Surgery

I just had gastric bypass surgery on November 17th so I may not be posting any new recipes for a while. Liquid diet is not very interesting!

Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:

8 oz. elbow macaroni

Water, dash of oil, salt

12 oz. can evaporated milk

1.5 cups whole milk

20 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 4.5 cups)

2 large eggs

1/2 stick butter melted 

Cooking spray

1 tsp. salt

Dash pepper

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Dash paprika 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350. Cook macaroni in well salted water with a dash of oil. Cook until el dente about 9 minutes. Rinse in cold water and set aside. In large bowl, combine beaten eggs, evaporated milk, whole milk, melted butter, salt, pepper, and dry mustard. Whisk well. Add in all but 1/2 cup if shredded cheese and all the cooked macaroni. Stir well to combine. Pour into 9 x 13 casserole dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top and sprinkle paprika over that. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. You can also make this in the crock pot it takes about 3 hours in high. You would use the same method of spraying your crock with Pam and you do not need a bowl you can mix everything up right in the crock, reserving some cheese and paprika for the top. You can even cook your pasta ahead of time and refrigerate it. Just make sure you toss it in a dash of olive oil so that it doesn't stick together.  

Shrimp in creamy tomato sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter

1 tbs. Olive oil

One 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes

3 large tomatoes diced small

3 tbs. fresh chopped basil

2 scallions diced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 cloves minced garlic

1 cup chicken stock or white wine

3/4 cup half and half

4 tbs. freshly grated Parmesan 

Spaghetti or angel hair pasta 

1.5 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salt and pepper and garlic powder

2 tbs. butter & 2 tbs. Olive oil

Directions:

In dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over medium heat melt 1/2 stick of butter and olive oil. Then add chopped tomatoes, can of tomatoes (drained), basil, red pepper flakes, onion, garlic, chicken stock. Bring to boil and then simmer covered for 30 minutes. Make sure the tomatoes are well broken down. Use immulsion blender to break down further if needed. Meanwhile cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and toss with a splash of olive oil and salt. While pasta is boiling rinse and dry shrimp on paper towel. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In skillet melt butter and olive oil. Sauté shrimp over medium heat just a few minutes on each side. Do not over cook shrimp. Add half and half to tomato sauce and stir well and heat through. Toss pasta in large bowl with half of the sauce and Parmesan cheese. Add shrimp to other half of the sauce to reheat the shrimp. On each plate top pasta with sauce shrimp mixture. Add more Parmesan and basil leaf to garnish. 

Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients:

4-6 Pork chops

One small onion

1 cup Flour

1 tbs. Season salt

Salt & Pepper

Canola oil

3 cups Chicken broth

1/4 cup Milk

Directions:

Mix 1 cup of flour with 1 tbs. of season salt. Dredge chops and shake off excess. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in non stick skillet to medium heat. Fry chops about 3 minutes on each side. Remove to casserole dish. Pour all but 1/4 cup of oil out of pan. Add  3-4 tbs of the seasoned flour and whisk of medium heat until flour is lightly browned. Add 3 cups chicken broth while continuously whisking. Bring back up to boil and then add 1/4 cup of milk. Add salt and pepper. Whisk well. Slice onion into thin rings and spread rings over chops in casserole dish. Pour gravy over chops and onions. Cover tightly with foil and back 1 1/2 hours at 300 degrees. Chops will be fork tender.

Gyros

Gyros meat:

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. ground beef

.75 lbs ground lamb

1/2 large onion, minced or grated 

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. thyme

2 tsp. majoram 

2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. sea salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together by hand. Place in covered bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight to let the flavors meld. Pulse in food processor until minced and well blended. Place into greased casserole dish, pressing down flat, and bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack for a few minutes. Slice as thin as possible.

Tatziki sauce:

Ingredients:

1 cucumber

2 tsp. fresh parsley or mint chopped fine

3-4 gloves garlic, minced

2 tbs. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. cumin

16 oz. plain Greek yogurt 

Directions:

Peel and seed cucumber. Dice in small pieces. First combine first five ingredients. Then fold in yogurt. Do not over stir as it will tend to make it watery.

 

Old Fashioned Buttermilk Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/4 tsp. Yeast

1 1/2 cups Water

1 stick butter + more to coat pans

5-6 cups flour + more for board

Pam spray

1 cup buttermilk 

1 tbs. sugar

1 tbs. salt

1/2 tbs. apple cider vinegar

3 tbs. honey 

Step 1:

Starter:  In small bowl mix together 2 1/4 tsp. yeast (1 packet) + 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees or less) proof for 15 minutes until foamy.

Step 2:

Add 1 cup water + 3 tbs. butter in small sauce pan. Bring to boil and then allow to cool until warm to touch. 

1 cup buttermilk

1 tbs. sugar

1 tbs. salt

1/2 tbs. apple cider vinegar

3 tbs. honey 

Step 3: 

In large bowl, whisk together these five ingredients above and then pour in the warm water/butter from step 2. Then stir in the yeast starter from step 1.

5-6 cups flour

Step 4:

Add flour to bowl one cup at a time. When it becomes to difficult to stir with a spoon (around 3-4 cups it gets hard to stir) roll out onto floured board and knead by hand slowly adding in remaining flour a little at a time until you have incorporated all 5-6 cups of flour and dough is no longer sticky. Knead for an additional five minutes. The dough should be smooth and have a bounce back when pressed. If there is no bounce back, knead a few more minutes.

Step 5:

Grease large bowl with oil or butter. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat the dough in oil. This will keep the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl as it rises. Place Saran Wrap over bowl. (Tip: spray the Saran Wrap with Pam on the side that will potentially touch the dough to keep it from sticking.) Allow dough to double in size. This should take 45-60 minutes. 

Step 6:

Roll dough out of bowl and onto floured board. Punch down dough and need for just a minute. With sharp knife divide dough in two equal halves. Place each half into a well buttered loaf pan. Cover with Saran Wrap, spraying Pam on the dough side of the wrap. Allow to rise for 45 minutes. 

Step 7:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt about 4 tbs. of butter. Using pastry brush, liberally brush butter onto too of each loaf. With sharp knife make 3-4 slightly diagonal score marks.

Step 8:

Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes until golden brown and it will smell amazing! That means it's done!

Step 9: 

Remove from pans. When you tap the bottom of the loaf it should sound hollow. That means it's cooked through. Allow to cool slightly before slicing. 

Mustard Lemon Chicken

This was the first recipe I ever learned and it's still one of my favorites. In fact this is the first thing I ever cooked for my husband when we were dating. It's super easy. 

Ingredients: 

Boneless skinless chicken breasts 

Dijon mustard 

Lemon pepper seasoning 

2 tbs. butter

2 tbs. olive oil

Directions: 

You can either buy your breasts sliced thin or take a regular breast and pound it thin. Add your butter and olive oil to a small fry pan and heat over medium heat. While waiting for your oil to heat, prepare your chicken. Spread breasts flat out on a plate. Spread mustard over the breasts with the back of a spoon. I use an inexpensive Dijon that comes in a squirt bottle. If you are using Dijon in a jar, be careful of contaminating your mustard with the raw chicken; use two different spoons. You want to make sure that this one side of the chicken is completely covered in Dijon. Then using tongs, flip your breasts over and lie flat again. Shake lemon pepper and cover other side completely in lemon pepper. Starting with lemon pepper side down add to hot oil. Cook for 4 minutes or until starts to get a good golden brown color then flip to other side for 4 minutes and then repeat until chicken is fully cooked. I serve this with broccoli cheese rice and a salad and it is scrumptious! It only takes 20 minutes start to finish. 

Please excuse the picture, I didn't take it until I was already putting the leftovers in Tupperware. 

Clam Chowder

This is actually very fast to prepare. 

Ingredients:

2 cans baby fancy clams

4-6 slices of bacon

4 large russet potatoes

2 ribs of celery

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme

4 cups chicken or seafood stock

3 cups half and half

1/4 cup each of corn starch & cold water

Salt & Pepper

Directions: 

Prepare all vegetables. Wash peel and chop potatoes in 1 inch cubes. Wash and dice onion and celery. Mince garlic. 

Add potatoes, 4 cups broth, 2 tsp. salt, thyme sprigs, and all of the juice from both cans of clams to a dutch oven or large stock pot. 

In separate fry pan, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels. Sauté onion and celery in bacon fat until translucent. Add garlic and cook one minute more then pour all contents of fry pan into the potato pot. 

Bring potato pot to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. 

In small bowl whip together 1/4 cup of cold water with 1/4 cup cornstarch until lump free. 

Add 3 cups of cream, clams, and cornstarch mixture to the pot. Increase heat to medium and return to boil. Allow to boil several minutes while stirring to thicken broth. Remove thyme sprigs. Taste and then add salt & pepper to taste. Crumble bacon on to each bowl. 

Tortellini Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pkg. Mild Italian sausage

3-4 Summer squash

1 pkg. Cheese tortellini

1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes 

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 cloves minced garlic

Fresh Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese 

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions: 

Peel casings off of sausage and cook in dutch oven, breaking apart the meat as you cook it. Add onion. Cook sausage until there is no more pink and onions should be translucent. Rinse and dice squash and add to the pot. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and pour in can of crushed tomatoes. Stir well. In separate pot boil tortellini to package instructions. With slotted spoon, transfer tortellini to other pot. Stir gently to coat the tortellini in sauce. Pour into casserole dish. Slice mozzarella and place evenly over top. Grate Parmesan evenly over top. Bake at 350 for 30 mins. Serve with garlic bread.

Asparagus & Ham Frittata

Ingredients:

1/2 cup diced ham

1/2 cup frozen asparagus spears 

1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 

2 green onions sliced 

6 eggs beaten

4 tbs. half & half

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 cup grated white cheddar 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan 

Dash olive oil 

Pam Olive oil spray

Salt & Pepper

Dill weed

Place olive oil in small skillet. Add asparagus, ham, mushrooms, and green onion. Cook and stir over medium heat about 6 minutes. Stir in fresh cracked salt and pepper. Spray pie plate with Pam. Pour asparagus ham mixture into pie plate. In bowl beat eggs, stir in half & half, mustard. Mix well. Stir in cheeses. Pour egg mixture over vegetables. Top with more cracked salt & pepper. Dash of dill weed over top. Bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes or until eggs are completely  set. 

This makes a filling and healthy breakfast and left overs reheat nicely. You can easily substitute asparagus with spinach or broccoli. Substitute ham with deli turkey or salmon. Subsitute mushrooms with cooked potatoes. Substitute just about any type of cheese. The possibilities are endless. 

Flank Steak & Snap Peas Stir Fry

Ingredients for marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tbs. sherry or wine

4 tbs. brown sugar

1 tbs. freshly grated ginger

2 tbs. corn starch

Ingredients:

2 lb. flank steak

16 oz. fresh sugar snap peas 

6 green onions 

3 tbs. canola oil

Red pepper flakes

1.5 cups of long grain rice

Directions:

Peel and grate ginger. Mix marinade. 

Slice flank steak very thin, against the grain and at a slight angle. 

In large bowl, pour marinade over steak. 

While marinading... Wash snap peas and slice the very tip off each end, place in bowl. 

Wash and dice the green onions and place in separate bowl.

In medium pot combine 1.5 cups of rice, 3 cups of water and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to boil. Stir, cover, and reduce heat to low for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered for 10 minutes. 

In large wok heat 3 tbs. of oil over high heat. Oil must be very hot. Toss in snap peas. Stir for two minutes. Toss into clean bowl. 

Add more oil if needed and allow to get very hot again. Add 1/3 of meat try to spread out into single layer. Toss in 1/3 of green onions. Every 30 seconds stir and then spread out again until cooked through. Remove cooked meat to clean platter. 

Add the next 1/3 of meat and repeat process until all meat and onions have been cooked. 

Then add the cooked meat, any remaining marinade from the bowl, and the snap peas. Continue to stir for several minutes over high heat. 

Remove from heat and stir in a few shakes of pepper flakes. Serve over rice. 

Serves 4-6