Potatoes au Gratin from Todd Coleman
The thing about Potatoes au Gratin is that it takes forever to make and you have to do it at the last minute. This recipe is totally make ahead-friendly. You can even prepare it the night before, which I will find very helpful for the upcoming holidays.
By - Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 45 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Sicilian Meat Roll
My mother gave me a handwritten recipe book in 1981 with family favorites. I opened it the other day and saw this recipe for Sicilian Meat Roll. It's basically Italian meatloaf. Personally, I am not a fan of meatloaf, but I made it for my father. It turned out really delicious. It definitely needs to be served with some marinara sauce. It's ground beef rolled up with ham, though I used prosciutto, and mozzarella.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 1 hr 15 mins
- Yields: 8 Servings
Zucchini Bread Muffins
I happen to have way too many zucchini, so I decided to make these Zucchini Bread Muffins. Instead of making a loaf of bread, I like to make muffins so I can freeze them. Zucchini muffins freeze perfectly, if you wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then place them in a ziplock bag. They will last about 8 weeks in the freezer! To thaw, microwave on HIGH about 30 seconds for each muffin.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: Makes 12 muffins
Caprese Pesto Pasta Bake
Caprese salad is a simple Italian salad, made of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Like pizza Margherita, it features the colours of the Italian flag: green, white, and red. This Caprese Pesto Pasta Bake is taking all those ingredients with some pesto and mixing it with pasta. You can make it ahead and bake it later in the day.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 30 mins
- Yields: 6 Servings
Buttermilk Pie
Buttermilk Pie is a staple of Southern Cooking and is known as a “desperation pie” (i.e. when you only have staple ingredients like butter, sugar, eggs and flour on hand). That said, these few simple ingredients are greater than the sum of its parts and make for a seriously rich and satisfying dessert. Our friend Kathy who runs a large cattle ranch/horse farm in Texas recently whipped up one of these and was kind enough to share the recipe.
- Prep: 5 mins
- Cook: 40 mins
- Yields: 8 Servings
Margherita Pizza Beans
I love this recipe for Margherita Pizza Beans. If you have lots of tomatoes from your garden, this is a great way to use them. It's basically an Italian "beans on toast". Serve it with a fresh green salad and you have a meal your family will be asking you to make again.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Dairy-Free Spinach Quiche
This Spinach Quiche is not only Dairy-Free, but it's also gluten-free and vegetarian. I often get requests when catering to add an option like this quiche for people with dietary restrictions. It uses oat milk, which seems to be gaining popularity, which is a plant milk derived from whole oat grains by extracting the plant material with water. I used a frozen store-bought gluten-free crust, though you could also make a crust out of hash brown potatoes. I was told this quiche was delicious.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 55 mins
- Yields: 8 Servings
Ginger & Lemongrass Salmon with Greens in a Parcel
I made this Ginger & Lemongrass Salmon with Greens in a Parcel for dinner. The salmon is cooked in parchment paper and nestled on a bed of zucchini, sugar snap peas and green onions. You then pour soy sauce and mirin over the salmon and top it with lemongrass, ginger, garlic and red chili peppers. The lemongrass adds a bright citrus flavor to this dish. I served it with jasmine rice. It's healthy and delicious.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 1 Serving
Roasted Pork Tenderloin
Truth be told, I am not a big meat eater, though when it's good I'm in. My brother David gave me this MEATER+ intuitive meat thermometer and I tested it out on this Roasted Pork Tenderloin. It takes all the guesswork out of cooking meat. You choose the cut and the temperature (rare, medium, well, etc.) and it does the rest all on your smartphone. Anyway, this has a delicious rub and is doused with a sauce. I have to say, it was perfectly tender and juicy.
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 6 - 8 Servings
Tomato Risotto
I saw this recipe last Friday in The New York Times. Since I had some fresh tomatoes from the garden, I decided to make this Tomato Risotto. Tomato Risotto is so good with a sprinkling of parmesan and fresh basil. I actually made it in the Instant Pot, which is super easy and doesn't involve all the stirring. I included both instructions if you want to make it on the stovetop. There's nothing like summer tomatoes picked fresh from your garden.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Yields: 4 - 6 Serving
