Grandma's Kitchen Table

Eating with Ellie: Savvy Salads - Chicory Salad with Green Apple, Cranberries, and Blue Cheese

       The 72nd recipe I made with the Eating with Ellie group is Chicory Salad with Green Apple, Cranberries and Blue Cheese, and can be found in Ellie Krieger's book Weeknight Wonders, on page 37.  The theme for the week was chosen by me: Savvy Salads.  

        Ingredient list:  lettuce, apple, blue cheese, cranberries, olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.  

        I made this salad twice, once as specified, and once adding shredded chicken to it to make it a more complete meal, both times absolutely delicious, light, and refreshing.  We eat a lot of salad, actually we eat salad every single day, so it is nice to have just some simple and tasty change ups in the salad realm to keep it interesting.  This is a very good one, crunchy and sweet with the apple and cranberries which compliments the creamy tang of the blue cheese.  Definitely one to repeat often.

       If you wonder how the others did this week, click here to follow their post links.  You can also find the recipe schedule there for the coming weeks.  Next week's recipe theme was chosen by Margaret and is One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.  Please come and join us at any time, just leave the link to your post that week so that week so we know where to find you.

        Note:  In our posts, we do not publish the recipes from Ellie Krieger's book as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to guy her books to get the recipes.  You can also find her recipes at her site here, at her weekly newspaper article here, her recipes online here, and at her current tv show site here.  We know that you will enjoy using Ellie's books again and again and that you will feel your money was well spent.

 

 

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Pork on Your Fork - Roasted Apple and Quince Pork Cutlets

       My 147th recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Roasted Apple and Quince Pork Cutlets, was chosen for the theme, Pork on Your Fork, and is found in Donna Hay's book Simple Dinners on page 130.

       The ingredient list: pork cutlets, olive oil, salt, pepper, quince paste, apple, fresh oregano leaves, and butter.

       These sheet pan dinners that DH has been promoting in her books are a really great way to make dinner.  You simply put a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan and assemble your items on it, put it in the oven, bake it for the time specified, and dinner is ready...cleanup is just a matter of tossing the parchment paper and wiping up any spills on the sheet pan.  I have been making these more often these days and loving them. 

       With this pork cutlet, I halved a sweet potato to roast along side and added some broccoli as well.  It was all finished baking at 425 degrees within 15 minutes.  We both enjoyed the flavors with the pork, that little bit of quince paste is nice and complimented the apple and oregano. I am not very good with pork chops, when I cook them on the stovetop I get them a little too done and they come out dry more often than not.  With this method, the pork stays nice and moist.  This is definitely a repeat.

       Wonder what the others made?  You can find that by clicking here.  Next week's theme is Where's the Beef?  Join us and leave a link to your post at the website, no commitment required.
        NOTE:  In our posts, we do not publish the recipes from Donna Hay's books as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to buy her books to get the recipes. There are also many of her recipes at her site here.  We know you will enjoy using Donna's books again and again as we all do and that your money will be well spent.  :-)

 

 

Eating with Ellie: Eggs-actly - Broccoli Chedddar Quiche in a Bag

       The 71st recipe I made with the Eating with Ellie group is Broccoli Cheddar Quiche in a Bag, and can be found in Ellie Krieger's book You Have It Made, on page 33.  The theme for the week was chosen by Gaye: Eggs-actly.  

        Ingredient list:  olive oil, onion, broccoli, mustard powder, salt, pepper, milk, flour, eggs, cheese.  

       This new book of Ellie's gives all the tips for making recipes ahead, including freezing, storing, reheating, and such in each recipe's preparation notes.  For this recipe Ellie says that baked eggs take on a rubbery texture after being frozen but that fresh eggs do not.  She gives the instructions for making the quiche filling ahead with the fresh raw eggs, freezing it in a bag, and the instructions for thawing it for use in the quiche.  It sounded interesting to me, so I did that and froze it all up and thawed it all out to see how it tasted.  I also made one fresh to be baked at the same time to see how it compared.  I could not tell the difference between the mixture that had been frozen and the mixture that had been freshly made so it seemed to work just fine.  The time saving aspect of this would be that you could do all the cooking of the onions, broccoli, and seasonings and have that all done (including cleaning the pan) so that on a busy weeknight all you have to do is assemble the ingredients and pop it into the oven, which is a nice feature in any recipe. 

       The taste was really nice and fresh, next time I will add a couple more veggies probably as broccoli and onion are good, but if mushrooms or peppers come to the party, it could really be rocking.  :-)  Definitely a repeat. 

       If you wonder how the others did this week, click here to follow their post links.  You can also find the recipe schedule there for the coming weeks.  Next week's recipe theme was chosen by me and is Savvy Salads.  Please come and join us at any time, just leave the link to your post that week so that week so we know where to find you. 

       Note:  In our posts, we do not publish the recipes from Ellie Krieger's book as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to guy her books to get the recipes.  You can also find her recipes at her site here, at her weekly newspaper article here, her recipes online here, and at her current tv show site here.  We know that you will enjoy using Ellie's books again and again and that you will feel your money was well spent.

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Plate of Pasta - Chicken Spaghetti Salad

       My 146th recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Chicken Spaghetti Salad, was chosen for the theme, Plate of Pasta, and is found in Donna Hay's book Modern Classics 1 on page 57.

       The ingredient list: spaghetti, olive oil, chicken breasts, spinach leaves, cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, eggs, Dijon, lemon juice, vegetable oil, and basil.

       This week I had some leftover spaghetti pasta, the remains of half a rotisserie chicken, spinach in the frig for salads, and basil growing in my herb pots so I knew this was the perfect time to make this "salad" pasta.  When you have leftover ingredients standing at the ready, this all goes together in a snap.  The dressing is basically a homemade mayonnaise, so if you would prefer to use something from the store in a jar, it would be even faster.  I figured since I was using the leftovers for the main part that I would make the dressing from scratch so it would have that nice fresh flavor...a great decision as it turns out. While it looks like a huge plate of pasta in the photo, it's actually a small salad plate and the perfect size for my lunch.  This is definitely a repeat, light, refreshing, and delicious.

       Wonder what the others made?  You can find that by clicking here.  Next week's theme is Pork on Your Fork.  Join us and leave a link to your post at the website, no commitment required.
        NOTE:  In our posts, we do not publish the recipes from Donna Hay's books as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to buy her books to get the recipes. There are also many of her recipes at her site here.  We know you will enjoy using Donna's books again and again as we all do and that your money will be well spent.  :-)

 

Eating with Ellie: One Potato, Two Potato - Parsley Potatoes

       The seventieth recipe I made with the Eating with Ellie group is Parsley Potatoes, and can be found in Ellie Krieger's book Weeknight Wonders, on page 255.  The theme for the week was chosen by Margaret: One Potato, Two Potato.  

       Ingredient list:  baby red potatoes, parsley, olive oil, salt (and I added a little pepper as well).  

       We've all made Parsley Potatoes many, many times, no doubt about it.  They are easy and quick and delicious.  My guys are butter-loving fiends, so these kinds of potatoes are always just a convenient vehicle for the transportation of an excess amount of butter.  I wasn't sure Mark was going to go for this idea of potatoes without butter.  I specifically mentioned that I was making these and did he want to try them or would he prefer that I just serve his up regular-like.  He was game to try these and declared them wonderful...using extra virgin olive oil is much better for your health than using copious amounts of butter and these were definitely tasty and delicious.  I will make these again, I didn't miss the butter at all and I can switch back and forth between the two recipes knowing that no one will be complaining.  Definitely a repeat. 

       If you wonder how the others did this week, click here to follow their post links.  You can also find the recipe schedule there for the coming weeks.  Next week's recipe theme was chosen by Gaye and is Eggs-actly.  Please come and join us at any time, just leave the link to your post that week so that week so we know where to find you. 
  NOTE:  In our posts, we do not publish the recipes from Ellie Krieger's books as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to buy her books to get the recipes. You can also find her recipes at her site here and also here and she publishes a weekly recipe in the newspaper here and has recipes on her current tv show site here.  We know you will enjoy using Ellie's books again and again as we all do and that your money will be well spent.  :-)

Eating with Ellie: Melons, Melons, Everywhere - Golden Gazpacho

       The sixty-ninth recipe I made with the Eating with Ellie group is Golden Gazpacho, and can be found in Ellie Krieger's book Weeknight Wonders, on page 64.  The theme for the week was chosen by me: Melons, Melons, Everywhere.  

       Ingredient list:  yellow tomatoes, cantaloupe, cucumber, olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt, and white pepper. 

       Melon season is upon us, and we love melons of all sorts, so I timed choosing this theme carefully to arrive just at the peak of melon season in Indiana (I have no idea what Gaye is going to do with this living in Australia with her seasons being opposite of ours so I am eager to see what she chose to make this week).  It also happens to coincide with tomato and cucumber season so it was nice having very fresh ingredients this week, nicely ripe and ready. 

       You can make this gazpacho smooth or you can leave it a bit more chunky if you prefer by controlling how you whir it all up in the blender.  It is sort of like a fruit/vegetable smoothy and tastes fresh and clean.  I loved it and I will make it again, probably tomorrow as I have more of the ingredients just waiting on a designation.  Light, refreshing, cool, creamy, and it tastes like a special treat.  Definitely a repeat.

       If you wonder how the others did this week, click here to follow their post links.  You can also find the recipe schedule for the coming weeks there. Next week's recipe theme was chosen by Margaret and is One Potato, Two Potato.  Please come and join us at any time, just leave the link to your post that week so we know where to find you. 

       NOTE:  In our posts, we do not publish the recipes from Ellie Krieger's books as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to buy her books to get the recipes. You can also find her recipes at her site here and also here and she publishes a weekly recipe in the newspaper here and has recipes on her current tv show site here.  We know you will enjoy using Ellie's books again and again as we all do and that your money will be well spent.  :-)

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Divine Desserts - Preserved Lemon Yogurt Cake

       My 145th recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Preserved Lemon Yogurt Cake, was chosen for the theme, Divine Desserts, and is found in Donna Hay's book The New Easy on page 154.

       The ingredient list:  butter, sugar, preserved lemon rind, vanilla, eggs, yogurt, self-rising flour, confectioner's sugar, lemon juice, and yogurt.

       Lemon desserts are always a favorite around here, so when it came time to choose a dessert for this week I definitely was hunting for something with a fruit flavor and something small as we didn't have any guests to help us eat the dessert, and I could only parcel out a piece here and there to random people stopping by.  Several years ago Margaret gifted me with a lovely half-size bundt pan and I think I haven't made a full-size bundt since then, this half-size one is wonderful.  Bundts are nice because you don't have to make tons of icing to slather on the top, usually a simple drizzle (or no drizzle at all) is all that is required.  This is a lovely recipe, full of lemon flavor and a very slight little salty taste from the preserved lemon that works nicely overall.  A good way to use up preserved lemon that sits around after you have opened the jar for other recipes requiring it has become a popular ingredient in the past couple of years. Definitely a repeat.
 

       Wonder what the others made?  You can find that by clicking here.  Next week's theme is Plate of Pasta.  Join us and leave a link to your post at the website, no commitment required.
        NOTE:  In our posts, we do not publish the recipes from Donna Hay's books as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to buy her books to get the recipes. There are also many of her recipes at her site here.  We know you will enjoy using Donna's books again and again as we all do and that your money will be well spent.  :-)

 

Wednesday with Donna Hay: What's on the Side - Roasted Vegetables with Buttermilk Dressing

       My 144th recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Roasted Vegetables with Buttermilk Dressing, was chosen for the theme, What's on the Side, and is found in Donna Hay's book Simple Dinners on page 158.

       The ingredient list:  carrots, red onions, balsamic vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt, pepper, buttermilk, and goat's curd.

       The recipe calls for root vegetables, so you can choose which root vegetables you wish to make or which ones you have on hand for this recipe, it's really up to you.  The vinegar sauce to coat the vegetables is easy to make and you just roast the vegetables with the sauce on them to your preference for tenderness.  The dressing goes together quickly and is drizzled on just before serving.  All of this is incredibly easy and wonderfully delicious.  It's a very nice way to jazz up some ordinary vegetables. Definitely a repeat. 

       Wonder what the others made?  You can find that by clicking here.  Next week's theme is Divine Desserts.  Join us and leave a link to your post at the website, no commitment required.
        NOTE:  In our posts, we do not publish the recipes from Donna Hay's books as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to buy her books to get the recipes. There are also many of her recipes at her site here.  We know you will enjoy using Donna's books again and again as we all do and that your money will be well spent.  :-)