Spaghetti Carbonara with Leeks and Pancetta

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti $
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 1/2 cup chopped pancetta (about 2 ounces)
• 2 cups thinly sliced leek (about 2 large)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
2. Combine cheese, pepper, salt, egg, and egg white in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add the reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.
3. Cook pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove pancetta from pan, reserving drippings in pan; set pancetta aside. Add leek to drippings in pan, and sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic to pan; sauté for 1 minute. Add pasta, cheese mixture, and pancetta to pan; reduce heat, and cook 1 minute, tossing well to coat. Cook 1 minute. Sprinkle with parsley; serve immediately.

Jeanne Kelley, Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2007

amish breakfast casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound sliced bacon, diced 1 medium sweet onion, chopped 6 eggs, lightly beaten 4 cups frozen shredded hash brown

potatoes, thawed 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese 1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Directions:

1.	In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion until bacon is crisp; drain. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir in bacon mixture. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.
2.	Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash

• 1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 ounces pancetta, diced
• 1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.

Hash Brown Egg Bake

1 (32 ounce) package frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed 1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt 8 eggs 2 cups milk 1 dash paprika

Directions:

1.

In a large bowl, combine hash browns, bacon, 1/2 cup cheese and salt. Spoon into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. In a bowl, beat eggs and milk until smooth; pour over hash brown mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes until golden. Top with the remaining cheese.

Fish Baked with Leeks

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A lovely choice for a memorable summer meal, this delightfully simple dish showcases the flavor and texture of gently steamed fish.

Yield: 4

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds leeks, trimmed, washed and chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, or chicken or fish stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (optional)
• About 1 1/2 pounds cod, salmon or other fish fillet, about 1 inch thick

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scatter leeks over the bottom of an ovenproof casserole. Mix with wine or stock, salt, pepper and mustard. Top with fish, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover casserole.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until a thin-bladed knife meets little or no resistance when inserted into thickest part of fish. Uncover, and serve the fish with leeks and pan juices spooned over.

Fish with Creamy Leeks

1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup water, divided
4 (6-ounce) pieces thick white-fish fillets such as pollock or Pacific cod, skinned
1 tablespoon chopped dill

Whisk together sour cream and flour.

Wash leeks, then put in a large heavy skillet with butter, 1/3 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover with parchment, then with a lid, and simmer over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until leeks are tender, about 10 minutes.

Stir in sour-cream mixture and remaining 1/3 cup water.

Season fish with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then add to leeks and cook, covered with parchment and lid, until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve sprinkled with dill.

Baked Fish With Leeks & Almonds

Ingredients

• 2 6 ounces white fish fillets, such as tilapia, flounder or halibut
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon slivered almonds
• 1 leek, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• Lemon pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Rub fillets with olive oil and season with lemon pepper to taste.

3. Cover each fillet with circles of thinly sliced leek. Sprinkle with almonds.

4. Seal in heavy-duty foil; bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

5. Serve with lemon wedges.

Zucchini Tots

Zucchini Tots, a photo by raylynntexas on Flickr.

  The original name for these was Zucchini Bites, which was okay. But when these were baking, they smelled just like tater tots. I changed up the recipe a little (by using seasoned bread crumbs,parm. cheese, & I drained the zucchini) so I decided to change the name too and called them "Zucchini Tots instead.And "tots" does mean small and these are small (baked in a mini muffin pan) so the name fits.

Zucchini Bites

Recipe adapted: The Naptime Chef

yields: 12 mini muffins

1 cups zucchini, grated
1 egg
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup cheese (cheddar or Parmesan work the best)
1/4 cup bread crumbs - I used Italian style
Salt and Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a mini-muffin tin with non-stick spray, set aside.
2. Grate the zucchini and then place in a dish towel to squeeze out the excess water- like when using frozen spinach; if you skip this part, the middle of the zucchini tots will be really soggy while the outside gets crispy and no one wants that.
3. In a bowl combine, the egg, onion, cheese, bread crumbs, zucchini, salt and pepper.
4. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop, fill the muffin cups to the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the top is browned and set.

http://curiouscountrycook.blogspot.com/2012/03/zucchini-tots.html

Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

Almond Butter Dark Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies

Makes about 16 cookies

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup bittersweet or dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

On medium speed, cream together the butter, almond butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips.

Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

http://www.madebymichellec.com/?p=3677

balsamic vinagrette

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar, optional*
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup olive oil

Beat the vinegar in a bowl with the optional sugar, garlic, salt and pepper until sugar and salt dissolves. Then beat in the oil by droplets, whisking constantly. (Or place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine.) Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Toss a few tablespoons of the dressing with the salad mix and desired salad ingredients, top with blue cheese and serve immediately.

If not using dressing right away, cover and refrigerate, whisking or shaking again before use.

*If using a good quality balsamic vinegar you should not need the sugar, but if using a lesser quality you might want the sugar to round out the dressing.