a knife inserted in center feels warm, 35-40 minutes.

Makes 4 Servings.

Maritime Hodge Podge

Love this time of year; and not only for the usual hot summertime weather (which we have not been experiencing this year) but also for the garden fresh vegetables that are available from our local vendors! Mmmm….mmm – I swear I’ve eaten $20.00 worth of fresh peas in the last two weeks by myself! So sweet and delicious! And I could consume a plate full of Swiss Chard every night topped with vinegar! Yum!

Hodge Podge may be known to some by a different name; but one thing is certain, it is a Maritime tradition in many homes.

(The key to this dish is the ‘garden fresh’ vegetables!)


Ingredients:

Potatoes
Carrots
String beans – yellow and green
Peas
Handful of flour
½ cup of cream and ½ cup of milk (can use milk only)
2 big (overflow a bit) spoonfuls (tablespoon size) of butter
Lots of pepper and some salt

Directions:

In a pot, place your cubed potatoes with just enough water to cover them; once they are getting soft; place your carrots in; then once these are almost cooked and soft add the beans, peas, milk and cream, lots of pepper and some salt, your butter and flour. (flour would be approx. ¼ cup…you can tell as your consistency should thicken a bit). Turn it on low and cook for 10-15 minutes more and then serve.

Leftovers are even better the following day! :)

Sweet Potatoe Coins

This is by far the best way I’ve found to cook sweet potatoe fries; and it goes amazingly well with BBQ or for a snack/appetizer if you have some friends or family in!

Ingredients:

Sweet Potatoes
EVOO
Basil
Garlic salt
Pepper
Paprika
(Any spices you love will do! – I’ve heard of people using Cumin or Curry powder as well)

Place on a baking sheet and cook at 400 for 15 minutes a side; they may take a bit longer; but keep an on eye on them; they burn quickly. Let them sit for a few minutes and enjoy!


A dip that we love to have with them is a Chipolte Mayo dip. You simply put Mayo in a dish and add chipotle spice – mix well – to your taste..the more you use the hotter it will be. We usually put quite a bit; we like our spice. I also refrigerate it for 10 mins before serving.

Mexican Lasagna

The Shopping List:

• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 2 cups of chopped onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups green pepper, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 (15 ounce) can mixed beans (or any variety you like, black or kidney work well) drained and rinsed
• 12 (6 inch) tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 small plum tomatoes, diced
• 1/3 cup green onion, chopped

Cooking It all Up:

Spray a large saucespan with no-stick spray. Brown beef or turkey.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add onions, garlic, and green pepper. Cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, salsa, and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.

Stir in beans. Remove from heat.
Spray a 13X9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Spread 1/3 of the mixture over the bottom. Cover with half the tortillas (0verlapping as needed), and half the cheese.

Spoon another 1/3 of mixture on top of cheese, followed by remaining tortillas, and last of the bean mixture. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Cover and bake for 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with tomato and green onions.

If desired serve with sour cream.

Chicks Note: You could make this a vegetarian meal by omitting the meat and adding an extra 15 oz can of beans!