Recipe 41- Ratatouille

                                                                     RATATOUILLE

1 large eggplant
4 medium zucchini
2 large onions
3 medium green peppers
1 can plum tomatoes (drained)
3/4 C of olive oil
3 cloves garlic
salt
pepper

Cut eggplant into 1/2 inch slices then into 1 inch cubes.  Slice off ends of zucchini and then cut into 1/4 slices. Slice onions thinly. Halve green peppers, remove ribs and seeds then cut into 1/4 inch strips.

Saute eggplant cubes in 1/4 C of olive oil in a large skillet until lightly browned (about 5 minutes) and remove into Dutch oven. Add 1/4 C of oil to same skillet and saute zucchini until tender (about 5 minutes) then remove zucchini into Dutch oven.  Add remaining 1/4 C of oil to skillet and saute onions, green peppers, and garlic until onion is soft. Add to Dutch oven. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper into Dutch oven. Stir gently in combine.

Simmer mixture over low heat covered for 15 minutes.  Remove cover and cook 10 minutes longer. Can be served hot or cold.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty **
Taste ****

I have two recipes for Ratatouille.  One of the recipes comes from my mother's kitchen.  The other comes from one of my guests at my Long Island bridal shower. At my bridal shower at the Rockville Links Club on Long Island,  the guests were asked to write their favorite recipe on an index card and give it to the bride (me). My mother's good friend Barbara Smallbach gave me her recipe for Ratatouille.

Yesterday, I combined both recipes and came up with the above recipe.  I always loved Ratatouille as a child and I loved the way it was prepared yesterday. Although everybody liked the dish, the females in the family liked it more than the males.  

Recipe 40- Strawberry Shortcake

                                                      STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE


6 C sliced strawberries
2 1/2 C flour
1/2 C sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 C butter
1 egg, well beaten
2/3 C milk
whipped cream

Stir together berries with 1/4 cup of the sugar.  Set aside. Stir together remaining sugar, flour, and baking powder. Cut in butter till mixture resembles course crumbs. Combine egg and milk. Knead lightly about 20 turns on floured board.  Divide into thirds. Pat out each third in greased 9 inch round pan.  Bake in preheated 450 degree oven about 15-17 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Split into 2 layers. Put shortcake layers together with berries between and on top.  Serve with whipped cream.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste ****

Mike Connolly, my husband's college friend who lives in Arizona, came over for a barbecue dinner with his family.  Mike and his wife were attending a medical conference in San Francisco.  We served hamburgers and hot dogs. For dessert, I served Strawberry Shortcake. The strawberries were in season and tasted very sweet. By accident, I bought half and half instead of heavy cream. As a result, the cream would not whip and  I could not put cream on top.  The dessert would have tasted better with the cream.  Since my husband loves strawberry shortcake, we will make this recipe again.

I found this recipe inside a folder of recipes kept by my mother in her kitchen in Lloyd Harbor.  This recipe is typed on bluish-greenish paper.

Recipe 39- Quiche Lorraine

                                                           QUICHE LORRAINE

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust, well chilled
6 bacon slices, diced
1 small onion, chopped
2 C of Swiss cheese, shredded
3 eggs
1 C half and half
1/2 teaspoon of salt

In frying pan, cook bacon until crispy. Drain. Cook onions. Crumble bacon into pie crust. Add cooked onions. Add cheese.

In medium bowl, beat eggs. Add half and half and salt. Pour mixture over pie crust.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in 400 degrees or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty **
Taste ****

Yesterday, for dinner, I served Quiche Lorraine.  Everybody enjoyed the quiche, even my son Peter who had not eaten quiche before and seemed skeptical of it.

My mother had two recipes for Quiche Lorraine.  One was written in her handwriting on a recipe card of hers.  The other recipe came from the Lloyd Harbor Elementary School Cookbook. The recipe I made was a combination of the two recipes.  

Recipe 38- Irish Soda Bread

                                                               IRISH SODA BREAD

4 C of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 C of sugar
3/4 C of butter
1 C of raisins
1 tablespoon of caraway seeds
1 2/3 C of buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add raisins and seeds and toss lightly. Add buttermilk and toss mixture with a fork until all dry ingredients are moistened. Dough will be very soft.

Form dough into a ball and lightly knead on a floured board for several minutes. Divide dough into equal portions and shape into a ball. Place them on a cookie sheet and with a sharp knife cut an X on top of each loaf about 1/4 inch deep. Bake for 55 minutes.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste ****

Each week at Caroline's CCD class at St. John Vianney's Catholic Church in Walnut Creek, a student is assigned to bring bread.  The class breaks the bread together and the class begins.  Caroline was assigned to bring bread on St. Patrick's Day. She brought our homemade Irish Soda Bread.  She and I have made this recipe before and it has always been successful.  It was a success yesterday as well!

My mother's recipe is typed on a piece of faded paper which is ripped in half.  The recipe contains handwritten notes in my mother's handwriting.  I like this recipe for soda bread because the bread is nice and moist.

I served corned beef, cabbage, and red potatoes and had the soda bread that was leftover from Caroline's class as a dessert.  This is our family's traditional St. Patrick's Day meal.    

  

Recipe 37- Grandma's Vegetable Soup (Beef and Barley)

                                 GRANDMA'S VEGETABLE SOUP (BEEF AND BARLEY)

short ribs
medium onion
carrots
celery
5 cans of tomato soup
3/4 C barley
water
salt and pepper
1/2 bag of frozen corn (if desired)
1/2 bag of frozen peas (if desired)

Put short ribs in pot with onion halved. Add salt and pepper. Add 3 quarts of water.  Bring to boil. Partly cover and then simmer for 2 hours.  After 2 hours, add 5 cans of soup and carrots and celery.  Continue to cook for 2 more hours.  Then, add barley and continue to cook for 45 minutes.  Stir occasionally. Add corn and peas, if desired.  The short ribs will be so tender that the meat will slip off the bones.  Remove bones.  Serve with cooked small pasta (elbows or shells).

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste ****

This past rainy weekend, Lindsey flew home for the weekend to watch Caroline in her 5th grade performance of the Little Mermaid.  I made my grandmother's beef and barley soup. Everyone enjoyed it! Everyone in the family ate the soup for lunch the next day and the soup tasted even more flavorful then.

This recipe is on one of my mother's handwritten recipe cards. My mother always said her mother used to make this soup.  Growing up I loved it when my mother made this recipe. It is great that my children love it too.

Recipe 36- Cavatappi with Mushrooms and Tomatoes

                                  CAVATAPPI WITH MUSHROOMS AND TOMATOES


1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 pound fresh white mushrooms, cut into 1/2 in dice
1 C canned whole peeled tomatoes, with their juice, coarsely chopped
salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 C freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 pound cavatappi

Put the olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over a medium-high heat and cook until the garlic begins to change color, then stir in the parsley. Put in the fresh mushrooms and cook until all the water they release has evaporated.  Add tomatoes, season with salt and black pepper, and cook until the tomatoes have reduced and separated from the oil.  Remove the skillet from the heat.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan or pot, add 1 tablespoon of salt, and drop in the pasta all at once, stirring well. When the pasta is almost done, return the sauce to a medium-low heat. Once the pasta is cooked , drain and toss it with the sauce, adding the butter and cheese.  Serve at once.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty **
Taste *****

This recipe was a huge success.  My husband Steve said "it tastes like an authentic Italian dish that we could have eaten last summer in Italy."

This recipe comes from my favorite Italian cookbook entitled The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Giuliana Hazan. I received this book as a gift when I first got married and moved to California in 1993. I chose to cook this particular recipe because I am having a couple who are vegetarian over for a dinner party next month and I wanted to try out an all veggie pasta sauce.  Since this meal was so well received, I will certainly serve this dish at my party.

Recipe 35- Meringue Chip Cookies

                                                        MERINGUE CHIP COOKIES

2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 C sugar
1/2 package of chocolate chips ( 6 oz)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Beat egg whites until they form white peaks.  Add sugar gradually to egg whites, salt and cream of tartar. Stir in vanilla and chocolate chips. Spoon onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove while warm.

Ratings (out of five)

Difficulty *
Taste **

This recipe is a do over.  My mother's recipe card that I was following did not mention that the egg whites were to be beaten until white peaks formed.  As a result, the cookies we baked had a different texture than those that I enjoyed in my youth. Despite the fact that the cookies looked different from the cookies that my mother would bake, my family did enjoy the taste.

I baked these cookies for Caroline's Girl Scout Troop's Father/Daughter Dance. Caroline and Steve have gone to the Father Daughter Dance every year as Steve did with Lindsey.  This is Steve and Caroline's last Girl Scout Father Daughter Dance since Caroline will be bridging out of the Junior Girl Scouts in June.  This year's Dance was a 1970's Disco theme.      

Recipe 34-Stuffed Peppers

                                                              STUFFED PEPPERS

6 green peppers
1 1/2 pound ground beef
1 onion chopped fine
1 egg
1 C rice
2 tablespoons of butter
thyme
salt and pepper
2 cans of tomato sauce

Cut off the top of the peppers. Then, slice the peppers in half, remove seeds and membranes. Parboil the peppers. Parboil means to place the peppers in cold water and bring water slowly to a boil then continue to simmer for ten minutes and then drain water and quickly place the peppers in cold water to firm .

Prepare the stuffing. Boil rice. In another pan, melt butter and then add onion and ground beef until lightly colored.  Place beef and onion mixture in a bowl, add well-beaten egg, rice, salt, thyme, salt, and pepper. Fill peppers with stuffing mixture.

Put tomato sauce in baking pan. Place stuffed peppers in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty ***
Taste ***

Yesterday, I served this meal for dinner.  I do not think that I will cook it again.  The preparation of the meal was challenging and the dish was only liked but not loved by the family.

I found this recipe on one of my mother's handwritten recipe cards that she kept in her kitchen in Lloyd Harbor, New York.      

Recipe 33- Crustless Vegetable Pie

                                                        CRUSTLESS VEGETABLE PIE

1 small eggplant, peeled and cubed
2 medium zucchini, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 C oil
4 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 1 pound of whole drained tomatoes
3 eggs
3/4 C Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
salt and pepper
1/4 pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or shredded

Saute eggplant, zucchini, and onion in oil until vegetables are softened (About 5 to 10 minutes). Add tomatoes: cover and simmer 20-25 minutes, until mixture is soft. If using canned tomatoes, reduce cooking time to 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl and cool.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat eggs with 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, parsley, basil, and oregano.  Add to vegetables with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour half of mixture into greased 10 inch pan and top with 1/4 cup of cheese. Layer with remaining vegetables and cheese.  Top with mozzarella and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste ****

I served to my family for dinner last week and it was well received. It was nice to a veggie meal.

I found this recipe in my mother's recipe folder.  My mother must have requested a copy of the recipe after watching Mr. Food on Channel 9 WOR-TV because the recipe has Mr Food and WOR-TV's logo on it. There is a note written on the top of the recipe from my sister Patty Callaghan Sanders that says "Mommy-Happy Cooking! Patty"      

Recipe 32- Cheddar Fondue

                     
                                                            CHEDDAR FONDUE

1 clove garlic
3/4 C cheddar cheese
1/4 C Monterey Jack cheese
1 C milk
2 tsp dry mustard
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon flour
salt and pepper to taste
French bread, for serving

Rub the inside of the fondue pot with cut clove of garlic. Melt the cheese on stove on low heat. Stir in milk, lemon juice, flour, and seasoning. Do not let boil. Stir constantly until slightly thickened and creamy. Pour into fondue pot.

Serve with French bread cut into 1 inch cubes and tart apples.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty *
Taste ***

Caroline has been a member of a mother/daughter book group for 2 1/2 years.  The group of six girls and their mothers meet every month at alternating houses. Refreshments are always served at the book group meetings. Caroline decided to serve fondue at the meeting at our house.  We have owned our fondue pot for years but never make fondue. Some of the girls in the group greatly enjoyed the fondue. (Grace and Margot). Others were not fond of the dish (Tessa). Some liked the bread dipped in the fondue but not the apples (Caroline). Some had no opinion (Ella). Some could not attend (Camillle and Zoe).

I found this recipe in my mother's recipe folder.  

Recipe 31- Chicken Tetrazzini

                                                         CHICKEN TETRAZZINI

8 oz pkg spaghetti
1/4 C butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 C chicken broth
3/4 C half and half
salt and pepper
3 C cubed cooked chicken
1/2 pound mushrooms sliced
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti as directed on package. Set aside.  In Dutch oven, melt butter. ( I used Corningware dish) Stir in flour. Add chicken broth. Cook stirring constantly until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat, stir in half and half, salt, and pepper. Toss chicken, mushrooms, and cooked spaghetti into sauce. Turn mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Ratings (out of five)
Difficulty**
Taste****

The day after Thanksgiving, my mother always cooked Turkey Tetrazzini with the leftover turkey.  Growing up on Long Island, my family always enjoyed this meal.  I found two copies of this recipe in my mother Carol Callaghan's recipe folder.  I decided to make this meal with leftover chicken.  The meal was a success.  I will make this meal again.