Sausage and/or Mushroom Stuffing by Roger

November 16, 2007 by

Roger, a friend from work, gave me this recipe. It’s so good, why wait until the holidays? This delicious recipe requires drying out the bread for 3 days. Sounds like too much work? No way! Once you taste it, you’ll be hooked.

1 Giant Loaf Wonder Bread
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh, minced parsley
1/2 tsp. sage
1 packet dried chicken broth
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt

2 sticks butter
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large white onion, diced
4 celery stalks, diced – (I dice the leaves, too)
1 lb. portabello mushrooms OR
1 lb. uncooked crumbled sweet Italian sausage

3 days prior to making stuffing, take 3/4 of a Giant Loaf of Wonder Bread and put in a large paper bag. Add the spices. Fold the top over to close, and shake bag to mix. Place in a closet, or cupboard, or just out of the way for 3 full days – minimum.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil. Add onion, celery and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes. If you are using mushrooms, add them now, mix to warm and remove from heat. If you are adding crumbled sausages, add them now and cook for about 15 minutes – or until browned.

Place paper bag on counter next to a large bowl. Take bread out of bag and break into small pieces into large bowl. Gently add pan ingredients to the bread and add 3-4 cups water, a cup at a time, and mix gently, but well. Let stand covered for 5 minutes, then stuff your bird. OR place into prepared baking dish and cook for about 30 minutes.

Filed Under: Autumn & Winter, Holidays & Special Occasions, Pork

Cranberry Sauce

October 23, 2007 by

Why homemade? Because it’s so much better than the canned stuff. The canned stuff is good enough but why not give it a whirl? You’ll dazzle your holiday guests when you present this.

4 12-oz. bags cranberries
3 cups white sugar
3+ cups cold water
2 Tbsp. unflavored gelatin (Knox brand is good)

In a 4 – 5 quart heavy pan, place the cranberries, sugar and 3 cups of cold water to a boil, stirring this until the sugar is dissolved. Lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pan until all the berries have burst, stirring occasionally. This takes anywhere from 10 – 15 minutes.

Into a fine-mesh sieve, which you have placed over a larger glass bowl, pour the pot contents in and let stand until all the juices have strained through – this takes about 30 minutes. You may have to press on the solid berries until more juice gets extracted.

Stir the gelatin with 1/3 cup cold water and let stand 1 minute to soften. In a small pan, bring 1 cup of the strained/drained cranberry juice to a simmer then add the gelatin mixture and stir it until just dissolved. Add this mixture to the rest of the cranberry liquid and stir well. Pour this sauce into a lightly oiled or greased decorative bowl or mold – I even used a glass loaf pan one time and it worked fine. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 12 hours.

When ready to unmold, run the top of a think knife between the edge of the bowl/mold and sauce. Tilt the bowl/mold and invert a plate over the mold then invert onto plate. Serve.

Filed Under: Autumn & Winter, Holidays & Special Occasions, Sauces

Carrot-Nut Salad

October 7, 2007 by

This is an unusual salad that strikes just the right balance between carrots & maple. You can even toss in a tablespoon or two of dried cranberries if you wish. Enjoy.


3-4 cups of shredded carrots
1/2 cup of raisins (regular or yellow)
1 cup celery in small dice
2 Tbsp. chopped pecans, walnut, or pistachios
1/2 cup mayo (I use only Hellmann’s) OR sour cream
1/4 cup good quality maple syrup


Into a large bowl, combine the carrots, raisins, celery and nuts. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the mayo & maple syrup. Add this to the carrot mixture and mix gently but thoroughly to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Filed Under: Autumn & Winter, Salads

McCormick’s Old Bay Roasted Chicken

September 30, 2007 by

When you want something delicious, but you don’t wanna stand over the stove, let your oven do the work.

1 chicken cut into 8 pieces OR 8 pieces your choice with the skins on
6 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Scatter the butter on a rimmed baking sheet and place into oven about 5 minutes to melt. Remove from oven and spread butter around on the sheet, then mix in the oil.

Place the flour and spices in a bowl or on a pie plate and mix with a fork to combine. Roll each piece of chicken in the flour mixture then place skin-side-down on the pan. Place pan in oven for 45 minutes; turn chicken over (with tongs or a spatula) and bake for 10 more minutes.

Filed Under: Chicken

Roasted Sweet Potatoes or Yams

September 30, 2007 by

This was created out of pure necessity of getting my family to eat this vegetable. There are a ton of recipes out there for casseroles using these and yams but they are so cloyingly sweet that I went back to the basics and wow! Even our dog eats them!

3 large sweet potatoes or yams
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cut the potatoes/yams into chunks – like if you were making a potato salad. Spread them onto a cookie sheet. Pour the olive oil on, then sprinkle with the salt & pepper. Using your hands mix it all up. Pop it into the oven for 1 hour, mixing it up half way through.

If you like a little kick, sprinkle on red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper. That’s great too!

Filed Under: Autumn & Winter, Vegetables

Ham & Apple Salad

September 2, 2007 by

A winning combination for a lunch or brunch. It uses up that leftover ham or pork roast wonderfully.


2 cups diced cooked ham or pork
2 cups of peeled, diced apple
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup dill relish
1 Tbsp. minced/chopped onion
1 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best)
1/2 cup mayo (I only use Hellman’s)
Sprinkling of ground pepper to taste
Kosher salt if needed – ham/pork is already salty
Salad greens and/or poached eggs


In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients; cover and chill at least 1 hour before serving. Serve this on a bed of salad greens. Sometimes we add a poached egg on top.

Filed Under: Salads

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

August 26, 2007 by

I’m not real big on the sweet & sour thing, but these meatballs are divine. I served them with some rice pilaf and green beans, and we barely had leftovers.


1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk or half-n-half
3/4 cup bread crumbs (seasoned is ok)
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt + 1/4 tsp. added later
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork (OR all pork OR all beef)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1 can cranberry sauce (whole or not)
1/2 cup of your BBQ Sauce (I use KC)
1 green pepper sliced into thin strips
1/2 cup cold water
1 Tbsp. cornstarch


Crack the egg in to a large bowl and beat; add all the ingredients up to the meats and mix well. Add the meats and mix well. Shape into small meatballs and set aside. Place the oil in a large skillet that you have a lid for and heat. Add the meatballs and brown for 5 minutes on each side on medium heat. Drain off the fat.


Combine the cranberry juice and the can of cranberry sauce with the BBQ sauce in another bowl. Add 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt and a dash of black pepper. Pour this slowly and evenly over the meatballs. Add the sliced peppers. Bring this to a boil, cover and simmer 30 minutes.


Blend the cold water with the cornstarch then slowly add to the simmering meatballs while stirring constantly for about 3 minutes. It will become thickened. Serve.

Filed Under: Beef, Pork

Creamy of Celery Soup

August 23, 2007 by

Though not as popular as most other soups, I love this stuff! Many years ago (in another life) when I worked in Manhattan I’d have a bowl of this with a large scoop of chicken salad on a bed of greens almost every day for lunch in the cafeteria. It was magnificent.


Step I – Puree
8 stalks of celery, cut into 1-inch
2 potatoes, peeled & diced
4 cups water
1 tsp. kosher salt


Step 2 – Soup Base
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely minced celery
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream or heavy cream
Sprinkling of white pepper (about 1/2 tsp)
Garnishment: 1/4 cup sliced black olives or pimentos


In a medium pot that you have a lid for, put the celery, potatoes and water in and sprinkle with salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool somewhat. When it has cooled somewhat, pour it in batches into a food processor, blender, or food mill. Process this until smooth like a puree then pour into a medium saucepan and set aside.


In a skillet, melt the butter and add the onions. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the minced celery and celery seed, cover and cook for 10 minutes more. Scrape these contents into the saucepan with the puree. Add the milk and sour or heavy cream. Season with the salt & white pepper and carefully heat it – DO NOT BOIL. Serve.

Filed Under: Soups & Stews

Sloppy Joes

August 8, 2007 by

Serve these on toasted, buttered, hamburg buns; we use whole wheat.


1 lb. ground chuck (double if needed)
1 small, diced onion
1 small green pepper, diced
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cloves


Melt 2 Tbsp. butter on medium in a skillet that you have a lid for. Add ground chuck and brown, about 10 minutes. Add the diced onion and pepper and cook about 10 more minutes. Drain. Add all the rest of the ingredients then cover tightly and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Add salt & pepper. Serve.

Filed Under: Beef

Baked Tomatoes

August 4, 2007 by

Not your usual fare, but it just may become a dish you serve often. Best part is that this works very well with the tomatoes that you buy during the cooler seasons.


5-6 medium, firm tomatoes
2 medium onions, diced
2 1/2 cups unseasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 stick butter, sliced


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.


In a large bowl, place the diced onions, breadcrumbs, cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Slice the tomatoes as thin as you can (not paper thin) and layer the tomatoes in the pan, then sprinkle on a generous amount of the breadcrumb mixture, and keep layering until you have used all the tomatoes – end with the breadcrumbs. Dot with the butter slices.


Place in the oven for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Serve hot.

Filed Under: Vegetables
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