Boston Baked Beans

Recipe courtesy of Nancy Josland Dalsin

There's nothing like the smell of home baked beans, slow cooking in the oven all day.

Here is an authentic recipe for Boston Baked Beans. This historic bean dish gets its flavor from molasses, bacon, brown sugar, and mustard. Soak the beans overnight and simmer before cooking for the best and most tender Boston Baked Beans.

Ingredients

2 cups navy beans
1/2 pound bacon
1 onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar


Directions

Beans are best if soaked overnight in cold water. The next day simmer the beans in the same water until soft, about 1 to 2 hours. Drain and save the liquid.

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F.

Arrange the beans in a 2 quart bean pot or casserole dish by placing a portion of the beans in the bottom of dish and layering the beans with bacon and onion.

In a saucepan, mix the ingredients. Combine the molasses, salt, pepper, dry mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour over beans. Pour in just enough of the reserved bean water to cover the beans. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.

Bake the beans for approximately 8 hours in the preheated oven, until beans are tender. Remove the lid about halfway through cooking, and add more liquid if necessary to prevent the beans from getting too dry. Remove the lid for the last 2 hours to allow beans to brown

Prime Rib Roast

Recipe courtesy of Nancy Josland Dalsin

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Pat the room-temperature prime rib roast dry with paper towels or napkins. Smear the cut ends only of the roast with the butter.

Place the roast, ribs down or fat side up, in a heavy stainless-steel Roasting Pan or other metal roasting pan, ( I always use a cast iron skillet.)

Sear the rib roast for 15 minutes at the higher oven temperature (450 degrees F.), then turn the oven to the lower temperature (325 degrees F.) for the rest of the cooking time. Every 1/2 hour, baste the cut ends of the roast with the fat accumulated in the roasting pan. Do no cover the roast.

About 45 minutes before the estimated end of the roasting time, begin checking the internal temperature (use a good instant-read digital meat thermometer).


Beef Roast Cooking Temperatures:


Rare
120 to 125 degrees F
center is bright red, pinkish toward the exterior portion

Medium Rare
130 to 135 degrees F
center is very pink, slightly brown toward the exterior portion

Medium
140 to 145 degrees F
center is light pink, outer portion is brown

Medium Well
150 to 155 degrees F
not pink

Well Done
160 degrees F and above
steak is uniformly brown throughout

Remember, the rib roast will continue to cook as it sets. The temperature will rise to 125 degrees F. to 130 degrees F. internal temperature (medium rare) at 15 to 20 minutes.

Holiday Leftover Turkey Gumbo

Recipe courtesy of Nancy Josland Dalsin
8 cups of turkey stock, made from your leftover turkey carcass
1 cup flour
1 cup oil
...1 pound leftover turkey meat, white and/or dark, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 pound andouille or smoked sausage, cut on the diagonal (or remove from casings and crumble)
2 pounds shrimp
2 pounds okra, sliced
2 onions, chopped
1 bunch green onions with tops, chopped
2 red bell peppers, chopped
5 ribs celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
Creole seasoning to taste, OR
black, white and cayenne peppers, to taste
Tabasco, to taste.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste long-grain rice

Blend oil and flour thoroughly in a thick skillet and cook over medium-high to high heat, stirring constantly. Be careful not to burn it. If you start to see lots of black specks in the roux, throw it away and start over. Keep cooking and stirring until the roux gets darker and darker. It's best to use a very heavy pot or skillet for roux-making, especially cast iron. With a good cast iron Dutch oven or skillet, you can get a beautiful dark roux in only about 20 minutes. Turn the fire down or off as the roux nears the right color, because the heat from the pan will continue cooking it. You can also add your onions, bell peppers and celery to the roux as it's near the end of cooking to arrest the cooking process and to soften the vegetables. Keep stirring until the roux is relatively cool. Add the roux to the stock.

Slice or remove from casings and crumble the andouille or smoked sausage and brown, pouring off all the fat. Saute the onions, green onions, bell pepper and celery if you haven't already added them to the roux, and add to the stock. Add the sausage. Add the bay leaves and Creole seasoning (or ground peppers) to taste and stir. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer; let simmer for about 30 minutes. Keep tasting and adjusting seasonings as needed.

Add the okra and cook another 30 minutes or so. Make sure that the "ropiness" or "stringiness" from the okra is gone, then add the parsley and the reserved turkey meat. Simmer for another 15 minutes, then add the shrimp. Give it another 5-6 minutes or so, until the shrimp are just done, turning pink. Be very careful not to overcook the shrimp; adding the shrimp should be the last step. Adjust seasonings, adding salt, pepper and perhaps Tabasco as needed. Remember that gumbo shouldn't be too spicy hot. If there is any fat on the surface of the gumbo, try to skim off as much of it as possible. Serve generous amounts in bowls over hot rice.

Orange-Cranberry Sauce

Recipe Yield 2 cups
This has the best combination of fresh orange and cranberry, sweet and yummy!


Ingredients

1 pound cranberries
2 tablespoons orange zest
The juice of 2 oranges
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
½ tsp Cinnamon

Directions

Place the cranberries, grated orange zest, cinnamon, orange juice, sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Turn heat down and simmer for about one hour or until the sauce has thickened. Let mixture cool a bit then refrigerate in a covered container.

Hawaiian Mahi Mahi with Orange Pineapple sauce

                               Recipe courtesy of John J. Ashbaugh

                         

Made with ginger, Teryaki, honey, durkee 6 pepper blend, cilantro,crushed pineapple, garlic and sweet onions.  im sure I left things out.

BUT very very good!!

Smoked Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomato Crisps

Recipe courtesy of Nancy Josland Dalsin

Makes about 2 dozen crisps


3/4 cup dehydrated sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1 1/2 cups grated smoked Cheddar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold butter
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

In the bowl of a food processor or in a spice grinder, pulse the sun-dried tomatoes until very finely ground. Reserve 2 tablespoons. Remaining ground tomatoes can be reserved for another use.

The the bowl of a food processor, combine the reserved 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, smoked Cheddar, flour, butter, sharp Cheddar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and cayenne. Pulse for 30 seconds, or until mixture comes together and looks uniform.

Transfer the dough to a clean surface, and roll it into a 2 1/ inch long log. Wrap the log tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

With a sharp paring knife, cut the dough log into 1/8 inch thick slices and place the slices on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until deep golden brown and crispy. Transfer to a wire rack to cool

Bean Soup from Tuscany (La Ribollita)

Recipe courtesy of:  Nancy Josland Dalsin

Preparation - Needs time (beans soak 8 hours, long stove time)
Serves 4 - 6

Ribollita means 're-cooked' in Italy, and slow cooking is the secret of this hearty winter vegetable soup designed for wood stoves or back burners. There are many different recipes, but most Tuscan recipes call for cavolo nero - black leaf kale - the closest substitute being savoy (green, crinkled, loose-leafed) cabbage - and cannelini - tuscan white beans - the closest substitute being Great Northern beans. Most recipes call for the leek, onion, carrot, celery and tomato. You can use any other vegetables you might have at hand. You can also add more vegetables and water on succeeding days, cook for about an hour, and serve a new version. Good quality olive oil is also important.

INGREDIENTS:


1 cup (dried) cannellini or Great Northern beans
1 head of cavolo nero (black-leaf kale) (or 1/4 head green cabbage) shredded (sliced very thinly)
1/4 head of Savoy cabbage - shredded
1 bunch of Swiss chard - shredded
1 leek - chopped fine
1 onion - chopped fine
1 large carrot - chopped fine
1 large celery stalk including leaves - chopped fine
2 peeled plum tomatoes, ripe or canned - diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine (optional)
2 potatoes (optional) - diced
2 zucchini (optional) - diced
2 - 3 T extra virgin olive oil (use more if you like)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, or leaves from one fresh sprig, chopped fine
1/2 tsp dried or fresh oregano
salt and pepper
Italian or French bread
Water - enough to cover
Large, covered oven-proof casserole or pot.

SOAK the beans in plenty of water for 8 hours or over night. Drain and rinse.

IN A large casserole or cast iron or cast aluminum pot, with a cover and a thick bottom (one variation calls for putting the soup in the oven for ½ hour, so consider this when choosing your cooking vessel), heat the olive on a bit more than medium heat - you want to sautee the ingredients slowly until the onion is transparent or lightly golden NOT browned - add the chopped onion, carrot, celery, and leek stirring often until the onion has turned color (about ten minutes, depending on the heat)

ADD the tomatoes, cabbage and the beans, more olive oil if you wish, and stir well to mix the ingredients.

ADD the optional rosemary/oregano, a pinch of salt and ground black pepper to taste and mix again.

ADD enough water to cover the ingredients by about
1/4 inch.

BRING to a very slow simmer and cook, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours or until the beans start to soften.

ADD water as necessary to keep the ingredients just covered. (for a 'soupier' soup, keep the water level a bit higher).

ADD the optional diced potatoes/zucchini (you can also do this on the following day if there is soup left over, to give it a new taste) - cook for another hour, until potatoes are cooked. Longer cooking softens the ingredients and blends them
more.

THE soup can stand for a few hours in a cool kitchen and be re-heated for the meal. The longer it lingers, the better it gets, and some recipes call for refrigerating the soup, covered, over night and serving it re-heated the next day.

Dijon Rosemary Rack of Lamb

Recipe by Nancy Josland Dalsin

Marinade

2 racks of lamb, (12 oz/375 g each)
2 tbsp (25 mL) Dijon mustard
1 tbsp (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce
...1 tbsp honey (15 mL) honey
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper

Directions

Mix all marinade ingredients together. Marinate lamb in marinade for several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Scrape the garlic and herbs from the meat. Sear lamb rack in an ovenproof skillet for 2 to 3 minutes over a fairly high heat. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, depending on desired doneness, let rest for 10 minutes.
The thickest part of the meat should register 125°F (52°C) (for rare) to 130°F (55°C) (for medium-rare) with an instant read thermometer.

Left over Turkey Dishes

Holiday Leftover Turkey Gumbo by Nancy Josland Dalsin

http://whatsfordinnerladies.blogspot.com/2010/11/holiday- leftover-turkey-gumbo.html

Kraft foods Turkey Leftovers:

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-entertaining/holidays/holiday-how-to- center/turkeyleftovers.aspx?cm_mmc=Srch-_-Google-_-Thanksgiving-_-Leftover+Turkey%3A+turkey+leftover

Allrecipes.com Turkey Leftovers

http://allrecipes.com//Recipes/meat-and-poultry/turkey/leftovers/Main.aspx

Healthy Eating Made Easy: Leftover Turkey recipes

http://www.healthy-eating-made-easy.com/leftover-turkey-recipes.html

Hubpages.com: Turkey Souffle

http://hubpages.com/hub/Turkey-Souffle-Delicious-Turkey-Leftover-Meals

Love Food Hate Waste.com: Recipes using Turkey

http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes/list?food=172-turkey

Some of mine made in the past:

Turkey and Dumplings

http://whatsfordinnerladies.blogspot.com/2010/02/turkey-dumplings.html

Turkey Left Over Casserole

(layers of turkey, stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes etc..)

Thanksgiving Roll-ups

Turkey Tetrazinni

http://whatsfordinnerladies.blogspot.com/2009/05/turkey-tetrazzini.html



Shepard’s Pie

Ingredients:

Serves 6-8

3 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 TBS chopped garlic
1 cup of corn niblets, drained
1 can of peas, drained
1 Red Pepper, diced
12 serving sizes of Instant Mashed Potatoes, prepared
½ cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 TBS flour
1 ½ cups beef broth
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, Cumin, Italian Seasoning, Paprika, Parsley

Directions

Cook mashed potatoes as directed on box, set aside. Sauté onions, garlic and pepper in 3 TBS of the butter until tender over medium heat. Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Drain out all the excess oil. Add salt, pepper and spices of your choice. Add Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste.

In a small sauce pan, whisk together the butter and flour over medium heat until golden brown and smooth. Slowly incorporate beef broth to make a gravy. When thickened add, spices of your choice to taste. Add the completed gravy to the meat mixture and blend well.

Spray a large baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread beef mixture on the bottom and scatter the corn and peas over it evenly.

Gently spread out the mashed potatoes on top. You can swirl the spoon around to make a nice scalloped look. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, sprinkle with Paprika and top with Parsley.

Cook at 375 degrees until top is just about browned and mixture is bubbling
(about 30 minutes).

Chicken Fajita Lasagna

Ingredients:

5 boneless Chicken breasts (or a pre-cooked Rottiserie chicken)
2 (Old El Paso) Fajita Dinner Kits
(with 1 spice, 1 sauce pack and 10 tortillas included in each)
1 large Red Pepper (chopped)
1 can of Corn niblets, drained (reserve the liquid)
1 bunch of green onions (chopped)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large bag of shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt, Pepper, Chili powder, and Cayenne Pepper


Directions:

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan, rub with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper., bake at 425 degrees to cooked through. Set aside to cool.

Rub down all sides and bottom of a lasagna pan with butter or spray with non-stick spray.

Shred up all the chicken using 2 forks and put in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the reserved corn liquid, 2 sauce packets and 2 spice packets from the fajita kit and stir to blend. Add chili powder and cayenne to taste.

Line up 6 tortillas to fit the bottom and up sides of bake dish. Sprinkle a little cheddar cheese, then spread a thin layer of the shredded chicken mixture on top. Sprinkle some of the onions, corn and peppers on top, drizzle a little EVOO and top with more cheese. Repeat the above steps to make 3 layers. Top with Cheddar and sprinkle the rest of the onions, corn and peppers on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is browned and slightly crispy around the edges.

Nancy's Koettbullar (Swedish Meatballs)

Recipe by: Nancy Josland Dalsin

Ingredients:

1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup cream, half and half
4 tablespoons butter, unsalted
1/4 cup white onion minced
1/4 pound ground beef
1/4 pound ground veal
1/4 poundground pork
1 large egg
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cardamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground

Directions:

1. Soak the bread crumbs in the half and half for 5 minutes in a 2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet over low to When the foam starts to subside, add the onions and sauté them for about 2 minutes.

Let cool slightly.

3. Add the beef, veal, pork, egg nutmeg, cardamon, cloves, salt, pepper, and onions Gently combine the ingredients with your hands.

4. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the mixture for a couple of hours.

5. Shape the meat mixture with your hands into uniform balls, about the size of a golf ball. Arrange them on a plate in one layer so they do not touch each other.

Let the meatballs stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

6. Melt the remaining butter in a sauté pan or skillet over When the foam starts to subside, add the meatballs.

(Do not crowd the pan; unless your pan is oversized, you will have to cook the meatballs in batches and keep the cooked ones warm in a preheated 200 degree F oven.) Saute the meatballs for about 5 minutes until they become brown on all sides.

Turn them as necessary, but do so gently.

7. Transfer the 'koettbullar' to a warm platter and serve over broad noodles, mashed potatoes or as an appetizer.

Nancy's Authentic Bolognese Sauce (Ragu)

Recipe courtesy of Nancy Josland Dalsin


It is worth the time to make a large batch and freeze in portions.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 lb Italian Sausage
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped carrots
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 - 28-ounce can peeled, whole tomatoes; roughly chopped, strained juice

How to make it

Cooked slowly, to develope it's rich, unique flavor. It takes about four hours to prepare and cook Bolognese.

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil and add the ground meats. Sauté the meat until all the water has cooked away and the meat is sizzling. Allow the meat to brown as you stir it.

Add the finely chopped onions, carrots and celery.

Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Thoroughly mixing while continuing to cook for about 3 minutes.

Pour in the wine and cook stirring until the wine is reduced and disappears.

Turn down the heat and add the milk and nutmeg and cook until the milk is reduced and disappears. The milk tenderizes the meat.

Add the tomatoes and mix thoroughly.

Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce to the least heat necessary to maintain a very slow simmer. A very slow simmer means that the air and steam bubbles that break the surface of the ragù occur only a few time each minute. DO NOT BOIL! There should be no spattering of the sauce. This step in cooking the ragù should be a slow reduction of moisture and concentration of flavors.

Cook uncovered for 3 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

When done the ragù may be used immediately or refrigerated or frozen until needed.

Pork Chops with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

6 pork chops
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
garlic powder and paprika to taste
1 egg
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese
3 TBS chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to Broil. Spray a rimmed bake sheet with non-stick spray, drizzle a little EVOO on the tray.

In a bowl blend, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic powder and paprika to taste. In another shallow bowl beat the egg with about 2 TBS of water.

Dip the pork chops into the egg and dredge into the bread crumb mixture. Place on tray and broil on both sides until brown and crispy. About 8-10 minutes per side.

Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Butter a 9 x 14 bake or casserole dish.

In a bowl mix the mushroom soup and milk; stir until blended. Add cooked pork chops to bake dish in one layer and pour over the creamy mushroom sauce.

Bake, covered, for 30 minutes until chops and sauce is brown and bubbly.

Three Cheese Manicotti

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package manicotti pasta
2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 1/2 cups (or 32 oz jar) tomato sauce

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; rinse with cold water, sprinkle in some extra virgin olive oil and toss to prevent the noodles from sticking together.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, pecorino romano cheese, parsley, salt and pepper; using a pastry bag or a large zip lock bag with the corner snipped off, fill manicotti with cheese mixture.

In a 9x13 bake dish, spray with non-stick spray, then spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on the bottom and arrange manicotti in a single layer; spoon over remaining sauce. Top with remaining Mozzarella and Pecorino Romano cheese, parsley and bake for 45-60 minutes or just until cheese is melted and slightly browned.