Cold Slaw and Hot Slaw

Becky and I were discussing how we both like cabbage so I thought I'd share an easy old pioneer recipe. It's originally from The Skillful Housewife's Book, 1846, but it's updated here by The Old Sturbridge Village Cookbook. :) I think it's good both ways, cold or hot.

Cold Slaw and Hot Slaw
1 head (2 pounds) cabbage
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. pepper

Slice or shave cabbage very thin, cutting out the core.
In a large pot, scald together butter, vinegar, salt and pepper.

For hot slaw: Add cabbage to hot mixture and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently until just tender, about 10-15 minutes.

For cold slaw: Pour warmed dressing over cabbage and toss to mix.

Bear Claw Brownies

I made these for the girl's "Brave" birthday party today and they turned out really cute.  Maybe I'll post a picture one day...
I tried these with a mix other than Pillsbury and they were not the right consistency - they basically turned into blobs.  The Pillsbury mix allows them to hold their shape really well.  These would be fun for a camp out.

Bear Claw Brownies

1 Box of Pillsbury Brownie Mix

1 Egg

1/3 Cup Oil

2 Tablespoons of Water

Slivered Almonds

Preheat your oven to 350. Combine the brownie mix, egg, oil, & water.  Scoop out spoon fulls of the mix onto a cookie sheet that is lightly greased. Shape into footprints. Then press in the slivered almonds (three in the end of the “foot” for the claws). Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Note: Pillsbury mix is necessary – other mixes don’t have the same consistency.

Baked Ziti

I've been making this for awhile and keep meaning to post it. For me, it rivals lasagna. It is creamier and cheesier than lasagna, which I love. The sour cream doesn't make it taste sour, it just makes it creamier. It originally called for ground beef too, but I prefer dishes like this to be meatless.

Baked Ziti
1 pound dry ziti (or any tube pasta)
1 onion, chopped
1 T. oil
2 (26 oz) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces sliced provolone cheese
1 1/2 c. sour cream
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
fresh or frozen spinach (thawed if frozen), to taste
2 T. grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the ziti until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, cook the onion in the oil over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer 15 minutes (or less if you're in a hurry).

Grease a 9x13 dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, spinach, remaining ziti, mozzarella and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted.

Altered slightly from allrecipes.com

Asparagus & Corn Chowder

This is slightly altered from Simple and Delicious.  And it is delicious.  I doubled it here because it only made a tiny pot of soup.  Good thing we had rolls too!

Asparagus & Corn Chowder

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 bunches fresh asparagus (rough ends trimmed off and the rest trimmed to 1-inch pieces)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1-1/2 cups shredded, cooked chicken breast
• 1 1/2 cups frozen corn

Directions

• 1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add asparagus and onion; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until tender.  Add garlic and cook one minute more.
• 2. Stir in flour, salt, garlic powder and pepper until blended; gradually stir in broth and half-and-half. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add chicken and corn; heat through.

Read more: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chicken--asparagus---corn-chowder/print#ixzz3VvQwhZdb

Chocolate Mousse & Praline Pie

Mmmm...mm.  I made this for Carrie's b-day.  It's easy and delish.

Chocolate Mousse and Praline Pie

Praline:

1/3 C. butter

1/4 C. packed light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. cold water

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

2/3 C. coarsely chopped pecans

1 9-inch graham cracker pie crust

chocolate mousse filling (recipe below)

Pecan halves

Mousse:

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin

1 Tbsp. cold water

2 Tbsp. boiling water

1/2 C. sugar

1/4 C. cocoa powder

1 C. (1/2 pint) cold whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a small microwave-safe bowl, place butter.  Microwave at high (100%) 1 minute or until melted. In a separate bowl, mix the cold water with the cornstarch until smooth.  Add cornstarch mixture and brown sugar to the butter; stir.  Microwave at high 1 minute or until mixture comes to full boil.  Stir in chopped pecans; cool slightly.  Spread mixture on bottom of crust.  Place crust in freezer.

Prepare chocolate mousse filling:

In a small cup, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand 1 minute to soften.  Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved and mixture is clear.  Cool slightly, about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, stir together sugar and cocoa; add whipping cream and vanilla.  beat on medium to high speed of electric mixer, scraping bottom and sides of bowl occasionally, until stiff.  Add gelatin mixture; beat just until well blended.

Remove crust from freezer.  Carefully spread mousse filling over pecan layer.  Cover; refrigerate 3 to 4 hours.  Garnish with pecan halves.  Refrigerate leftover pie.  

Serves 6 to 8.

Recipe from Hershey's Chocolate Lover's Cookbook

I was looking for a way to use up some ricotta cheese and came across this recipe.  It made about 15 small but dense pancakes.  We had frozen blackberries to use and that was delicious.  You could probably use strawberries if you cut them up small and let them macerate in sugar for a long time before adding them, otherwise I'd stick with the other berries.

Berry Lemon Pancakes

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

3 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 large eggs

2-3 drops lemon oil or zest from 1 lemon + 1 tsp lemon juice 

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2/3 C ricotta cheese (can substitute Greek yogurt) 

2/3 C milk 

1 tsp vanilla 

1 C frozen or fresh raspberries, blackberries or blueberries

Maple Syrup 

Fresh berries, if desired

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.  Set aside.  

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon oil, vegetable oil, ricotta, milk and vanilla until well combined.  Add dry ingredients and stir until combined.  Do not over mix - batter should be lumpy.  Fold in berries.  

Heat griddle over medium heat; spray with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup batter onto griddle.  Cook 3-4 minutes or until bubbles begin to form on top, flip and cook 2-3 minutes.  Remove and keep warm.

Serve with butter, hot maple syrup and fresh berries, as desired.

Altered slightly from a recipe on cookingandbeer.com  (Srsly!?)

Skinny Mexican Casserole

This is a quicky, easy and healthy dinner (and yummy too).  I used homemade refried beans (Mandy's recipe) and I used a bit more than one can's worth.

Skinny Mexican Casserole

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chilis, drained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 4 (8-inch) whole wheat tortillas, chopped
• 1 (16-ounce) can refried beans, warmed (or homemade refried beans – about 1.5 cups)
• 1 (10-ounce) can Old El Paso™ mild enchilada sauce
• 1 1/2 cups reduced fat shredded Mexican blend cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in black beans, corn, chili powder and cumin until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in green chiles and cilantro; set aside.
• Place tortillas evenly on the bottom of the baking dish. Spread refried beans evenly over the tortillas, followed by the onion mixture and enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.
• Place into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly.
• Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.

http://damndelicious.net/2014/12/22/skinny-mexican-casserole/