Mike's Mother's Stuffing

This is our family's favorite stuffing.

And by "family" I mean our extended family of friends, relatives, and significant others. I have wonderful friends who've opened up their hearts and homes to me, my children and my siblings. We've shared many holidays together laughing, eating and drinking. They're special, devoted friends and they mean the world to me.

A selection of my extended blended family

This recipe came from my mother-in-law, God rest her soul. An amazingly energetic, opinionated, incredibly wise, devoted grandmother, mother, sister, and friend, Mom made a big impact on everyone. And so did her stuffing.


Mike's Mother's Stuffing

1 pound of Ritz crackers (Buy a couple of boxes because the 16 oz. box is now 13.5 oz.)
1 stick butter
3 or 4 onions
1/2 pkg. celery hearts
3 carrots
12 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced or 2 cans, drained (if you don't like them, don't add them)
2 eggs
salt, pepper & garlic powder

Saute fresh mushrooms in 1/2 stick butter. Roughly chop onions and celery in a food processor in a couple separate batches. Remove and saute in 1/2 stick butter. Add a little water and cook until softened. Grate carrots and set aside.

Crush Ritz crackers. It's easy to do if you crush them while they're still in the package. Place in a large bowl and add beaten eggs, carrots, mushrooms, and the onion/celery mixture. Mix together. Add some salt, pepper and a little garlic powder. Add water to make a semi-moist stuffing. Place in a baking dish. Drizzle turkey drippings over the top before baking in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Serves 8-10 people.

The stuff of stuffing

The food processor is your friend

The sweetness of the carrots really makes the dish

Stuffing awaiting the oven

Share this with the ones you love.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dance while you can

I recently took a personality test on Facebook. Five questions later they had me pegged. I am "The Child". Guilty! I do like to have a good time!

Another test result said this: "You like a good time so much that in order to get it you can overcome some of the little-girl fears that you have not quite outgrown."

Right again!

One sure-fire way for me to have a good time is to watch QVC. Now that brings me an immense amount of pleasure!

"Hello. My name is Anita and I am a QVC addict." 

I love QVC for many reasons, not the least of which is that they sell really great stuff! But the way they sell it... Wow!

First, QVC is happy. There are no controversial issues here, no world problems to solve: just simple pleasures that are available for the buying with the promise of a little joy that can make your life better. The hosts are masters of their trade. What they say is unscripted. They engage you with their unbridled enthusiasm and draw you into their world of pleasures. I am all in.

And I am not alone.


QVC fans are crazy about their David Venable. David is a fantastic host and is known as QVC's resident foodie. David is all about food: making it, sharing it, and enjoying every delectable morsel of it. His enthusiasm is our joy. We identify with his passions. And we're passionate about him.

David recently wrote a cookbook entitled Back Around the Table: An "In the Kitchen with David" Cookbook.Click on the title and order a copy.

On his QVC Facebook page, David invites viewers to post "foodie fotos" of the dishes that they've made.

I just bought David's cookbook a couple of weeks ago and I'm having a good time trying out his recipes and posting them to his page.

This one is really good. It's a TBLT Salad. Turkey bacon, lettuce & tomato. The dressing, made with Greek yogurt, is creamy and delicious. Add the crunch of homemade garlic croutons, and you've got yourself one tasty, satisfying meal.

How about this one?

This is called Italian Wedding Casserole. Chicken meatballs in a creamy sauce with farfalle and spinach. The beauty of this one is that it makes a good amount. Enjoy one tonight, and freeze a second for another day.


This potato dish is over-the-top. Garlic Mashed Cauliflower and Potatoes. Decadence in white.

During his presentations, when David tastes food that he's wild about, he'll do his "Happy Dance".

He cracks me up!

Talk about a happy dance! Allow me to introduce you to an old family favorite: Irish Potato Casserole. Sorry there's no photo, but if you know what mashed potatoes look like, just add a little paprika to the top and you get the picture. And the taste? Out of this world! Totally addictive. It's one of those things you keep tasting because, well, because you just can't stop tasting. Happy Dance, happy dance, happy dance!


Irish Potato Casserole

8-10 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. chives, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced - a few dashes of garlic powder
salt to taste
paprika for color

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water about 30 minutes or until tender. Drain potatoes and mash. Beat cream cheese in a mixer until smooth. Add potatoes and remaining ingredients except paprika. Beat just until combined. Spoon mixture in a buttered 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with paprika. At this point, you may cover and refrigerate overnight, and remove 15 minutes before baking. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Makes 8-10 servings. 


Try these delicious potatoes for Thanksgiving and you'll pass on the gravy.

Wishing you good times this holiday season.

Getting Naked - Brownies, that is.

Knock-You-Naked Brownies

So bad. And, ooooh, so good!

I had these brownies recently as a sweet, sinful ending to a wonderful meal. This recipe below, from the Food Network website, is from the very likeable, down-to-earth, Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. The ingredients, method, and comments below are by Drummond.

Ree Drummond's 

Knock-You-Naked Brownies

Ingredients

1 stick butter, melted, plus more for greasing

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1/3 plus 1/2 cup evaporated milk

One 18.5-ounce box German chocolate cake mix (I use Duncan Hines)

1 cup finely chopped pecans

60 caramels, unwrapped

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9-by-9-inch baking pan.

Begin by pouring 1/3 cup evaporated milk into a bowl with the cake mix. Add the melted butter and the chopped 

pecans. Mix the ingredients together; it'll be pretty thick!

Divide the dough in half down the middle. Press half of it into the bottom of the prepared pan to make the first 

brownie layer. Bake until slightly set, 8 to 10 minutes. Then remove from the oven and set aside.

While the brownie layer is baking, in a double boiler (or glass bowl set over a bowl of simmering water) combine 

the caramels and the remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Stir occasionally until the caramels are totally melted 

and the mixture is smooth. Pour the caramel mixture over the first baked layer, spreading so it's evenly 

distributed. Sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the top.

Next, on a clean surface or a sheet of waxed paper, press the remaining dough into a square shape slightly 

smaller than the baking pan. Carefully set it on top of the chocolate chips. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove 

the pan from the oven and let the brownies cool to room temperature. Cover the pan and refrigerate the brownies 

for several hours to allow them to set.

When you're ready to serve them (or give them to someone you love!) sprinkle generously with the powdered 

sugar and cut them into large rectangles before removing from the pan. These are absolutely killer, my friends. 

Make them for someone you really, really love... or someone you want to love you back.

It'll work. Guarantee it.

It's like carrot cake without the pieces!

Never in my life did I think that I would have fussy eaters!

Well, it's all my fault, I'm sure.

I gave in.

"It's a great life if you don't weaken," my mother would say.

Well, I weakened. I don't remember exactly when I weakened, or how I weakened, but, I'm certain that I weakened. If my little darlings didn't like what they were served, I suppose I gave in and served them mac'n cheese or cereal or whatever was easiest and made them happy. (And made me happy, too, since it kept the peace.) I have no idea what happened. It was over 15 years ago now and I have little grey matter left. Well, I do have some grey matter. It's in my hair.

This is a fall recipe. Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Since it's Easter, let's pretend that it's a spring dessert. Carrot cake without the pieces. Yeah. That's it!

It's really good!

Would you like some cake with that frosting?

Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 F. In large bowl, combine eggs, sugar & oil. Beat well. Add pumpkin & vanilla, blend until smooth. Combine dry ingredients and add to pumpkin mixture & mix until well blended. Pour into ungreased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes until tests done. Frost when cake is cool.

Cream cheese frosting

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese

1 stick of butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 to 2 cups of powdered sugar

In mixer bowl, combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla until well-blended. Add sugar gradually until it's the sweetness and consistency that you prefer. Spread on cooled cake.

*** Romance on your menu ***

What a difference a day makes, and that difference is you!

You know what the best part of filling out your dating profile is?

When you've really thought about all of your interests, everything that fills you with joy and passion, when you write them all down and think about them, when it's all said and done, you realize that you don't need someone else to complete you. You've already got what you wanted.

Just a few of the things that I love... Springtime....  Impressionist paintings... classical music... decorating,... the ocean..... Puccini.....Downton Abbey...hydrangeas, lavendar, olive oil....wine.

I like to say, "I go better with wine."

Me and the Loire Valley. We've got a thing goin' on.

Meet my latest favorite dinner companion....

La Petite Perriere

He's little. But he's somethin' else! A Sauvignon Blanc that will leave you speechless! Which comes in pretty handy when you're dining alone.

I picked up this little fella the other night for only $9.99. A mouthful of minerality and an incredible explosion of fruit - a fresh and lively complement to whatever light dish you're enjoying.... like a simple pasta salad with feta cheese perhaps. As you wish, milady!

Pasta Salad with Feta Cheese

1 lb. farfalle pasta – or other shape of your choosing

2 tomatoes – chopped to your liking, or a handful of grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 of a cucumber, peeled and chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

3/4 cup of feta cheese, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Boil water. Add salt & pasta and cook until just tender. Rinse under cold water and drain. Place in large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to blend. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

The timid earth decides to thaw

This page is from a wonderful book called A Child's Calendar by John Updike. The poems and illustrations capture perfectly the feeling of each month.



"Some days are fair, some days are raw."

March. A month where deciding what to have for dinner is sometimes a challenge.

I'm betwixt and between

   on a meal at this time

An inspiring main course

is my plight.

I'm bored with

the casseroles, 

chilis and stews,

But there's nary 

a fresh green 

in sight.

Here's one answer for a March meal.

It has the earthy comfort of mushrooms, the warmth of a red wine reduction, and the liveliness of a springtime vegetable with lemon.

Chicken "Barolo Chinato" with Mushrooms and Parsley
Baked Potatoes with Rosemary
Lemon-Butter Asparagus

Barolo Chinato (pronounced “key”nato) is an Italian dessert wine. For this chicken recipe, you can substitute marsala, port or sherry. I happened to have a bottle of this on hand that I had been saving since my visit to Italy in 2009. I first tasted it at a wonderful restaurant in the Piemonte region located in the Northwestern corner of Italy. This is the home of the fabulous wines, Barolo and Barbaresco, and the white truffle. 

Ristorante Albergo "Miralanghe" in Guarene
- Piemonte, Italy-

Here's our server, Anna, with her daughter Chiara.

They're holding a plate of truffles that their dog discovered that day.

Anna was a wonderful server and I told her so. 

We ended up closing the place that night. 

In fact, before we left, the chef, who was Anna's husband, invited us to have drinks on the terrace. Is this customary in Italy?  Needless to say, I was thrilled. My favorite drink was the Chinato.The chef said that it was invented as a medicine and, for a long time, the only place you could buy it was at a pharmacy.

When we were leaving, he gave us two different bottles to take home. He handed me the Barolo Chinato. 

Chicken “Barolo Chinato”

This is an adaptation of  the “Medallions of Veal” recipe that was featured in a Boston Kitchen Cookbook back in the 1970's.

 

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into small pieces and pounded 1/4 inch thick

1/4 cup flour

Salt & pepper

2 TB butter

1 TB olive oil

3/4 cup beef broth

3/4 cup Barolo Chinato (or port, sherry, or marsala wine)

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 TB finely chopped onion

fresh lemon

2 TB chopped parsley

Stir flour, salt & pepper in bowl. Coat chicken pieces in mixture. Shake off excess. In a non-stick skillet, melt butter and add olive oil. Place chicken in a single layer and sauté on both sides over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Remove chicken pieces to serving platter; keep remaining juices in pan. Return pan to medium-high heat, add mushrooms and onion and cook until tender. Pour in broth and wine, stir, and bring to a boil. Let it boil for a minute until it begins to reduce. Add a fresh squeeze of lemon. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Pour over chicken and sprinkle with parsley.

Baked Potatoes with Rosemary

4 large baking potatoes

olive oil

1 tsp. beef bouillon

salt & freshly ground pepper

fresh rosemary leaves

Rinse potatoes and slice them into rounds, about 1/8 inch thick. Drizzle olive oil into a large, shallow round dish - a quiche plate works well – and add your first round of potatoes around the edge. Sprinkle each layer generously with salt & pepper, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Continue along towards the center until all the potatoes are placed. Add another drizzle of oil on the top and sprinkle with 1 tsp. of beef bouillon and rosemary. Pour just a little bit of water into the bottom of the dish to help keep the potatoes a bit moist as they cook. Bake at 450 F for about 30 minutes or until tender. You may want to baste it toward the end to keep the potatoes from drying out.

Lemon-Butter Asparagus

1 lb. of thin asparagus spears

fresh lemon

1 TB butter

salt & pepper

Rinse the asparagus.Take a spear with one hand and, with the other, bend the end of the spear until it breaks where it wants to. What you have left is a perfectly tender spear. There's no need to peel. Put the asparagus in a skillet and add about 1/2 inch of water and some salt. Cover and cook until asparagus is just tender. Remove spears from pan. Add salt, pepper, butter and a squeeze of lemon juice. 

Chicken Divan

I had to look this one up to make sure it really qualifies as a "divan". Indeed, it does! A "divan" is made with a mornay sauce - this is a white sauce - or a "bechamel " that's made with cheese. A bechamel is made with butter, flour, and milk. CHECK! And with the cheese on top, I guess this qualifies as a "divan".

As a francophile, I've got to be sure of these things.  

I read that an American version of a "divan" contains condensed soup or mayonnaise. So there you have it! The best of both worlds...

Thank you Janice and Tim - devoted friends of yours truly - who make this tasty and satisfying dish for friends and family at their holiday buffets!

Today isn't a holiday. Indeed, it is March 1st. And the first of the month means that the rent is due. Which means times are tough, and that calls for an economical meal for the family. And this dish certainly qualifies.

A pound and a half of chicken breast, some brocolli, flour, butter and milk, and a few other tasty ingredients, and you've got a way to beat the "wish I had more money" blues.

Serve it with pasta shells and you've got a couple of meals out of the deal.

Chicken Divan

lngredients:

2 bunches or more fresh chopped broccoli 

1.5 lbs boneless chicken breast-cooked (microwave it for 10 minutes or so, turning it over at

least once during that time), cut into bite-sized pieces

2 1/2 cups white sauce:

3 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups milk

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring

until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling,

Stir constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute.

(OR: you can use 2 cans of cream of chicken soup instead of the white sauce)

1 cup mayonnaise

juice from 1 lemon

16 oz. white cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

Grease 9"X13" greased pan

Arrange raw broccoli in the bottom of the pan.

Place chicken pieces on top of broccoli.

Combine white sauce, mayonnaise, and lemon juice and pour over chicken.

Sprinkle with cheese.

Combine bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle mixture on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

The Ultimate Comfort Food

Slow Cooker Pot Roast - so easy and oh... so good!

It takes about 10 minutes in the morning to put this together. At the end of the day, you'll have a nice, hot meal that is delicious and satisfying. All you need is some bread to soak up the juices. Yum. Pairs well with wintry weather.

This is my absolute favorite way to make a pot roast or beef stew. I've been making it for years and it never disappoints. Try it and see what I mean.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

3-4 lb. top or bottom round roast

3-4 carrots, peeled and cut up (more or less as you desire)

2 ½ lbs. potatoes – peeled if you wish – and quartered

2 ribs of celery, cut up (more or less as you desire)

1 small or medium-sized onion, diced

1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

14.5 oz. of water

1 tsp. beef bouillon powder

1 bay leaf

2 tsp. dried herbs – either Herbes of Provence or Italian seasoning - or 1 tsp. basil and 1 tsp. oregano 

10 generous shakes of Worcestershire sauce

Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all the fresh vegetables in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place beef on top – removing any extra fat as you wish. Add the diced tomatoes. Fill the empty can with water and add. Put in a bay leaf and add the worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle meat with the bouillon powder, dried herbs, salt (1/2 tsp. or so) and a few generous grinds of pepper. Put on the lid, turn the cooker on high and cook for 6 hours without removing the lid. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Use this same method for beef stew. I prefer extra lean stewing beef and I double the amount of water. The vegetables will exude their juices, too.  If necessary, you can always add more water at the end of the cooking time.

When love flies out the window, does the buttercrunch go with it?

Probably.

But it's easily replaceable.

You can find these guys almost anywhere ...

Sugar, butter, chocolate, nuts, and corn syrup

Add a little heat to get things moving...

     and you've got the makings of something special.

Mmmmmmm. Now that's better.

Buttercrunch

1 cup salted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 cups chopped nuts
2 2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips or other chocolate, finely chopped

Toast nuts in a skillet, stirring over medium high, until fragrant.

Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan or line pan with aluminum foil, grease well, and hang over edges. Sprinkle with half the nuts followed by half of the chocolate.

Melt butter in a large, deep saucepan. Stir in the sugar, water and corn syrup, and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil gently, over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes until the mixture reaches 300°F on a candy thermometer or when tests brittle when dropped from a spoon into cold water (hard-crack stage).

When the syrup has reached the hard-crack stage, pour it quickly over the nuts and chocolate. Sprinkle on remaining chocolate and nuts. When the mixture begins to set, press down with spatula and spread the chocolate evenly.

While the candy is still slightly warm, use a spatula to loosen it from the baking sheet, or lift out aluminum foil and remove candy. Break into pieces. Enjoy.

Recipe adapted from kingarthurflour.com

Simply perfect curry

Transforming "leftovers" into a work of art

The first time I had this chicken curry was during a visit to an artist's home on Cape Cod.

I was invited to dinner. "We're just having leftovers," Beverley said.

"Leftovers" is not what one might expect from the looks of that gorgeous, contemporary Cape Cod home! Beverley designed the house and her husband built it. It was surrounded by a moat, with wooden planks leading to the front door. Entering the house, a sculpture stood directly in the foyer. To the right, a narrow gallery with artwork was illuminated against white walls. Beyond the sculpture was a huge cathedral-ceiling living room, simple in design, with rough-hewn woodwork. Looking up to the second story on the right side of the living room, a long corridor led to Beverley's studio. And straight ahead, all along the front of the house, were huge floor to ceiling windows. A small, practical kitchen was tucked away on the right side.

We stood in that kitchen, drinking wine and talking, while I watched Beverley's husband make chicken curry.

Here I was, in my early 20's, feeling like a little kid in the company of these two amazingly talented people in their incredible home. The meal was delicious, and I told them so.

"This is not what I would call leftovers," I said.

Chicken Curry

3 cups cooked chicken or turkey

1 large onion, sliced

2 teaspoons curry powder (more or less to taste)

2 TB oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes (if you prefer, sliced fresh tomatoes or canned plum tomatoes squished with a fork will make a saucier curry)

A handful of raisins steeped in hot water for a few minutes until they’re plumped (optional)

Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat oil and add onions. Cook onions and garlic over medium-high heat until wilted. Stir in curry and allow to cook for several minutes until the oil begins to separate from the spices. Add chicken and diced tomatoes. Drain raisins and add them at this time. Let cook for 10-15 minutes over medium-low heat. Add salt & pepper to taste.  (Amounts of ingredients can be varied to suit your taste.)

Serve with rice or couscous.

This dish is nice when paired with a light white wine that has a little sweetness to it. Some suggestions - a chenin blanc, a sauvignon blanc with a little semillon in it, or a light Italian white that's not too dry. 

I happened to pick up this wine the other day that caught my eye.

This blend has the minerality which I like, with a nice soft finish of pineapple and pear flavors. I didn't buy it to go with anything in particular. But, I had it on hand and found that it complemented the sweetness of the tomatoes in the dish.

I hope you give this easy recipe a try and let me know what you think and what you drink!