Stuffed Eggplant with Italian Sausage

Another delicious dinner made with mom, 10+/10! This is a bit involved...totally worth it, though, we assure you! We only had 6 oz. of feta cheese on hand; it still tasted awesome, but we really wished we'd had the full amount plus some for garnish. Also discovered that scoring the eggplant pulp and using a grapefruit spoon makes it easier to "scoop out" the pulp.

Original recipe credit: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/baked-stuffed-eggplant-italian-sausage

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

7 T. olive oil, divided

1 1/2 c. fresh breadcrumbs

2 tsp. lemon zest

1 3/4 tsp. salt, divided

2 or 3 small eggplants (~1 1/2 lbs.--for us, this was just 2 and it made plenty)

1/4 lb. mild Italian sausage (casing removed if in link form)

1 c. chopped yellow onion

1 lb. Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 T. bottled minced garlic (or 3 cloves fresh)

1/2 tsp. black pepper

8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 T. plus 2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano, divided

2 T. plus 2 tsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 c. jarred marinara sauce (we used Classico Sweet Basil)

Directions:

1. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Score the pulp (we made "chunk" sections), then scoop out the pulp, enough to leave a 1/4" shell. 

2. Roughly chop the pulp (original recipe says 1/2" cubes), reserve.

3. Sprinkle the inside of the eggplant shells with 1 tsp. of the salt. Invert the shells onto a clean, dry towel. Let stand for 30 min to drain.

4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat 3 T. of the olive oil. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisped (~5-6 min). 

5. Remove from heat, then stir in the lemon zest and 1/4 tsp. of the salt. Set aside.

6. Once the eggplant shells have finished draining, heat broiler on "HI" with oven rack 5-6" from the element. Pat the shells dry, then brush with 1 T. of the olive oil. Place the shells cut side up on a baking sheet. Broil until just tender (~ 5 min). Remove from oven, then set oven to 375°F.

7. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 T. of the olive oil. Add sausage and cook, stirring often and breaking into crumbles with a wooden spoon, until sausage has browned (~7-8 min).

8. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked sausage to a paper towel lined plate, reserving drippings in skillet (I did not end up with much drippings).

9. Heat remaining 2 T. of olive oil in the skillet (still over medium-high heat). Add the reserved chopped eggplant pulp. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender (~2-3 min). 

10. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for additional 2-3 min.

11. Add the tomatoes, garlic, pepper, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for additional 2-3 min.

12. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl, then add the cooked sausage, the feta, 1/2 c. of the breadcrumbs, egg, 2 T. of oregano, 2 T. parsley, and vinegar. Stir until combined evenly.

13. Place the eggplant shells cut side up, in a baking dish. Fill the shells with the mixture from the large bowl, dividing evenly among the shells. Use the remaining breadcrumbs to top the filled shells, again dividing evenly among them. Transfer to oven to bake for 30 min.

14. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the marinara sauce, remaining 2 tsp. oregano, and remaining 2 tsp. parsley. Heat over low until just warmed through (~4-5 min.).

15. Top the baked shells with the marinara sauce and sprinkle with additional feta. Serve and enjoy!

French Onion Chicken

Another delicious recipe made with my mom...10/10! Quite easy, too, could easily make on a weeknight. Serve with some bread to mop up the sauce at the end :)

Original recipe credit: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a58148/french-onion-chicken-recipe/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

(note: you may need a subscription to access the original recipe, depending on how often you have accessed the site)

Ingredients:

3 T. olive oil, divided

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

kosher salt

pepper

1 tsp. bottled minced garlic (or 2 cloves fresh, minced)

1 3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1" pieces

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 T. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 c. low-sodium beef broth

1 c. shredded Gruyère

chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. Heat 2 T. of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, season with kosher salt, pepper, and add the thyme. Stir to coat in the oil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Cook for around 25 min, until onions have caramelized/gotten a little 'jammy'.

2. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Remove from heat and transfer onion mixture to a bowl or plate. Wipe skillet clean.

3. In a large bowl, season chicken with salt and pepper. Add the oregano and flour, then toss to coat.

4. Heat remaining 1 T. of the olive oil in the same skillet, medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden all over (around 8 min). **note: I ended up adding a bit more oil after a couple of min, as it seemed a little on the dry side**

5. Add the beef broth and caramelized onions to the skillet. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to keep at simmer. Cook for additional 10 min.

6. Top with Gruyère and cover skillet with lid. Let cook, covered, for 2 min. Remove from heat, garnish with parsley, and enjoy!

Garlicky Stuffed Zucchini with Shrimp

Seriously so yummmmm. Made this with my mom during recent visit and we all adored it! 10+/10! We forgot the thyme, which didn't seem to detract from the taste at all (will update when making this again; there will be a next time for sure!)

Original recipe credit: https://www.delish.com/cooking/a22258670/garlicky-shrimp-zucchini-boats-recipe/

(note: you may need a subscription to access the original recipe, depending on how many Delish recipes you have clicked on previously/recently)

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

4 large zucchini (if you use smaller ones, you may end up with leftover filling)

1 T. olive oil

salt

pepper

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (see note above)

2 T. butter, divided

3/4 lb. large shrimp, peeled & deveined (I think we accidentally used a full pound)

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 T. bottled minced garlic (you can use 3 cloves fresh instead)

1/4 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan (ours was more like finely shredded, still worked fine), plus additional for topping, if desired (we did :))

juice of 1/2 of a medium lemon

~ 1 c. shredded mozzarella (we did not measure)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Halve the zucchinis lengthwise, then scoop out the insides with a small spoon, leaving a 1/4" thick cavity. Chop the zucchini pulp and reserve.

2. Place zucchini boats on a baking tray (or in a baking dish). Brush insides of boats with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the thyme over them. Transfer to oven and bake until tender (around 20 min.)

3. Meanwhile, melt 1 T. of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp, season with salt and pepper. Cook until pink/cooked through (around 3-4 min). Remove from heat, let cool, then chop.

4. Return skillet to medium heat and add the remaining 1 T. of butter. Once melted, stir in the reserved zucchini pulp, tomatoes, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for around 2-3 min.

5. Stir in the cream, Parmesan, and lemon juice. Cook until slightly reduced (around 3 min). Remove from heat and fold in chopped shrimp.

6. Fill zucchini boats with shrimp mixture, then top with mozzarella. Transfer to oven and bake for 10 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and serve, garnished with additional Parmesan (if desired). Enjoy!

Blacken Salmon in Creamy Cajun Sauce

Still working on converting old drafts to entries. This one is from September of 2020. Pretty good--9/10, would make again. Prefer the blackened salmon my mom makes. 

Link to original recipe: https://carlsbadcravings.com/blackened-salmon/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

4 skinless salmon filets (6-8 oz. each)

olive oil or melted butter, for brushing, plus up to 2 T. for the cooking

for the blackened seasoning--

2 tsp. smoked paprika

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (I used 1/4, but could have gone more)

cream sauce--

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 red bell peppers (can also use yellow or orange), chopped into 1" pieces

1/2 medium red onion, chopped

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 c. low-sodium chicken broth

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. fire-roasted diced tomatoes, well drained

1 T. lime juice

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Brush salmon lightly all over with the olive oil or melted butter.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the blackened seasoning. Use 2 T. of this mixture to rub evenly over salmon. Reserve the rest.

3. Heat a large, heavy bottom skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add 1 T. of olive oil. Once hot, add the salmon, reduce heat to medium and cook for 4 min (should get crispy and blackened). Flip the salmon over, then cook additional 3-6 min (to your preferred doneness, depending on thickness). Reduce heat further if salmon is browning too quickly. Transfer salmon to a plate and tent with foil.

4. To the oil remaining in the skillet, add oil (if needed) to return to 1 T. total and raise heat to just above medium. Once hot, add the onion and cook for 3 min.

5. Add the bell peppers, garlic, and reserved spice mix. Stir to coat and cook for 2 additional minutes.

6. Add around half of the chicken broth to pan. Mix the cornstarch in with the other half of the broth, then add it to the pan. Stir in the heavy cream and diced tomatoes as well. Bring mixture to a simmer, then continue simmering until thickened, stirring occasionally.

7. Reduce heat to low and stir in the Parmesan cheese until completely combined, then stir in the lime juice.

8. Return the salmon to the skillet and cook for around 1 min. Season with additional salt, pepper, and/or cayenne pepper, if desired. Serve garnished with fresh parsley. Enjoy!

Zucchini with Shallots

Very yum!! 10/10. Made at mom's sometime in 2020, forgot to get pix. Made with the amazing scallops pasta thing. Thinner zucchini would have been better, but we did fine with the fat ones, just made it a bit trickier to turn in the pan and cook evenly.

*note: you may need a subscription to view the recipe on the link

Link to original recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/9529-zucchini-with-shallots

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. "thin" zucchini (width-wise)

2 T. olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

2 T. fresh bread crumbs

1 T. butter

2 T. shallots, chopped

4 T. fresh parsley, chopped (not sure if we used curly or Italian style)

Directions:

1. Rinse zucchini and pat dry. Cut off the ends, then slice into 1/8" slices (do NOT peel the zucchini).

2. In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Once heated, add the zucchini and sauté, shaking the pan and tossing gently, cooking a total of around 5 min. Season with salt and pepper (to taste) while sautéing. 

3. Add the butter and bread crumbs to the pan. Once the crumbs start to brown, add the shallots and cook for another minute, until softened.

4. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

The link to the original recipe no longer works, and I can't find the recipe on Very Best Baking's site (nor on Crisco's), but I am leaving it here to remind me to search again every so often (in case they repost it).

Have lost the original pix I took for this (made in July of 2020), so I will update when I make again :)

Link to original recipe: https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/30173/choc-oat-chip-cookies/

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/4 c. brown sugar (packed)

1 c. butter flavored Crisco

1/2 c. sugar

2 large eggs

2 T. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 c. quick oats (or old-fashioned)

2 c. (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. 

2. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

3. In the bowl of a stand/electric mixer, cream brown sugar, butter, and sugar together.

4. Beat in the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.

5. Gradually beat in the flour mixture.

6. Stir in the oats, followed by the morsels.

7. Drop by rounded tablespoon Tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets. Transfer to oven and bake for 9-10 min.

8. After removing from oven, let cookies rest on baking sheet for 1 minute before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.

Italian Ricotta Cookies

I would call these 'pillow cookies', as they are light and soft. 9/10.

I had to bake them 11 min to get them set, and left them on the cookie sheet for 10 min to "finish".

Link to my YouTube video of preparation: https://youtu.be/-Cw6w1lsB9I

Original recipe credit: https://cookiesandcups.com/italian-ricotta-cookies/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened (can use salted or unsalted)

1 3/4 c. sugar

2 large eggs

15 oz. full-fat/whole milk ricotta cheese

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

4 c. (480 g) all-purpose flour

for the icing--

1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. almond extract

3-4 T. milk (I used whole milk, just 3 T.)

sprinkles, for decoration, if desired

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

2. Use an electric/stand mixer to beat the butter and sugar together for 2 min, until light and fluffy.

3. Mix in the eggs, ricotta, vanilla, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

4. Gradually mix in the flour on low speed, just until dough forms.

5. Use a medium cookie scoop to portion out dough onto prepared baking sheet, 2" apart.

6. Transfer to oven and bake for 8-10 min**, until edges are lightly golden. (I went 11 min and they still really weren't golden at edges, but were golden on the bottom.)

7. Let cookies rest on baking sheet for 10 min, then transfer to cooling rack.

8. Once cookies have cooled, prepare the icing: sift the powdered sugar into a wide/shallow bowl. Add the almond extract and milk, then whisk to combine (start with the 3 T of milk, add a little more at a time if needed).

9. Dip the top of each cookie in the icing, let excess drip off, and place on parchment (or other surface, whatever you feel like cleaning off lol). Add sprinkles immediately after placing. Let icing set, then enjoy!