Jersey-Style Tuna Melts

These tuna melts are warm heavenly goodness. A delicious twist on a comforting classic. I've made them three times in the last week, and I could eat another right now!

So let's assemble the ingredients!
Chunk tuna, finely diced onion, fresh parsley, red wine vinegar, diced pickles or celery, tomatoes, cheddar and of course, bread, tuna and mayo.

The tuna mixture gets a nice punch from the diced pickles, onions, red wine vinegar and parsley. Trust me, all these flavors and textures work wonderful together. And of course, the mayo brings everything together in all of it's creamy goodness.

Layer the yummy tuna mixture on top of toasted bread. Top with cheese and tomatoes and more cheese and broil until the tuna is heated through and the cheese is nice and melted.

These look and smell so wonderful as they're pulled out of the oven. Drool.

Cut them in half on the diagonal and serve with chips, pickle slices or....

....a hot bowl of tomato soup. So good!

Tuna Melts
slightly adapted from allrecipes
2 (6 ounce) cans solid white tuna in
water, drained
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped celery or pickle*
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped onion**
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
3/4 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 pinch salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
4 slices seedless rye bread or thick white bread***
8 slices ripe tomato
8 slices Swiss cheese (I used cheddar)
paprika, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven broiler on low.
2. In a bowl, mix the tuna, mayonnaise, celery or pickles, onion, parsley, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet, and broil 1 minute on each side in the preheated oven, until lightly toasted. Remove from heat, and spread with the tuna salad. Place 1 cheese slice over the tuna salad on each piece of bread, layer with a tomato slice, and top with remaining cheese slices.
4. Return layered bread to the preheated oven, and broil 3 to 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.****

* I used pickle for an extra salty kick and because that's how my mom always made them.
** I was a little afraid of the onion, but it really amped up the flavor without being overpowering. I really enjoyed the addition of onion in these.
*** Make sure to toast both sides of the bread so you don't end up with a soggy side. I used white bread, because that's what sounded good to me at the time.
**** Broil these on low on the middle rack so the edges of the bread don't burn.

Israeli Couscous Salad

Israeli couscous is my new favorite grain to work with. It's pre-steamed so it takes less time to prepare than regular couscous, it's very affordable compared to other grains (around two dollars a pound), it's good warm or cold and it has a delicious creamy texture and taste. 

Here is raw Israeli couscous. It resembles tiny white pearls. 

For this salad, saute one onion (diced small) in a couple tablespoons of olive oil with some fresh minced garlic. Red, orange or yellow peppers are also nice added in. Once the onions are translucent, add the couscous and toast until lightly browned. Season with salt, pepper and dried herbs and spices like parsley, basil, thyme, smoked paprika, lawry's, ground cumin (I just add a little of this and a little of that). Add chicken stock or water in 1:2 ratio (1 cup couscous to 2 cups liquid)

I like to add garbanzo beans to my salad. So for fun, I fried them beforehand with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and graham masala. It didn't really make a difference in the final salad, but it did add a little extra flavor.

Once the liquid is added, bring couscous to a boil and then simmer covered for 15 minutes. Fluff with a spatula and then add whatever ingredients you like. Cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, feta, black beans, fresh basil, corn, etc. are all tasty additions (although not all together).

Finish off the salad with chives, toasted almonds, salt and pepper.

Serve - Smile - Enjoy

Lemon Quinoa Salad

Everywhere I go, everyone always loves this salad. It's very versatile and is delicious served warm or cold. 

Pictured above is a loaded quinoa salad that has corn, black beans, jalapenos, red and yellow peppers, onions and fresh herbs.

Below is a greek style quinoa salad with kalamata olives, cucumbers, chunks of feta and tomatoes

And lastly, this one is a fresh take on quinoa salad with lemon zest and juice, cucumbers, toasted almonds, red peppers, tomatoes, garbanzo beans and chives.

So, use whatever ingredients you like or whatever you have on hand!


Below is a basic recipe for a lemon quinoa salad and you can add or subtract whatever you'd like.

Lemon Quinoa Salad

1 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cups quinoa, rinsed and drained

3 cups water or chicken stock

1 1/2 tsps. dried Italian seasoning

½ tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika

zest and juice from one lemon

1 can garbanzo beans
1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
1/2 bunch scallions, white and light green tops only, finely chopped
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 1/2 Tbsps. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 1/2 Tbsps. fresh parsley, finely chopped
~ Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion and bell pepper in a good splash of olive oil, until tender. Add garlic and heat until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add quinoa to onion mixture and stir around and toast for about 2 minutes. Add water, a large pinch of salt and spices. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and let simmer for 20 minutes. Quinoa is done when it doubles in size, becomes slightly translucent and spirals appear on each grain.  

Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, scallions, almonds and fresh herbs (if you have other ingredients you want to add, now is a good time). Season with salt and pepper. 

Taste - Smile - Share

Veggie Flatbread

I made this veggie flatbread appetizer for a super bowl party. It was the hit of the party and the first thing gone. Someone asked me for the recipe and there isn't a recipe per se, but here's what I did.

Three Wheat Pitas
-Glaze
Olive Oil
Garlic, minced
Dried Rosemary
-Toppings
Pinenut Hummus (or any hummus)
Klamata Oilves
Feta Cheese, crumbled
Fresh Basil, chopped
Marinated Artichoke hearts, chopped
Sundried Tomatoes, chopped
-Finishing Toppings
Parmessan cheese, grated
Salt and Pepper to taste
Balsamic Vinegar

In a small microwave safe bowl, combine olive oil, rosemary and garlic. Heat in the microwave for thrity seconds, stir and set aside. Brush pita bread on both sides with oil mixture. Bake in a preheated oven for 6 to 7 minutes (I placed mine directly on the racks). Remove from oven, spread a thin layer of hummus on top side of pita. Spinkle with the remaining ingredients. Top with cheese and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Put back in oven and bake an additional 7 to 10 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt. Remove from oven, cut into wedges and serve.

Cooking Club: April 2010

Theme: Eggs
All the dishes at this month's cooking club were so delicious! Who knew there were so many yummy things you could make with eggs as the main ingredient? Great job ladies.

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Summer (Host): Scrambled Egg Breakfast Pizza (Pictured above)

Linda: Vanilla Bean Cake with Lemon Glaze

Shauna: Lemon and Basil Eggs over Foccacia

Susan: Shrimp Crab Cakes

Lori: Coconut Creme Brulee

Betty: Smoked Salmon and Dill Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches 

Sarah: Spaghetti Alla  Carbonara

Summer: Lemon Meringue Pie

Teresa: Deviled Eggs

Chris: Mini Quiche

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Smoked Salmon and Dill Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches 

Long name, tasty sandwich. Great flavor from the smoked salmon, capers and dill.

Mini Quiches

Very versatile. Great basic quiche that you can adapt to your tastes. This one has a surprise ingredient of cottage cheese that lends a nice texture.

Coconut Creme Brulee

What's not to love about this creamy dessert? The hint of coconut in these makes them superb.

Deviled Eggs

Super creamy filling with a nice tang. Everything you want in a deviled egg.

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

"Tastes like it came straight from a gourmet restaurant". This was really, really good. 

Shrimp Crab Cakes

These were excellent. Great flavor and texture. Loved the big chunks of fresh shrimp.

Lemon and Basil Eggs over Foccacia

This was incredible. The top middle section of a loaf of foccacia is taken out and replaced with a delicious mixture of eggs, parmesan and basil and baked to perfection.

Vanilla Bean Cake with Lemon Glaze

If there were any left over, I would enjoy one with a cup of coffee the next morning. Light and fluffy vanilla cake is topped with a punch of zesty lemon glaze and crunchy sanding sugar.

Fruity White Wine Sangria

Lightly sweet, refreshing punch with slices of fresh fruit.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Great lemon flavor. This pie didn't quite set up but it was still delicious! 

Enjoy the photos. Recipes coming soon.


Next month: Luau Theme (Hawaiian Tropical Attire)
Sunday, May 23 @ 5:00
Host: Linda

Tea Party with Grandma

My little girl just adores her great grandma and wanted to invite her over for a tea party. We called our special guest and setup the day and time and then headed to the grocery store.

We made cucumber sandwiches, cranberry orange scones, white hot chocolate (tinted pink) and caramel turtle pretzel bites.

Everything was really tasty and we had a great time. The standout dish was probably the scones. They were so good and quick to make. We made everything in about an hour and were ready to relax and visit when grandma came over.

Cucumber SandwichesIngredients
1 container whipped cream cheese
4 tablespoons sour cream
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 (1 pound) loaf cocktail rye bread or french bread, sliced
2 cucumbers, sliced thin
Dried dill or dried basil for garnish

Directions
In a small bowl, blend cream cheese, sour cream and dry Italian-style salad dressing mix.
Arrange cocktail rye bread slices on a medium serving dish. Spread with the cream cheese mixture. Top each with a cucumber slice and sprinkle with dried herb.

Easy Cranberry Orange SconesIngredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg
Zest of one orange1/2 cup cranberries
Sugar for sprinkling

Directions
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a food processor, pulse flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse frozen butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk sour cream, egg and zest until smooth.
Pulse sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Stir in cranberries.

Pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick on a parchment lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp. of sugar. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

White Hot ChocolateIngredients
1 cup white chocolate chips 1 cup heavy cream
4 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla whipped topping, for garnish
Mint leaf, for garnish

Directions

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine white chocolate chips and heavy cream. Stir continuously until white chocolate chips have completely melted. Stir in the half-and-half, and vanilla extract. Stir occasionally until heated through. Pour into mugs and top with a dollop of vanilla whipped topping and garnish with mint leaf.

Caramel Turtle Pretzel BitesIngredients
20 small mini pretzels
20 chocolate covered caramel candies
20 pecan halves

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

Arrange the pretzels in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place one chocolate covered caramel candy on each pretzel. Bake for 2-3 minutes. While the candy is warm, press a pecan half onto each candy covered pretzel. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Veggie Flatbread with Pine nut Hummus

This is the appetizer I created for the super bowl party we attended. I wanted to make something healthy, but also tasty enough to hold it's own amongst the wings and party dips. I think this finger-friendly and figure-friendly appetizer did just that.

I made a concoction of olive oil, rosemary, minced garlic, salt and pepper. I briefly heated this in a small bowl in the microwave (I know that sounds strange, but a friend of ours from SD and her family never use butter when they eat bread. They always heat olive oil, garlic and salt in the microwave and then spread that on the bread. Sounded good to me). So, I brushed both sides of the pita with the garlic oil and baked it at 400 degrees directly on the racks for about 5 or 6 minutes. 

Out of the oven, I spread a thin layer of pine nut hummus on one side and topped it with caramelized red onions. I started the onions first, so they would be ready when the pita came out of the oven.

Next, I layered on all the yummy ingredients that sounded good to me. Marinated artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, feta and parmesan cheese. Then I drizzled it with balsamic vinegar and sprinkled a pinch of flaked sea salt on top. 

This went back into the oven for a few more minutes until the cheeses started to melt and all the veggies and herbs warmed up and were nice and fragrant.

My 10 month old was just finishing a nap, so I sent the appetizer with my husband while I got her up and ready. I made three veggie flatbreads and when I got to the party, they were gone. Everyone loved them and asked for the recipe. Play around with the toppings and add anything you want. On one of the flatbreads I left off the cheese, but with all the flavors it wasn't missed!

Barbecue Chicken Salad with Ranch

My mom loves barbecue sauce. So of course, her favorite salad would be one topped with bbq'd chicken (or bbq'd meat of some kind). She came over yesterday during lunch to visit my girls, so I thought I would try and throw together a tasty salad with what I had on hand.

We had grilled chicken left over from the night before, so I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and marinated it with some Jack Daniels barbecue sauce. If you like barbecue sauce, this is a tasty one.

Here's the marinated chicken. The picture was an afterthought, so it only captures a few pieces in the bottom of the Tupperware. Anyhoo, not important.

On top of the lettuce, I layered fresh garden tomatoes, slices of English cucumber, tortilla chips (for crunch and saltiness) and slivered almonds. For the dressing, I whipped together a homemade ranch. If you're going to have ranch dressing, it has to be homemade! It's soo good.
Picture Source: Simplyrecipes

So there you have it. The salad was very good if you like this combo of flavors. Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers along with crunchy chips and almonds, paired with bbq'd chicken and cold ranch dressing...yum!

BBQ Chicken Salad with Ranch

One small package mixed salad greens

2-3 tomatoes sliced

1 English cucumber sliced

1/2 cup toasted almonds

Cooked chicken marinated in bbq sauce, cut into strips

1 cup Tortilla strips

Homemade ranch

Layer all the ingredients, crack some fresh black pepper on top and serve. You can thin out a little bit of barbecue sauce and drizzle that on the top too.

* Grilled corn, toasted edamame, black beans...there are many tasty additions you could add to this salad.

Something to Savor

One of my favorite cookbooks that I turn to over and over again is Marguerite Henderson's Savor the Memories. Marguerite is a local Italian cook who started the charming and wonderful gourmet deli, Cucina, in the Avenues. Now she teaches cooking classes from her home (which are really fun!) and writes cookbooks (among her many culinary endeavors).

All the recipes I've tried from Savor the Memories have been absolutely delicious! They have simple ingredients, they're easy to assemble and the flavors are just amazing. It's a must have cookbook! To visit her website, click here.

One of my favorite recipes from Savor the Memories, is Rigatoni with a Creamy Fontina-Sausage Sauce. The name says it all. This dish is sooo good! The sausage sauce bursts with flavor and the combination of al dente rigatoni noodles smothered in a creamy tomato sauce, topped with fontina cheese and baked until bubbly and golden is to die for. I would recommend this dish anytime. It's always a hit!

Here is the yummy sauce made up of tomatoes, sausage, cream and spices.

After it simmers, it's poured over the rigatoni pasta

Chunks of fontina and freshly grated Romano cheese crown the pasta.

And then it's into the oven...

And 20 minutes later, cheesey, wonderful goodness emerges and is ready to be devoured with a nice salad and bottle of wine.

One of my favorite salads to serve with almost any meal, is a simple tossed salad with a chevre vinaigrette. The dressing recipe comes from my sister-in-law and everyone always loves it and asks for the recipe. There isn't an exact, measured recipe, but I can tell you what goes in it and you'll have to experiment and come up with a version that suits your tastes.

Dressing
Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Italian seasoning blend
Chevre (creamy goat cheese)
Salt and Pepper

Whisk Olive Oil and Red Wine Vinegar together (a few Tablespoons of each). Add Italian seasoning (1/2 tsp to 1 tsp). Whisk in chevre to thicken (1 Tbs. or so). Add salt and pepper to taste.

*Next time I make this I'll try and measure the ingredients so I can write down something more concrete.

For the Salad

Mixed greens
Toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds
Chunks of Chevre (left over from dressing)
Optional
Cucumbers, thinly sliced
Tomatoes, diced small
Avocado, sliced
Cranberries