In the Kitchen With Your Favorite Romance Authors
In the Kitchen with
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(No, not THAT kind of apple!) | Try this kind: |  |
Over on the other side of your kitchen, fill a small coffee mug with brown sugar, then mix in some cinnamon (no, I don’t know how much; don’t ask). Stir. Ask your five year old to sprinkle spoonfuls of the mixture into the center of the apples. Clean the countertop.
Add more butter. More sugar/cinnamon. More butter. Repeat (shoving it all down with your fingertip) until that apple is chockful of yummy goodness. Sprinkle the rest of the sugar/cinnamon mix over the apples in the dish.
Bake on, oh, say, 375 ish for about 30 minutes. Then turn the heat down to about 300 and keep baking until those puppies are soft, soft, soft. Even after that, we left them in the oven at 150 for a while until we were ready for dessert.
Pour heavy whipping cream into shallow dishes. Put an apple in each dish. Spoon out the Sugary Goo from the baking pan and drizzle over apples.
Serve. Eat. Yum!
(Note: because apples are healthy, this dish has absolutely no calories whatsoever. No, really.)
Shared by Bestselling Author -- Julie Kenner
In the Kitchen with
Susan Mallery
SASSY SPAGHETTI SQUASH WITH OVEN-ROASTED GARLIC
- 1 Spaghetti Squash
- 2 Whole heads of garlic
- 1 T. + 2t Olive Oil
- 1 T. Butter
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Procedure:
Microwave the spaghetti squash for 2-3 minutes to soften the skin, to make it a little easier to cut. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. You can discard the seeds or roast them with oil and salt for 20 minutes at 350.
Preheat the oven to 375. Place each head of garlic on a square of aluminum foil and brush with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Wrap the foil loosely around each head of garlic. Place the squash cut-side down in a shallow roasting pan with half a cup of water. Put the garlic and squash in the oven at the same time. You can also put split chicken breasts with bone in at the same time, sprinkled with salt and pepper or with lemon pepper.
Roast the squash for 45 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool for five minutes. At this point, the squash will still be quite warm, so be careful as you scrape out the flesh with a fork into spaghetti-shaped ribbons. When the garlic has been in the oven for 50 minutes, remove it and squeeze the cloves onto to a cutting board. Chop into chunks. Heat 1 T olive oil in a large sauté pan until the oil is warm. Add the garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds, then add the squash and butter, tossing to coat. Add salt and pepper. Serve warm. By the time you’re done with the squash, the chicken breasts will be done.
Enjoy!
Shared by -- NYTimes Bestselling Author Susan Mallery
In the Kitchen with
Brenda Novak
DIJON TILAPIA
(for diabetics)
- 2-3 oz Tilapia filets
- 1 tbsp Dijonnaise (in mayo/mustard aisle)
- 1/2 c Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1/4 c Grated Parmesan Cheese (NOT the stuff in the green can)--the real stuff!
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Combine cheese, Panko, salt and pepper in shallow dish.
Spread 1/2 of the Dijonnaise over each filet (one side)
Press filet into breadcrumb mixture (one side)
Place on foil lined baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes.
Serve with roasted veggies and brown rice.
Have trouble getting your kids to eat veggies? Try roasting them.
Works for Brussel Sprouts, Asparagus and Broccoli.
Toss with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, place on baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. (serves 2)
Comes out nice and crunchy!
Yum!
Shared by -- NYTimes Bestselling Author Brenda Novak
Help Brenda Novak make a difference in the lives of her son and millions of others like him who live with diabetes by shopping at her Annual Online Auction to Benefit Diabetes Research.
In The Kitchen With
Kathleen O’Reilly
TOMATO-CREAM SAUCE FOR PASTA
My family loves this!
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained, with basil, garlic, and oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
- 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Fresh spinach
In a saucepan, add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt, pepper, and spinach. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter. Reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes.
If one were inclined to substitute half and half, it probably would taste very good. Also, the spinach is optional, but my family loves that as well, and it’s nice to have the green veggies in there.
Enjoy!
Shared by -- Award Winning Author Kathleen O’Reilly
In the Kitchen with
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
BOBBY TOM DENTON'S BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO BURRITOS
Here's a recipe that suits Bobby Tom Denton, from Heaven, Texas, just fine. I adapted it for the former Chicago Stars wide-receiver from Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites. I don't measure things too well, so I hope you can deal with approximations!
- 2 large or three medium-sized sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 3+ cups chopped onion
- 3 or more large cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 T+ minced fresh green chili (I used serranos. For less kick, try jalapenos) 4 t ground cumin
- 4 t ground coriander
- 3 cans (15 ounce each) black beans (pinto beans also an option)
- 2/3 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves (I bought some of the mild flat Italian parsley by mistake and used it anyway. Great for people who aren't crazy about cilantro.)
- 2-3 T fresh lemon juice
- 8 large flour tortillas (I buy the fat free ones)
- Your favorite salsa.
- Place the diced, peeled sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with water, bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- While sweet potatoes are cooking, sauté onions, garlic, chili in a skillet generously sprayed with Pam. Cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Add cumin and coriander. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't stick.
- In food processor, combine beans, cilantro, lemon juice. Process. Add sweet potatoes and process again. (Alternative: Mash with potato masher for rougher texture.)
- Stir in onion mixture, salt to taste, and heat to desired temperature in microwave.
- Warm tortillas in microwave. Fill each tortilla with about ¾ cup of mixture and serve with salsa.
This recipe provides a different slant on the more common black bean burritos. I like to serve with a salad or a simple plate of raw vegetables. The richness of the sweet potatoes eliminates the need for cheese, but you can certainly top with some Monterey jack or cheddar if you'd like.
Enjoy!
Shared by -- New York Times Bestselling Author -- Susan Elizabeth Phillips
www.SusanElizabethPhillips.com
In the Kitchen with
Jane Porter
BAKED HAM STRATA
Ingredients:
- 12 slices firm white bread (i.e. – sourdough or French bread)
- 3 tbsps butter softened
- 2 ½ cups milk
- 6 large eggs
- 4 tsps Dijon-style mustard
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ¾ - 1 lb Swiss or Jarlsberg cheese, shredded (I do a mix cheeses)
- ½ - ¾ lb diced ham
- 3 green onions chopped (optional)
Method:
Toast the bread, spread one side with butter and cut toast into ¾ in pieces.
In a bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, mustard, salt and pepper. Butter a 13x9 inch baking dish, place half the toast pieces in the dish. Sprinkle toast with half the cheese, ham and sliced onion. Repeat layering with other half of ingredients.
Slowly pour the egg mixture over the casserole to moisten the toast. Cover the dish with foil. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350*. Bake the strata for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 – 10 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Shared by -- Bestselling Author Jane Porter
In the Kitchen with
Sherry Thomas
APPLE COFFEE SCONES
Ingredients:
- 2-3 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 1 tablespoon hot water
- 2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- Heat the oven to 350. Cook diced apple in 2 tablespoons melted butter, until most of the liquid evaporate and apple is soft and translucent. Cool slightly.
- Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and using either fingers or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
- Melt the instant coffee granule in 1 tablespoon of hot water. Pour it into the cream and mix well.
- Add the cooked apple to the flour mixture. Stir in the cream-coffee mixture. Combine. The dough should be moist but not dripping wet. Adjust the liquid as needed--add more cream or milk or water, depending on your taste for fat. (I always use more cream as I adore cream.)
- Knead the dough a few times. Then flatten it and place it on parchment paper on a large baking sheet. You can make it into a round shape, then cut it into wedges, or make it into a rectangular shape and cut into squares. The cutting is just to make it bake a little faster, otherwise the edges get pretty brown but the center is still underdone.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness. And add time as needed.
Enjoy!
Shared by Bestselling Author -- Sherry Thomas
