Strawberry Tart

Adapted from: Reader’s Digest ~ Creative Cooking

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons sweet butter – cut into little pieces
1 egg yolk
4 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp grated lemon rind
½ cup red currant jelly
1 pint strawberries
1 cup heavy cream

Sift the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the center. Add the butter, egg yolk, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon rind. Work the ingredients in the center, drawing in the flour until the dough is smooth.

Pat out the dough onto the bottom and sides of an 8-inch tart pan. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough with a fork..

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is a light-golden brown. Cool.

To make the glaze, put the currant jelly in a small saucepan. Melt it slowly over a low heat. Cool slightly and brush the glaze over the bottom of the pastry.

Wash and hull the strawberries and arrange them points up, over the bottom of the pastry. Brush the strawberries with the remaining currant glaze.

Just before serving, whip the cream until light and fluffy and serve with the tart.

This cookbook is a treasure of old time recipes that are too good to be left just to memory.

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Strawberry Tart

Breadcrumb & Panko Oven Fried Burgers!!

Ingredients:

2 ½ lbs. ground beef
½ cup seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup panko
2 eggs
1 cup parsley or cilantro – chopped
4 cloves garlic – crushed & chopped
1 slice bread – grated
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Olive oil for drizzling

Preheat Oven 350 degrees:

In a small bowl combine the panko and the bread crumbs.

In a large bowl combine the ground beef, eggs, parsley, garlic, grated bread and the cheddar cheese and mix well.

Form nice size hamburgers and then press both sides in the bread crumb mixture. Drizzle olive oil in a baking pan and place the burgers in the pan. Drizzle the tops of the burgers with olive oil and then bake them for about 25 – 30 minutes, depending on how large you made your burgers.These burgers or sure to be a hit!

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Bread Crumb & Panko Oven Fried Burgers!!

Dandelions with Calamata Olives

Ingredients:

1 lb. of your favorite spaghetti
1 bunch fresh dandelions – stems cut and rinsed thoroughly
4-5 cloves garlic – crushed & chopped
½ cup halved Calamata olives
juice of half a lemon
red pepper flakes
grated Romano Cheese
olive oil

In a large frying pan drizzle olive oil and heat.

Place in the pan garlic and cleaned dandelions. These will cook down. Place in the calamata olives and the red pepper flakes. When the dandelions are cooked down, drizzle with extra olive oil and the juice of the lemon. Set aside and prepare the spaghetti. When the spaghetti is done, lift from the water and place in the dandelions. Toss.

Garnish with grated Romano cheese.

This is a wonderful warm weather dinner.

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Quick & Easy Beef Tortilla

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef
2 Italian Sweet Peppers – sliced
2 Sweet Onions – sliced
½ cup chopped parsley
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 Jalapeño – sliced with seeds
5 cloves garlic – crushed & chopped
2 vine ripe tomatoes – sliced
2 tablespoons -Living the Gourmet Spice Rub
Feta cheese for garnish
Cut lettuce
2 Avocados
Olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
Medium sized soft tortillas

In a large frying pan cook the chop meat and drain the fat.

On a heated griddle place the veggies and grill until the onion is clear and slightly golden. Add the veggies to the chop meat and season to taste with the Living the Gourmet Spice Rub.

In a bowl mash the avocado with the lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of pepper.

Heat the tortillas and top with lettuce, meat, and avocado and feta cheese.

This is easy, light and so delicious.

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Quick & Easy Beef Tortilla

Sweet & Sour Pork Lo Mein

Semi Adapted from: Weight Watchers Easy Weeknight Favorites

Ingredients:

2 lb. pork tenderloin

Lo Mein Noodles – although I used spaghetti

Marinade for Veggies:

2 inches fresh ginger grated
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil

Veggies:

1 quart of mushrooms
1 cup of peas
½ cup of baby carrots – sliced
15 oz. can of baby corn
5 oz. can of water chestnuts
1 small onion – sliced

Combine all of the sliced veggies in a bowl with the marinade and let sit in the refrig while the meat cooks.

Glaze for meat:

½ tsp garlic pepper
½ cup Apricot Jam
1 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

Preheat oven 350 degrees:

Place pork in baking dish and rub pork with glaze all over, stuffing it into the creases.

Place a cup of water in the pan and baste the pork every so often.

Bake 35-40 minutes.

Prepare the noodles or your favorite spaghetti and set aside while heating veggies.
Slice the pork thinly and set aside. Heat a large frying pan with a little drizzle of olive oil and toss the veggies for about 3-4 minutes. When the veggies are heated add the pork and toss.

Remove from heat and add the noodles and toss well and serve immediately.

This is so good and so much better than take out!

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Sweet & Sour Pork Lo Mein

Quick Capanata Omelet

Ingredients:

Quick Griddle Capanata:

2 peppers – sliced
2 cloves garlic – crushed & chopped
½ cup parsley – chopped
1 onion – sliced
½ cup olives – chopped
1 tablespoon – capers
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp red pepper flakes
Olive oil for drizzling

Omelet:

2 eggs plus 1 tbs. water – beaten
Olive oil for pan
Grated mozzarella cheese

On a heated griddle, drizzle a little olive oil. Place all of the veggies and let char a little.

In a heated frying pan place a drizzle of olive oil and pour in the beaten eggs. Let the eggs become firm enough to flip gently, and then plate. Sprinkle a little shredded mozzarella, veggies and then fold over.

This is a great easy and delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Quick Capanata Omelet

Oven Fried Panko Chicken Fingers with Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken Breast – sliced thin
Panko Japanese Style Bread Crumbs
Flour
Eggs
Olive oil for drizzling

Dressing:

1 Tablespoon Chili Garlic Sauce
1 inch of fresh Ginger – Grated
2 tsp. Sesame seeds
1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 clove garlic – crushed and sliced
¼ cup vinegar
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons water

Preheat oven 350 degrees:

In individual bowls place flour, eggs and panko bread crumbs. Dip the chicken first in the flour, then the eggs and finally the panko.

Place in a baking dish and drizzle a little olive oil over the chicken.

Bake for about 20 – 25 minutes.

Prepare the dressing and drizzle over the chicken.

This is a very refreshing way to serve chicken with a salad.

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Banana Pudding Dream

Semi Adapted from: Weight Watchers Weeknight Favorites

Ingredients:

2 cups Low Fat Milk
1 (1 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
½ cup (4 ounces) block-style 1/3 less fat cream cheese,
2 cups whipping cream
1 package wafers
4 bananas – sliced

Combine milk and pudding mix in a bowl: whip on low for about 2 minutes. In another bowl, combine condensed milk and cream cheese, whip until smooth. Gently fold in 1 cup whipped cream. Gently fold in cream cheese mixture into pudding mixture until blended.

Arrange half of the wafers in bottom of a baking dish. Arrange half of the banana slices over the wafers. Spread half of the pudding mixture over the banana. Repeat with the banana slices, wafers and pudding mixture. Top with remaining whipped cream.

Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

This is a light and delicious dessert.

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Banana Pudding Dream

Grilled Red Pepper Pizza

Ingredients:

1 fresh pizza dough
3 red bell peppers - sliced
3 cloves garlic – crushed & chopped
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 tsp capers
1 yellow onion – sliced
2 tomatoes – sliced
Red pepper flakes
Olive oil –
Grated Romano Cheese
Corn meal
Sesame seeds

Preheat oven 350 degrees:

Heat griddle and drizzle a little olive oil. Place sliced peppers, onions, garlic, basil, tomatoes and capers on griddle. Grill veggies until onions are a beautiful golden and the peppers are slightly charred. Give veggies a few good dashes of red pepper flakes.

Work dough gently to desired size, do not overwork. Dust pizza pan with corn meal and top of pizza dough with a little corn meal. Dip your fingers into a little olive oil and gently go around the perimeter of the pizza. Gently dust the edges of your pizza with the sesame seeds.

Top pizza with veggies and grated Romano Cheese.

Bake about 25 minutes or until the pizza has reached a beautiful golden color.

This pizza is delicious, easy and has a tasty groumet flair.

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Grilled Red Pepper Pizza

Baked Chicken with Warm Avocado and Feta Salsa

Ingredients:

Chicken – quartered

Marinade:

Juice of ½ lemon
3 cloves garlic – crushed & chopped
3 tablespoons Olive oil
Dashes of dried Oregano

Warm Salsa:

3 avocados - diced
1 quart of grape tomatoes – halved
1 cup of crushed feta cheese
1 small red onion – sliced
1 small yellow onion – sliced
5 Sundried tomatoes - Sliced

3 cloves of garlic – chopped
1 tsp capers
½ cup of cilantro – chopped
4 slices of bacon – cut
Olive oil – to drizzle

Preheat oven 350 degrees:

Combine the ingredients for the marinade and top over the chicken. Bake the chicken for 45-50 minutes.

Warm Salsa:

On a heated griddle place the bacon and all the veggies, EXCEPT the avocados and cilantro. Grill the veggies until the bacon is done and the onions are golden. Place in a bowl and add the avocado, cilantro and the feta and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Serve with the chicken.

This dish will be a hit at your table.

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

This is my submission for the Quickies: Morning, Noon, and Night Challenge over at Lazaro Cooks!

Wishing you all a very happy and blessed Mother's Day.

From Catherine and the Crew

Curry-Ginger Pork Chops with Balsamic Fennel

Adapted From: Weight Watcher Annual Recipes for 2008
Ingredients:

½ cup apricot preserves
4 tablespoons curry powder
4 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ tsp black pepper
6 pork chops
2 bulbs of fresh fennel – sliced
Balsamic vinegar – for drizzling

Combine the first five ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Spread this mixture over the pork chops, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Heat a large frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the pork chops in and turn only once. This takes a few minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the pork chop.

When the pork chops are done drizzle some balsamic vinegar in the pan to de-caramelize the pan and place the fennel for few minutes. Do not over cook the fennel, it should be crunchy. Top the fennel over the pork chops.

This is a great way to serve a pork chop!

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Curry-Ginger Pork Chops with Balsamic Fennel

Buttermilk Pear Cake with Rum Soaked Strawberries

Adapted from: Weight Watchers Annual Recipes for Success 2009

Ingredients:

4 cups strawberries – quartered
½ cup sugar
2 tsps. Rum extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp cinnamon
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter – melted
½ cup buttermilk
3 ripe pears – diced

Preheat Oven -350 degrees:

Combine strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tsp. rum extract and let sit in a container in the refrigerator.

Sift flour. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.

In a small bowl combine egg, sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture and buttermilk to egg mixture. Stir in pears and rum extract.

Pour batter into a buttered baking dish and bake for about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Top with marinated strawberries and this is a heavenly, light dessert.

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Buttermilk Pear Cake with Rum Soaked Strawberries

Turkey Breast Strips with Sautéed Scallions and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

Boneless Turkey Breast – cut into strips
Buttermilk
Flour
Tsp of baking powder
Bunch of Scallions
Quart of Button Mushrooms – halved
3-4 cloves of crushed
Sprig of fresh Rosemary
2-3 pats of butter
Juice of half of lemon
Living the Gourmet Dry Herb Rub
Living the Gourmet Signature Spice Rub
Olive Oil

Preheat Oven 350 degrees:

Place turkey strips in a bowl and cover with buttermilk. Prepare the flour with a tablespoon of Living the Gourmet Dry Herb Rub and a tablespoon of Living the Gourmet Signature Spice Rub and a teaspoon of Baking Powder.

Dredge the turkey strips in the flour mixture, place in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 20-25 minutes.

In a frying pan place the mushrooms, scallions, garlic, rosemary, butter and lemon juice. Sauté until the butter it is melted and the fresh rosemary is fragrant.

Plate the turkey strips and cover with the mushroom mixture.

This is light and delicious for any evening.

Enjoy with Love,

Catherine

Turkey Breast Strips with Sautéed Scallions and Mushrooms