Recipes

Colcannon with Bacon

Ingredients
6-8 ounces bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
2 tablespoons butter
¹⁄₂ cup milk
¹⁄₂ medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
3 green onions, chopped

Instructions
1. Cook bacon until crisp in large skillet over medium heat.  Remove bacon from skillet with slotted spoon, leaving bacon fat in skillet. 

2. Bring large pot salted water to boil.  Cook potatoes until fork tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain and return to pot.  Mash with butter and milk, cover to keep warm. 

3. Return bacon skillet to medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, and cabbage to reserved bacon fat, stir to combine, then cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until cabbage is soft. 

4. Stir cabbage mixture, bacon, and green onion into mashed potatoes.  Season with salt and pepper before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Life’s Ambrosia and, while I can’t speak for its authenticity, I can vouch for its tastiness.  This is a great way to use up cabbage and potatoes during the growing season.  The bacon added great flavor throughout. 

Shown here with Mustard Roasted Tilapia.

Internet - Life’s Ambrosia

Kofta Burgers

Ingredients
For the burgers
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound ground beef
3 tablespoons onion, minced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄₂ tablespoon ground cinnamon
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground allspice
¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground ginger
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

For serving
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Tomatoes, thinly sliced
Lettuce
Pita bread

Instructions
1. Combine all burger ingredients in medium bowl and form into 3 to 4 patties. 

2. Prepare grill, grill pan, or skillet.  Spray patties with cooking spray and cook about 5 minutes per side for medium rare. 

3. Combine all sauce ingredients in small bowl.  Serve burgers with sauce, pitas, cucumber, tomatoes, and lettuce. 

Comments
This recipe is from allrecipes.com.  I turned it into burgers and used beef instead of lamb based on some recommendations in the comments.  I also ended up making a sauce that was mentioned in a comment and we ended up eating them as open face sandwiches on pita bread since the pita bread was resistant to being opened and they were a bit messy with the sauce and everything. 

These were delicious and there were complaints around the table that I hadn’t doubled the recipe.  The burgers are very well spiced and every bite was full of flavor.  You could easily make these with lamb or chicken, depending on what you’ve got and what you eat. 

The sauce is very similar in flavor to aioli but significantly more lemony than the aioli I’ve made in the past.  This would be easy enough to modify by reducing the amount of lemon juice used, if desired.

Internet - allrecipes

Crescent Cabbage and Beef Bundles

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
¹⁄₃ cup onion, chopped
1 small head cabbage, cored and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
¹⁄₂ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 (8 ounces each) cans Pillsbury crescent rolls (We call them “whack rolls.”)

For the sauce
¹⁄₃ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 375*F. 

2. In large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat until beef is cooked through.  Drain and return to skillet.  Add cabbage, salt and pepper.  Mix well then cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until cabbage is crisp-tender.  Cool 5 minutes then stir in cheese. 

3. Separate dough into triangles and press each with fingers to enlarge.  Spoon ¹⁄₄ cup beef mixture onto shortest side of each triangle and roll up, wrapping dough around mixture.  Pinch edges to seal if possible.  Place point side down on baking sheet. 

4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. 

5. Combine sauce ingredients in small bowl and serve with crescent bundles. 

Comments
This recipe is from Taste and Tell.  It’s safe to say that if some rolled up thing is every pretty in my blog that Art must have done it.  These were obviously rolled up by me, and I don’t always have the most patience when I get to the rolling up part of recipes!  I thought these were fairly tasty, although the leftovers didn’t hold up so well even when heated in the oven.  The sauce adds some necessary flavor since there isn’t a lot in the bundles themselves. 

Making these made me strangely nostalgic for Pillsbury whack rolls and I had to resist the urge to buy 10 tubes of various bready things during my next grocery trip.  I think there’s something addictive in them.

Internet - Taste and Tell

Bacon and Beer Carbonara

Ingredients
6-8 ounces bacon, chopped
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 pound pasta of choice
1 cup beer (I used some hefeweizen, since that’s what we had.)
2 cups grape tomatoes
3 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat.  Once bacon begins to crisp, add onion and continue cooking until bacon is crisp and onions are tender. 

2. Meanwhile, bring large pot salted water to boil.  Cook pasta as instructed by package directions and return to pot. 

3. Once bacon is crisp, add beer and tomatoes to skillet.  Increase heat to high and bring to boil.  Then reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes begin to pop. 

4. Combine eggs, egg yolks, Parmesan cheese, and garlic in small bowl.  Mix well to combine.  Working 1 tablespoon at a time, mix 3-4 tablespoons beer from bacon-mixture into eggs to temper.  Stir egg mixture into pasta, then stir in bacon-mixture until everything is well combined. 

Comments
This recipe is from Babble and it’s a different take on the standard Carbonara (recipes using beer and bacon instead of wine and pancetta.  Lance and I both thought the beer was a little bit overwhelming but, as Art pointed out, I did use a fairly powerful beer so it makes sense.  A milder beer would have given us a milder beer taste.  Obvious, right?  I think that I might use this recipe in the future, just with the usual wine and added peas, just to see what happens.  I’m sure it will be delicious.

Internet - Babble

Zucchini Fritterwaffles

Ingredients
For the fritters
2 small zucchini, shredded
2 small yellow summer squash, shredded
2 large eggs
1 small red onion, minced
¹⁄₄ cup parsley, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup all purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the dip
1 cup Greek yogurt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon fresh mint, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt

Instructions
1. Mix together all fritter ingredients.  Heat waffle iron to desired temperature.  (For my waffle iron, this was the highest.)  Working ¹⁄₄ cup fritter mixture at a time, make waffles as usual. 

2. Mix together all dip ingredients. 

3. Serve waffles with dip. 

Comments
This recipe is from Buttered Up and was originally for frittercakes, but I decided to try out this recent waffle iron craze and make them into waffles.  Sadly, I think they would have been better as fritters since they might have been crispier that way?  The waffles weren’t super crispy for more than a few minutes even at the highest setting on my waffle iron.  They still had really good flavor and let Art joke about our dinner of chicken and waffles. 

Shown here with Buttermilk Baked Chicken.

Internet - Buttered Up

Philly Cheesesteaks

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced in half moons
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 pound beef chipsteak or thinly sliced eye round, rib eye, or sirloin tip roast (If using unsliced meat, freeze before slicing to make it easier.)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 slices provolone cheese
Hoagie rolls

Instructions
1. Heat oil in large skillet over high heat then lower heat to medium.  Add onions and mushrooms.  Cook, stirring, until mushrooms lose their liquid and onions are tender.  Add steak slices and cook 3 minutes until meat is browned.  Season with salt and pepper. 

2. Spread cheese slices over meat to melt.  Slice rolls lengthwise.  Using spatula, scoop meat and cheese onto bread with cheese on top. 

Comments
This recipe is from What’s Cooking America.  Being a girl from the Philly suburbs, I think that cheesesteaks should be made with provo, so that’s how I made mine.  I know that Cheese Whiz is the cheese of choice in Philly, but, to me, that’s just crazy talk.  Provo all the way. 

These were super tasty and I love all the mushrooms and onions that this recipe uses.  You can also add bell peppers if you’d like, but I’ve never been a fan.  If Zekiah sends us chipsteak again, I’ll probably be making these again!

Shown here with Baked Summer Squash and Tomatoes with Pesto.

Internet - What’s Cooking America

South-of-the-Border Chicken and Rice Bake

Ingredients
1 ¹⁄₂ cups rice
1 (12 ounces) can evaporated 2% milk
1 (10 ³⁄₄ ounces) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
¹⁄₂ cup mild or medium salsa (I used salsa fresco.)
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (14-16 ounces) bag southwest-style vegetable blend (broccoli, corn, black beans, etc.)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into small pieces
¹⁄₂ cup cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Instructions
1. Cook rice as instructed by packaging.  Heat oven to 350*F.  Spray 13 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 

2. Combine evaporated milk, soup, salsa and pepper in baking dish and stir until well combined.  Add vegetables, chicken, and rice.  Cover dish with foil and bake 35 minutes.  Uncover, top with cheese and bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is bubbly.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Very Best Baking.  I ended up doubling it and making it in the Dutch oven in order to use an entire package of chicken.  It was pretty tasty and the leftovers made great lunches for many days afterward.  I think you could easily use fat free evaporated milk if you wanted to and some sort of lower fat/healthy request condensed soup.  This is definitely more of a winter dish than a summer dish, but it was easy and tasty which makes it good for any time of year in my opinion.

Internet - Very Best Baking

Quinoa with Tomatoes, Chickpeas and Feta

Ingredients
1 pint small tomatoes, quartered or halved
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups white wine
5 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled or chopped
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 400*F. 

2. Toss tomatoes with 2 tablespoons oil, salt and pepper.  Place tomatoes on wire rack set in baking sheet, cut side down, and bake 30 minutes or until tomatoes start to shrivel. 

3. After tomatoes have cooked for 15 minutes, start to prepare quinoa.  Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and quinoa and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant.  Add white and broth, cover and bring to boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, with lid half on, for about 15 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed. 

4. Add tomatoes, feta, and chickpeas to quinoa and stir well to combine. 

Comments
This recipe is from Sprout and Pea.  I had delicious local feta in my fridge and decided this recipe would be a great way to use it.  I thought it was delicious!  Next time I might add a little bit of lemon juice, but I thought the recipe was great as it was.  The roasted tomatoes were very flavorful and the garlic added great flavor to the quinoa.  This was a fantastic side dish for the grilled leg of lamb. 

The feta, by the way, was grand. 

Shown here with Grilled Marinated Leg of Lamb.

Internet - Sprout and Pea

Baked Summer Squash and Tomatoes with Pesto

Ingredients
¹⁄₃ cup basil pesto
1 large or 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large or 2 small yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped, or 2 handfuls small tomatoes, halved
Salt and pepper
1 cup gruyere cheese, shredded or thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 375*F.  Grease 3 quart baking dish with 1 tablespoon pesto.  (A brush works well for this.)  Layer  zucchini and yellow squash slices in baking dish.  Spread tomato pieces evenly over squash then top with remaining pesto.  Season with salt and pepper. 

2. Layer or sprinkle cheese evenly over vegetables. 

3. Bake 45 minutes or until vegetables are bubbling and cheese is golden brown. 

Comments
This recipe is from Bless Her Heart.  Art really enjoyed it but, for me, it was lacking something.  It turned out pretty watery due to the vegetables and I wish that it hadn’t been so wet.  Maybe it would benefit from some pre-roasting of the vegetables?  The flavors were great, the texture just didn’t hold up very well. 

Shown here with a Philly Cheesesteak.

Internet - Bless Her Heart

Crispy Potato Roast

Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 pounds potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced with knife or mandoline
4 shallots, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 sprigs thyme

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 375*F.  In large bowl combine butter, oil, potatoes and shallots.  Toss well to coat potato slices, separating any that have stuck together.  Season well with salt and pepper. 

2. Select a baking dish that will hold all of the potato slices.  (My baking dish is around 9x5, but a different size might work better depending on the size of your potatoes.) 

3. Working a few slices at a time, arrange potatoes vertically in dish, making sure to get shallot pieces in between potato slices.  Once dish is full, spread remaining oil-butter mixture over potatoes. 

4. Bake 75 minutes then arrange thyme sprigs on top of potatoes and bake until potatoes are cooked through with crisped top, about 35 minutes more.  If potatoes brown too fast, cover with foil. 

Comments
This recipe is from Smitten Kitchen and it sure is pretty!  (Her’s is much prettier than mine.)  The potato slices on the edges get all nice and crispy while the ones in the middle are soft and tender.  The shallots and thyme give the potatoes great flavor and these were pretty scrumptious.  We did reach the consensus that we all prefer Mini Pommes Anna when it comes to dishes involving thinly sliced potatoes.  So expect some future experimentation with that dish in the coming months while potatoes are in season here!

Internet - Smitten Kitchen