Pollo alla Diavola

sounds fancy, but everything sounds fancier in Italian. In English this is simply a bbq'd chicken dish. (I hope you keep reading anyway because it's delicious.)

After Everyday Food magazine my next favorite magazines are the Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications (I have been collecting them since 1998!). I picked up the newest issue last week and it is all about Italian!!! This dish is my first attempt at a recipe from there and it happened by chance, chicken legs were on sale at Save-On Foods for $1.50 / lb. There are many more recipes I am eager to try though, so stay posted for all those.

Pollo alla Diavola

1 3lb whole broiler-fryer chicken (I cheated and used just chicken legs)

1 bunch fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley (Picked fresh from my sister's garden, yum)

1 bunch fresh thyme (Picked fresh from my garden, yum)

1 bunch fresh rosemary (Picked fresh from my garden, yum)

1/2 cup olive oil

6 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I used less because I am a wimp)

Step 1

Described how to butterfly a chicken. Since I didn't do that (I am lazy), I am not going to type it out (I am lazy). It says to put it in a 9x13 pan, I used a large ziplock bag, my go to for marinating (I am lazy, why clean that mess when you can just toss it?)

Step 2

I cheated again, you are supposed to make a brush out of some of the fresh herbs, but I didn't (I am lazy). And really, why would I do that when I have a fantastic long handled brush made just for reaching the back of the bbq so you don't burn yourself?

Step 3

For the marinade (ok, I am finally getting somewhere), combine 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon of chopped thyme, 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary, 1/4 cup oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the lemon slices, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Pour over chicken and then massage it until coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. (I let it marinate for 10 hours and flipped it a couple of times.)

Step 4

For brush on mixture, combine the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper. Cover and chill until ready to use.

Step 5

Drain chick, discarding marinade and lemon slices (easy peasy thanks to that ziplock). Preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Adjust for indirect grilling. Place chicken skin side down on grill rack over burner that is off. Cover and grill for about 1 hour (until the chicken is done). Brush with mixture during the last 10 minutes of grilling time.

 

 

 

 

 

RATINGS:

Heather - 10 - "Really great flavour"

Brad - 10 - "Definite WINNER"

NOTES:

This recipe is amazing, I plan on making it again next week for company.

 

I think that my chicken looks almost as good as the one in the magazine.

 

My only disappointment, and I may have mentioned this before, I hate recipes that don't tell you when an ingredient is divided.

Lemon Pudding Cakes

It has been awhile since we have had a Friday night dinner at our place. This past Friday my sister and her boyfriend were able to join us. I came up with a menu centered around having halibut as our main (I heard it advertised on the radio that Save-On had fresh, first of the season halibut available. Luckily Save-On just opened in Spruce Grove on Wednesday. Yay!!). Alas, I forgot to take pictures of our main course, so I will include the links to them in my notes but won't review them.

 

LEMON PUDDING CAKES

http://www.marthastewart.com/873677/lemon-pudding-cakes

I love the new chargers I bought at Michael's this week!

What do you think of my spring table setting?

 

RATINGS:

Heather, Brad & Ryan - 9 - "A nice light dessert"

Erin - 10 - "I don't like a lot of desserts but I ate 2 so they get a 10"

NOTES:

This was a great recipe to convert to being gluten free. It only used 1/3 cup flour for 8 servings! I simply substituted Kinikinik all purpose celiac flour for regular and they baked up perfectly.

The other recipes I made were:

http://www.marthastewart.com/336705/broccoli-asparagus-and-snap-peas-in-parc

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pistachio-Crusted-Halibut-with-Spicy-Yogurt-237219

OK, I do have to comment that the yogurt was AMAZING!! I will probably make this again while halibut is in season.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Saffron-Rice-and-Red-Pepper-Pilaf-108460

Cauliflower and Cheddar Soup

The "In Season" feature for this month's Everyday Food (Issue #90) is cauliflower. YUM, I like cauliflower, but rarely do anything other than eat it raw or steam it.

CAULIFLOWER AND CHEDDAR SOUP

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, diced small

1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2" pieces

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups sharp white cheddar, grated

coarse salt and ground pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (the wimp (me) skipped this)

Step 1

In a large pot, melt butter over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 8 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook until just beginning to brown, 12 minutes. Add broth and 1 cup water; bring to boil over high. Reduce heat and simmer until cauliflower is very tender, minutes. Transfer mixture to a large bowl.

Step 2

In batches, fill a blender halfway with mixture and puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return pureed soup to pot and add more broth or water for thinner consistency, if desired (I didn't have to). Heat over medium until warmed through; add cheese and stir until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with cayenne (if you are braver than me, I used paprika).

RATINGS:

Heather - 9 - "I thought it would be creamier"

Brad - 12 - "Soooo good"

NOTES:

I can't believe Brad gave this a 12 out of 10! A nice surprise since soup isn't high on his list.

The "use caution" statement couldn't be more true. I usually use my immersion blender for soups but since this needed to be totally smooth and the regular blender hadn't seen any action in awhile I figured I would use it. I almost blew the top off of it. BE CAREFUL!!

We will definitely have this again.

Bryan Voltaggio's Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Top Chef is one of my favorite Food Network Shows, I have watched every season. Last week I was surfing the Williams-Sonoma web site and was thrilled to find recipes from the Volataggio brothers, two of my favorite chefs from the shows. I printed out several recipes to try and this one topped this list (stay tuned for more).

Bryan Voltaggio's Pulled Pork Sandwiches

True Kansas City barbecue is pit-cooked low and slow and spiced with smoky-sweet tomato sauce. Crispy burnt ends are a local legend. Inspired by the burnt ends at Danny Edwards Blvd. BBQ in Kansas City, MO, chef Bryan Voltaggio created these pulled pork sandwiches so you can replicate that smoky, spicy flavor at home.

• 1/4 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbs. kosher salt
• 2 Tbs. paprika
• 1 Tbs. freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 Tbs. dried English mustard
• 2 tsp. ground fennel seed
• 2 tsp. garlic powder or onion powder
• 1 pork shoulder, 3 to 4 lb.
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 1/2 cups apple juice
• 1/2 cup water
• Soft white dinner rolls for serving
• Cowtown barbecue sauce for serving

In a bowl, stir together the brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, thyme, coriander, dried mustard, fennel and garlic powder.

Score a diamond pattern on the fatty side of the pork. Insert the knife tip into the pork to create 6 small pockets, spacing them evenly. Insert 1 garlic clove into each pocket. Generously rub the pork on all sides with 6 to 8 Tbs. of the spice mixture; reserve the remaining mixture. Wrap the pork with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Preheat an oven to 350°F.

Remove the plastic wrap from the pork. Place the pork, fat side up, in the oven-safe insert of a slow cooker. Transfer to the oven and roast until the top of the pork starts to crisp, 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer the insert to the slow-cooker base and add the apple juice and water. Cover and cook on low according to the manufacturer’s instructions, turning the pork occasionally, until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork, 6 to 7 hours.

Transfer the pork to a deep bowl. Using 2 forks, pull the meat apart into large shreds or, using a cleaver, chop it into large chunks. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

(I skipped this part since I don't have one of these) Using a handheld smoking gun, smoke with 2 to 3 chambers of applewood chips. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

Strain the cooking sauce into a bowl. Ladle 1/2 to 3/4 cup sauce over the pork. Stir in 1 to 2 tsp. of the reserved spice mixture. Serve immediately with rolls and barbecue sauce. Serves 6 to 8.

Recipe by Chef Bryan Voltaggio, inspired by Danny Edwards Blvd. BBQ, Kansas City, MO.

RATINGS:

Heather - 10 - "Definite make again"

Brad - 10 - "Sublime"

NOTES:

We ate this as simply shredded pork with some veggies on the side. Brad is going to have sandwiches tomorrow for lunch.

There was quite a bit of leftover juice in the crock pot so I separated and strained it and made some gravy.

Honey-Chipotle Turkey Meatballs

Yet another recipe from the January/February 2012 Everyday Food. I did say that it was full of great sounding recipes ; )

This recipe got chosen for two reasons.

1. Brad loves meatballs and he loves meatballs in a sweet and sticky sauce even more!

2. A while ago I opened a can of Chipotles in Adobo for another recipe. Because I am such a wimp a whole can is enough to last me a year though! So to minimize waste and always have some on hand, I froze them individually in snack size zipper bags.

HONEY-CHIPOTLE TURKEY MEATBALLS

http://www.marthastewart.com/872905/honey-chipotle-turkey-meatballs

RATINGS:

Heather - 9.5 - "A great turkey meatball"

Brad - 10 - "When can we have these again"

NOTES:

I made up the meatballs and the sauce in the afternoon, so that all Brad had to do was cook them. This worked really well. I might even make up a batch to freeze and have ready for a quick meal another time.
I only used 1/2 a Tbsp of chipotle which isn't much and I am going to have to cut that in half again, I am such a wimp.

This recipe was intended as an appetizer, and would be great that way. We enjoyed it as a meal with rice and steamed asparagus.

Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

The January/February 2012 issue of Everyday Food is jam packed with great light recipes.

I have tried tortilla soup at several restaurants so I was excited when I saw this recipe and had high expectations.

MEXICAN CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

http://www.marthastewart.com/872962/mexican-chicken-tortilla-soup

RATINGS:

Heather - 10 - "Exceeded my expectations"

Brad - 9 - "Was not looking forward to this, but it's great"

NOTES:

I couldn't find cojita cheese so I used feta.

Make sure you serve with the lime wedge. It it perfect.

Brasied Broccolini

Vegetables can be sooooooo boring. I am always on the look out for interesting vegetable side dishes. I used to hate broccoli but in the last year I have been enjoying it more so I thought that this one would be a good choice.

Everyday Food Magazine Issue # 89 (January/February 2012)

BRAISED BROCCOLINI

In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium-high. Add 3 large cloves of garlic thinly sliced (I used my cool Pampered Chef Shaving Tool), and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add 3 to 4 bunches trimmed broccolini (2 pounds) (Superstore didn't have any so I bought broccoli rabe instead) and 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth; season with coarse salt and 1/2 tsp red-pepper flakes (I only used a small pinch, I am a wimp). Bring to a boil over high and cover. Reduce heat and simmer until broccolini is tender but still bright green, about 15 minutes. Transfer broccolini to a platter. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer broth until reduced by half; pour over broccolini.

RATINGS:

Heather & Donna - 0 - "Inedible, wayyyy too bitter"

Brad & Herb - 2 - "It was almost tolerable when eaten with other food"

NOTES:

I don't know how this went so TERRIBLY WRONG!!! The only thing I can think of is that I shouldn't have substituted broccoli rabe for the broccolini. I am going to try this again with the right vegetable and see how that goes.

Heather's Imitation of DaDeO's Appocado Salad

Now that Brad and I live outside the city limits we don't often go out to eat anymore. On December 3rd my cousin Kendra was visiting from Medicine Hat so we headed to Whyte Ave for the evening with a reservation at DaDeO's New Orleans Diner & Bar. The entire meal was delicious! The crab cakes, Po'Boys and sweet potato fries (have changed if you haven't been there awhile and are even better than before) were all divine. What took me by complete surprise was how fantastic the Appocado (apple & avocado) Salad Kendra and I shared was. We debated possible ingredients and even tried to trick the server (he was new) into telling us what was in the dressing, sadly to no avail. Days after I was still thinking about it. I tried googling it to find the recipe but no dice there either. So I tried the next best thing, looking for a Dijon vinaigrette recipe. After reading many recipes I decided on the following honey Dijon vinaigrette recipe from about.com.(http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/oilvinegardressings/r/honeydijonvin.htm)

I did amend the recipe a little bit, I added an extra tbsp of the white balsamic vinegar, and rather than whisking the ingredients I used my immersion blender. Then to get a smooth creamy texture I slowly added the oil while running the immersion blender. Then toss with an even amount of chopped apple and avocado. Spinkle with toasted slivered almonds. Enjoy.

RATINGS:

Heather - 9.5 - "So good, but somethings missing. Shoot I forgot the almonds."

Reno Crew - 9 - "A nice change"

NOTES:

Next time I make the vinaigrette, and there will be a next time, I will try apple cider vinegar (might be a bit tangier) and will use only 1/2 cup olive oil (I think that it will still hold together).

This made a lot of dressing. I only used about 1/3 to toss and coat 1 apple and 2 avocados chopped up.

Sweet Marshallowy Potatoes

The weekend of American Thanksgiving my in-laws were helping us out with our reno and I was stumped as to what to make for dinner. So using the calendar as inspiration I decided on a Thanksgiving-ish meal. Turkey (I used this recipe http://www.marthastewart.com/318088/pan-seared-turkey-cutlets-with-wine-sauc originally published in Everyday Food January 2009), jazzed up Stove Top, broccoli and sweet potato fries with brown butter marshmallow dipping sauce. Yes you read that right, brown butter marshmallow dipping sauce, yum (Everyday Food issue #87 http://www.marthastewart.com/862295/matt-armendarizs-sweet-potato-fries-brown-butter-marshmallow-sauce).

SWEET POTATO FRIES WITH BROWN-BUTTER MARSHMALLOW SAUCE

RATINGS:

Heather - 8.5 - "I think my expectations were too high. It was good but I thought

it would be mind-blowing good"

Reno Crew - 9.5 - "The sweet potatoes were great"

NOTE:

The sweet potatoes themselves were great. I did peel them, as I don't like the skins personally.

The turkey recipe is also great. I have made it many times. This time I made turkey sandwiches with it, leftover Stove Top and my home made cranberry sauce and those blew my mind they were so good.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Yes, another soup recipe. I told you I could eat soup everyday!

This time I am cheating and I am using the link to the recipe rather than typing it out (if you decide you want to try it, and I think you should, you can print it easily from there).

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP II

by Michelle Chen

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cream-of-mushroom-soup-ii/detail.aspx

I did make a couple of substitutions. I used butter instead of margarine, chicken broth instead vegetable and used quinoa flour so that it was gluten free (I did have to use a bit more, 1/4 total).

RATINGS:

Heather - 10 - "Fantastic"

Brad - 10 - "The only bad thing about this is that I will never enjoy canned soup as much again"

NOTE:

This soup is really that good. I have made it twice in the last 2 weeks.

Vegetable Bean Soup

It has been awhile since I posted last. I have been cooking, I just haven't had a chance to post about it.

As many know, I could eat soup everyday. LOVE IT! So I am always on the lookout for new recipes to try. This months issue (#88) of Everyday Food Magazine had a great looking and healthy soup that whispered warm thoughts to me.

VEGETABLE BEAN SOUP

2 tbsp olive oil

2 med carrots, diced small

2 celery stalks, diced small

1 med onion, diced small

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried thyme

coarse salt & ground pepper

2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and draind*

1 can diced tomatoes

4 cups low sodium vegetable broth**

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add carrots, celery and onion and cook until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme ans season with salt and pepper, cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, broth and parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

RATINGS:

Heather - 10 - "Perfect for a cold winter day"

Work Crew - 9.5 - "Good Stuff"

NOTES:

* I didn't have cannellini beans so I used their cousin the white kidney bean

** I like chicken broth for soups, I find it adds more flavor than vegetable broth

*** You might have noticed some meat in the soup, I had some leftover sausage in the

fridge so I tossed that into the mix.

Coffee Ice Cream

We got an ice cream maker as a wedding present and I have to admit that I have never used it to make ice cream!! I have used to make sorbet and frozen yogurt and some the best pina colada's you have ever tasted but not ice cream.

For my sister's birthday dinner I decided to make a gluten free white cake for her (her favorite) but I wanted to add something to jazz it up and make it birthday celebration worthy. I came across this recipe in my Baked Explorations cook book (that was given to me by my sister) and thought that it would be a great compliment to the cake.

COFFEE ICE CREAM

6 egg yolks

1 3/4 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

3/4 + 2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp instant espresso powder (NOT ground espresso beans)

1 tbsp Kahlua

Put egg yolks in a large heatproof bowl and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan stir together the heavy cream, milk, sugar, salt and instant espresso powder. Bring the mixture to a slow, consistent simmer (just this side of a boil) and remove from heat.

Whisk the egg yolks until just combined, then slowly stream in half of the hot coffee cream mixture while whisking constantly. Trasfer the egg mixture back to the medium saucepan containing the other half of the coffee cream mixture. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 175 degrees on an instant read thermometer).

Remove from heat and strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Whisk in the Kahlua and let mixture cool to room temperature.

Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Pour into an ice cream machine and freeze, following the manufacturer's directions.

 

RATINGS:

Party of 6 - 9.5 - "Really good but can't give it a 10 since we don't have anything to compare it to"

NOTE:

I wanted the ice cream to be as fresh as possible so I decided to freeze it while we were eating our meal.  Running the ice cream maker during dinner was not my best idea. I had forgotten how noisy it was. : ( oh well, I will remember this for next time.

While it was nerve wracking to make ice cream from scratch the first time, it wasn't so bad. I will definitely make more ice cream flavors in the future.

Easy Cheesy Sauce

Does it get any better than cheese sauce? In my mind (and definately in Brad's) it's pretty hard to beat!

Normally, I would have used my old stand by cheese sauce recipe from my mom but this blog is about trying new recipes so I thought that I would throw caution to the wind and try a new one.

I wanted to try this particular recipe because it is gluten free and if it passes the test can be used in the future when I have my sister or any other gluten free friends over for dinner.

The recipe is from Quinoa 365 and can be found on page 39.

EASY CHEESY SAUCE

2 cups milk

1/3 cup quinoa flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (I used a tad more)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded aged cheddar cheese

Whisk together the milk, flour, salt, mustard and pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk frequently until the sauce thickens and covers the back of a spoon, about 5 - 7 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the cheddar cheese.

 

RATINGS:

Everyone - 9.5 - "Mmmmm cheese sauce"

NOTE:

I really like the texture and flavor of the quinoa flour in this sauce and it is is really nice to work with because it doesn't form lumps like wheat flour.

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Another recipe from the Western Producer parsnip collection. This was super easy to make. All the hard work was done yesterday when I roasted the vegetables.

ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP

1 part roasted vegetables

1 part chicken or vegetable stock (I used chicken)

Combine and simmer for 10 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup in pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

RATINGS:

Heather - 9.5 - "Better than yesterday"

Brad - 8 - "It's OK but not my favorite soup"

NOTE:

The soup really wasn't the nicest color. While the purple carrots looked great yesterday, when pureed with the orange sweet potatoes and the brown from the roasting the soup ended up a very brown, not so appealing, color. Good thing looks aren't everything, it tasted great.

Baked Root Vegetables

Knowing that I had a lot of root vegetables from my garden, my mom sent me an article from the Western Producer that featured parsnips. This recipe is part of that collection.

I really liked that the vegetables had to marinate. I could have them prepped in the morning so that as I walked in the door I could toss them in the oven and use the time they take to roast to get the rest of the meal ready.

BAKED ROOT VEGETABLES

1 lb new potatoes, cut into chunks

1/2 lg rutabaga, peeled & cubed (I skipped this, not a fan of rutabaga)

1 lg sweet potato, peeled & cubed

2 lg parsnips, peeled & cubed

2 lg carrots, peeled & cubed

1/2 lg onion, cut into 6 chunks

3 tbsp oil (I used EVOO)

3 tbsp sweet red chili sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp Montreal steak spice (I skipped and just put it on the steak we were having)

Prep vegetables and place in a large container. Mix oil, chili sauce, garlic and seasoning together. Add to vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Place vegetables on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Stir and roast for an additional 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

 

RATINGS:

Heather - 9 - "A bit too spicy for me"

Brad - 9 - "Taste is good"

Herb & Donna - 9 - "We will come back again"

NOTE:

I used purple carrots and they looked fantastic

Pumpkin Seeds

Shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are my new favorite snack and/or salad topping so I was thrilled when this month's Everyday food Magazine featured them in the "Bites" section.

PUMPKIN SEEDS FOUR WAYS

(I made 2 of the 4)

Preheat oven to 300. Combine 2 cups pumpkin seeds, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and a seasoning blend (below). Spread in a single layer on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Toast until golden and crunchy, about 20 minutes, stirring half way through.

Brown Sugar Spice

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp ground allspice

1 tbsp water

1/2 tsp fine salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Maple Chipotle

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp chipotle powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp fine salt

RATINGS:

Heather - 9.5 - "Both good, but I liked the Brown Sugar Spice Best"

Donna (Brad's Mom) - 9.5 - "I like them both"

NOTE:

They look the exact same when cooked so that is why there is only one picture.

Sugar Snap Salad

On my trip to Galloway's Fine Foods in Richmond I picked up a package of sumac based on the recommendation of my cousin Crystal. It has a light lemony flavor. When we got back to her place I browsed her July 2011 copy of Bon Appetit magazine and found this recipe. It is also on epicurious.com which you can link to below.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sugar-Snap-Salad-366394

RATINGS:

Heather, Brad and Company - 9 - "A nice summer side salad"

Stuffed Zucchini with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

If you have read the last couple posts (or the ones from last year at this time) you know that I am always looking for ways to use up zucchini. This one comes from Issue #84 of Everyday Food Magazine.

STUFFED ZUCCHINI WITH TOMATOES AND MOZZARELLA

Preheat oven to 400. Brush a rimmed sheet with olive oil. Halve 2 medium zucchini length wise and scrape out seeds. Place cut side up on sheet and season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl combine 2 plum tomatoes, halved, seeded and diced small, and 1/4 tsp each chopped fresh oregano leaves and white vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Top zucchini with tomato mixture. Bake until zucchini is tender, about 20 minutes.

Heat broiler, with rack in top position. Top zucchini with 5 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into 1" pieces. Broil until cheese is brown and bubbling.

RATINGS:

Heather - 10 - "Fantastic"

Brad - 8.5 - "LOVE the cheese"

Sausage and Rice Stuffed Peppers

I love this time of year . . . a lot of veggies are in season and at their peak. This recipe celebrates bell peppers as featured the "In season" section of Everyday Food Magazine Issue #85. I also liked that it used zucchini which I have several of my fridge.

Sausage and Rice Stuffed Peppers

1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 zucchini, diced small

1 medium yellow onion, diced small (I used a red one)

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

4 cups cooked long-grain white rice

4 large bell peppers, halved with seeds and ribs removed

Heat 1 tsp oil over medium high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat, until browned. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Add zucchini, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender. Add zucchini mixture to bowl with sausage, Parmesan, rice and 1 tsp oil. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. Cover rimmed baking sheet with foil and arrange peppers cut side up. Divide rice mixture between peppers. Bake until peppers are tender, about 30 minutes.

RATINGS:

Heather - 9 - "Great flavors, a bit dry"

Brad - 9 - "Stuffing was awesome"

Gluten Free Cherry Cheese Cake

This recipe is from my mom. I don't know where she got it from originally though. An easy substitution makes it gluten free. This is a great recipe and every time I make it someone asks for the recipe.

CHERRY CHEESE CAKE

Crust:

1 1/2 cups Kinnikinnik brand Gluten Free Graham Style Crumbs

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup white sugar

Mix well and pat into a 9x11" pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

Filling:

1 pkg Dream Whip

1 cup icing sugar

8 oz cream cheese

Beat Dream Whip as directed. In a separate bowl beat cream cheese and icing sugar, then mix together.

Spread on top of crust. Top with 1 tin cherry pie filling. Refrigerate.

RATINGS:

Heather - 10 - "A classic"

Brad - 10 - "Cherry goodness"

Erin - 10 -"I love gluten free deserts"