I don’t have a picture of this yet, but picture yellow-orange mashed potatoes and you’re pretty much there. This is a wonderful base for many recipes, or firm it up with a few instant potato flakes, add butter, and serve it on the side of any fish or meat dish, just as you would mashed potatoes. The possibilities for this base range from soup, to pasta sauce and stuffings, or even casserole base. When you’re tired of the basic brown-sugar and butter routine… make this recipe and freeze in small portions for use in creative recipes.

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash, cooked and peeled
• 1 sweet onion coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 c dry red wine
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
• 1/2 c potato flakes

Directions

1. Sauté the garlic and onion in olive oil until onion is transparent
2. Incorporate red wine and hot pepper
3. cook uncovered on medium heat to reduce (until most liquid is absorbed)
4. Stir in brown sugar and add a little water if necessary
5. In food processor add squash in sections and sauted onion mixture 
6. Puree on high until all ingredients are well blended
7. Add potato flakes as necessary to firm to desired consistency (should be similar to mashed potatoes)

Serve on the side of any dish as you would mashed potatoes with butter; thin with milk and/or sour cream and serve as soup; or freeze and store for other recipes.

Cranberry Crab Salad

 

This is a quick salad to use for sandwiches, cracker spreads, or tomato stuffing. Simple, healthy ingredients make this a satisfying meal or snack. Elizabeth has been after me to post this. So, here it is.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb imitation crab chunks
• 1/2 green pepper, diced
• 1/3 c dried cranberries
• 1/3 c slivered almonds
• 2 tbs black olive, sliced
• 1 tbs dried cilantro or 2 tbs fresh chopped
• 1/3 c light mayonnaise
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine ingredients and chill.
2. Serve on ciabatta rolls, stuff inside tomatoes, or as a dip for crackers. This is also great on top of a lettuce salad as the dressing.

Now, make this your own. I’ve been tempted to try dried pineapple instead of cranberries… what will you do?

I don’t know if you’re like me in the summer, but I have a hard time leaving any market without fresh vegetables; I can’t pass a stand; and I love Farmer’s Market and the Co-op. Result? Too many veggies to cook and eat. I hate waste. So, I try to monitor the veggie drawer and do something like sauteed summer veggies on the weekend to use in dishes throughout the week. This also freezes reasonably well.

This is a basic sautee that can be added to endless recipes, or simply eaten in its original form. Sometimes simple is best.

Ingredients

• 1 zuchini, diced
• 1 yellow squash, diced
• 1 sweet red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 Tbs minced garlic
• 1/4 c chopped fresh herbs of your choice
• 4 tbs olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil until onions are translucent.
2. Stir in the red pepper and saute one minute.
3. Add remaining ingredients and saute until veggies are cooked but firm, about 2 minutes.

Serve immediately as a side dish or refrigerate for use in other recipes. This can also be added to soup, rolled in a tortilla, or top of pasta or rice with the veggies (and a little more olive oil as desired).

 

Grandma's Classic Potato Salad

This is everyone’s favorite potato salad! It’s a true classic with a few twists from my mom’s creative flair. Jean is my adopted mother, or angel mother as I like to refer to her. My birth mother passed in 2007 before I could find her, but I have been blessed to find sibblings this year (2009).

The classic garnish of boiled eggs dates back to my Grandma Stacia (and probably beyond). This is a true midwest-American dish. Mom uses light salad dressing, bless her — the recipe is just as good. I wanted to try to make this even healthier, but sometimes classic is classic. Done.

I’m thrilled to have the recipe, and even more to pass it on. Mom and I substituted baby red potatoes, and added some new herbs…make it your own.

 

Dressing

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c vinegar
• 1 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard
• 1 1/2 c of light salad dressing (the sweet mayonaise sandwhich spread)
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

Dry Ingredients

• 6 c diced baby red potatoes (cleaned, skin-on, and raw)
• Diced green pepper
• Diced red onion
• Diced celery
• 2 diced boiled eggs

 

Garnish

• 2 sliced boiled eggs
• 2 Tbs dill, chives, parsley, or cilantro
• 1 Tbs Paprika

 

Directions

1. Prepare the dressing first. It can be refridgerated and it might make more than you need for the salad.
2. Mix dressing ingredients and cook dressing until boiling good. Beat with a whisk until thickend a little. When cool add light salad dressing. (It’s the sweet mayo like Miracle Whip rather than Helmans) Chill for 1 hour minimum.
3. Dice raw dry ingedients. HINT: use a cool tool to make the dicing fast and uniform.
4. Boil diced potatoes until fork pierces easliy. Careful not to overboil. Firm “to the tooth” but not soft.
5. Drain and rinse potatoes in cool water.
6. Add remaining dry ingredients. (Other veggies are added raw)
7. Stir in prepared dressing to desired wetness.
8. Chill in refridgerator until serving (it’s best day two)
9. Garnish with sliced boiled eggs and herbs to taste.

The salad is always a hit. Goes with all meats and fish. Great for grill season. The dressing can also be used for coleslaw, macaroni salad, lettuce salad… etc. Yum. Enjoy!

Corncakes and Strawberries

This is a favorite for all. The corn cakes are lighter than regular pancakes and sweeter. The strawberries a a perfect pairing. The thinner you make these, the crispier they become. So, I make them a little more thin than regular pancakes. I serve the corn-cakes with a buffet of topping choices: butter; blueberry or any other preserves; honey; maple syrup; whipping cream; fresh fruit such as sliced strawberries. Top with slivered almonds for extra texture and taste.

Ingredients

• 1 package of corn bread mix
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c milk (or as directed by package)
• Water to desired consistency
• Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

1. Mix cornbread batter per package directions.
2. Add additional water 1 Tbs at a time until the consistency is like a thin pancake batter.
3. Heat skillet on medium high until water drops dance across the surface.
4. LIGHTLY spray surface with cooking spray
5. Pour or spoon 1/3 c of batter onto the skillet (more or less for desired cake size)
6. When edges of cake look a bit dry, flip the cake (it should be golden)
7. Remove from heat when bottom is golden.
8. Keep warm on an oven-proof plate in a 300 degree oven as you cook the cakes.

Serve with butter, honey, syrup, fresh fruit or preserves. These are pretty, easy, and a crowd pleaser. Makes enough for about 3 adults.

Mom and Dad visited and I served these with fresh fruit. Marks girls visited and loved them too. This is too easy for all the happy faces it makes. Tuck this trick away when you have guests.

Love,

Mother Sara

I am too sick to post or tweet. Nothing serious.

Regretfully,

Mother Sara

 

Apricot Mustard Glazed Salmon

This is a quick and tasty way to serve up salmon on short notice. Most ingredients can be kept on hand. It’s easy to portion up or down, and is a wonderful compliment to the salmon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 salmon filets
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1/4 c honey mustard
• 1 tbs white wine vinegar
• 1/3 c apricot preserves
• 1/4 c dried herbs (cilantro, basil, chives, etc)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Coat both sides of salmon filets with olive oil
2. Lightly salt and pepper both sides
3. Combine the remaining ingredients and generously coat both sides
4. Grill on high grill, searing on both sides. All grills and tastes differ. Find your preference.

Mango-Fennel Salsa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 Mango diced
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 1/3 c fresh fennel diced
• 1 small can mild green chiles
• 1/3 c sweet corn (canned, or cut from ear)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/3 c coursely chopped fresh herbs (cilantro, lemon balm, chives…)
• 2 tbs whint wine vinegar
• 2 tbs olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes to taste

Directions

1. Combine ingredients
2. Chill and serve

Mediterranean Skillet Gratin

I fixed this for Mark and our friend Julie for the first time Sunday night. The original idea was to do a mediterranean vegetable mix in the crock pot while we rode horses. Plans changed because it got too late to ride. So, I had to quick improvise, and made a skillet gratin out of the deal.

 

 

 

 

 Ingredients

• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 tbs chopped garlic
• 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 3 cups of vegetables cut into bite-size pieces (I used: asparagus, green pepper, artichoke hearts, and shredded carrots)
• 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes (drained, reserve the liquid)
• 1/2 cup feta cheese
• 1 c shredded Asiago, Parmesan, or other hard cheese
• 1/3 c bread crumbs
• 1/4 c herbs (you pick: basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary)
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

1. In a large, oven-proof skillet, saute the garlic and onion in olive oil until the onion is transparent.
2. Add vinegar, cook to reduce about 30 seconds.
3. Layer salt and pepper to taste as you go.
4. Stir in the vegetable mix, and saute until the vegetables are al dente.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Incorporate the tomatoes, and strategically drop bite-size chunks of the feta (or other crumbly cheese — I actually used a stronger blue cheese, but that might be too strong for some tastes) into the mix.
7. Mix dry ingredients (shredded cheese, bread crumbs, and herbs) in a mixing bowl and distribute evenly over the top of the dish.
8. Broil on low until gratin is bubbly and browned to desired degree. (watch this, every oven is different)

Dish or serve on table in skillet – it really is pretty right out of the broiler. This can be served with a good Italian sausage (the vegetarian versions are really good!), a hearty, flavourful fish, or even over pasta.

Tomorrow: Apricot Mustard Glaze for salmon or pork chops

Sesame and Herb Seared Tuna Steak

It is always fun to introduce someone to this recipe that has been ruined by canned tuna. I’m amazed at the reaction. This was Mark’s first experience with tuna steak. He wasn’t so sure he’d like it because he doesn’t like the taste of canned tuna. I guess it’s even good enough for the meat and potato types… “This is really good. I bet my dad would even eat this!”

 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 Fresh tuna steaks
• 3 tbs bread crumbs
• 1tbs ground pepper
• 1 tsp wasabi powder (DO NOT use wasabi – the powder is much more mild)
• Course sea salt to taste
• 3 tbs Sesame Seads
• Olive oil

Directions

1. Generously coat both sides of steaks with olive oil, and salt.
2. Mix remaining dry ingedients (except sesame seads) in a bowl and coat fish on all sides.
3. Coat both sides with sesame seeds, pressing the seeds into the steak.
4. Heat 3 Tbs olive oil in saute pan until pan is very hot and a drop of water sizzles.
5. Gently place steaks in pan to sear first side, about 1-2 minutes.
6. Gently turn steaks and sear second side, about 1-2 minutes.

The steaks should be tender and rare in the middle. Serve with an asian coleslaw and/or honey-ginger rainbow vegetables with sticky rice.