Pesto Pasta, Cosby Style

 Get Pasta water boiling, add some salt, but not as much as for normal pasta

Squeeze the italian sausage out of its casings and cook it till it’s browned. Drain the fat off the sausage through the colander.

Boil the pasta according to box directions. We like to use cellentani/cavatappi pasta.

Drain the pasta in the colander. Add the cooked sausage. Add 6-12 oz of frozen peas. 

Add almost a full jar of Costco pesto sauce. 

Cut up cherry tomato halves and fresh mozzarella to top the pasta. 

Pina Colada

2 oz coconut cream (it comes in a can-- the Iberia brand costs less than $2 a can)

6 oz 100% pineapple juice (I get either Dole or Libby's)

Refrigerate both before opening, just so that the cream is already cold.

Mix it thoroughly immediately before drinking. Maybe over ice?

I used to buy a fancy pre-mixed smoothie brand but Walmart stopped carrying it and this tastes better anyway.

I will never forget coming down off Aliamanu crater (an Army base in Hawaii), after hours of hiking, and the only thing to drink was to buy fresh mixed coconuts and pineapples, where they chopped them up in front of you to make the drink. So delicious!

Any Time Thanksgiving Casserole

This is a way you can have a casserole that tastes kind of like the kind you get with Thanksgiving leftovers, without actually making a Thanksgiving dinner. I think all these ingredients together cost about $5 and it makes at least half a dozen meals so it is very economical.

Ingredients:

1 Costco chicken, half eaten ($2.50)

2 big Idaho potatoes ($.50)

1 can or bag of frozen corn ($1)

3 pieces of rye bread ($1)

6 cups water

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

Salt, Pepper, and Garlic

Take the meat off the bones you can get off easily, but all of it off the ribs and back. Throw the non-rib-or-back bones in the water to cook into gravy with lots of bits of meat mixed in. Simmer it for about 45 minutes. Pull the bones out and throw them away. (That's why you didn't put the little tiny bones in).

 Skin, cube, boil, and then mash the potatoes.

Toast the rye bread and rip it into pieces. This is instead of actually making stuffing.

Add spices to taste.

Mix it all up to the degree you want.

Teriyaki Beef and Broccoli

1. Start rice cooking in rice cooker
   
   
2. Finely dice ½ a yellow onion, 1-2 cloves garlic, and 1-2 stalks of celery
   
   
3. Grate 1 inch piece of ginger
   
   
4. Brown 1.5 lb ground beef with ginger, garlic, onion, and celery
   
   
5. While beef is cooking, slice white ends of 4 green onions and add to beef
   
   
6. When beef is done cooking, drain the fat from the beef
   
   
7. Add ½- 1 C soyaki sauce to beef
   
   
8. Mix 1 T cornstarch with 1 T COLD water
   
   
9. Add to beef and stir until thickened
   
   
10. Slice green parts of green onions and sprinkle over beef
    
    
11. Serve over rice with steamed broccoli, extra teriyaki sauce, and sriracha or hot chili oil for those who like it spicier.

Pizza Beans

 

A family favorite from: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/weeknight-beans-on-toast

To make this a superfast meal, I use a giant jar of spaghetti sauce (my favorite for this is the big jars of Victoria marinara from Costco) in lieu of the crushed tomatoes. No need to cook it down.

For the beans:

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb. sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed

3 thinly sliced garlic cloves

½ tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

3 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more

1 5-oz. package baby spinach, coarsely chopped

2 15.5-oz. cans white beans, rinsed

fresh parsely (optional)

For the garlic bread:

1 stick butter

1/4 C grated parmesan

1/2- 1 tsp garlic powder

1 TBSP dried parsley flakes

1 loaf italian or french bread or a baguette

1. Step 1

   Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or high-sided skillet over medium-high. Add sausage and press down on it with a heatproof rubber spatula to flatten slightly. Cook, undisturbed, until browned underneath, about 4 minutes. Turn sausage over and cook, undisturbed, until browned on the other side, about 3 minutes. Break up sausage into bite-size pieces with spatula.
   
   Add sliced garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook, stirring, until garlic is beginning to get golden around the edges, about 1 minute.
   
   Carefully add tomatoes (beware of splatter!), then 2½ tsp. salt and 1 cup water. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, 10–12 minutes. 
   OR 
   Add the jar of marinara sauce
   
   Mix in spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add beans and cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Taste ragù and season with more salt if needed.

   Step 2

   Meanwhile, heat broiler. Cut your loaf of bread in half lengthwise, or into slices. Soften butter in the microwave. Mix in cheese, garlic powder, and parsley. Spread butter mixture generously over the bread. 

   Step 3

   Arrange bread on a  baking sheet and broil until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes. 

   Step 4

   Divide toast among plates. Ladle a generous amount of ragù over and top with extra Parmesan and fresh parsley, if you want.

   Step 5

   Do Ahead: Ragù can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat over medium-low.

Mom's Roasted Costco Chicken Soup

 

Mom’s Roasted Costco Chicken Soup

This is a long and fairly complicated recipe, but makes two huge meals or more.

These directions are for egg free and GLUTEN FREE chicken and rice soup, but I LOVE this soup with fat, German spaetzle dumpling/noodles.  I like Bechtle brand.

To make the soup, I first roast a Costco chicken a second time with lots of root vegetables: the leftovers go into the soup.

 

Here is a shopping list

1. Costco chicken

2 large onions

Celery (I use about 5 stalks)

Jar of chicken Better Than Bouillon 

Carrots (1-2 lb of nubbies or more)

1-2 lbs small new potatoes 

2 yams or sweet potatoes 

1 large apple

Butter

Rice or noodles

First reroast the chicken and veggies:

 

Take the elastic off the chicken 

Slice I onion:put half on bottom of big soup pan (at least 8 deep x 12” across) on top of olive oil or butter. This helps insulate the chicken and keep it from overcooking on the bottom.  Peel and core apple and put chunks of apple and onion inside the chicken.  Save the peels for the broth.

Cut potatoes and sweet potatoes in half and surround the chicken. Dump carrots on top. Put 1/2 cup hot water in Costco chicken bag to dissolve juices and gelatin in bag and pour that over chicken and veggies. 

Put lid on pan

Roast at least 3 hours at 325 degrees (or 5 hrs at 300)

When ready, carefully lift everything out of pan: chicken will practically fall apart. 

To make gravy, put onions and apples from the stuffed chicken in a blender, along with all pan juices. Add 1-2 cups hot water into pan to get drippings. Add that to blender along with 1/2 peeled cooked sweet potato Add I tbsp corn starch for each cup of gravy makings. Blend well and pour back into the pan the chicken was roasted in and cook until thickened.

Serve.

 

 Now to make the soup: 

 

Strip all the leftover meat off the roasted chicken.  Keep all the bones, skin, etc to make broth.

Next step is to put the entire carcase, skin, etc of the roasted chicken in the pot you roasted it in and made gravy in: you don't even need to wash it first.

You can add things like the tops of the celery, or potato skins or old carrots or old apples to the broth. Cover with water.

Simmer the bones, etc for at least 3 hours or more.

Using a sieve or strainer, pour the broth into a clean bowl or pot.  Throw away all the bones, skin, boiled veggie parts, etc.  I put them all in a plastic grocery bag to keep the trash neater and lessen the probability of some animal trying to get into the trash.

Chop up the 2nd onion and as much celery as you want in the soup. In the soup pan, melt 2 tbsp butter or olive oil and cook the celery and onion in the fat until it is translucent.

Next,  add the broth you made to the onion and celery and at least 1 cup of uncooked rice  (or noodles) to the broth and simmer.  When the rice (or noodles) is tender, chop up all the leftover veggies and as much chicken as you want. Add meat, veggies and leftover gravy to the soup and simmer for about 1/2 hour, adding water if needed.  Now test for flavor: if you want more flavor, add Chicken flavor Better than Bouillion one tablespoon at a time until the soup tastes good.  Add freshly ground pepper to taste.

Enjoy.

 

 

マミー

 This is a kids' yogurt drink I liked to buy when I was in Japan. I tried to recreate it based on memory of how it tasted.

• 1 cup greek yogurt
• 14.5 oz can of sliced pears in heavy syrup (dump the syrup in as well as the pears)
• 3 oz lime jello powder
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup milk

blend until homogenous

drink cold

Chicken Enchiladas (Cosby family recipe) (post made by Levi)

 Ingredients

*Note: almost all measurements here are not exact, whatever is available/cheap/on hand will probably work fine*

1-2 lbs chicken or equivalent size rotisserie, diced 

1 or 1/2 onion (type and amount depend on your preference), diced

1 block cream cheese, softened

1/2 pound pepper jack cheese, shredded

12 tortillas, cooked if not precooked (2 per person in our family, if you have fewer people you can scale the recipe to fit or just have more leftovers)

1 8 oz bag Frontera green chili enchilada sauce (or 10 oz can of Great Value enchilada sauce or whatever similar amount of green chile enchilada sauce you can find)

1 1/2 teaspoons Cumin (or until chicken is well seasoned in step 3)

1/2 teaspoon Chili powder (or until chicken is lightly seasoned in step 3)

Cream if desired

*make sure the ratio of cumin to chili powder is 3:1*

Recipe:

1. Sautee onions (use a large pan here if using raw chicken)

2. Add chicken, cook (unless using precooked chicken, in which case just add to onions and turn off heat)

3. Add seasonings, stir well, turn off heat. 

4. Add cream cheese. If not soft enough, microwave in 10 second increments until a thumb easily dents it

5. Add about 1/4 C of the sauce

6. Add a little of the pepper jack cheese

8. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray

9. If desired, drizzle bottom of pan with cream and some sauce

10. Fill each tortilla with ~3/4 C filling and roll up, place in bottom of pan side by side

11. Drizzle with rest of sauce, top with rest of pepper jack cheese

White Chicken Chili

 

Ingredients

4 servings

3

Tbsp. unsalted butter

2

Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1

medium onion, finely chopped

4

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1

lb. ground chicken, preferably dark meat

1½

tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

1

tsp. chili powder

1

tsp. ground cumin

½

tsp. ground coriander

Freshly ground pepper

2

4-oz. cans diced green chiles

2

15.5-oz. cans white beans, rinsed

3

cups low-sodium chicken broth

Sliced avocado, sour cream, cilantro leaves, sliced jalapeños, corn chips, and lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Heat 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter and 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high until butter is melted. Cook 1 medium onion, finely chopped, and 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 4–6 minutes. Add 1 lb. ground chicken, preferably dark meat, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. ground cumin, and ½ tsp. ground coriander; season with freshly ground pepper. Cook, stirring often and breaking up chicken with a wooden spoon, until combined and chicken is no longer pink, 3–4 minutes. Add two 4-oz. cans diced green chiles and cook, stirring often and continuing to break up chicken, until chicken is cooked through, 2–3 minutes. 

   Step 2

   Add two 15.5-oz. cans white beans, rinsed, and 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth to pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally and mashing some of the beans with spoon, until flavors are melded and chili is slightly thickened, 8–10 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

   Step 3

   Divide chili among bowls and top with sliced avocado, sour cream, cilantro leaves, sliced jalapeños, and corn chips. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

Balsamic Vinegar Zucchini

 This is my favorite way to eat zucchini.  I've been eating 2-3 zucchini a week lately, all from our one plant.  This even works when you miss one of those zucchini and it turns into a baseball bat.

• 1 medium zucchini
• 2 Tbsp. onion/garlic infused olive oil 
• Alternatively used 1-2 cloves chopped garlic and sauté in olive oil
• 3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

None of the measurements are particularly important and all can be adjusted for taste.

Chop the zucchini into 2-3 mm thick slices, saute in olive oil until they are starting to brown.  Add vinegar and allow it to boil off until it has been absorbed or thickened into a syrup ( depending on how much you have added).  Salt and pepper to taste.

This is great on its own, really good cold as a topping on a sandwich, and fantastic as a toping on a pizza.

Rice Pudding

 

This is a recipe for using it up when you have too much cooked rice.

Ingredients: 

• two bowls of cooked rice
• two cups of whole milk
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• a few handfuls of raisins or craisins
• about a teaspoon of vanilla extract I guess
• 1/3 tsp salt
• some cinnamon to taste

Cook the cooked rice, and most of the milk in a saucepan on medium for about 10 minutes, uncovered. It's okay if the rice has gotten a little dried out, because it will soak up the milk. You don't want high or you'll burn the milk. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 5 more minutes.

Vegetarian Thai Coconut Curry

This is not the prettiest picture, but it was yummy food! I saw a recipe for a sweet potato lentil curry that looked OK, but I thought I could make it better. Here's my version.

2 sweet potatoes

olive oil

salt

curry powder

chili powder

1 C dry lentils

2 C water or broth (I used chicken broth)

1 yellow or red onion

2 cloves garlic

1-2 inch knob of ginger

2 bell peppers

1 can coconut milk

1 1/2 TBSP Thai red curry paste

fresh basil or cilantro

2 1/2 C uncooked rice

1. Preheat the oven to 400.* Get your rice cooking.

2. Cut the sweet potatoes into 1-inch cubes and spread on two half-sheet pans. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt, curry powder, and chili powder (about half as much as the amount of curry powder). Toss till they're fully coated and spread them out evenly on the pan.

3. Bake for 20 min, turn them over, and bake for 10 more min. 

4. While the potatoes are roasting, pour the lentils in a small pot. Cover with the two cups of liquid and bring to a boil. Then turn it to low and let it simmer. 

5. Meanwhile, dice the onion and saute in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat till soft, about five minutes. While it's cooking, mince the garlic, grate the ginger, and cut your bell peppers into 1/2" squares.

6. Toss the garlic and ginger in with the onions and stir for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the bell peppers and cook for 2 more minutes or until slightly softened.

7. Pour the lentils and any remaining liquid into the onion/pepper mixture and stir to combine.

8. Open the can of coconut milk and add it to the sauce pan. Stir in red curry paste. Let it simmer until the sweet potatoes are done cooking.

9. Once the sweet potatoes are out of the oven, check the lentils for tenderness. They may need up to 5 more minutes to soften to your desired texture. Mince your fresh herbs.

10. Once the lentils are done cooking, add the sweet potatoes and herbs to the pan and heat through for 1-2 more min. 

11. Serve over rice, with a side of garlic naan to entice any skeptical children to the table.

 

Fruit slush

 1 1/2 C sugar

2 C boiling water

2 small cans orange juice (reconstituted)

2 small cans undrained crushed pineapple

6 bananas, mashed

1 small jar maraschino cherries

1 large box frozen strawberries

Dissolve sugar into boiling water. Add other ingredients and mix well. Put into freezable containers (paper cups). Set out 30 minutes before serving. 

No-Knead Focaccia Bread

 

1 (¼-oz.) envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.)

2 tsp. honey

5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour

5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt

6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands

Flaky sea salt

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for pan

2-4 garlic cloves

Step 1

Whisk yeast, honey, and 2½ cups lukewarm water in a medium bowl and let sit 5 minutes. Add flour and salt; mix with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms and no dry streaks remain.

Step 2

Pour 4 Tbsp. oil into the biggest bowl that will fit in your refrigerator. Transfer dough to bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with a silicone lid or plastic wrap and chill until dough is doubled in size (it should look very bubbly and alive), at least 8 hours and up to 1 day.

Step 3

Generously butter a 13x9" baking pan (for thicker focaccia that’s perfect for sandwiches) or an 18x13" rimmed baking sheet. Pour 1 Tbsp. oil into center of pan. Keeping the dough in the bowl, gather up edges of dough farthest from you and lift up and over into center of bowl. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat process. Do this 2 more times; you want to deflate dough while you form it into a rough ball. (Using a fork in each hand makes this process even easier and less messy!)

Step 4

Transfer dough to prepared pan. Pour any oil left in bowl over the dough and coat it in oil. Let rise, uncovered, in a dry, warm spot until doubled in size, at least 1½ hours and up to 4 hours. To see if it’s ready, poke the dough with your finger. The dough should spring back slowly, leaving a small visible indentation. If it springs back quickly, the dough isn’t ready. (If at this point the dough is ready to bake but you aren’t, you can chill it up to 1 hour.)

Step 5

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 450°F. Lightly oil your hands. If using a rimmed baking sheet, gently stretch out dough to fill (you may not need to do this if using a baking pan). Dimple focaccia all over with your fingers, as if you’re aggressively playing the piano, creating very deep depressions in the dough. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake focaccia until puffed and golden brown all over, 20–30 minutes.

Step 6

Melt 4 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and grate in garlic (use 2 cloves if you’re garlic-shy or up to 4 if you love it). Return to medium heat and cook, stirring often, until garlic is just lightly toasted, about 45 seconds. Brush garlic butter all over focaccia. If you don’t want to serve the focaccia immediately, hold off on brushing so it remains crisp.

From: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/easy-no-knead-focaccia

Sour Cream Raisin Pie

I grew up having this pie for Thanksgiving every year. My Dads' mom made it every year as well. 

1       cup raisins                             

3/4     cup sugar                               

1       cup sour cream                      

3       Tbsp. corn starch                    

2      eggs separated

1     tsp vanilla

1     Tbsp butter

1/2   tsp salt

Add sugar to raisins in a sauce pan.  Barely cover with water and simmer until tender, (it just takes a few minutes).  Add sour cream and bring to a boil.  Thicken with cornstarch that is thinned with cream ( my grandma used cream, my mom used milk so pick which you prefer. I usually use milk).  Add egg yolks and cook 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add vanilla, butter and salt.  Cool.  Pour into a baked shell.  Cover with meringue. 

I grew up with French meringue. I never liked it, but this year I tried a Swiss meringue and it was amazing. Next year I might try an Italian meringue. 

Here's the Swiss meringue recipe. 

4 large eggs, whites only

200g of caster sugar (I used regular sugar because that's what I had at the time)

1 pinch of salt

Bring a pan of water to a gentle simmer

Combine the egg whites and sugar in a metal or glass bowl and place over a pan of water. Gently whisk until the sugar has dissolved or a temperature probe reads 80°C (about 8 minutes). If you don't have a thermometer, you can pinch some of the mixture between your fingers, if you can still feel grains of sugar, it needs a little longer

Remove the bowl from a heat and either transfer to a stand mixer with whisk attachment or use an electric whisk on medium setting to whip up the egg whites into a thick, glossy Swiss meringue

The meringue is now ready to transfer to a piping bag to make it easier to use

Brown Butter Creamy Apple Pie

One of the pies I make every Thanksgiving.

 

Ingredients

Filling

• 1/4cup Butter
• 1/2cup granulated sugar
• 1Egg
• 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1teaspoon vanilla
• 5cups sliced peeled apples (5 medium) : I like a mix of granny smith and honeycrisp

Crust

This is a pillsbury recipe, so they recommend:

• 1crust from 1 package (12 oz) frozen Pillsbury™ Deep Dish Pie Crusts (2 Count)
• But I've made my own crust or used a roll-out pillsbury crust and they've both been fine

Streusel -- I double this and use as much as I want to cover the pie. 

• 1/2cup  all-purpose flour
• 1/4cup granulated sugar
• 1/4cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4cup cold butter
• 
  

• 1
  Heat oven to 400°F. Place cookie sheet in oven to heat. In 1-quart saucepan, cook 1/4 cup butter over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted and lightly browned. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• 2
  In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup granulated sugar and the egg with wire whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 tablespoons flour and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in cooled butter. Gently stir in apples. Pour into crust-lined pie plate.
• 3
  In medium bowl, stir together all streusel ingredients except butter. With pastry blender or fork, cut in 1/4 cup butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apples. Place pie on cookie sheet in oven.
• 4
  Bake 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F, and cover edge of crust with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake 40 to 50 minutes longer or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cool 2 hours.