Patti's Seafood Casserole

1 lb fresh scallops
1 lb fresh shrimp deveined and shelled
8 oz tub lump crab meat drained
8 oz velveeta cheese cut into cubes
1/2 cup miracle whip
1 cup milk
4 cups cold cooked long grain rice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs flat leaf parsley chopped

1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil

Combine velveeta milk and miracle whip in large pot over medium low heat, stirring frequently

Melt butter in olive oil in frying pan over medium heat
Lightly brown scallops on both sides, remove to cheese mixture
Quickly cook shrimp in same pan and add to cheese mixture

Fold in rice and lightly stir in crab

Pour into casserole top with parsley and bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Miracle whip and velveeta never tasted so good!

Lemon Ditalini

1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
4 tbs butter
Zest of one Lemon minced
Juice from that lemon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

2 cups uncooked pasta

Cook pasta and drain
Stir in all other ingredients and serve

Pedro's Egg Salad

2 hard boiled eggs chopped
1 tbs chopped cilantro
1 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup diced onion I used red
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp drained capers
2 - 3 tbs mayo, never miracle whip and next time I will try a garlic aioli
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients adding just enough mayo to hold it together otherwise it will end up like one of those awful egg salad sandwiches from those childhood church picnics my brothers church had

(We we interestingly brought up with two religions, he Wesleyan and they loved church picnics and me Roman Catholic)

Serve on whatever you want

Rigatoni with Artichoke Hearts and Olives

8oz Rigatoni
14 oz jar artichoke hearts drained coarsely chopped
1/2 cup quality pitted olives ripe or green
1/2 cup chopped drained roasted red pepper from a jar
2 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 cup chopped basil or parsley
Tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbs extra virgin oil
Ground black pepper to taste
2 oz crumbled feta

Cook Rigatoni according to box directions
Mix all other ingredients while pasta cooks except cheese
Toss with drained hot pasta, garnish with cheese, serve immediately

Olive / Spinach Bread

3 3/4 cups un bleached bread flour
One envelope active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1/2 cup finely chopped spinach or other green
4 cloves garlic chopped fine

Use dough hook in processor
Add flour salt sugar and yeast to bowl food processor
With motor running slowly add water and oil
Stop when dough forms ball at top of processor
Put dough in oiled bowl and cover
Let rise in a warm place until doubled about 1 hour
Knead Garlic spinach garlic and olives into Bread
Divide in three shaping into loaf shapes
Placed on greased sheet
Cover with wax paper sprayed with Pam, allow to rise another hour
Brush loaves with olive oil
Bake in pre heated 425 oven 20-25 minutes
Sprinkle loaves with kosher salt and allow to cool on racks

Beef Bourguigonne for two

You will need a Dutch oven preferably enameled cast iron

4 slices bacon chopped (I cut with scissors)
1 1/2 lbs lean stew meat cut in cubes
1 yellow onion sliced
1 carrot peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic sliced
8 oz mushrooms washed and quartered
1/2 lb pearl onions trimmed and peeled
1 1/2 cup red wine, I used chianti
1 can beef broth low sodium
1 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs flour
Tie together some thyme and parsley sprigs and a couple of bay leaves

Fry bacon until crisp in bottom Dutch oven. Remove to large container.
Blot dry stew meat with paper towel and fry in bacon fat until browned. Remove to large container with bacon
Fry slice onion and carrot until brownedw. You might need to add sm amt olive oil along the way
Add garlic slices to onion, fry one minute and add all to beef and bacon
Sauté mushrooms until well browned
Add beef, bacon, onion mix back to Dutch oven
Sprinkle flour over beef and stir well
Add wine, pearl onions to pot. Add beef broth just so beef barely covered, bring to boil and stir scraping bottom of pan
Place covered in 350 oven for 2 hour 30 minutes
Serve with buttered parsley potatoes

not so pickled Dill Pickles

Pickles are a laborious task.  Unfortunately sterilization of jars and adequate supply of produce make it more difficult to do.
These quick pickles are easy, taste great but will only will last about a month in the refrigerator

12 small cucumbers washed and quartered lengthwise (I have tried these with regular cukes and the results are just as good)
1 cup kosher salt
Handful Fresh dill
6 quart size bottles with tight fitting lids

In large colander cover  cucumbers with salt and set in sink to drain for 20-30 minutes

Meanwhile boil for about 5 minutes
4 cups water
2 cups vinegar
12 cloves garlic
2 Tbs Dill seed
1 Tbs black peppercorns
1 Tbs mustard seed
2 Tbs kosher salt
1 large yellow onion sliced thin

Rinse salt from cucumbers and blot dry
tightly pack in clean jars with a sprig or two of dill per jar

Pour hot liquid into jars making sure to distribute the garlic and spices between jars
Let cool on counter then store in refrigerator

Caprese Salad

I have eaten too many poor versions of this in restaurants etc.  Perhaps my tastes are not developed enough but I need stronger flavors than a rubbery slice a cheese with a slice of tomato and a drop of balsamic.

4 medium tomatoes sliced 1/4" slices

8 oz Fresh Mozerella sliced

1/4 cup ev olive oil

3 Tbs balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs fresh basil chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 tsp salt
crushed rep pepper to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Alternate and overlap tomato and cheese slices
Mix remaining ingredients pour over tomato cover and rest for at least 3 hours

Serve over crostini as an appetizer or over fresh arugula as a salad adding some dressing to the plate

Fried Green Tomatoes

3-4 large unripened green tomatoes sliced 1/4 " slices

1 cup flour

2 tsp kosher salt

generous ground black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 cup whole milk

2 eggs

1 cup stone ground corn meal

peanut or canola oil

mix four salt and peppers in one bowl

mix eggs and milk in second bowl

cornmeal in third bowl

coat each tomato slice in flour mixture, dip in egg mixture, press into corn meal coating both sides at each step.

Place on waxed paper.

Heat 1/2 inch oil in large fry pan medium high heat

Fry in batches two minutes each side until golden, drain on wire rack over a baking sheet

Serve with remoulade sauce and additional salt an pepper



Mushroom Ravioli with Browned Butter Sauce

Grandma Moses' Molasses Cookies

Yes indeed I did have a Grandma Moses!

Molasses was on everyone's kitchen table, ready for bread and molasses after dinner with a cup of tea.
Gram's house was no different.  I have very fond memories of the smells from her oven, fresh bread, baked beans and of course molasses cookies.  After a recent Texas trip and an unscheduled stop in a one horse town and $18 worth of home baked molasses cookies later, I knew I had to resurrect the recipe.


1 cup molasses
1 cup sugar
1 cup melted shortening
4 tsp baking soda
4 Tbls hot water
2 tsp cream tarter
2 tsp cinamon
1 tsp allspice
1 heaping tsp ginger
1/2 tsp  salt
2 eggs
4 cups flour

Mix shortening, sugar, molasses, eggs to creamy batter.  Dislove soda in hot water and add to batter.  Mix flour, cream of tarter, cinamon, allspice, and ginger.  Add dry ingredients to batter to make thick dough.  Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness.  Form cookies with 6"cutter.  Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 for approximately 10-12 minutes.  Best warm out of the oven

Tomato Pie

Some of the neighbors tomatoes made it through our last frost and needed to be "used up"

1 pie crust
4-5 large tomatoes cut in half, seeds and water squeezed out and sliced
4 slice bacon cooked and crumbled
4 green onions sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
2 cups grated cheese, your choice I like a sharp cheddar
1/4 cup mayonaise
plenty of ground pepper
head of roasted garlic or clove garlic minced

Have tomatoes as dry as possible by either laying slices on paper towel or salting in a colander
Line 9" pie pan with crust
Layer tomato, onion bacon basil and pepper and repeat
Mix cheese mayonaise and garlic.  Spread on top of pir

tent with foil sprayed with non stick spray
Bake at 375 x 30 mins, uncover and bake 30 mins longer