Wild Rice Dressing.

As it gets chilly out, I tend to want to cook more. Couple that with the fact that I have a really hard time picking out side dishes for my meals, and you can end up with some very odd dinners. I've begun to keep a dinner diary to log meals, partly to keep me motivated, and partly to have something to look back at when I'm meal planning to see what worked in the past. This is one recipe that definitely worked, but was also WAY too big for my family. I was eating the leftovers. ALL. WEEK. LONG. Still, this is definitely something I'm considering making to bring to the massive Thanksgiving get-together we do most years. This would easily feed that crowd. :)

Wild Rice Dressing, from Real Simple

Ingredients:
32-ounce low-sodium chicken broth 
1 cup wild rice 
1 1/4 cups brown rice 
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for the dish 
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 
3 stalks celery, finely chopped 
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves , finely chopped 
1/4 cup fresh sage, finely chopped 
1 cup pecans, finely chopped 
1 cup dried apricots or cranberries , roughly chopped 
1 tsp kosher salt 
1/2 tsp black pepper 

Directions:
Heat oven to 350° F.  
   
In a pot, over medium-high heat, bring the broth and 2 cups water to a boil. Add the wild rice and brown rice, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.  
   
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 10 minutes. Add the cooked rice, parsley, sage, pecans, apricots or cranberries, salt, and pepper and toss. Transfer to a buttered casserole. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. 

Grilled Zucchini.

Oh how I love summer grilling. Looking back at what I've posted lately, it would seem that I've only been cooking dessert, but that, I assure you, is not the case. We've been breaking out the grill often, which, while making delicious food, it is not usually especially unique and so I've remained silent. But now, now I MUST share this. Zucchini. Have you grilled this? It's not so much a recipe as an idea. Cut the zucchini into long thick planks, don't bother to skin it, and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle a bit of seasoned salt on top and let the grill do its work. SO GOOD. If you've been hesitant about zucchini in the past, or simply prefer other vegetables to it, I implore you, try this. 

Cornmeal Breakfast Pudding.

Soon after I got married, my mom called me and said she'd found a couple of my grandma's cookbooks, and did I want them? I, who nostalgically cherishes almost anything that has belonged to my ancestors, and would collect cookbooks until my shelves were full of them if I could, of course said Yes! As soon as they were in my possession, I scoured them for recipes I could easily create. This recipe was one I made almost as soon as I saw it. (I believe I found the recipe and had it made within that hour.)

Since then, I've learned that a full recipe is much too much for my family to enjoy. I reduce the recipe by either 1/3 or 2/3, as it's simpler than trying to divide an egg. A 1/3 recipe will adequately feed two people, or heartily feed one. A 2/3 recipe will easily feed three to five people, and a full recipe feeds six to eight, depending on portion sizes desired.

Evelyn's Breakfast Cornmeal Pudding, from Stories and Recipes of the Great Depression of the 1930's, by Rita Van Amber and revised by Janet Van Amber Paske

Ingredients:

1/4 - 1/2 c. sugar or honey (I use the honey, and go a bit shy of 1/4 c.)

1 t. salt

3 T. butter

3 c. milk

1 c. cornmeal

1 c. milk

3 eggs

Directions:

Combine sugar or honey, salt, butter, and 3 c. milk, and heat to scalding. Combine cornmeal and 1 c. milk, then add to honey mixture. (VERY IMPORTANT: Don't add the cornmeal and milk seperately to the honey mixture, thinking it will combine and save you a step, it won't. Experience talking...)

Cook till thickened, stirring. Then cover, cook five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Beat the eggs. Very slowly, add a small amount of hot cornmeal to the eggs, till they are warmed but not cooked by the cornmeal. Pour egg mixture into cornmeal, stirring constantly. Cook on low heat, covered, for five minutes. Spoon into serving bowls, serve warm with a sprinkle of nutmeg and a splash of milk or cream. (I usually go with the cream.) Enjoy!

Broccoli with Toasted Garlic.

Lately I've been trying to incorporate more vegetables into my family's diet. I'm slowly expanding the palates of my husband and son in this area, my latest acheivement being that my husband now eats carrots. :) One standby though, if I know its not a day to press my luck in the vegetable department, is broccoli. Chris and Jonathan love their broccoli. Consequently, this recipe was an instant hit. I usually add an extra clove or two of garlic, as we love garlic here, but the recipe as is is delicious.

Broccoli with Toasted Garlic, From The Food You Crave, by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients: 

1 bunch Broccoli
1 Tbsp Water
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
Salt And Pepper To Taste

Directions:

Cut the broccoli into spears and put into a large microwave-safe bowl with the water. Cover tightly and microwave on high for 4 minutes.

While the broccoli is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook the garlic, stirring frequently, until it is golden, about 3 minutes. Take care not to overcook the garlic or it will become bitter.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the toasted garlic to a small dish.

Remove the bowl of broccoli from the microwave, carefully uncover it, and drain it in a colander, shaking off any excess water. Transfer the broccoli to the skillet with the oil and cook over medium heat, stirring a few times, for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the toasted garlic, season with salt and pepper. Serve, and enjoy!

Onion Rings, Oven Baked.

I love onion rings. This is probably expected, what with my onion love posted previously elsewhere on this site. What I don't love is frying things. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part if a recipe calls for frying, it doesn't usually get made. I've modified recipes, like chicken nuggets and french fries, so that I can bake them instead, but onion rings have always failed in this department, even with recipes intended for baking. They never had the same taste, the breading would fall off, it was a disaster. Thus I resigned myself to only getting onion rings on the rare occasion we could get them at a restaraunt. 

Then one day, browsing for completely different books, I came across a cookbook from an author that I love already, Ellie Krieger. I took it home to see if I wanted to own this cookbook too, and lo and behold, a baked onion ring recipe! I was doubtful at first, what with my past failures on this front, but I resolved to try it anyway, and it worked! The breading was still somewhat difficult to work with, but nothing like the other times, and it stayed relatively attached to the onion. Next time, I'll spice up the recipe a bit with more cayenne, mainly because I'm not as fond of the buttermilk taste, and it's very present, though not overwhelming, in this recipe. Overall, a definite win.

Oven Baked Onion Rings, from The Food You Crave, by Ellie Krieger

Ingredients:

canola/olive oil spray

4 c. baked potato chips (and yes that's baked "potato chips", not "baked potato" chips. Though I suppose the latter would give interesting flavor...)

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1 c. low fat buttermilk

1/2 c. plus 2 T. flour

1/2 t. salt, plus more to taste

1/4 t. ground black pepper

1 to 2 large Vidalia onions, peeled

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spray a baking sheet lightly with oil.

Place the potato chips in the food processor and process into fine crumbs. Transfer to a shallow bowl and stir in cayenne. In another shallow bowl, combine buttermilk, 2 T flour, and the salt and pepper.

Slice the onions into 1/2 in thick rounds, separate, and reserve only the larger slices, about 12. (I used the smaller slices as well, and it turned out lovely, though I had to process more chips to coat them all.)

Place the remaining 1/2 c. flour in a plastic bag, add onions, and shake to coat. Then dip each ring in the buttermilk mixture and the potato chip mixture successively, coating evenly. Place on the baking sheet and, if you like, spray with a bit more oil. (I skipped the spray on some, sprayed others, didn't notice a difference.)

Bake about 20 minutes, until the coating is crisp. Serve immediately. (They cool quickly once out of the oven.)

Enjoy!