Homemade Salami

I have been making this homemade salami for over 20 years. It is a tradition at our house.  I'm not a big fan of salami, but this homemade version is a winner. Makes great sandwiches or for an appetizer with crackers and cheese. It is so easy! You will certainly make it a family tradition if you ever try it.  The Tender Quick is a little hard to find.  Our H.E.B. doesn't carry it.  I had to get a friend in Houston buy it for me at a Kroger.

Printable Version:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/homemade-salami
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup water
2 tablespoons Tender Quick
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
Mix with hands in a large bowl and leave in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, shape into 4 loaves and bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.  It doesn't get much easier than that.

Asian Lettuce Cups with Spicy Ground Turkey Filling

I love the lettuce wraps at P.F. Changs and so I was excited to try these from kalynskitchen.com. I love her blog and cook from it fairly often.  If you like lettuce wraps you must try these. It made 6 nice-size wraps for Jud and me.



Printable Version:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/asian-lettuce-cups
Ingredients:
1 T. peanut oil or vegetable oil
2 T. minced red onion or shallots
2 T. minced garlic
2 T. grated ginger root
1-1/2pound ground turkey I used 1 pound
4 T. soy sauce
1 T. Chile Garlic Sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce (I didn't use this)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped peanuts
1 head of Boston Lettuce or butter lettuce

Chop onions and set aside. Peel ginger root, then grate with the large side of a cheese grater, and chop garlic. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet, add onions and saute about 2 minutes, then add garlic and ginger root and saute about 1 minute longer.

Add ground turkey to skillet and break apart and spread out with turner, then add soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and fish sauce. Cook until the turkey is brown and crumbling apart, and the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. I browned the meat first and then added the soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce.

While turkey cooks, wash and chop fresh cilantro to make 1 cup. Remove the core end from lettuce, separate leaves, and wash in salad spinner and spin dry. Chop peanuts and put in a small bowl to serve at the table.

When turkey is done, add chopped cilantro and cook 1-2 minutes more. Serve filling and lettuce leaves in separate bowls, with chopped peanuts in another small bowl. Each person takes a lettuce leaf, fills with desired amount of turkey mixture, adds chopped peanuts, and then eats the mixture from the lettuce cup. She folds the lettuce cup over when she eats it, so it's kind of taco-shaped, but some people like to wrap the lettuce clear around the filling.

Egg Houses

This is a great breakfast of light supper option.  I would suggest cooking them at least 30 minutes instead of the 25 min. that Sarah recommends. I also made one of Sarah's fruit smoothies. I will post a recipe for that later when I remember to take a picture.  This comes from Sarah Fragoso's book, Everyday Paleo




Printable Version:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingsherry/egg-houses
Ingredients:
4 large tomatoes
4 eggs
2-3 strips bacon, crumbled
black pepper to taste
diced chives
I also salted the inside of the tomato after I cut out the insides. Sea salt is acceptable in Paleo cooking.
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cut off just the top of the tomatoes and gently scoop out the insides. I used a grapefruit spoon.
3. Crack one egg in each tomato cup and bake for 25 minutes.
4. While the tomatoes and eggs are baking, cook the bacon. I had some diced pancetta left-over.
5. After the egg houses are ready, crumble the cooked bacon on top. Next, top with chopped chives

Ingredients:
4 large tomatoes                                                        
4 eggs
2-3 strips bacon, crumbled                                        
black pepper to taste
diced chives
I also salted the inside of the tomato after I cut out the insides. Sea salt is acceptable in Paleo cooking.
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Cut off just the top of the tomatoes and gently scoop out the insides.  I used a grapefruit spoon.
3. Crack one egg in each tomato cup and bake for 25 minutes.
4. While the tomatoes and eggs are baking, cook the bacon. I had some diced pancetta left-over.
5. After the egg houses are ready, crumble the cooked bacon on top. Next, top with chopped chives.

Tuna Melts with Avocado

We had this for lunch today with Stacy. She was in town for a meeting. Such a great time exercising with my daughter and then having breakfast and lunch together. Fun, fun, fun!  Recipe from June 2011 - Cooking Light



Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingsherry/tuna-melt-with-avocado

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Combine 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallots, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon back pepper, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1 can solid white tuna in water, drained and flaked. Add zest of one lemon.
3. Place 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice in a small bowl. Cut-up 1 avocado into chunks and add to the lemon juice along with 1 cup of cherry tomatoes, halved.  Add this mixture to the tuna mixture. Toss well.
4. Sprinkle french bread or sliders with swiss cheese. Place under a broiler until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven and top with tuna mixture. If you use french bread, it will be like an open-faced sandwich. If you use the sliders, you will top with the other side.  Loved it.

Zucchini Caprese Sandwich

 I found this recipe in a Cooking Light magazine from 2011.  I put some meat on Jud's sandwich because he likes his meat.  I didn't put meat on my sandwich.  I have an indoor grill that I bought years ago in a street market in Mexico.  I love it and really enjoy cooking on it.  This recipe is for 2 people.


Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingsherry/zucchini-caprese-sandwich

Ingredients:
1 large zucchini
mozarella cheese
1 onion slice
basil leaves
olive oil
salt and pepper
butter
bread- I used thick slices of sourdough bread
1. Cut the large zucchini in 1/2 and then cut into thin slices.  I made 4 slices on each half. Brush olive oil on both sides of the zucchini.  Salt and pepper the side you put on the grill.  Let cook about 5-7 minutes to get good grill marks on one side. As the one side cooks, salt and pepper the side that isn't on the grill. Turn and cook 5 minutes on the other side. Keep turning until the zucchini has cooked through. Even though the recipe doesn't call for it. I also grilled 1 slice of onion.
2. As the zucchini cooks, cut slices of mozarella and butter one side of the bread.
3. When the zucchini has cooked through, place the zucchini, onion, mozarella and basil leaves on 1/2 of the buttered bread. Top with the unbuttered side.  Place the buttered side in the skillet and put a cast iron skillet on top of the unbuttered bread. Weigh it down with a heavy object to cook one side 2-3 minutes.  Take off the weighted skillet and butter the side facing you. Flip the sandwich and return the weighted skillet to the sandwich. If you have a panini press, you will butter both sides of the bread before putting it in the press. Delish!

Crustless Cheese Quiche

This is my favorite recipe for quiche.  It only has 1/2 cup of flour in the whole quiche and it is so good.  Much healthier than the version with a pie shell, and I like it better.  We like it with beets.  I forgot to add the tomatoes and olives before I took the picture. This picture was taken the second day.  This is one piece of the other half of the pie. I warmed it in the microwave for 1 min. 45 seconds.


Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingsherry/crustless-cheese-quiche
Ingredients:
2 cups small-curd cottage cheese                     1 (4oz) can chopped green chiles
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese           2 tablespoons chopped black olives, + more for garnish
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese                     1/2 cup flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten                                       1 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons butter, melted                           1/2 teaspoon salt

chopped tomatoes and the extra olives for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a bowl, combine cottage cheese, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, eggs, butter chiles and 2 tablespoons olives (This can be prepared ahead and refrigerated .)  Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to the cheese mixture and mix well.  Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake 15 minutes on 400 degrees F. Then turn the oven to 350 degrees F. and bake 30 minutes longer. Let cool for 15 minutes. Garnish with tomatoes and olives.  Hope you enjoy!

Spinach Quiche

Oh my gosh, I'm not sure I can even tell you this recipe. It is a bunch of stuff I had left in my freezer and refrigerator. I may have to call this "Leaving on Vacation Quiche." Or "The Kitchen Sink Quiche." I looked up a recipe for a crustless quiche and then made adaptions that would use up everything I had left in the refrigerator.  I had bought the pancetta several months ago and had never used it. So I got it out of the freezer and concocted this recipe.

Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/spinach-quiche

Ingredients: these are guesses on amounts.
3 oz. package of pancetta
1/2 onion
1 package of frozen spinach, with water squeezed-out
3 oz. cream cheese
2 oz. goat cheese
2 oz. cheddar cheese
3-4 oz. turkey lunch meat
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray
Directions:
Remove pancetta from the package and dice.  Cook in a skillet to render the fat and crisp up the pancetta. Remove the pancetta from the skillet and add 1/2 onion.  Cook over medium heat until onions are soft. Spray the pie pan with cooking spray. Add the cheddar or swiss cheese to the bottom of the pie pan. Add the 6 eggs and 1 cup milk in a bowl and mix to break-up the eggs.  Add other ingredients . Pour into the prepared pie pan.  Bake 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes. I hope it tastes as good as it looks.

Jud's special sandwich

Jud has been making these special sandwiches for years. We had a tomato from our garden and after a 2 1/2 hour walk decided that these would be great.  My mom gave me two pieces of advice before I got married. I broke one of her rules today.  She said, "Never learn to do anything that your husband can do, because then it becomes your job."  Well we will see if I have to start making these sandwiches now that I have proved that I know how to make them.

Method:  Toast four slices of bread.  Take the first two slices of toasted bread and place cheese on both sides.  Place them on a oven-proof pan and broil until the cheese melts.  While the cheese is melting take the other two pieces of toasted bread and spread with mayonnaise.  Layer meat, tomato, avocado, and lettuce if desired.  Place the cheese piece on top and enjoy.

The other piece of advice was to put things like these sandwiches in your recipe file because as you are going through your recipes you will see it, even though it is easy, and decide to make it.

Crustless Smoked Turkey and Spinach Quiche

This quiche is great because you can make it as healthy or unhealthy as you desire.  Sometimes, I use black forest deli ham. Sometimes, I use turkey meat or turkey sausage. Sometimes, I use both. Because it doesn't have a pie crust, I feel that it is a little healthier. And as I said, you can change this for any cheese or meat that you have.  You could even add other vegetables.  It is a great recipe to have in your file.

Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/crustless-quiche
Ingredients:
Cooking spray
3/4 (4 oz) cubed smoked turkey ham
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup (3 oz.) shredded Swiss cheese, divided
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup evaporated fat-free miklk
1/4 cup (1 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
(I usually just use 3 eggs)
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.Since my pan is non-stick, I don't use cooking spray. I just add 1 T. extra virgin olive oil. Add ham, onion, and pepper to pan; saute' 4 minutes. Sprinkle 1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese in a 9" pie pan coated with cooking spray. Top with ham mixture. Combine remaining 1/2 cup swiss cheese, spinach, and next 5 ingredients through egg whites in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, stirring with a whisk until blended. Pour egg mixture over ham mixture. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes until knife inserted in the center of quiche comes out clean.

Egg, Ham, and Spinach Pizza

Jud and I had a pizza similar to this recipe at Ciao Lavanderia in San Antonio. It is owned by the daughter and son-in-law of my good friend Debby Bussey.  I found this recipe while looking through Ellie Krieger's cookbook "So Easy"  I used Martha Stewart's recipe for pizza dough.  The pizza recipe calls for a store-bought pizza crust, but this is easy and really good, so I make it myself.  Pizza Dough recipe will follow.  


Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/egg-ham-and-spinach-pizza
Ingredients:
1 store-bought pizza crust
4 crups baby spinach leaves
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto,  I used prosciutto that was pre-chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 large eggs
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet. Scatter the spinach all over the crust and drizzle with the oil. Evenly distribute the prosciutto, parmesan, and garlic on top of the spinach.  Since I used the pre-sliced prosciutto, I decided to pre-cook it a little to render the fat and add the garlic and about 1/2 cup of onions to the pot. Make 4-5 wells in the spinach topping, spacing them so there is 1 well on each quarter of the pizza. Crack 1 egg into each well. Bake 12-15 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and the egg whites are fully cooked. Cut into large slices.  I made my pizza on a cookie sheet so I used 5 eggs in my recipe.

Pizza Dough
1 cup warm water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 quarter-ounce package active dry yeast
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil, plus more for the bowl and parchment paper.
Pour 1 cup warm water into a small bowl. Add sugar, and sprinkle in the yeast. Using a fork, stir the mixture until the yeast is dissolved and the water has turned tan. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine 2 3/4 cups flour and the salt. Pulse 3-4 times. Add the yeast mixture and the olive oil. Pulse until the dough comes together, adding more flour as needed until the dough comes together, adding more flour as needed until the dough is smooth, not tacky, when squeezed. Transfer to a clean work surface, knead flour 4-5 turns and shape into a ball.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, smooth sides up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Remove the plastic wrap and place your fist in the center of the dough to punch down. Fold the dough back onto itself 4-5 times.

Roll out the dough and place on a large cookie sheet. You will pull and punch down in order to make it fit into the sheet.  Make indentions with your fingers into the dough and sprinkle with olive oil and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt all over the dough. Let sit about 30 min. to 1 hour and then fill how you desire.

Open-faced Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

I checked out Ellie Krieger's cookbook from the Alsea library and went through it last week and bought the stuff for several of her recipes.  This one is really good and oh so easy.  Even a cave man could make it.  I added the tomatoes and avocados because I had them and thought they would be a good addition.  I was right.


Printable Recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/whatscookingattheedwards/open-faced-chicken-parmesan-sandwich

Ingredients:
1 loaf whole-grain Italian bread ( I used a rustic Italian bread I found, it wasn't whole wheat)
2 cups jarred marinara sauce
4  5-oz cooked skinless boneless chicken breasts
4 cups baby spinach leaves (I didn't use the spinach, but I'm sure it would be great)
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (4 oz)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (3/4 oz)

Preheat the broiler.
   Slice the bread in 1/2 lenghthwise, then in 1/2 again crosswise so you wind up with 4 pieces. Scoop out the bread to remove the soft inner portion and discard. Place the bread scooped side up on a baking tray. At this point, I put some extra virgin olive oil on the bread and toasted it slightly. This is not part of the recipe)Spoon 1/4 cup of sauce into each piece of bread. Lay a piece of chicken on top and cover with 1 cup of spinach leaves. Pour another 1/4 cup of sauce on top of the spinach, then sprinkle each sandwich with 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 1 tablespoon of Parmesan.
   Broil until the spinach is wilted and the cheese is bubbly and browned, 4-5 minutes.
At this point, I added fresh tomatoes and avocados to the top.