KerriansKitchen

KNR, p. 93 “Kerrian’s Chestnut-Sausage Stuffing”

 

Did somebody say stuffing?

Sheila and I eat roasted poultry all year round, so we have a go-to stuffing recipe. We mostly alternate between turkey or Cornish game hens for the various holidays and this is our favorite, flavor-filled stuffing.

You’re going to love it! (and we promise that nobody ever died after eating one of our stuffed birds)

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"Kerrian's Chestnut-Sausage Stuffing"
Author: 
Recipe type: side dish
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 6 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups celery, diced
  • 2 cups finely chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped, cooked chestnuts (available seasonally pre-packaged, already shelled & cooked)
  • 4 slices lightly toasted potato bread, cut into 1 inch cubes – about 4 cups
  • 1/2 pound mild Italian sausage – about 1 cup
  • 2 cups thinly sliced fresh Portobello mushrooms - about 2 medium caps
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon mild paprika
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • One jumbo egg, lightly beaten to moisten the stuffing
Instructions
  1. In a heavy frying pan, add butter, celery and onion and sauté on medium heat until light golden brown – about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
  2. Drain and chop chestnuts, medium fine. Set aside.
  3. Remove stems from mushroom caps, peel darkened skin from caps, then slice caps into thin (quarter inch) pieces. Set aside.
  4. Lightly toast bread in toaster, let stand in toaster to dry out bread for five minutes, then cube.
  5. Squeeze meat out of sausage skin and sauté in a second pan, breaking up the meat with a large spoon just until no longer raw. Do not overcook.
  6. Remove sausage and in same pan, sauté mushrooms just until colored, add paprika and garlic powder and mix with mushrooms.
  7. Lightly beat the jumbo egg in a small bowl, add sea salt and continue to mix until well blended.
  8. Combine all ingredients in large bowl and stir until well mixed.

The cooked stuffing can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen if left over.  The recipe makes enough for a 16 pound bird. We’ve also served it as a side dish (when we’re serving chicken legs) and baked it in a buttered pan, covered with a glass lid in a preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

 

Sheila says to tell you that this is the basic recipe. “It has a well-rounded flavor, ready to use with any poultry. If you’d like to add herbs to the mix in order to complement a savory chicken or Cornish hen, do so with care. Just add a teaspoon of your favorite (sage or thyme or rosemary) to the basic recipe, being careful not to overpower the other flavors on your menu.”

 

I told you she’s a great cook!

 

*Photo by Patti Phillips

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KNR, p. 126 “75 Second Mookies”

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I’ll admit it. I’ve got a sweet tooth. That’s not a secret, but the doc says I should drop ten pounds and that means cutting back on calories. No more eating a dozen cookies in one evening, or having two of those amazing chocolaty chocolate muffins for breakfast, or several of the Vegetarian Detective’s super brownies at one sitting. I could have gotten away with extra helpings of everything before I got sidelined from my very active job, but no more.

We plan a pretty balanced menu, with lots of fruits and veggies, but it’s the extra potatoes and slices of pie that do me in. Exercise burns some of it off, but pushing away from the table is the best diet plan out there.

The Doc and Sheila and I came up with a way to help me lose the weight and it’s mostly about reducing the desserts. She promised not to bake batches of three dozen cookies/muffins at a time and I promised not to hound her or sneak out to the bakery. The Doc admitted that I might feel deprived if I gave up dessert completely, so the new plan could include a daily ‘something’ for my sweet tooth – just not five daily ‘somethings.’ He hinted that fruit between meals might change my cravings, but I’m hedging my bets on that.

So, here’s what Sheila came up with: single serving cookies. That way, there won’t be yummy leftovers calling me from the kitchen, tempting me. She tells me the idea has been around for a long time, but she never had a reason to try it before.

I call them mookies, because to me they’re like a cross between a cookie and a muffin. So simple to make, not a lot of cleanup involved and I can make one myself. All you need is a microwave and a few ingredients and in less than ten minutes of prep and cooking time, you’ve got a dessert. 

Chocolate Chip Mookie

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Mookie

1 Tablespoon butter or margarine

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

1 egg yolk

4 Tablespoons King Arthur’s cake flour

2 Tablespoons Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Ingredients for Pumpkin Mookie

1 ½ Tablespoons butter or margarine

2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

1 egg yolk

1 ½ Tablespoons organic pumpkin puree

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 Tablespoons King Arthur’s cake flour

2 Tablespoons Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

(Topping is frozen vanilla yogurt and a sprinkle of cinnamon)

 

Double Chocolate Mookie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients for Double Chocolate Mookie

1 Tablespoon butter or margarine

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract

pinch sea salt

1 teaspoon Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder

1 egg yolk

4 Tablespoons King Arthur’s cake flour

2 Tablespoons Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

Preparation for all varieties

Use a medium sized glass or ceramic mixing bowl.

Melt the butter for 20 seconds in the microwave. (Doesn’t have to be completely melted)

Add all ingredients for the chosen mookie to the melted butter.

Mix thoroughly using a fork.

Transfer mookie dough to a ramekin or other cup-sized glass or ceramic dish.

Place in microwave and cook for one minute + 15 seconds (75 seconds).

Serve immediately in the ramekin.

The ramekin will be hot, so handle with care.

 

*Photos by Patti Phillips

 

 

 

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KNR, p. 217 “Tomato Cucumber Feta Salad”

 

It’s grillin’ season!

Some of our pals grill all year round. We know a guy that keeps a snow shovel inside the house near the deck door – just in case it snows – in order to clear a path on the deck to his five-foot-wide grill.  🙂  But, we’re a little more conservative, and stick to mid-May until first frost in mid to late October.

Whenever your grilling months, you probably serve fresh vegetable salads of some kind along with the great meats and veggies you can sear on the grill top. We like this cucumber and tomato mix, tossed together with an easy salad dressing and feta cheese, for a light salad that goes well with a variety of BBQ food. Hamburgers and hot dogs or steaks and potatoes? It works with everything we’ve tried on the grill and nobody has died yet from eating the fig balsamic or the herbes de Provence. Promise.

 

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"Tomato Cucumber Feta Salad"
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4-6
 
Ingredients
  • 3 medium tomatoes, cut into one inch chunks (about 4 cups)
  • 2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced (about 4 cups)
  • 1 6 oz package feta cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fig balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon herbes de Provence
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
  1. Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, feta and onion in a large serving bowl.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, herbes de provence, pepper, and lemon juice.
  3. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and cheese and lightly toss until combined.
  4. Serve cold.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

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