Chestnut and Bacon Dressing

Posted on November 2, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

[Editor’s Note: Posted Kacy’s awesome Butternut Squash and Spinach Orzo recipe in our Easy Fish and Vegetarian Recipes Page ]

AND STUFF

Back in November 1996, I found in the Gourmet Magazine the best Thanksgiving dressing recipe I had ever seen.  I have served their Chestnut and Bacon Dressing for every Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey dinner since.

For the first ten years or so I made the Chestnut and Bacon Dressing with chestnuts in the shell.  I would cook them in the oven, and then break the shells, and pick the sharp pieces off with my fingers.  The procedure was time consuming and painful, but worth the price. Then I discovered shelled vacuum packed chestnuts at Trader Joes.  From that point on all I had to do was chop the chestnuts.  Very easy.

The other day I began thinking about how to make the recipe even easier.  The original Gourmet Magazine recipe requires breaking up and cooking thick crusted country bread in the oven for 20 minutes until golden in color.  I have done this every time I made the dressing, until now.  Or more accurately, until just about now. I found country style sliced bread at the store, and I figured why not toast the bread to a nice golden color in the toaster, and then break it up into bite size pieces. Just to make certain the bread was hard enough, I decided to place the pieces in the microwave for 30 seconds or so.  So now the second hardest part of the recipe is done in maybe 3 minutes without fear of burning the bread in the oven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But, here’s the hitch.  After making the bread pieces I discovered that I didn’t have vacuum packed chestnuts in the house (I had some chestnuts with shells on, but that defeats the goal of Easy Recipes). So  I shot over to Trader Joes. Uh oh, they did not have any either.  I was told they might get some the next day.  I can report they didn’t get the shipment.  So I went to Whole Foods and, again no luck they were out also.

Yesterday I finally found chestnuts and test cooked the recipe.  The toasted bread worked just fine and saved me a lot of time.

EASY RECIPE    

(modified from original Gourmet Magazine recipe – 1996)     

6 C torn bite size pieces of bread – baked or toasted to golden color.

6 Bacon slices cooked in large fry pan (buy bacon slices from the Butcher much thicker than packaged bacon)

4 Celery Ribs – chopped

3/4 lb vacuum packed shelled Chestnuts – chopped

1/4 C Italian Parsley – minced

2 Onions – Diced

1/4 C unsalted butter (half stick)

2 C Chicken Broth

Preparation:           

Remove cooked bacon from fry pan, add onions and celery to the bacon grease.  Stir and when soft add the rosemary, stir and then the  chopped chestnuts. Stir for minute or so remove from heat.

Chop the bacon up add it back into the soft vegetables.

Place the bread in 4 Qt oven dish that has been buttered (left over butter add to the cooking vegetables while cooking, see above).  Add the vegetables, stir, and then add the parsley and stir again.  Finally drizzle the chicken broth over the mixture.

Cover with foil, and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Remove foil and cook an additional 30 minutes.

And that’s it, you just made an easy recipe wonderful dressing for your Thanksgiving feast.    How cool is that, an easy Thanksgiving meal for a small family or group of  friends .

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

               

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GNOCCHI WITH GORGONZOLA AND TUNA

Posted on October 25, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPES

The easy recipe this week is kind of a modern version of the dreaded tuna fish casserole that people my age endured when young.  But unlike the old school, I decided to make an easy fun family meal loaded with wonderful Gorgonzola cheese, a little canned tuna, and minimal herbs.  All in all the perfect go to family meal. I have test cooked this dish with my wife and son and can report it was a hit.  So, follow the step by step recipe and you will create a great fun family meal.   

Ingedients                   

 

 

 

 

 

1/2 Cup Cream  

1/8 Cup Sherry                        

 

4 oz Gorgonzola cheese – broken up

7 0z can Albacore Tuna -in water not oil -drain and break apart tuna

1/3 tsp Thyme

1/2 tsp of Chives diced (and more for garnish)

1 clove Garlic diced

3 Green Onions diced   

2 Tbsp Caper – drained   

1 Tbsp Olive Oil 

17 oz package of of Gnocchi

salt and pepper to taste

Parmesean – shaved

Preparation 

This is a very fast meal once everything is diced and prepared, so make sure everyone who is going to be eating is home before you start the cooking.

In a large 5 Qt pan start heating water to boil for gnocchi. When at boil turn down to high simmer to keep water temp up.  Do not put gnocchi in the water yet. 

In a high sided fry pan heat the olive oil to simmer temperature and briefly saute the onions.  Turn heat down to low add the Cherry and stir, then add the cream and stir. Add the Thyme and Capers. 

Bring the 5 Qt pot of water to a boil and add the gnocchi. They are done when floating on top of the water.

Next to the fry pan add the Gorgonzola broken into to pieces to assist with melting, to the creamy mixture and keep stirring the mixture so cheese does not burn. When cheese is melted stir in the tuna fish, keep gently stirring.

Drain the water from the gnocchi pot, through a colander, and place the cooked gnocchi into the fry pan and gently stir.

Plate individual servings, add a touch of Chive for garnish and top each serving with shaved parmesean.   You have just made a fine dinner in no time that kids and adults are going to love.    

AND STUFF

If you ride the snow you know last winter was epic.  This winter looks good, but who knows.

Last year, our friend Kacy and family went up for the Christmas light show in Mammoth the day before us.  I got a text from her while sitting in my office stating that the snow line was at oh about 40oo feet, and next she texted saying chains were on.

I am at my desk, my son  is at half day of school, and She Who Must Be Obeyed is at work in the Westside. I am staring at  my watch waiting for the time to pick the boy up from half day of school. 

Done, I have him, and the rain in LA is coming down like crazy (note; this is usually a good thing for Mammoth). We inch our way down the 405 to the Westside, pick the little lady up at her office, and roll for Mammoth.

Ok roll was a bit strong, we inched our way toward Mammoth in the downpour. It took at least an hour to get from the Westside to the turn off.  The rain was still pouring. After the turn off the speed picked up to maybe 30 or 40 mph.  We were flying.

We called Kacy and told her we had broken out of LA, and asked her how it was in Mammoth.  Then we learned the snow was epic, deep, and dumping.

To be clear, a snow dump is always good, but when Lancaster is an hour away and it is 4:00 in the afternoon one must weigh the options.  Should we fight our way through the last 38 miles up the mountain to Mammoth in the dark, or do we stay in Bishop?

Well, it rained the entire way to Bishop, and that meant if was dumping in the dark the entire way to Mammoth.  If I was younger and did not have my wife and son  in the SUV, no problem.  But, the adult in me, along with  Sue instructing that we should  do the climb in the day light, meant we would stay in the best motel in Bishop we could find.

The motel we chose in Bishop was really nice, and close to food. We had a late dinner and then settled into our room for a little cable tv.  We watched the end to Elf, which is one of my son’s favorite Christmas movies. We told our son to click the channels for another movie and -boom- he found the middle of  the Sound of Music. So a super special family night was taking shape on our snow delayed stay over in Bishop.

Well, in our jammies and 1 1/2 movies under our belts we said to the boy, hit the remote for another movie…… and then we froze.  Sue was the first to speak, yelling “shut your eyes”, I was right behind her yelling “change the channel!!” Seems the motel did not block the porno channel, so lets just say it was showing the content it was supposed to be showing.

Well, once the channel was changed we all had a big laugh. I do not know why, but to this very day, although my son and I always suggest staying in Bishop, She Who Must Be Obeyed now says regardless of weather  “go for it to Mammoth its only 38 miles”. 

I bet we are not the first to have had such an experience on a trip.  Why not tell your funny story about your trip gone wild.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger                                          

 

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EASY SHRIMP AND ASPARAGUS STIR FRY

Posted on October 17, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

The easy recipe this week is a snap to make but the meal will please family and friends. My Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry was made in a traditional Wok but if you do not own one, you could use a deep fry pan with a cover.

So, let’s get going here is the step by step recipe for four:

Ingredients:

1 lb Shrimp (uncooked)

8 Asparagus – cut into 1 inch sections    

1 C sliced Mushrooms

½ C Red Bell Pepper – julienne sliced

4 Green Onions – chopped

1 head Broccoli

1 tsp Garlic – minced

1 ½ C BOTAN CALROSE RICE

1/4 C  Canola Oil

3 Tbsp (or so) spicy stir fry sauce (I used Trader Joe’s General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce)

Soy Sauce                                                             

Dash of Dried Red Pepper

Stiracho Hot Chili Sauce (added at table as wanted)

Preparation:

Rinse rice, drain, place in pot add two cups water, bring to boil, cover and lower heat to low simmer for 15 minutes.

Rinse and de-vein the shrimp. Take care to dry the shrimp on a paper towel so water does not burst when making contact with hot oil. 

Place the Canola Oil in the Wok and heat at high.  As oil heats swivel Wok to coat interior with oil.  When oil is very hot place shrimp in Wok.  Stir shrimp, for a minute until they turn pinkish, add the stir fry sauce and stir. Add all vegetables.  Drizzle a little soy sauce over the vegetables, stir and cover for two or so minutes (stirring occasionally) until vegetables are softened. Turn heat on Wok off leaving cover on.

Place serving of rice on each plate, top rice with shrimp and vegetables, and serve with sides of soy sauce, chili sauce, and hot mustard.

That’s it you just made wonderful shrimp stir fry that your family will love.

AND STUFF

I have only taken one ocean cruise, or perhaps more accurately stated one booze cruise. The booze cruise went from  San Diego to Ensenada, Mexico  and back in less the 20 hours. 

At the time I was a senior associate in a law firm with offices in San Diego and Irvine. One night after work and over drinks I suggested that a no partner mixer for the two offices would be fun. I had read about a cruise from SD to Ensenada that included all meals, and a few hours in Ensenada. We could get the event done in one day. My buddy John suggested black tie attire for the dinner, others suggested sneaking our own Bloody Mary’s aboard.  We would get one small private room so we would have a place to change clothes, and pour Bloody Mary’s.  Oh yeah, the plan was coming together. 

We started arriving at the harbor early in the morning.  We had a great turn out with 7 associates and their significant other showing up for the cruise. Back then security was not an issue, so we shuffled through the ticket line (booze in bags), showed ID and went up the boarding plank. We immediately stowed our bags in our group room, and started exploring the ship. 

The ship was “great”.  It had a nice casino, one large dinning area, and a bar dance area. The trip was shaping up.  First thing we decided to do was hit the breakfast buffet before leaving port. Likely a good idea, as there was tons of food choices to steel our stomachs for the booze and cruise. 

Next, we found ourselves in the bar having purchased beverages, just as the ship sailed past the harbor break wall and into open water.  The boat lurched to one side, spilling any drink not being held at the moment.  Things looked bad if the boat was going to rock like that all the way to Ensenada.  To our relief it was then announced over the speakers that the ship always lurches as it enters the open ocean, but that the stabilizers would shortly counteract the rocking. Thankfully the stabilizers worked, thus making the world safe for cocktails. 

There is probably only one thing worse than a group of lawyers dancing (never a pretty sight), and that is a group of lawyers drinking all the way to Ensenada and then upon arrival, disembarking the ship to explore, what else …. Mexican Bars.     

Thankfully at that time there were no cell phone cameras, thus making the world safe for stupidity.  Without cell phone cameras one could later make plausible denials as to the events which were to unfold.  Let’s just say that at one bar there was a fire pole from the second to the first floor, and initially there was a great deal of lawyerly talk of liability and  laughter about the lack of safety concerns in the bar.  

However, after numerous shots, and other drinks, the group concluded that the fire pole through the hole in the floor probably wasn’t that dangerous.  So off we went through the hole and down the fire pole.  Piece of cake.  Next we discovered that it was possible to climb up the pole.  And finally, (naturally) we found the pole so safe that we were sliding down it head first.  Excellent, what could go wrong!  Surprisingly, the outing did end well with everyone finding their way safely back to the ship. 

Being quite young at the time, energy was not an issue so even after our long day of debauchery, we were able to dress for our formal dinner. The meal was huge (likely a very good thing).  After dinner we hit the black jack tables and slots, followed by music and dancing. 

At the end of the cruise everyone went their own way, but from that day forward, the associates that took part in the booze cruise had a great bond and lots to quietly talk about at firm meetings.    

So, while enjoying your Shrimp and Asparagus Stir Fry why not compare notes on an adventure or two you survived!     

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger                                          

 

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Denny’s Wild Rice with Fish

Posted on October 10, 2011 by easyrecipesandstuffc

 

EASY RECIPE

Norwegio is back with an easy recipe for fish with wild rice that is perfect for that special meal for two. His step by step recipe is easy to follow and is a proven favorite!

Denny’s Wild Rice w/fish

 Ingredients:      (for 2 servings)

½ cup of wild rice                                                                                                        

1 cup of chicken or beef stock or broth

2 garlic cloves (minced)                                             

2 stalks of chopped celery

1 yellow or red pepper (chopped)                            

¼ cup chopped onion

1 can of water chestnuts                                             

1/8 cup of shredded fresh basil                     

2 cups of sliced mushrooms                                      

salt and pepper

½ cup of cashews 

 

2 walleye or tilapia filets                                               

Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic  

Cooking Directions:

Place 3 cups of water in a pot and bring to a boil.  Add the wild rice, cover allow to simmer and cook until tender.  Drain off excess water or add more water as you cook to get desired result.

  1. When the rice is cooking, place the stock or broth into a fry pan, turn on medium heat and sauté the mushrooms, onion, celery, peppers, garlic, and water chestnuts.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook for about 20 minutes.  
  2. Lightly brush your fish filets with olive oil.  Sprinkle Redfish Magic (or blackened seasoning of your choice) on each side of filet.  Place in a cast iron skillet that you have pre-heated on medium high.  (Do not put oil in skillet).  Cook for 3-5 minutes per side. 
  3. When rice is done add it to ingredients you are cooking in the sauté pan and cover.  Add cashews and basil.  Cover and cook on very low heat for another 5 minutes.

 Serving Directions:

Make a bed of wild rice on each serving plate, and place fish on top of the rice bed.    

 

AND STUFF 

Rice and Rainbows

For years, my brother, Denny, kept our entire family supplied with wild rice.  He had a source and each year at Christmas he would pass a three year supply along to us — regardless whether we needed it or not. He was a man of many talents, outweighed only by his generosity and thoughtfulness.  I spoke to him one night at 8:30 p.m.  Nothing special – just conversation.  “Talk to you tomorrow” was how I ended the call.  But, what he and I did not know, was that there was no tomorrow for him.  He died suddenly of a heart attack just three hours later. 

A month later our grieving family was gathered for my mom’s 80th birthday celebration.  Most of the family were there and tried to make less sad, a happy occasion.  Denny’s daughter, Charity, attended and had searched hard to find just the right card to give to my mom, her grandmother.  Sensitive to her grandmother’s grief, she found a card she really liked, but was torn since it said “To the Greatest Mom and Grandmother”.  We had shed enough tears already and she wanted this to be a happy occasion.  While in the card shop, she fumbled again and again with this card, each time returning it to the rack to keep searching.  Not finding another she liked quite as well, she finally gave in and bought this card.  When Charity arrived home she again found herself struggling with that choice and her doubts because of the words “Greatest Mom“.   As she sat deliberating, she looked up above and said “Dad, should I give your mom this card?”  Minutes later the skies opened up and it rained hard.  Immediately, a glorious rainbow appeared. Charity went outside to appreciate the beauty of it and took the sudden appearance of the rainbow as a message from her dad that she was doing the right thing by giving that particular card.  She then took a picture of the rainbow, printed it and placed it in the card, explaining within the card how she wrestled with this decision and how the rainbow appeared after she asked her dad that question.  The next day she presented the card to my mom.  The story brought tearful smiles to the family.  Within a half hour another granddaughter, just 5 years old, ran in to the house and said “Charity! Charity! Come quick!”  Everyone followed Charity outside and there in the sky was a spectacular rainbow gracing my mom’s party.  There were goose bumps, chills and more tears as everyone gazed at the rainbow and recalled the story Charity had just recited and the message Charity felt she had received.

I was unable to attend this birthday party as I was 200 miles away with my kids and wife at a long planned fishing excursion at a place where my brother, Denny, and I had made countless fishing trips in both winter and summer.  The next day, I called my mom to see how the gathering had fared.  My mom relayed to me the “rainbow story” and after I hung up the phone a chill went through my spine.  I gathered my family and told them the story and they were in silent awe.  No sooner did I finish speaking than a beautiful rainbow appeared directly in front of our cabin.  We all stared and it disappeared as quickly as it came.  Now we all had goose bumps and chills.  We agreed that Denny was up there snickering, as if he were saying that “he finally found us” and that we should have let him know sooner that we weren’t going to be at mom’s party . . .

No one in our family will ever look at a rainbow again without thinking of Denny.  Nor will I ever eat wild rice without thinking of my brother.  In his memory (and to use up all that wild rice I still had) I created this dish. I hope you enjoy it and that rainbows will abound in your life. 

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Norwegio

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