Italian Spaghetti Squash Casserole

You can have your spaghetti, and eat it too. This is a perfect use of the winter squashes that are available right now. You can eat more garlic bread and not feel guilty when your spaghetti is made out of squash. I have had some very tough critics enjoy this one.

• 1 large spaghetti squash, about 3lbs.
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium sweet onion diced
• 2 cups white mushrooms sliced thin, or 2 cans sliced mushrooms dr. wt. 4oz., drained
• Pam olive oil spray
• 1 package 1.25 lbs. Shady Brook Farms Italian turkey sausage, hot or sweet
• 1 jar Muir Glen Organic sauce, Garlic Roasted Garlic flavor 25.5 oz.
• 1 can Furmano's pizza sauce, 15 oz. (optional)
• 2 cups grated 4 Italian cheese, reduced fat
• Parmesan, for garnish

To pick a nice spaghetti squash, the yellowest is the best, make sure it does not have any moldy or soft spots.
On a cutting board, with a sharp knife, cut the squash in half lengthwise, you will need strong arms for this part. I use a big stainless steel cooking spoon to scoop out the seeds, then discard. It is a slippery mess! Place squash into a large pyrex dish cut side down and fill with hot water until about 1 ½ inches deep (about 2 cups water). Cover with plastic wrap. Total microwave cooking time is on high for 15-20 minutes. If you can not get both halves to lay completely flat, microwave for 10 minutes until it is soft enough to force down. It is done when a fork inserted into it is tender. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Scoop out squash strands and place into a colander to drain.

Meanwhile you may grill the sausage links or sear them in a skillet, they do not need to be cooked all the way through. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute green pepper, onion and mushrooms in a large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray for about 5 minutes, add Muir Glenn sauce to skillet mixture and mix well. Then add spaghetti squash to this mixture and stir until well blended.
















In a 9 x 13 inck pyrex dish sprayed with olive oil add squash mixture. Add sausage links on outer edges, two on each side and one link at each end on the outer edges. If mixture seems dry, add optional pizza sauce at this time over the top. Cover with grated cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let sit for 5 minutes and cut into like lasagna and serve placing a sausage link on the plate as well. Garnish with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Crab Imperial Stuffed Lobster Tails

Happy Valentine's Day!!! All of you lovebirds old and new deserve a special dinner, and this my friend is a perfect one for this special occasion. Personally, I would rather have a root canal than to go out there and fight the Valentine's Day crowds. Serve this with a baked potato and tossed salad and you will be sure to win his/her heart. If you are looking for that special dessert as well, serve Chocolate Covered Strawberries, a recipe I featured here on June 22, 2010.


Crab Imperial

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• ½ cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. minced onion
• 1 ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (½ lemon)
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground white pepper
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 lb. pasteurized lump crabmeat
• paprika (for sprinkling)

In medium size pan, melt butter and mix in flour. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly to keep mixture free from lumps. Cook, stirring over medium heat until mixture comes to boil and thickens. Mix in onion, Worcestershire sauce. Set aside and cool. Fold in mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

In another pan, melt butter. Add crabmeat and toss. Combine with cooked sauce mixture. Pour into 4 individual ramekins prepared with cooking spray. Sprinkle tops with paprika. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes.

You may make these hours in advance and chill in refrigerator until ready to bake. I like to use pasteurized crab meat because you do not need to pick any cartilage out and it has a much longer expiration date. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!


Crab Imperial Stuffed Lobster Tails

• 4 - 8 lobster tails, about 10 oz. each
• garlic powder
• paprika
• 1 stick butter
• white wine
• Raclette cheese, 5-8 oz., swiss variety, optional

For testing purposes I started with 10 oz. frozen tails. If you have access to fresh go for it. About 24 - 36 hours in advance place tails on a platter in refrigerator to thaw. You may prep this meal several hours in advance (I love that). Remove lobster from wrapping and using sharp kitchen scissors cut through the shell on the back right down to the tail fins. Be careful shell can be sharp. Then pull apart shell and detach meat from shell and place on top of shell tucking shell underneath and closing shut. The lobster should balance on top of shell, make sure you spread the tail fins out for stability. Then you will need to butterfly the lobster meat. You do this by cutting into the meat to spread it open but not cutting through all of the way.


Preheat oven to 450 degrees, unless you are preparing in advance for later. Place tails in a 9 x 13 inch pyrex dish, spread out the tails evenly to stabilize it. Pour in enough white wine until it is about ½ inch full. Lighty sprinkle tops of lobster meat with garlic powder. Add little bits of butter pieces, about a ½ tsp. per tail. Add 1/3 cup of Crab Imperial on top, centering it on the crab meat and making it an oblong mound. Lighty sprinkle the top of the Imperial with garlic powder and paprika. Place in oven to bake for 25 minutes,  remove lobsters from oven and place about 1 oz of Raclette cheese on top of crab imperial. The Raclette is optional, but I highly recommend it. Finish baking for the remaining 5 minutes.

There is enough Crab Imperial to make 8 tails. Or you can make 4 tails tonight and you will have enough Crab Imperial left over for 2 servings of Crab imperial the next evening. I place about 2/3 cup of Crab Imperial in a ramekin (7 oz. capacity) to bake.

Chicken Enchilada Dip

Super Bowl XLV is coming up next Sunday, and it promises to be an exciting game, pitting the Green Bay Packers, winners of the first two Super Bowls under the legendary Vince Lombardi, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, with already six super bowl wins under their belts. And if you're gonna watch the game, you're gonna need some snacks, and Chicken Enchilada Dip is just what the doctor ordered for Super Bowl XLV.

I love Chicken Enchiladas, so I made this dip recipe for a nice twist for the big game. I'll bet you can't eat just one bite.

• 8 oz. cream cheese, ⅓ less fat, softened
• 1 (10 ¾ oz.) can Campbell's cream of chicken soup, 98% fat free
• ½ cup plus 1/3 cup reduced fat grated cheddar cheese (made with 2% milk)
• 1 (4 oz.) can mild green chilies
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1-2 fresh jalapenos diced fine
• ¼ tsp. garlic powder
• 2 spring onions, sliced thin, green tops too
• 1 (12.5 oz) can chicken breast packed in water
• Pam spray
• tortilla chips

In a large bowl mix together cream cheese and soup. Mix together well with a wire whisk. Then add green chilies, cilantro, jalapenos, spring onions, garlic powder, and ½ cup of the cheese and mix well.

Drain water from chicken and break meat up with your fingers so it is not in big chunks. Add meat to dip mixture and mix well. Spray a glass baking dish with Pam spray. Then add dip sprinkling ¼ cup of grated cheese on top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes, it will be very hot. This dip thickens up as it cools down. This dip is so good you can't stop eating it. Enjoy!

Banana Coconut Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

I don't remember my first taste of coconut, but I do remember eating homemade banana bread and banana cake when I was a little girl. I remember thinking that I didn't care all that much for bananas, but I sure do love it baked into bread or a cake.

I decided to give traditional banana cake a twist, because when I think of banana, I think of the tropics, and what could go better with tropical than coconut. The two flavors naturally melded together, and there is something special about topping them off with a cream cheese icing. It is a little bite of heaven.


Banana Coconut Bars with Cream Cheese Icing

• 1 ½ cup mashed overly ripe bananas (about 4)
• ½ cup salted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups all purpose white flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 ½ cup Baker's angel coconut flakes
• Cooking spray

For this recipe you will need a jelly roll pan, 10 ½ x 15 ½ x 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas and set aside.

With an electric mixer cream together butter; white and brown sugar. Meanwhile sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger, set aside. Add to sugar mixture in mixer bowl: vanilla and eggs, and mix well. Then add banana and mix well, slowly add flour mixture and mix until dry ingredients are blended. Stop mixer and fold in coconut. Spray cooking oil evenly on bottom and sides of pan. Add batter to pan spreading evenly, then gently shake pan from side to side to evenly disperse batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center is clean when pulled out. Cool completely before icing.


Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 stick salted butter, softened
• 2 ½ cups powdered sugar

With an electric mixer cream cheese and butter together, add vanilla and slowly add sugar. After powdered sugar is blended well raise mixer to high speed and beat until icing fluffs up some, about 5 minutes. Ice the cooled bars immediately.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Spicy, Grown-Up Mac & Cheese

• 1 (14.5oz) pkg. Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate
• 3 Tbsp. Smart Balance margarine
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ tsp. ground chipotle chile
• ¼ tsp. cayenne
• ½ tsp. onion powder
  
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) grated, reduced-fat mild Cheddar
• 8 oz. Raclette Cheese (Swiss variety), rind removed and cubed
• ½ cup grated Asiago, plus 1/3 cup
• 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. Smart Balance margarine (optional)
• cooking spray

In a large pot bring water to boil. Add pasta and bring to a boil again, cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Overcooking the pasta makes for a tender Mac and Cheese. Ten minutes later preheat oven to 350 degrees and over medium heat melt margarine in a sauce pan, then whisk in flour. Add milk to flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Whisk slowly until mixture thickens. Turn heat off of burner, then add chilpotle chile, cayenne, onion powder, and salt, whisk together well. Add the Cheddar, Raclette, and ½ cup of Asiago. Stir well with a rubber spatula until well blended, cheese does not need to be melted completely, just mixed well. Place in a 2 ½ qt. glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Then stir pasta and cheese mixture together and place in a 2 1/2 qt. glass baking dish sprayed with cooking oil.

You have 2 options for your topping. Option #1: evenly dust top of Mac and Cheese with 1/3 cup Asiago. Option #2: Melt 2 Tbsp. margarine in the microwave. Then to meduim size bowl add panko bread crumbs, 1/3 cup Asigo and the melted margarine, mix well. Dust mixture evenly over top of Mac and Cheese. If you like a crunchy topping on your Mac and Cheese then option #2 is for you. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned on top and bubbly.

It is up to you as to whether or not you use high fiber pasta, lower fat cheese and a healthy margarine in place of butter. I also used fat free milk and it is absolutely delicious. I like to cut fat and add fiber where I can without sparing flavor. The creaminess of the cheese gives a nice balance to the spices.

Wild Mushroom Soup

• ½ cup butter
• 1 medium sweet onion chopped, about 2 cups
• 2 lbs. assorted mushrooms, chopped (baby portabellas, white, oyster, beech, shitake, and maitake)
  
• 7 cups hot water
• 1/3 cup mushroom base
• 1/3 cup white wine
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• hearty grain bread, diced or torn into cubes
• Asiago cheese, grated

In a large soup pot over medium heat melt butter, then add onion and mushrooms. Saute for 8-10 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and onion is translucent. Liquid will form in pot from mushrooms. Then mix hot water with base, stirring until dispersed. Add water mixture to pot along with wine and black pepper. Cover and simmer for one hour. When ready, ladle into bowls and top with some bread cubes and Asiago cheese. Let cheese sit for a minute or two for bread to absorb broth and cheese to melt. Enjoy!!!

Use any variety of your favorite mushrooms for this soup. If you use a large portabella mushroom, cut away the dark gills. The gills won't affect the flavor, but will turn the soup an unappealing color. My favorite mushroom is maitake. I used Smart Balance margarine instead of butter. I also used a nice hearty multi-grain loaf of bread. You may purchase the soup base at www.soupbase.com or 1-800-827-8328.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken Noodle is the soup I always make for my family when they are sick--good comfort food. But, there was only one problem, no one made any for me when I was sick! Unless you have two main cooks in the house, I recommend you make some in advance to freeze for later. Of course, it is so good, you don't need to wait until you're sick. You will never want canned soup again.

• 18 cups or 4 ½ qts. water*
• 1/2 cup chicken base*
• 1 rotisserie chicken, whole
• 1 ½ cup diced celery hearts
• 1 ½ cup diced sweet onion
• 1 ½ cup diced carrots
• 6-8 oz. Kluski egg noodles** (3 cups dry noodles)
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

In a large 8 qt. soup pot add water and base. Mix well with a wire whisk breaking up base, the base makes a delicious chicken broth. Add chicken and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cooked covered for 30 minutes.

While chicken is simmering dice carrots, celery, and onion. Remove chicken from pot and place on platter and set aside to cool. Add diced vegetables and black pepper to pot of chicken broth. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to simmer.

Remove skin from chicken and discard. Pull chicken meat from bones and cut into bite size portions. Add to soup pot and simmer for 30 - 45 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook for 30 - 60 minutes. Serve immediately.

I purchase my rotisserie chicken cooked from the wholesale clubs or grocery stores. I always keep 1 or 2 in the freezer to be ready any time. Just add frozen chicken to pot.

*You may use 18 cups chicken broth in place of water and base.
**My favorite egg noodles are Kluski noodles, they taste and look just like homemade. Once you eat this you will never want canned soup again. Enjoy!