donna's daily dish

pardon this interruption

11/26/2023

Hello again, it’s been a few weeks since I last posted. My husband and I had a brief weekend getaway to Annapolis to see a Navy football game. Now that we’re back and Thanksgiving has passed, it’s time to catch up on what I’ve been cooking.

Prior to departure, I made another “House and Garden” UK recipe by Donal Skehan from his book “Home Kitchen,” Autumn Pasta with Blue Cheese and Nuts. It’s an unusual combination, but my husband loves pasta in any shape. For the recipe you’ll need 1 pumpkin or autumn squash, 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme, olive oil, salted butter, 2 onions, either conchiglie or rigatoni pasta, 3-1/2 ounces blue cheese, 3 ounces toasted and chopped walnuts, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and extra-virgin olive oil.

I used a butternut squash that I cut into 1-inch chunks, tossed with olive oil and roasted with sprigs of thyme. While the squash was roasting, I started the sauce by thinly slicing the onions and cooking in butter seasoned with salt and pepper until caramelized.

cooler days

11/14/2023

Autumn’s chill has finally arrived and there’s nothing like a walk on a sunny, crisp day. My husband and I took a ride to visit our granddaughters over the weekend and took a walk to Dreyer Farms to pick up a few things. This is the last week of their CSA program. In our box this week we’ll receive fall squash, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, lettuce, apples and honey.

Last week we also had spinach and I turned it into a delicious Spinach Cheddar Cheese Puff. I remember going to Paramus Park Mall and having lunch at the Magic Pan where a variety of sweet and savory crepes were prepared. One of my favorites was filled with spinach and dressed with a cheddar cheese sauce. Many years ago, I made a Spinach Puff recipe from “Betty Crocker’s Cookbook” (© 1983) along with their recipe for cheddar cheese sauce. This time, I omitted the sauce and added finely shredded cheddar cheese to the base white sauce. As for the spinach, I steamed it until it wilted, cooled, then placed the spinach in a dish towel to wring out all the moisture.

enjoy the sunshine while you can

10/17/2023

I am sitting in my sunny kitchen this afternoon enjoying the warmth of the sun while I work. The early weather reports are calling for another rainy weekend, yikes! Not to fear, I found some warming meal ideas to chase away the rain. The first recipe is Skillet Turkey Meatloaves with Mushroom Gravy, the next is Mississippi Roast and lastly a lightly rich version of Creamed Spinach.

I had a frozen package of ground turkey in the freezer that I wanted to use. On the “Southern Living” magazine website I found Skillet Turkey Meatloaves with Mushroom Gravy by Lisa Cericola and Patricia S. York. Besides the turkey you’ll need, a yellow onion, panko breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, extra virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, fresh thyme leaves, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, Brussels sprouts, fresh carrots, unsalted butter, fresh cremini mushrooms, all-purpose flour and chicken stock.

is it sweater weather yet?

10/7/2023

What a crazy start to October. Between the rain and unusually warm weather, I’m not sure if I should be making fall meals or summer?

I’m still catching up from my extra days of babysitting and houseguests that we had recently. The yellow squash I had from my CSA box was starting to see better days and I knew I had to find a recipe soon. My internet search brought me to the website Allrecipes and a side dish called Yellow Squash Patties. For the recipe you’ll need shredded yellow squash, an onion, salt, cheddar cheese, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, an egg, freshly ground black pepper and vegetable oil.

and then the weather changed, part 2

9/18/2023

In last week’s weekly CSA box post, the webpage administrator commented, “I just saw a recipe in NYT cooking for Creamy Corn Orzo. I am not able to link it, but it looks delicious.” As New York Times subscriber I was able to gift her the recipe which is Creamy One-Pot Orzo with Corn and Bacon and decided to give it a try myself. Beside the aforementioned ingredients you’ll also need chicken broth, kosher salt, basil, Calabrian Chile paste (or harissa or homemade chile sauce) and whole milk ricotta. Although the recipe calls for using a box grater to remove the corn kernels, I used a chef’s knife to cut the kernels off and then used the backside to scrape the corn liquid off the cobs.

move over Green Giant

8/13/2023

Today lunch was a delightful platter of roasted vegetables. I had a Spanish onion, cubanelle pepper, eggplant, grape heirloom tomatoes and a small beefsteak tomato that were cooked outside on the grill. I placed the cooked vegetables on a platter, seasoned with sea salt and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil. I added a ball of burrata for my husband and I. We enjoyed it on our porch where there was a light breeze and peaks of sun from behind the clouds.

summer's bounty

8/8/2023

My Dreyer Farm’s CSA offerings this summer have been wonderful; a great selection of produce to try out new and varied recipes. Recently, on The New York Times website, there were several recipes that I found to go along with my vegetables. One was a recipe by Kay Chun for Eggplant Parmesan Pasta. Also, I found a recipe for Skillet Tortellini with Corn and Crispy Rosemary by Ali Slagle and Roasted Beets with Moroccan Spices by Mark Bittman.

Eggplant Parmesan Pasta takes just 35 minutes to prepare and packs a lot of flavors. For the recipe you’ll need extra-virgin olive oil, panko bread crumbs, kosher salt, black pepper, a yellow onion, fresh garlic, eggplant (peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes, about 8 cups), 28-ounce can of tomatoes (crushed), fresh basil spring plus chopped basil, dried oregano, pasta such as mezzo rigatoni, fusilli or shells, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and fresh mozzarella.

quick and easy

6/18/2023

My local ShopRite had some beautiful Chairman’s Reserve tomahawk pork chops on sale last week. I couldn’t resist picking them up as I knew I could find a recipe. Fortunately, my favorite go to NYT Cooking source, Melissa Clark, had a sheet-pan, yes another sheet-pan recipe, for Sheet-Pan Cumin Pork Chops with Brussels Sprouts. For the recipe you’ll need dark brown sugar, kosher salt, whole cumin seeds, ground cumin, freshly ground black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, fresh garlic, large bone-in pork chops, Brussels sprouts, fresh sage leaves, extra-virgin olive and lemon wedges for serving.

Brown sugar, salt, cumin seeds, ground cumin, black pepper, red pepper flakes and grated garlic are combined to make a moist rub. The rub needs to be placed on the pork chops 20 minutes before cooking or up to 24 hours. I opted for the longer marination to allow the meat to be infused with the peppery and smoky notes of the cumin. You can roast this meal either on two small or one large sheet pan. I used two pans as the tomahawk chops were large.

something savory

6/11/2023

If you’ve ever been to the Jersey Shore, make sure try Hoagitos located in the Belmar Shopping Plaza or Towne Center Plaza in Oakhurst. My favorite sandwich is the Forbidden Chicken made with crispy thigh meat that’s double fried, topped with a sweet and spicy glaze, carrot-daikon slaw and roasted garlic mayo. My husband has tried their turkey sandwich made with house roasted turkey, pepperjack cheese, tomato, arugula, onion and cilantro lime mayo. We’ve also had their risotto balls, tomato basil salad and smash burger to name a few. All of their food is delicious, prepared to order and made on site.

While babysitting a few months ago, I was channel surfing and I happened to catch an episode of the Travel Channel’s show “Food Paradise” featuring a segment on Hoagitos. One of the owners, Terence, was demonstrating how to prepare their famous Forbidden Chicken Sandwich. Despite not giving measurements, I was inspired to do own my version at home. Instead of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, I opted for boneless, skinless breasts. I did an internet search and found a recipe for honey sriracha sauce and carrot daikon slaw.

CSA week 3

6/3/2023

My participation in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program sometimes means I carryover produce from one week to the next. I don’t always have time to use everything up in one week and occasionally items such red leaf lettuce and some greens can manage to stay fresh longer than a week.

Last week I used the golden beets I received and roasted them to concentrate their flavor. From there I found a recipe on The New York Times Cooking website for Golden Beet Salad with Cider Vinegar Dressing. In addition to the beets you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, mâche or other tender greens, walnut oil, freshly ground black pepper, toasted walnuts, ricotta salata or fresh goat cheese.