In the meantime, I will be posting on A Recipe A Day’s Facebook page off and on so you can catch me there!

Happy Cooking!

Southwest~Style Cod

2 lbs fresh cod fillets
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup yellow corn meal
2 tbsps flour
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp black pepper

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Mix all ingredients except cod in a Ziplock bag. Add the cod and shake until the fish is well coated. Place coated fish in the prepared dish. Sprinkle with any remaining cheese mixture over the fish.

Bake at 400º for 12 to 15 minutes or until the fish flakes when tested with a fork.

Makes 4 servings.

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

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I LOVE minestrone soup!  I also have a terrible habit of NOT reading a recipe through until I’m ready to start dinner.  I read the ingredients and that’s as far as I go.  I don’t see myself changing any time soon so I spend some time trying to figure out how I can change it up to work for me.  And that’s what happened with this recipe.  I didn’t start with dried beans so I used two cans of navy beans, rinsed.  My celery was so limp, I couldn’t stand to touch it so I threw it out and subbed fresh green beans.  Mr. Meat Eater refuses to eat anything with cabbage in it so I subbed spinach.  In place of the water used to cook the dried beans, I used chicken broth.  I also used 2 cans of diced tomatoes with the juice since tomatoes at this time of year are awful. I also threw in some oregano and basil. Soooooooo…same recipe?  I followed the recipe just using my substitutions.  You can make any recipe your own and this is just a good example of it.  This particular recipe is so good and that makes it easy to add your own ingredients.  My photo isn’t very good either, sigh ~ the white stuff is Parmesan which I have to have with minestrone.

The recipe was submitted to Gooseberry Patch by Kay Marone of Des Moines, Iowa.  Here is her recipe the way it is in the book.

Garden Minestrone

2 cups dried navy beans
10 cups cold water
2 to 3 tsps salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced
2 cups cabbage, shredded
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
2 cups ditalini, uncooked
1/4 cup chopped parsley

In a large soup pot over high heat, cover beans with water. Bring to a boil; boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand for 1 to 2 hours. Drain; rinse beans well and return to pot. Add 10 cups cold water; bring to a boil. Stir in salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for one hour.

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, saute onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil for 8-10 minutes or until onion is lightly golden. Add this mixture along with the tomatoes to the simmering beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for another hour.

Stir in cabbage, zucchini, pasta and parsley. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with Parmesan, if desired.

Makes 8-10 servings.

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

Happy Cooking!

I found this recipe on Pinterest although it was pinned from Kalyns Kitchen and it is WONDERFUL!!  It’s easy to make and would go well with almost any main dish.  I made it as the recipe stated except I went heavy on the Parmesan because I love it.

Roasted Mushroom Green Beans

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced in 1/2 inch slices ~ I used Baby Bellas
1 lb. fresh green beans, thin ones are preferred ~ I used Haricot Verts
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 T finely grated Parmesan cheese ~ I used much more

Preheat oven to 450º. Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice. Wash and trim green beans if needed. Cut green beans in half although I did not do this since mine were not long.

Put green beans and mushrooms into a Ziploc bag. Stir together olive oil and balsamic vinegar and pour over, then smoosh the bag or so all the beans and mushrooms are lightly coated with the mixture.

Arrange green beans and mushrooms on a large cookie sheet, spreading them out so the beans and mushrooms are not crowded. Roast for 20-30 minutes and check for doneness after 20 minutes. Cook until beans are tender-crisp, mushrooms are cooked, and all liquid on the pan from mushrooms has evaporated.

Season beans and mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste and then sprinkle grated Parmesan over the top and serve hot.

Makes 6-8 servings.

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

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The recipe calls for pumpkin seeds, nuts, etc., but at my local grocery store they sell something called Brain Food.  The one type that I chose was pumpkin seeds, nuts, and raisins mixed together so I used the entire container of this (I think it was 16 oz) instead of each individual ingredients.  I also added a small bag of dried cranberries.  I used fat free sweetened condensed milk to save some calories and this worked perfectly and is how I will make them in the future.

I found the recipe on Allrecipes and it’s a keeper!

Granola Bars

2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup dried cranberries
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)

Preheat an oven to 350º.

Line a 13×9-inch pan with lightly-greased parchment paper; an inch or so of parchment paper should stick up on 2 sides to form lifting handles.

Mix both oats, pumpkin seeds, both nuts, cranberries, and sweetened condensed milk together in a bowl and spread into the prepared pan, evenly pressing into the corners and out to the sides.

Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes, using slightly less time for chewier bars and slightly more time for crunchier bars.  I went longer for crunchier bars.

Let the bars cool for 5 minutes in the pan before using the parchment paper to lift them from the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars. Let the bars cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Makes 24 bars.

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

Happy Cooking!

Starting off the new year with a new Gooseberry Patch giveaway!!

This time I am giving away a copy of  Fresh from the Farmstand which is chock full of recipes that use all those favorite veggies and fruits from your local farmstand.  There are 6 chapters, from breakfast to dessert and so many delicious recipes to try.

This week I’ll be making and posting a few recipes from this cookbook!

Last night I made Quick 40-Clove Chicken submitted by Sharon Velenosi of Stanton, CA.  I halved the recipe since I was cooking for just Mr. Meat Eater and myself but I used about 30 cloves of garlic.  I did have to cook mine much longer than the recipe stated and I stuck it under the broiler for a couple of minutes to brown it up.  I squished the garlic on top of the chicken and it was delicious!

Quick 40-Clove Chicken

8 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
40 cloves of peeled garlic
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Place in a baking dish in a single layer and scatter garlic cloves over the chicken.

Cover and bake at 400º for 20 minutes; sprinkle with parsley. Continue baking, uncovered, for 10 more minutes or until juices run clear. I ended up baking mine close to an hour but they were thick breasts; thinner ones would cook much quicker.

Makes 8 servings.

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

Now for the giveaway ~ to be entered, just reply ON THIS POST ONLY that you would like to be entered.  The contest will run until Monday, January 16 at noon.   That’s it!  Easy peasey.   If you have any questions, just email me at a_recipe_a_day at yahoo dot com.

Happy Cooking!

On my Facebook page for A Recipe A Day, I said that I don’t like resolutions.  In fact, I hate the word.  It sets me up for failure.  I usually make goals and my goals for this year are more cooking, more blogging, more reading, more crocheting, teach myself to knit, and work on that household organizing that always seems to get away from me.   What are your goals for this year?

I decided to start the new Gooseberry Patch giveaway tomorrow instead of today since it’s a busy day.  We are taking down the few decorations I put up this year and watching football and basically sitting on our butts.

Last night, Mr. Meat Eater and I stayed home and grilled steaks and watched movies.  I made garlic mushroom steak which is one of my favorite recipes.  It’s super easy, can be used on any cut of steak, and is delicious!

I got this recipe off a now non-existent message board on AOL years ago.

Garlic Mushroom Steak

Steak:
1/4 cup steak sauce
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp brown sugar, packed (use more if you want it sweeter)
3 New York strip steaks (use your favorite cut)

Mushrooms:
2 (8 ounce) pkgs mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps soy sauce
2 tsps steak sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsps chopped fresh parsley

Steak: Mix the steak sauce, onion, and brown sugar in a ziplock bag, add the steaks, and smoosh it around (after closing the bag) to make sure all the steak is covered. Marinate at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator. I usually marinate about 5-6 hours.

Mushrooms: Mix the sliced mushrooms with all the ingredients except the parsley in a baking dish. Cover with foil and bake at 350º for 10 minutes, uncover and stir, return to oven for another 8-10 minutes.  You can also put this all in some heavy-duty aluminum foil and toss on the grill with the steaks.

Remove the steaks from the marinade (throw away any leftover marinade) and grill to your desired degree of doneness.

Makes 3 servings.

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

Happy Cooking!

The recipe was submitted by Barbara Bargdill of Gooseberry Patch.

Don’t forget to sign up for a chance to win this cookbook.  Go to this post to reply for a chance to win! 

Pasta Pesto & Cherry Tomatoes

12 oz box of rotini or fusilli pasta, uncooked
3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered ~ I used grape tomatoes, halved
salt to taste
1/4 cup basil pesto ~ I used slightly more
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Garnish with grated Romano cheese if desired

Cook pasta according to the package until tender and drain, reserving one cup of the cooking liquid in case it’s needed to moisten the pasta. Return pasta to the cooking pot.

In a bowl, toss the quartered tomatoes with the salt and then the pesto.

Add tomato mixture to the pasta and add some of the cooking liquid at this point if it’s needed. I did need a little but probably less than 1/4 cup.

Add the mozzarella cheese and toss.  After plating, add the Romano to the top of the pasta on each plate.

Makes 4 servings as a main dish; 6-8 as a side dish.

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

Happy Cooking!

A BIG thank you to all who have sent me good wishes regarding my bout with gout.  Yes, I still have it and am on my 3rd medication.  I HOPE this one does the trick!

A new Gooseberry Patch giveaway starts today ~ the cookbook is called Rush-Hour Recipes and I will be cooking from it this week!  Giveaway rules will be at the end of this post for a copy of this cookbook.

Mr. Meat Eater has spent lots of time in the Caribbean ~ probably at least as much as he has spent here with me.  He really loves Caribbean-type food, including beans and rice.  When I saw this recipe I knew he would love it because it doesn’t have bunches of what he considers objectionable veggies in it.  I made it today for his lunch and he loved it.   I’ll have to take his word for it because I don’t like beans and rice so I didn’t even try it.  I did have some leftover so I am going to freeze it and next week I will add a little chicken and make tortillas with it.

I used brown rice instead of white and petite diced tomatoes since that’s what I had on hand.  Other than that, I followed the recipe.

The recipe was submitted to Gooseberry Patch by Aubrey Nygren-Earl of Taylorsville, UT.

Spicy Black Beans and Rice

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup long-cooking rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp paprika
1 (15 1/2 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes

Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Add uncooked rice and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in the beans and diced tomatoes and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until heated through.

Makes 8 servings.

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

I have one copy of this cookbook to give away.  To enter the drawing please reply to this post and this post only.  For another chance to win the cookbook, please “LIKE” Gooseberry Patch on Facebook and let me know you have in your post.  If you have already “liked” them, just say so in your post.

The drawing will be held on December 23 and I will mail the cookbook after Christmas.   If I pick a winner and do not hear from the winner by December 27, I will pick a new winner.

Any questions, please send me an email ~ a_recipe_a_day at yahoo dot com.

Happy Cooking!

I’ll be back soon ~ hopefully within a week or so.

Thanks for hanging in there!

Happy Cooking!