Quickie Cabbage Rolls

So I have never really been a fan of cabbage.  Until we grew our own this summer!  With some luscious cabbage to use up, I looked around for cabbage recipes and found this one at aubreyswanblog.  It was delicious!  My teen boys loved it, and that is pretty high praise.

Cut up cabbage and place in greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Meanwhile, brown hamburger and drain the grease.

Add a chopped onion, a jar of spaghetti sauce, one cup of uncooked rice, 3 cups of water, and salt and pepper to taste.  Let simmer for 10 minutes for flavors to meld and rice to begin cooking.

Transfer meat mixture to the casserole pan, and cover the cabbage with it.  Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for 90 minutes.   I have baked for less time in a hotter oven.

Garnish with cheese if desired, sour cream, or any other toppings you wish!

 

Chicken Florentine Pasta

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman's cooking blog, and it was WONDERFUL!  Very delicious, and it made me feel healthy. :-)  She has much better pictures, and a much better description, so you should just hop on over to her blog and read it there....

but for those of you committed to staying here, here is the list of ingredients:

1 pound of penne
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine (didn't have any so I skipped this)
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 bag of baby spinach
2 cups grape tomatoes, cut length-wise
4 ounces of parmesan cheese, shaved with vegetable peeler (did not have chunk parmesan, just grated parmesan for spaghetti, so I used that ~ it doesn't look nearly as nice, but it tastes good!)

Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain, and set aside.

Cut the chicken into bite sized chunks, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add to skillet on high heat with butter and olive oil.  Lay flat in one layer and let the chicken cook on one side for a couple minutes.  Turn chicken over and cook on the other side.  Let the pieces cook through until they are nice and done.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.   Turn heat down and add garlic to pan, stirring it around so it doesn't burn.  Pour in the white wine (if using) and chicken broth (double the amount of chicken broth if not using wine).  Allow the liquid to bubble up, and then cook so it is reduced by at least half.   Turn off the heat.

Add spinach, tomatoes, chicken, and cooked pasta to the skillet.  Toss to combine.  The spinach will wilt a bit as you toss with the hot chicken and pasta (and this is a good thing).  Add parmesan shavings (or grated parmesan) and toss again.

Voila!  Chicken florentine pasta!  Thank you Pioneer Woman!

Fresh Raw Tomatoes with Basil

Here is a simple way to use up the last of your fresh garden tomatoes, and it's sooooo good!!!


Ingredients:

Fresh Tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Parmesan Cheese, sliced
Garlic Expressions salad dressing

Slice up tomatoes and cheese. Layer around a plate. Cut up some basil and sprinkle over tomatoes/cheese. Dribble some garlic expressions salad dressing over everything. Chill, and serve! Soooo delicious!

(thanks to my friend Lisa for the Garlic Expressions recommendation!)

Canning Tomatoes

With the abundance of tomatoes from our garden, I canned tomatoes for the first time this summer! I have always wanted to, but thought that I needed a pressure cooker for tomatoes, and I only have a hot water bath canner. After reading through the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, however, I realized that I was mistaken. I gave it a try, and it's really easy! I was able to process one batch (10 pints) in just a couple hours, doing other things during the 40 minutes they were boiling.


I even felt the freedom to forego some of the instructions and just do what was easiest. I did not blanche the tomatoes first (as recommended in the book, for ease in peeling the skins off) because I did not take the skins off. I didn't even cook them. I just cut them up and plopped the pieces into a pan with a tiny bit of water to warm them up a little. Then I spooned them into warm jars. As with all canning, it is very important that the jars, lids, and food and/or liquid going into the jars is all warm, or the lids may not seal properly. Here are some of the jars keeping hot in a kettle of simmering water.


Before spooning the tomatoes into the jars, I added 1 T of vinegar to each jar. This increases the acidity of the tomatoes. If the acid content is too low, they will not preserve well by this hot water bath method. Foods that are naturally low in acid must have their acidity increased for the hot water bath method, or canned using a pressure cooker. For increasing acidity you can use either 1 T of vinegar or 1 T of bottled lemon juice (not fresh) per pint jar. If you are using quart jars, increase this amount to 2 T.

Then I added the tomatoes and poured some of the juicy water that the tomatoes were keeping warm in, over the tomatoes to within 1/2 inch of the top of the jar. Next I added 1/2 tsp of salt to each jar (this is optional).


I put the jars into my large canning kettle, brought it to a boil, covered the kettle and let them boil for 40 minutes.

Voila!


I was not happy with all the liquid at the bottom of the jars. Obviously I could have packed them a little tighter with tomatoes. But all in all I was pleased with how easy this was and I can't wait to add jars of our own garden-fresh tomatoes to some soup recipes this winter!

Potato Slices on the Grill

At votemom's request, here is a new recipe. ;-) (finally!)

We frequently grill during the summer, as I'm sure you do too. These potato slices on the grill are a bit tedious to prepare, but they are sooooo worth it after they are cooked!

Slice up several potatoes. Stand them one slice at a time on a large piece of foil, and sprinkle each side with a bit of garlic powder and parsley flakes (or any kind of specialty spice or rub ~ I have two spices from Two Sisters Gourmet called over the edge herbed spinach and outrageously garlic blend that are perfect for this!).


Add a few small dollops of butter to the package. You don't want to add too much, but just enough to add a hint of the yummy butter taste, and to prevent sticking. Seal foil tightly. I usually double wrap so the butter doesn't all leak out. Grill as desired.


Unwrap and enjoy!