The Mighty Muffuletta
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The Mighty Muffuletta

My sisters in-law sent me two Muffulettas from Central Grocery for my birthday yhe other day. we were in the middle of a low carb week but i said F that and dove in.

New Orleans is one of the greatest food destinations in the world, I lived there for almost 2 years while working with 20th Century Fox and the muffuletta sandwich is one of the most quintessential foods in New Orleans. Although many imitations exist, there’s nothing better in my book than the original Central Grocery muffuletta recipe. Although my friend Mike a native says he prefers Napoleon House on Chartres Street better.

According to the Times-Picayune, the muffuletta was created by Salvatore Lupo in 1906:

“It was at his store, Central Grocery Co. on Decatur Street, that Sicilian farmers coming from the French Market would order the main ingredients of the muffuletta and eat them separately. Lupo saw the men trying to balance the large trays of food on their laps and decided to mix all of the ingredients together in a sandwich.”

The muffuletta consists of three integral parts: the muffuletta bread, the Italian meats and cheese, and the venerable olive salad topping.

Boneless Turkey Breast
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Boneless Turkey Breast

We were just in Wholefoods for one thing but just like the Lays commercial you just can’t eat one chip you can’t go to the grocery store and get just one thing. We walked past the meats on sale and they had boneless turkey breast just sitting there saying take me home. I planned on smoking it on the grill but mother nature had other ideas and dumped almost 2 feet of snow so…….

Ingredients

  • boneless turkey breast
  • 1 large onion – coarsely chopped
  • 3 celery stalks – coarsely chopped
  • 1 large carrot – peeled, coarsely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. herbs de Provence
  • 1/2 tsp, kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 3 to 4 Tbsp. butter – sliced
  • 1 to 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • Brine: in large plastic bag 1 cup of buttermilk big pinch of dried rosemary or 4-5 springs of chopped fresh and maybe 1-2 TBS kosher salt. I keep the powdered buttermilk in the frig so always have on hand.

How

  • Brine the Turkey in buttermilk, salt and crushed rosemary or chopped if fresh for at least 2 hours mine was over night.
  • Use large foil 10*12″ roasting pan or wrap your roasting pan with foil for easy clean-up.
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160C).
  • Place turkey breast on cutting board and pat dry and Sprinkle seasonings over entire roast and rub it in. Now put in center of pan with skin side up (no rack).
  • Toss chopped vegetables around the breast, top with butter and olive oil. Then pour orange juice around the breast.
  • Transfer it to the center rack in the oven.
  • Roast, uncovered, for approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound,. The breast should be golden, brown. If the skin begins to become too dark, you may tent with foil during roasting.
  • Remove from oven and cover with foil. This will keep the roast warm, and moist before slicing.
  • Allow the breast to rest, covered, and for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
Todd’s Winter Squash
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Todd’s Winter Squash

I’m taking a class at the senior center called Mindful Steps, we start of with some meditation and then walk when the winter weather is to cold or the path has not been plowed we do laps around the inside of the building and exercise in between each lap. Anyway my friend Todd brought in some of the squash bars he talked about last week and they were really good, no great! He used butternut squash on this batch.

Todd wanted to give credit where credit is due.
Bacon-Wrapped Pork Roast With Peach Sauce
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Bacon-Wrapped Pork Roast With Peach Sauce

Another Lyn find and this one gets two heads bobbing in agreement.

The peach sauce was worth all the effort.

INGREDIENTS

How

  • Combine 4 teaspoons salt and sugar in bowl. (Note: I will cut salt in half next time) Remove fat cap and silverskin from roast. Rub roast with salt-sugar mixture, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
  • Bring peaches, 1 cup wine, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup vinegar, thyme sprigs, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook at strong simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 2 cups and spatula leaves trail when dragged through sauce, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and discard thyme sprigs. Reserve 2 tablespoons of liquid portion of sauce (without peach segments) in small bowl for glazing. Cover and set aside remaining sauce. Note: I forgot to chop up the peaches so I took scissors to them in the pot then after a little cooking time I took a wide slotted potato masher to them that worked well.
  • Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Unwrap roast and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with herbes de Provence and 1 teaspoon pepper.
  • Arrange bacon slices on cutting board parallel to counter’s edge, overlapping them slightly to match length of roast. Place roast in center of bacon, perpendicular to slices. Bring ends of bacon up and around sides of roast, overlapping ends of slices as needed.
  • Place bacon-wrapped roast, seam side down, in center of prepared sheet. Roast until center of pork registers 90 degrees, 30 – 40 minutes. Remove roast from oven and increase oven temperature to 475 degrees.
  • Brush top and sides of roast with reserved 2 tablespoons sauce. Once oven reaches temperature, return pork to oven and roast until bacon is well browned and meat registers 130 degrees, 15 – 20 minutes longer. Transfer roast to wire rack and let rest for 15 minutes.
  • Stir mustard into sauce and rewarm over low heat. Transfer roast to carving board and cut into 1/2 inch-thick slices. Serve with peach sauce.
Make-Ahead Potato Leek Egg Bake
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Make-Ahead Potato Leek Egg Bake

Fortunately last Tuesday after my mindful steps class at the senior center there were eggs and bread out for the taking each egg package had 10 eggs so this dish was sent by the universe. That same morning Lyn found this in the Globe and asked if I would make it, it was well worth it the little effort it took.

Butter for dish
2 medium (1 pound) Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium leeks, thinly sliced and well rinsed
1 package (5.2 ounces) Boursin cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh chives Note: For some reason no one had fresh chives so I used scallion greens
10 eggs
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
½ cup panko or other unflavored dry white breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  1. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish.
  2. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the potatoes and a generous pinch of salt with cold water to cover by at least 1-inch. Bring to a boil, lower the heat slightly, and simmer the potatoes for 10 minutes, or until they are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander and transfer to a bowl.
  3. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes, or until the leeks are becoming translucent. Remove from the heat.
  4. Add the leeks to the potatoes with the Boursin and chives. Stir gently.
  5. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, flour, cream, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
  6. Transfer the potato mixture to the baking dish. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days.
  7. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Set the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet.
  8. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, Parmesan, panko or dry breadcrumbs, and thyme. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the eggs.
  9. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the eggs are set in the center. Turn on the broiler. Broil the dish for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the panko is golden brown. Watch the dish carefully so it does not burn.
  10. Remove the dish from the oven and let it rest in a warm place for 5 minutes. Cut into squares for serving.

Karoline Boehm Goodnick

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Clubbing It

Lyn and I decided to keep clubbing it today……I went with a turkey club

Quick turkey club
Sweet Onion Relish
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Sweet Onion Relish

 

We bought a bunch onions  for Thanksgiving but for one reason or another the anticipated crowd became 4 .

So as the song goes

What do you do with to many sweet onions

What do you do with to many sweet onions

What do you do with to many sweet onions

Early in the morning

Slice them up and make a relish 

Cook them down and make a relish

Add apple cider vinegar and sugar to make a relish 

Early in the morning

Sweet-meets-savory relish gives a refreshing kick to this quick-to-fix main dish — the only prep step is chopping the onions.

Ingredients:

•             2  tablespoon(s) olive oil

•             4  large (2+-pound) sweet onion, thinly sliced

•             6  tablespoon(s) sugar

•             6  tablespoon(s) cider vinegar

•             1  teaspoon(s) salt

How:

In 12-inch, nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium 1 minute.

Add sliced onion and cook 15- 25 minutes or until very soft, stirring occasionally.

Stir in sugar, cider vinegar, and salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer 5-10 minutes longer.

Makes about 2 cup relish.

Was great on my Chicken cutlet sandwich or Oven fried

Another favorite is the Red Onion Relish

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Turkey Day 2021 with smoking good turkey.

Love to smoke on my grill but it takes so long and Lyn saw this available at Whole Foods. The question was spend a whole day or an hour and half. I choose the easy rout and it was worth it. I think Gail liked it the most she found a way to have some with each and every meal for the last two day. She truly knows how to make a cook smile, actually she does this naturally food or no food. Anyway….

Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs and Green Beans Skillet
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Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs and Green Beans Skillet

I got this from one of my goggle news feeds but had to search the internet to find the recipe from eatwell, I did not have green beans so I used Italian Green beans. I also added a little cornstarch and water to thicken the sauce I prefer a thicker sauce

Ingredients list for the Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs and Green Beans Skillet

Directions

1. To make the lemon garlic butter chicken thighs recipe with green beans: In a small bowl, combine onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Season chicken thighs generously with the spice mixture. Set aside while you prepare green beans.

2. Arrange green beans in a microwave-safe dish with 1/2 cup (125ml) water. Cook in the microwave for 8-10 minutes, until almost done but still crisp.

3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Lay the seasoned chicken thighs in one layer in the skillet. Cook for 5-6 minutes then flip and cook another 5-6 minutes, until cooked through and a cooking thermometer displays 165°F (75°C). If chicken browns too quickly, lower the heat. Adjust timing depending on the thickness. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

4. In the same skillet, lower the heat and melt the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add chopped parsley, garlic, hot sauce, red crushed chili pepper flakes, and pre-cooked green beans and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until cooked to your liking. Add lemon juice and chicken stock and reduce the sauce for a couple of minutes, until slightly thickened.

5. Push green beans to the side and add cooked chicken thighs back to the pan and reheat quickly. Adjust seasoning with pepper and serve the lemon garlic butter chicken thighs immediately, garnished with more crushed chili pepper, fresh parsley, and a slice of lemon if you like. Enjoy!

Tips for the chicken thighs recipe

  • Remove chicken thighs from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before cooking to bring them close to room temperature.
  • We use boneless and skinless chicken thighs because they render less fat and cook quicker than bone-in. Plus, it is easier to rub the spice mixture deep into the chicken meat.
  • Season chicken thighs just before cooking to prevent drawing out moisture and drying out the meat. If you want to let it sit longer, omit the salt from the spice mixture, and add it 10 minutes before cooking.
  • You can add crispy bacon to the green beans for a nice flavor.
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I have been cooking just not posting scroll passed posts below to see a few things

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