Sautéed Swiss Chard Ribs with Cream and Pasta Recipe

Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 lb swiss chard, yielding 2 cups of chopped ribs
• 1/4 cup (half a stick) butter
• 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream (we used almond milk; not as good, but passable)
  
• Enough dry pasta to make about one quart of cooked pasta (use rice pasta if gluten-free is required)
• Salt and pepper

Directions
1. Separate the ribs from the greens. Cut the ribs into 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces. Blanch the ribs in lightly salted boiling water for 3 minutes.

2. Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the drained, blanched ribs and simmer for 4 minutes. Add heavy cream and cook until cream reduces by two-thirds.

3. While the cream is reducing, cook up your pasta according to the pasta's package directions.

4. Mix creamed chard with pasta. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Comments: Our first experiment with the Roxbury Farm (CSA) veggies we got on Tuesday. This recipe was good, but a little bland. It would be better with some kick (a la crushed red pepper, perhaps). Also, we read online that it is very important that the chard be very fresh. We got ours yesterday and it was great today. We love the flavor (not bitter at all!).

Oatmeal Cake

Oatmeal Cake
Kim Blanchard

Source: from a woman in our ward in Portland over 30 years ago!

Total prep/Cook time about an hour

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons soda
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon cloves
1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups very hot water
1 ½ cups oatmeal (I use the regular oats, not the quick cooking)
¾ cup vegetable oil (I use canola)
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 ½ cups white sugar (sometimes I use all brown sugar instead of half and half)
3 eggs (separate one egg and use the white in the cake and retain the yolk for the topping)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

Place oatmeal into hot water and let sit for about 10 minutes to soften
Separate one egg- retain yolk for topping
Mix all dry ingredients
Mix wet (oatmeal/water mix, eggs, vanilla and oil)
Mix together wet and dry ingredients
Pour batter into buttered 9 x 13 pan

Bake 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes until toothpick comes out clean

Topping:
1 cube very soft butter
1 egg yolk
¼ cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup walnuts
1 cup coconut

Mix all ingredients and spread over hot cake
Broil in oven until browned - watch carefully

Comments:
This cake has been a family favorite for years! One great thing is that this cake freezes beautifully! I usually make a double batch and put batter into smaller pans and freeze a few.

Creamy White Chili

Source: Tori M. (I don't know her; I got it from my friend Sacha Bikhazi)

Servings: 4-6

Total prep/cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil
2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream

Directions:

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips. Makes about 6 servings.

Comments:
My friend made this for me when I visited her in Albuquerque, NM, and I have made it at least 4 times in the two months since then. Ry loves it, and we even made it for Kim when she visited and she loved it too! We're thinking of making it for everybody this summer at Fairview. Plus, it's so easy I don't mind making it. Oh, and definitely use fresh cilantro with it---it makes such a difference!

Split Pea Soup

Source: Jessy Madsen (a friend from Church)
Serves: 6-8
Total prep/cook time: about 8 hours in slow cooker, or 2-3 over the stove

Ingredients:

• 3 cups dried green split peas, rinsed and picked over
• 8 cups water
• 1 small (1 to 1 1⁄2 lb.) boneless ham
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 4 new potatoes, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1⁄2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1⁄2 tsp dried thyme)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place split peas, water, ham and bay leaves in the slow-cooker. Cover and cook on low until tender, about 7 hours on low. (Or, put in pan on stove for about 2 hours on medium, but you need to watch it and stir often.)

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions, carrots and celery until softened, about 6 minutes. Add vegetables and diced potatoes to slow-cooker. Cook until the potatoes are tender, about 2 hours (or less in a pan on the stove). Remove the ham from the slow-cooker, shred the meat, and add it back to the slow-cooker. Add the thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Serves 8 to 10

Comments:
Things we love about this soup: 1) It's super tasty (even though it doesn't look appetizing, it's really great!). 2) It's super cheap. 3) Perfect cold weather comfort food, but my friend brought it to us in the summer after Katie was born and it tasted great then. 4) You can leave the ham out to make it even cheaper/vegetarian and it still tastes good. I've experimented with making it on the stove, and can do it in about 3 hours without compromising the texture/flavor, but it requires a lot of babysitting, so I think I'm going to do it in the crock pot next time. (I don't use my crock pot much for some reason.)

Jessy's note: I just bought pre-sliced ham b/c it's way cheaper and threw it in the crockpot sliced and then when it says to shred the meat I just cut it up and dice it. I only used at minimum a pound and then would just either freeze the meat or use it for another meal the next week)

Cake Mix Fix-Up

On Sunday, I was craving a succulent dessert but was limited on ingredients. (Finals week = no grocery shopping) Of course, I turned to the trusty world wide web for inspiration. A few sites said that a great way to transform a boring boxed cake mix into something special is to replace the water and oil with milk and butter (eggs unchanged). Boy, were they right! This makes such a moist, rich, spongy cake! I'll never use the product instructions again!

Chicken and Peaches

Source: Rachael Ray

Serves: 2-4

Total Prep/Cook Time: 15 minutes

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 peaches, pitted and thickly sliced or halved
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger root, grated orminced
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 2/3 cup peach preserves
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot brand
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

PREPARATION

Heat a medium size skillet with the butter over medium heat. Add the peaches and the juice of 1/2 lemon and cook until tender and lightly golden, 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.

While the peaches cook, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, a turn of the pan, in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. Cut the chicken breasts in half across the center of each breast to make four equal portions. Add the chicken breasts and thighs to the pan and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 12 minutes, then remove to a plate and cover with foil.

Drizzle the pan with the remaining EVOO, half a turn of the pan. Add the chopped shallot and the ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the stock, preserves, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce and season with black pepper, to taste. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes to thicken. Arrange the chicken and peaches on a platter and douse with peach sauce. Serve one piece of light meat and one thigh per person.

Comments: No complaints. Absolutely delicious! (I didn't add the ginger. I think it would be heavenly either way.) I made the peaches and sauce on the stove, and Bret grilled the chicken outside. Together, a perfect summer Sunday dinner.

Summer Corn Fettuccine

Source: Rachel Ray

Servings: 4-6

Total Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• Salt
• 1 pound fettuccine
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
• 6 slices smoky bacon, chopped
• 6 ears corn on the cob, shucked
• 3 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup half-and-half orcream
• 1/2 cup chicken stockor dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• A few dashes of hot sauce or 1-2 pinches cayenne pepper
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup sweet basil leaves, torn or 1/4 cup tarragon leaves, chopped

PREPARATION

Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium heat. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook to al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet with a drizzle of EVOO over medium to medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for a few minutes until rendered and crisp.

Put a small bowl inverted into a large bowl, steady the corn cobs on the smaller bowl and scrape the ears. Add three-quarters of the scraped corn and any corn liquid to the pan with the bacon. Add the shallots and red pepper and liberally season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 5-6 minutes.

Add the remaining corn and half-and-half to a food processor and puree until smooth.

Pour the stock or wine into the corn and vegetables and simmer over low heat for a minute to reduce. Stir in the thyme and corn-cream mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, to thicken. Add the hot sauce or cayenne and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Drain the pasta and add it to a large serving bowl. Pour in the sauce, add a couple of handfuls of cheese, about 1/2 cup, and toss. Top with torn basil or chopped tarragon and pass the remaining cheese at the table.

Comments: Absolutely delicious! A wonderful summer meal! My only complaint was that it didn't have a ton of flavor, but that could have been because I didn't have/use the red pepper.