Drive by blogging...it's a quickie!

Talked to my mom yesterday and she shared a new recipe for Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie with me that is making the rounds in the retirement community she lives in. It all sounded great until she got to the smearing of the yellow mustard. I'm always up for quick and easy, but there are some places I won't go. Smearing 2 tbsp of yellow mustard on anything is a recipe don't for me...so I've made some minor alterations. I will post the actual recipe with my modifications in red....you can smear at your own risk.

Btw, the original recipe comes by way of Pillsbury from Millicent Nathan, circa 1980.

Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie

2 tbsp butter (substitute olive oil)

4 cups thinly sliced zucchini

1 cup chopped onion

2 tbsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder (1 clove garlic, crushed)

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

3 eggs, beaten

2 cups shredded cheese, cheddar, muenster, etc (I used 1 cup)

1 can Pillsbury crescent rolls (I used reduced fat version)

2 tsp yellow mustard (I can't say NO loud enough! Substitute 1/4 tsp mustard powder) 

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In skillet saute zucchini and onion in olive oil, add spices and mustard powder, saute until tender. Approx 7-8 minutes.

Seperate dough into triangles, line 10-inch glass pie plate (or 12x8 2qt casserole), patchwork crust pressing over bottom and up sides, firmly pressing perforations to seal. This is where Millicent and my mother would have you spread the yellow mustard on top of the crescent crust. Do it if you want, but don't tell me about it!

Add zucchini mixture on top of crust, pour beaten eggs evenly over zucchini and top with shredded cheese.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.



Honey I'm home....

 “Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best--“ and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called. ~Winnie The Pooh

Honey is good, just ask Pooh. Greek honey is heavenly, just ask the Greek Gods. In Greek mythology, honey is the nectar of the gods on Mount Olympus. It is the symbol of knowledge, learning and wisdom, it is a food reserved for the elite, and for the exceptional people in this world and the next.

My favorite Greek honeys are pure thyme honey or a blend of thyme and wildflower.

I sell a selection of Greek honey in my imported food market, Nostimo Greek Provisions. Greek bee keepers are diligent about producing varietal honeys which occur when one particular species of tree, herb or flower is planted in the surrounding areas where bees are kept. Bees are hard working and practical fellows, they won’t travel far if sources are given close to home.

While I’m not exclusive with one variety of honey over another and I typically use what I have on hand, I tend to go to the same varietal for certain uses. I like to use Orino thyme honey for baking and in hot tea, and I’ll admit I’m crazy about the amphora shaped jar this honey comes in! The producers of Orino, Creta Mel, jar honey and honey with nuts in the amphora, it is a nice presentation that looks great on your kitchen counter and also makes an elegant gift. When baking I go with their tin packaging for volume.

Another of my favorites is the herbal aroma and taste of Monastiri. Monastiri is my go to for toast, topping yogurt or even just a dip off the spoon, unpasteurized and from Crete, it is rich and decadent in taste just as its deep amber color suggests.

Aside from the obvious uses of honey in tea, on toast or drizzled over Greek yogurt, most Greek desserts also involve honey. Baklava, cakes, cookies and custards are finished with a syrup made from Greek honey. You can use your local variety honey if it’s rich and has a deep golden amber color but avoid common grocery store brands, they tend to be too sugary and watery in taste lacking a true flavor…yup, I’m a honey snob! Finally, if you want to succeed at baking Yiayia’s pastry, Greek honey  really is the only way to go.

FINIKIA

Finikia is a Greek cookie you will find at every Greek holiday or celebration. Hints of cinnamon and orange, soaked in a honey syrup and rolled in walnuts...need I say more. This batch makes 5 or 6 dozen and although there are a few steps involved, they actually make up fast. They freeze exceptionally well too!

1 cup vegetable oil. (Yiayia's recipe says 'Mazola', she swore by certain brands!) 

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

Cream together. Stir in:

Juice from one medium sized orange (approx. 1 cup juice)

1 tsp orange zest, grated orange rind

1 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp cinnamon

16 oz walnuts, finely ground

Slowly add:

5 cups flour

Dough will be moist but should hold together when shaped. 

Preheat oven to 350. Using a table spoon, scoop dough and roll into oval shape. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool.

Syrup

Combine in sauce pot:

1 1/2 cups water  

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup honey

Juice from 1/2 a lemon 

Bring sugar and water to a boil, slowly add honey while stirring, stir in lemon juice and simmer 5 - 10 minutes. Keep syrup on low.   

Place walnuts into shallow bowl or on a plate. Dip 4 - 5 cooled cookies into warm syrup for 1-2 minutes, turning several times. With slotted spoon, remove cookies and roll in nuts, place on a flat surface lined with wax paper.  

Make a pot of tea, plate up those cookies and enjoy! 

These make beautiful gifts wrapped in clear plastic bags tied with a raffia bow and paired with a nice box of tea.

Fall is in the air, the garden is full of green peppers....let's cook 'em up!

Well, I would have liked my first blog post to be a fabulous recipe that visually knocks your socks off and gets your taste buds watering. Instead, I give you the casserole. Still fabulous, perhaps visually more Monet (photo left, a blur) than Robert E. Wood (photo right, clean and crisp). Okay, so I'm reaching...the food-art blog! By the way, I enjoy both Monet and REW. Fact is, somedays you feel like a Monet and somedays you feel like a REW. It's when I start feeling like a Picasso in my cooking that we should begin to worry!











Tonight is Monet, the casserole...comfort food, cold weather pleasing, stick to yer ribs kinda food. My son refers to dishes like this as 'Vermont Food'. The back story here is that my Mom would come to visit and want to cook for us. Mom lives in Vermont, by way of Houlton, Maine. She knows comfort food! There is always a potato or plenty of bread and butter and usually gravy involved somewhere. Chicken and Biscuits, American Chop Suey, Bisquik Oven-Fried Chicken Wings, mashed with lottsa buttah, Hamburger Gravy with more buttery mashed...comfort food. Stick to your ribs and your hiney kinda food! Eh, it's what Mom's do.

So, in honor of the chill that has entered the air, the click of the seasons that shifts us toward Autumn,the garden's bounty of green peppers and Monet....I give you the casserole: 

Inside-Out Stuffed Peppers: 
1 lb lean ground beef
2 green peppers, coarsely chopped (I substituted one green pepper for several mini sweet peppers in orange, red and yellow.)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked long-grain white rice
1 jar (24 oz) spaghetti sauce
2 cups shredded cheese blend (cheddar, jack, mozz, etc) 
Preheat oven to 350^oF. 
Brown meat with peppers and garlic in a large skillet until ground beef is cooked and peppers softened. Drain any excessive drippings from pan.

 

Stir in rice, spaghetti sauce and 1 cup of cheese.

 

Spoon into 2-qt casserole, top with remaining cheese.

Place on a lined cookie sheet to protect your oven. Bake 25 – 30 minutes until browned and bubbly.

Serve with a wedge of warm crusty bread, salad and a side of green beans…'cause that’s the way we like it!

Modifications: Substitute ground turkey or chicken, switch to brown rice and cut back on the cheese to make it more diet friendly. It really tastes great either way!