Potato-Zucchini Pancakes

I made these a while ago after seeing something similar in BHG. The BHG version had carrots incorporated as well, but I chose to leave them out. This was simple to do, the trickiest part was squeezing the water out of both the potatoes and zucchini. I just used a dish towel and rang the heck out of them until they were dry enough, then put them in a bowl.

I fried them in a little canola oil, and they were a great side dish. These pancakes are easy to adjust to your taste. I thought about adding some parmesan cheese, but didn't have any on hand, maybe next time.

Potato-Zucchini Pancakes

3 medium red potatoes shredded and squeezed dry

2 medium zucchini shredded and squeezed dry

2 eggs beaten

2 1/2 Tbs. AP flour

1/2 and onion finely chopped or (1/2 a cup)

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Canola oil

Put shredded potato and zucchini in a medium sized bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the canola oil (enough to cover the bottom of the skillet).

Scoop out about 1/3 cup (or more if you want them larger) and put in pan. Flatten with a spatula and let cook until crispy on that side (about 4 minutes).

Turn and let cook on the other side until crispy.

Repeat until mixture is gone and serve.

Cheesy Baked Grits Casserole

I never had grits growing up. Even when I moved to New Orleans, I probably only ate them a handful of times. Only when I was older, waiting tables, did I truly understand how wonderful they are.

Now I absolutely love them. With just butter, or even better, with butter and cheese. I was at a baby shower last weekend and someone made a cheese grits casserole. It was amazing. I could have easily eaten the entire dish. I asked for the recipe, and I am still waiting on it.

Not wanting to wait any longer, I decided to browse the web for a recipe. I checked out this recipe on Epicurious, and adapted it to my liking.

It didn't turn out like the one I had at the shower, but it was definitely delicious. Hopefully, soon I can get a hold of the other recipe so I can compare.

Cheesy Baked Grits Casserole

6 cups chicken stock
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 cups instant grits (white)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 lb Cheddar, (or any cheese you prefer, 2 cups divided, save 1/2 cup for top)
3 large eggs
1 cup 2% milk

2 Tbs. chopped parsley

Bring stock and 3/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a heavy pot. (4 quarts or larger)
Add grits in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Reduce heat and gently simmer, stirring frequently to avoid sticking, until thick. It took about 10-15 minutes.

Add butter, remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, and cheese, stirring until butter and cheese are melted. Lightly beat eggs and milk in a small bowl, then stir into grits until combined.
Pour mixture into a 9x13 casserole, top with the remaining cheddar and bake for an hour. Remove from oven and top with parsley, serve immediately.

Arnabeet Mekleh- Pan Fried Cauliflower

This simple dish makes me think of my Giddy (grandpa) back in MI. He makes this often, and usually has a plate of it on his table to munch on. It is a popular dish in Lebanon, and I can see why. All you need are 3 ingredients; the cauliflower, some oil, and a pinch of salt. I swear I could have eaten the entire head tonight, but I was good and shared with Chad.

Pan Fried Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower chopped into florets

2 Tbs. olive oil plus extra in a spray bottle to squirt

pinch of salt

Heat medium sized skillet over medium heat and add oil. Add cauliflower and salt and cook until browned and caramelized. Enjoy!

Broccoli and Cheese Polenta

I'm all about the side dishes lately. I get so sick of eating the same ones over and over, so I've been trying to come up with some unique, but healthy new one.

Tonight I needed a side to go with the Turkey with Provencal sauce above. I didn't want it to be to busy since the sauce going on the turky was pretty intense in flavor.

I decided to do a simple polenta. But I wanted to add some kind of vegetable, so I used the box of frozen chopped broccoli I had in the freezer.

This was simple, tasted wonderful, and was quick to prepare and best of all after putting the ingredients into the Sparkpeople Recipe Calculator, it looks as though (makes 6 servings) there is about 137 calories, and only 3.4 g of fat per serving.

Broccoli Cheese Polenta

1 cup corn meal

3 cups chicken broth (fat free, low sodium)

1 box frozen broccoli thawed (I thawed in the microwave)

1 tsp butter

2 tsp. olive oil

1/4 cup 2 % shredded mozzarella

2 Tbs. grated parmesan

salt and pepper

Heat a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add chicken broth and let it come to a boil. In a steady stream, add the polenta whisking the entire time. Keep whisking until smooth. Let cook about 15 minutes and add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Cook about 5-8 minutes longer and serve.

Curried Rice Salad

I made this side dish to bring to a going away tiki party. A couple of my friends (coworkers) will be moving to brazil for a teaching opportunity. I am so VERY jealous of these girls, but I am also so happy for them. I can only imagine all that they are going to experience, and hopefully I will be able to visit one day. I'm going to miss them!

I was unsure what to bring to the party, because I knew it was going to be outside, and I was sure all the normal potato salads, etc. were covered. I sort of threw this recipe together and was quite happy with it. The spiciness of the curry, with the cool yogurt and sweet raisins made this a great (and healthy, yay!) dish to bring to an outdoor party.

This recipe could probably make 15-20 servings (maybe even more) so feel free to scale it to your preference.

Curried Rice Salad

2 Cups Basmati rice

2 Tbs. canola oil

4 1/4 cups chicken stock (I used homemade)

1 1/2 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

1 1/2 cup diced carrots

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup sliced unsalted toasted almonds

1 cup rasins (any type will do, I think golden would be nice but I used regular)

1 1/2 cup fat free yogurt

2 Tbs. curry powder (or to your taste)

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garam marsala

salt and pepper

Heat a large sauce pan over med. heat and add canola oil. Add onions and saute until they are transluscent. Add rice and toast about 2-4 minutes. Add stock bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat and cook for 20-25 minutes. When rice is almost fully cooked add peas and stir. Let peas cook through (a couple minutes) and take pot off burner. Transfer rice to a fine mesh colander and rinse under cold water until rice is slightly cold. Shake out excess water and transfer to a large bowl.

In a seperate bowl, add yogurt and spices. Mix together well and add to rice. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and chill up to an hour.

Fiesta Black Beans

If you are looking for a fast easy side dish to accompany a mexican or southwestern meal you have found it. This literally took like 12 minutes to prepare including the prep. I made these beans to go with the tamales above, and they complimented the entire meal. We had a bit left over, which is fine because we'll get to eat them tomorrow. Which means they will have more time for the flavors to mingle.

Fiesta Black Beans

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

1/3 cup onions chopped

1/3 cup poblano pepper chopped

1/3 cup grape tomatoes chopped

2 garlic cloves minced

1 Tbs. chopped cilantro

1 Tbs. chili powder

1 Tbs. cumin

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbs. canola oil

1/4 cup water

Heat a med. sized skillet over medium heat. Add canola oil and heat until shimmering. Add onions, poblanos and tomatoes. Cook until onions start to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Ad the remaining ingredients and simmer until liquid has been absorbed about 5-8 minutes.

Chili-Lime Oven Roasted Corn on the Cobb

With summer here I have been trying to eat simpler and healthier. I needed a side dish for the tamales I was making (above) and with some suggestions from friends on the nest, I decided that I would make corn. I decided to oven roast the ears in their husks for more flavor. To add even more flavor I decided to make a spread them with a chili-lime and butter spread. I have never had corn prepared this way so I was really excited to see how it turned out. I loved the way the kitchen smelled with the corn roasting away in the oven.

After taking them out they were a little paler then I thought they should be. But after tasting (and brushing with the reserved butter) they were heaven. They chili-lime flavor was incredible, just as I was hoping.

Chili-Lime Oven Roasted Corn

2 Ears of corn

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 tsp. chili powder

juice of half a large lime or juice of one small whole lime

dash of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375

Peel husks away from corn and remove the silk. Replace husks and soak in cold water for 20 or so minutes. Remove corn from water and let excess drip off. Peel back husks. Melt butter and add the other spices. Whisk until combined. Brush butter mixture all over corn and return husks. I you can remove one long husk and tie it around to keep the husks close to the cobb. Put in a pyrex and roast in oven for 30 minutes. Serve with exess butter if needed.

Israeli Couscous with Fresh Herbs and Pecans

This is one of those side dishes I cannot get enough of on my plate. I shamefully admit I went back for seconds, when I should have gone for seconds of the zucchini. Oh well, I probably could/would eat this as a meal in itself, and I may do that for lunch tomorrow.

I love the plumpness of this style of couscous it reminds me a lot of barley (one of my favorite grains) but softer. Although Israeli couscous isn't a grain, rather a pasta, I still like to substitute it in recipes that call for rice or small pastas.

Tonight I didn't follow a recipe, and I wasn't sure if I was even going to make the couscous. I started messing around in my kitchen, and found some ingredients that would go very nicely with it. I was very pleased with the results in both taste (hence the seconds ; p ) and time. It came together in about 25 minutes.

Israeli Couscous with Fresh Herbs and Pecans

1 cup Israeli couscous

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup finely chopped red/purple onion

1 clove garlic minced

1 1/2 tbs. olive oil

2 tsp. fresh chopped oregano

2 tsp. fresh chopped parsley

1/2 cup pecan peices

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium sized sauce pan. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic, pecans and couscous and toast for a couple more minutes. Add fresh herbs, salt and pepper and chicken stock. Let come to a boil cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has been asorbed and couscous is creamy.

Cheesy Grits with Roasted Corn and Shallots

Last Sunday after church Chad and I went to lunch. We wanted to try a restaurant near us that is said to have amazing brunches, unfortunately when we got there the wait time was like an hour. Both of us starving, we decided not to wait. I did however grab a to-go menu so I could see what I was missing out on that day.

The menu did look awesome. I was pretty disappointed that I wasn't able to have some grits, which was one item that caught my eye. I imagined them being creamy and cheesy and I wanted them. I still did tonight.

Tonight I decided to make grits. To dress them up I roasted some frozen corn kernels and sauteed some shallots and garlic. The best part is the cheese. Oooey gooey cheese and grits, what is not to like? I am a content woman.

Cheesy Grits with Roasted Corn and Shallots

1 1/2 cup grits

2 tsp. oil

2 Tbs. chopped shallots

1 Garlic clove minced

2 1/2 cups milk

3 cups chicken stock

1 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley

1 cup frozen corn kernels thawed

1 tsp. oil

1 1/2 cups cheese (you can use what you have on hand or like, I used colby/jack)

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat and add oil. Add shallots and garlic and saute a few minutes add liquids and bring to a boil. When liquid comes to a boil wisk grits in a steady stream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.

While grits cook, heat oven to 400. Toss corn kernels with oil and lay on a small baking sheet. cook 15-20 minutes until corn starts to brown.

Uncover the sauce pan and toss in the parsley, cheese, corn, and butter, stirring to combine. Serve immediately.

Arroz Verde

This is such a fresh and easy side dish to any mexican meal. I needed something to go with my enchiladas above so I googled recipes and settled on this one. Mostly because I made me lmao. I only used one large poblano, since that was all I had (well I used the other one for my enchilada sauce). This really was one tasty dish, and the cilantro in this dish made my house smell wonderful while it was cooking.

I'm not a huge cilantro fan, but for some reason I couldn't stop eating this rice. Maybe I'm a bigger fan of cilantro than I thought.

Arroz Verde

(Ramblings of a Frantic Home Cook)

2 Poblano peppers

2 cups chicken stock (warmed)

Bunch of cilantro (I used about 2 cups)

1 onion finely diced

2 garlic cloves minced

tsp. cumin (my addition)

2 Tbs. canola oil

1 cup long grain rice

salt and pepper to taste

Roughly chop poblanos and add them to a blender. Add warm stock and cilantro. Blend until well mixed. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan over med. high heat. Add onions and cook a few minutes. Add rice and garlic and saute a few minutes more until the rice is toasted. Add poblano mixture and cumin and heat until boiling. Turn down heat and simmer 25 minutes.

Creamy Polenta with Fontina

Yum, Italian grits, lol! At least that is what I think of them. I have just started my love affair with polenta. Sure I have had it plenty before, but recently I have actually been craving it. It is really a versatile dish, there are hundreds of ways to dress it up. I am already planning a couple of new ways to prepare it. I added fontina cheese and parmesan to this batch, and it was fantastic. Next time I make polenta this way I will probably add more herbs. But since I was pairing it with my pork above, I decided to leave it simple and creamy.

Creamy Polenta with Fontina

1 1/2 cups corn meal

6 cups chicken stock/broth

1 cup heavy cream/half and half/milk

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

3 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 cup cubed fontina cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large sauce pan bring chicken stock and cream to a boil. Pour polenta into the pot whisking as you go. Turn heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in butter and cheeses and cook about 5 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Tabouleh

I could seriously eat this stuff all day. I just love the freshness of it and what is wonderful is that it is so good for you!

This is great on it's own, scooped up with pita, in a sandwich, however you choose to eat tabouli is up to you. I made this to add to our Lebanese feast tonight. I don't even care that Chad won't touch it. More for me! This is another dish that is not time consuming. The hardest part is chopping, and I can get that done in under 10 minutes. : )

Tabouli

1 bunch curly parsley finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped mint

1 cup tomatoes chopped (I used grape but any variety will do)

1/2 cup chopped purple onion

1/2 cup cucumber finely chopped (I omitted tonight because I didn't have any on hand)

1 cup fine burgul wheat (#1 is a good grind for this)

3/4 cup water

Juice from 1-2 lemons

2-4 Tbs. good olive oil

1 tsp. salt

Put burgul in a bowl and cover with water. Let sit about 10 minutes until water is absorbed. In the meantime chop all veggies and put in a bowl. Add burgul to bowl and toss until evenly distributed. Add lemon, olive oil and salt and mix. Put in fridge for 15 minutes to chill, or serve immediately.

Barley Primavera

Finally! I say finally because Chad was supposed to make this last Thursday to go along with our chicken and apple sausages while I was at a class. But, time got the best of him and it just didn't work out. So we ended up eating Arbys. He made one over the weekend to bring to mom's for Easter, but it got left behind. On the counter. So that one went into the trash.

So tonight I decided to do our original Thursday menu. I baked the sausages and served this alonside them.

I credit Chad for finding the recipe on Allrecipes though I cooked this one tonight. If you are a barley lover, this is a recipe for you. The lemon add a nice burst of tanginess, and the zucchini is still very crisp since it goes in at the end.

Barley Primavera

4 cups low fat, low sodium chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3)
1/2 cup red onion, minced
1/2 cup diced carrots
1 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup diced zucchini
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

**1/2 cup chopped crimini mushrooms

DIRECTIONS
Heat 1/4 cup of the broth in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and saute for 5 minutes. (I added 1 tbs. butter and 1 tsp. olive oil to pot sauteed carrots, mushrooms, onions for 5 minutes, threw in the barley and garlic and sauteed a few mintues more. Then I added the broth. I skipped the olive oil at the end.)
Add the remaining broth and bring to a boil. Add the barley, lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the liquid is almost absorbed, about 50 minutes.
Add the zucchini, parsley, oil, and lemon juice. Simmer for 5 more minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Colcannon

I've never heard of this recipe before. Don't know why, but I guess I never looked for Irish inspired foods as much as I have this past week. I knew I wanted to make a brisket for St. Patty's as well as cabbage but since Chad wouldn't eat cabbage on its own, I needed something else. When I came upon this recipe on various sites, I thought this would be a perfect way to introduce Chad to cabbage. I love the stuff and can eat it prepared almost any way (no Kim Chi for me), but combined with potatoes seemed like a winner here.

I sauteed the cabbage on it's own, and cooked the thick cut bacon separately as well. In the end I just combined everything together. Very tasty, and Chad was impressed too. : )

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Colcannon

5 medium potatoes cut into large chunks (jackets on)

2 cups cabbage shredded

1/2 cup yellow onion diced

3 garlic cloves minced

3 slices thick cut bacon cooked and chopped

3 Tbs. unsalted butter divided

1/2 cup half and half

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large pot add potatoes and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 15 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile heat 1 1/2 tbs. butter over med. high heat in a medium sized skillet. Add onions and cabbage and cook 10 minutes until cabbage is wilted and onions are beginning to caramelize. Add Garlic and cook about 5 minutes more. While the cabbage is cooking put bacon on small baking sheet covered with foil and cook in oven until crispy (about 15 minutes).

When Potatoes are fork tender drain and return to pot. Add half and half, the rest of the butter salt and pepper. Add the cabbage mixture, and chopped bacon and mix well.

Fakes Me Ryzi/Greek Lentils and Rice

To go along with the Greek theme tonight, I browsed around looking for a side dish. I came across this recipe. Because Chad and I love lentils, I decided to give it a go. It was very simple, but I did change the recipe up a bit. I really liked the flavor of this dish, and I will probably make it again, but I think next time I may make it a one pot meal by adding some meat or even shrimp. My modifications are in orange.

Fakes Me Ryzi

2 cups of dried small brown lentils
sea salt
8 cups of water (I used fresh home made turkey stock so I omitted the water and bouillion.)
1 small vegetable bouillon cube

1 cup of long grain rice
1 large carrot, grated
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups of unseasoned tomato sauce or 3 tablespoons of tomato paste dissolved in 1 1/4 cups of water
1 sprig of fresh rosemary (or 1 bay leaf, or 1 sprig of fresh oregano)
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup of olive oil (optional)

Rinse lentils under running water. Place in a large pot with plenty of cold salted water and boil over high heat for 10 minutes. Drain and discard water.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and shredded carrots and cook until onions are soft. Add garlic, pepper and 2 sprigs of fresh oregano and saute a few minutes longer. Add stock and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Add rice, lentils and salt to pot and simmer 20 minutes.

Yellow Rice with Sofrito and White Beans

To go along with the pork I decided to make a sofrito rice. I found a recipe on epicurious that looked great, but of course with some tweaking, I think I made it better. I wanted that same southwest-y flavor that complimented the pork. So I added a couple more ingredients, and basically added more of what was called for. It was the perfect compliment to the pork, and I see this being something I make again soon.

Yellow Rice with Sofrito and White beans

(Gourmet Magazine, December,1995)

For sofrito

1 tablespoon minced onion I used one medium onion finely diced

1 tablespoon minced red or green bell pepper I used one whole poblano pepper finely diced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander sprigs I omitted but added ground coriander

1 small garlic clove, minced I used 3 large

2 teaspoons olive oil Upped to one TBS.
1/4 teaspoon turmeric upped to 2 Tsp.

3/4 cup long-grain rice Used 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups water I used 3 1/4 cups Chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon salt I used 2 Tsp.

My Additions

I also added 1/4 cup white wine

2 tsp. cumin

2 bay leaves

2 tsp. ground pepper

1 can great northern beans drained and rinsed.

Make sofrito:

In a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan cook onion, bell pepper, coriander, and garlic in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add turmeric (and cumin) and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Stir in rice, and salt and pepper and stir until rice is toasted about 2 minutes. Add wine and let cook a couple more minutes. Add stock and let come to a boil uncovered, without stirring, until surface of rice is covered with steam holes and grains on top appear dry, 5 to 8 minutes. Add beans at this point and Reduce heat to as low as possible and cook rice, tightly covered, 15 minutes more. Remove pan from heat and let rice stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Eggplant and Goat Cheese Risotto with Basil

I had no choice but to use my eggplant tonight. It was either use, or toss. I *hate* wasting food, so I decided to make a risotto with my eggplant. Although the only person to enjoy it would be me because eggplant is on Chad's long list of "I do not eat".

Since I knew he wasn't going to be sharing this dish with me, I decided to add in another item on his list, goat cheese.

I looked in the fridge and found a bit of basil. I threw that in as well. It was a very simple, but fantastically flavorful dish. I loved the way the flavors of the eggplant and goat cheese complimented each other and with the hint of basil, heavenly.

Eggplant and Goat Cheese Risotto with Basil
1 1/2 cups cubed eggplant salted and put aside for one hour (to extract excess moisture)
1/2 cup arborio rice
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
2-3 Tbs. basil roughly chopped
1/2 cup onion finely chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup white wine
3 1/2 -4 cups chicken stock (heated)
1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Heat a meduim sized skillet over medium heat. Add butter and oil, when heated through add onions. Saute onions until they become soft, add garlic and saute a few minutes more. Add rice and eggplant and saute until rice looks toasty. Add white wine and stir until evaporated. Add about 1/2 cup of stock and stir until evaporated. Keep doing this until rice is tender but al dente. At the end add the basil and cook a couple of minutes, then add goat cheese and stir to incorporate. Serve immediately.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

To go along with the lovely meatloaf below I made mashed potatoes. In my opinion, nothing goes better with meat loaf than mashed potatoes. I love roasting garlic first before adding it to the potatoes, it gives them so much more depth. And using yukon gold's are a must, they make the best mashed potatoes.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

3 large garlic cloves

1/2 tsp. olive oil

3 large yukon gold potatoes (about 2lbs.)

1/2 cup half and half (warm)

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh gound pepper

Heat oven to 375

Peel skin off garlic put in a small oven safe dish and add oil. mix together, making sure all sides are covered. Cover dish and roast in oven for 30-40 minutes or until browned.

Peel potatoes and cut in large chunks. place in a large pot of salted, boiling water and boil until fork tender. Drain and add them back to pot. Add roasted garlic, and the rest of the ingredients and either mix with electric mixer or mash with you masher.

Spinach Risotto W/ Vermecelli and Smoked Gouda

This is what I call a seat-of-my-pants kind of side dish. I've been slacking in the creativity department lately so I decided to raid the fridge, pantry and freezer to see what I could throw together. I found some rice along with a 1/4 box of vermecelli in the pantry, frozen spinach in the freezer, a 1/2 block of smoked gouda and 1/2 bottle of sauvignon blanc in the fridge. Risotto was screaming at me in my mind. So that is what I made. Normally, a risotto doesn't have vermecelli, but this one did. The spinach gave it a great earthy flavor. The smoked gouda, well what can I say...It made it smoky and cheesy, lol!

Spinach Risotto with Vermecelli and Smoked Gouda

1/4 cup onion diced small

2 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 cup white rice (I didn't have arborio so I used medium grain)

1/4 cup of vermecilli noodles broken into small pieces

1/4 cup good white wine (I used sauvignon Blanc)

3 1/2 cups chicken broth warmed

1/2 cup frozen spinach

1/2 cup smoked gouda

pinch salt

1 tsp. fresh black pepper

Heat oil over medium low heat in a medium sized skillet. Add onions and saute until browned and almost carmelized. Add rice, vermecelli, and garlic. Let mixture toast stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, about 3-5 minutes. Add white wine and let simmer until it is almost reduced completely. Add 1/2 Cup warmed chicken broth and let asorb, while stirring occasionally. Repeat until all the broth is gone. Add pepper, salt, and spinach. Let cook a couple minutes more and add gouda, stir to combine and serve.

Roasted Chestnut Herb Stuffing

To go along with the turkey in my post below, I wanted to make a stuffing. I bought some Italian chestnuts a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to use them up. Plus, what goes better with turkey than stuffing? This recipe is super easy, and very savory. The fresh herbs are a must, and the bacon gave it a nice salty touch. I used French bread (the whole loaf) but you can easily use whatever you have on hand.

Roasted Chestnut Herb Stuffing

1 loaf of french bread cut into 1" cubes (or 3-4 cups cubed bread that you have on hand)

10 chestnuts

1 large celery stalk halved long ways and chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

1 Tbs. Each of Fresh herbs chopped finely: Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, Flat leafed parsley

5 Strips bacon cooked and crumbled

3 Tbs. unsalted butter

1/2 cup chicken stock

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Take chestnuts and cut an "X" on the flattest side. Put on a cookie sheet or the like and roast for 15-20 minutes. When finished roasting set aside and put a kitchen towel over them until they cool. When cool, peel away the tough outer shell, and the lighter brown inner shell. Chop into pieces. Add cubed bread to a large bowl.

heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add all veggies except garlic. Saute for about 8 minutes and add chestnuts, garlic, herbs and pepper. Saute about 4 minutes more. Transfer veggie mixture to the bowl with bread tossing to combine. Add bacon and stock and mix well. Let sit a couple minutes to absorb the liquid. Transfer to a 9x13 greased baking dish. Cook in oven 15 minutes covered, and 15 uncovered.