Substitutions or Additions

I’ve been loving my Breakfast Pockets for my morning start – made my latest batch with bacon (instead of sausage), adding a 10 oz box of chopped spinach (defrosted and squeezed dry) and of course, a grating of nutmeg. OMG – even better than the original! [NOTE: the original link from Budget Gourmet Mom has gone inactive - here's the basics]

All that means is that it has a crust. It can be bread, phyllo/filo, or in most cases, puffed pastry. Wrap dough around it, bake, and it’s “en croute”. Technically, those amazing breakfast sandwiches I've been enjoying could be called "déjeuner en croute" I’m hoping that you can get tons of inspiration from this article from Project Foodie. There are recipes for Italian Sausage and Provolone “Flat Pie”, a Mushroom, Garlic and Rosemary version, and a Caprese delight, which an internet acquaintance of mine wrote about: “I made mine with caramelized onions, garlic, fresh basil and tomatoes from my garden and mozzarella cheese because my friend is vegetarian so I wanted to accommodate her.” “It's very versatile and you can pretty much alter it whatever way you like. “ I heartily agree! Try your own version sometime soon.

This was something that "just happened" and worked out! Looking through the cupboard, thinking about the "green bean casserole" from TV, and realizing I had all but 3 of the 3 ingredients - no green beans, no mushroom soup, no canned onions. Hmmmm...

i did have Kidney Beans and Cream of Celery soup, so what the heck, the worst that would happen is we threw it out if the dog wouldn't eat it. So I combined

1 large can Red Kidney Beans, drained
1 small can Cream of Celery soup concentrate
2 Tbl dried minced onions

combine ingredients in a casserole dish, stir to break up the soup.
bake at 400 until done, about 15-20 minutes.

Honestly, it's not the prettiest creation I've made, but it was delicious! Even the finicky teen-ager said "wow dad, this is good!"

Enjoy
[Submitted by Howard D]

I’d planned an elegant meal for New Years’ Eve – but something else decided it needed my time. Not wanting a mundane meal, I realized that I had almost all the ingredients for Kentucky Hot Browns! Half ‘n’ half was a good sub for heavy cream (fewer calories, too!), and my latest batch of English muffins made a great base. Oh my, it was good Reminded me of the Welsh Rarebit of my youth… Don’t worry – I’ll still make that meal I had planned! Trust me - you won’t want to miss it.

Spare time before a Holiday is dangerous – at least for me. Having made or prepped and wrapped everything AHEAD OF TIME (a first!) left me wanting to do just one thing more… Wanting something a little sweet and tart to contrast the heavier, richer fare, cranberries seemed the perfect seasonal choice. I found this recipe for Cranberry Salsa - how perfect! Just a slight problem – I didn’t have some of the ingredients. That’s never stopped me before, so I used onion instead of scallions, bell pepper instead of cilantro/parsley (still adds the freshness, though a slightly different flavor), and I was short about a cup of fresh cranberries – craisins to the rescue! I pulsed all those ingredients together, then added the sugar, ginger, lemon juice, jalapeno… The recipe is right about not tasting it too soon – WAY too spicy and tart… Let it rest four hours (or overnight) and it mellows beautifully. You still get that slight kick of heat, but served with cream cheese and buttery crackers, I think this will become a keeper!

Every good party needs a special something for dessert. If you’re looking for a delicious ending for your event, here are some you might want to try. Let’s start with something traditional, yet a little different - Warm Gingerbread Cake with a Caramel Topping! Perfect for a classic Christmas gathering. Now, I consider cheesecake to be the unofficial “king” of desserts. You won’t believe how easy it is to get a dramatic appearance using this method for a Zebra Cheesecake. Seriously – it has stripes both outside and in! Now, this is a Japanese style cheesecake, which is much lighter and less sweet than what us Americans are used to, but what an entrance?! Personally, I would use a little food coloring and mint extract to the “white” stripes, to make it a “candy cane” for the holidays… Speaking of mint, here’s a no-bake, simple Chocolate and Peppermint Cheesecake - great to have at any occasion, but especially around the holidays. And why not an Eggnog Cheesecake? Now, I just devoured the last slice of my luscious birthday cake - Lemon Glazed Cheesecake, lovingly prepared by Papa… Too good! So – what are YOU making?

More on the idea of December gatherings – here are some simple, yet elegant examples of finger foods that are served cold. This first is a classic Fruit Salsa, served with cinnamon pita chips. Feel free to mix and match the fruit choices – just save anything that might brown (apples, bananas) for the last minute. In the comments I found that some thought this was too sweet, and alternatives like using marmalade, eliminating some or all the sugar, or adding lemon juice abounded – so I’d go light on the sweet stuff to start. You can read more for yourself Chips can be made way ahead, and all but oxide-prone fruits can be assembled a few days ahead. Do you have a knife, a peeler and a melon-baller or round spoon? Then you can make Cucumber Cups! This recipe suggests a spicy crab filling, but if that’s out of your budget, something as simple as a cream cheese flavored with garlic and dill would be awesome. By purchasing long, slender cukes, you can make more, smaller portions... Especially with a simple yet delicious filling, you don’t want the cucumber to overwhelm – so cut them as short as you feel comfortable handling. If well wrapped, the cups can be made a few days ahead, as well as your filling. I’d wait to combine the two until that day. Now this one I love, and have never seen before - Cheese Stuffed Zucchini Rolls! The “trick” is to thinly slice your zucchini lengthwise, and then grill them. Don’t want to use your grill in December? As I just recently heard someone state, “your broiler is an upside down grill”. Go for it! You want the slices slightly cooked and flexible – a touch of charring won’t hurt at all. After they’ve cooled, add blobs of cheese on one end, roll up, and stick with a toothpick. Done. Stand on end to serve, like a vegetarian sushi of sorts. Pack them close together and store wrapped in your fridge until serving time. These are some “different” ideas, at least to me, to help get you inspired. Let us know what YOU come up with?

Okay, I know that I’ve had my fill of poultry for a while – so here’s an option for something a little different. How about pork, veggies and mashed potatoes – all cooked up in one easy dish? Then try Michael Symon’s Pork Pie. Yes, this is a variation on Shepherd’s Pie. In less than an hour (30 minutes if you have leftover mashed potatoes) you can have this gorgeous meal ready to serve. What could be better than that? WELL… I did something stupid – I started my potatoes to boil, and then forgot about them?!?! I can’t TELL you how black that saucepan is… No other potatoes, no instant (which I use in breads – and I even asked my neighbors), I still decided to proceed. Just before I added the cheese, I tasted – for me, it needed a touch more spice, so in went some red pepper flakes. THEN I found out that I didn't have nearly as much cheddar cheese as I had thought!?!! As I had tons of moz… You guessed it – the moz browned way too quickly, at least faster than the time stated. But oh, my – this surely tastes great!

December is full of social events – from family gatherings to office parties to holiday events with your friends – and more times than not, we’re asked to bring something. I’ve found a lot of great “finger food” recipes that I’ll be sharing. Here are three that are based on bread, listed from the simplest to the one where you bake your own (and even that one, you could probably buy a baguette) – none are at all difficult The title of this one says it all - Stuffed Baguette. You buy a loaf, slice the ends off, hollow out the center… and then fill it with your favorite creamy mix. Think sandwich fillings: ham salad, chicken salad, tuna salad – the original recipe uses a salami and olive blend, sure to please. Chill, slice, and serve. Want something hot and gooey? Buy a round loaf of sourdough bread and follow the instructions for Cheddar Bacon Ranch pull apart bread! I can easily see substituting pepperoni and provolone or moz… What fun! You’ve gotta check the pictures! BTW, the author refers to this as “Crack Bread”… Okay, now this one has you making your own bread – a fairly straightforward recipe if you’ve ever made any kind of bread – and why not? You then cut slices the entire length (use a chopstick on either side of the loaf to prevent you from cutting all the way through) and then stuff tiny slices of cheese in each slit, and slather the entire thing with a garlic and herb butter. You bake just a touch longer – at your hosts’ if not at home… Simple, elegant… can you say “YUMMMM”? Ladies and gents, we’re in for a fun culinary season – stay tuned.

I’m talking fairly plain or sweetened – nothing savory for this dish. A little salt and pepper is okay, but onions that haven’t been caramelized just wouldn’t work because... Today we’re making Pumpkin French Toast! Uh, not JUST French Toast – we’re topping it with Apple Cider Syrup and candied pecans. Are you drooling yet? I know, I know – we all promised to be “good” between the holidays… But this is so tasty – easy enough for a Sunday brunch, elegant enough to serve to friends. All right, if your conscience is winning, just store the leftovers in a well marked container in your freezer – I’ll let you wait until another time, if you must