Prosciutto Palmiers

It's holiday time and time for some yummy, and easy to make hors d'oeuvres. My Prosciutto Palmiers are so easy to make, and you can get the kids to help you. Even your little ones can brush the tomato paste on the puff pastry. You will be the talk of the town with recipe! You can also make this a dessert palmier or a great after school snack by brushing melted butter on the puff pastry, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, cut and bake. Enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prosciutto Palmiers Yield: approximately 40 pieces Ingredients: 2 sheets refrigerated puff pastry 2 tablespoons tomato paste 24 slices of prosciutto* 2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated Preparation: 1. Lay out the puff pastry sheets and brush each with a thin layer of tomato paste. 2. Lay six slices of prosciutto on top of each puff pastry sheet. 3. Sprinkle the prosciutto with some of the basil and cheese. 4. Lay six more slices of prosciutto on top of the first layer of prosciutto. 5. Sprinkle with remaining basil and cheese. 6. Roll the long sides in so they meet toward the center. (Looks like two spiral wheels next to each other.) 7. Slice 1/4-inch thick (If pastry is too soft, put in freezer for 30 minutes and they will be easier to slice.). 8. Bake on parchment-lined baking sheets at 400°F until golden brown, about 10 minutes. 9. Serve warm. *You can use one layer of prosciutto (only 12 slices). You can use other thinly sliced cold cuts, for example, honey ham. Note: These can be made a head of time. Wrap each rolled pastry in plastic wrap, then in aluminum foil. Freeze. As needed, slice frozen, and bake. Tricia’s Main Event triciasmainevent@gmail.com http://precociouspatti.blogspot.com/

Que Pasa? Mexican Cooking Class

Yesterday I had a Mexican cooking class with my 4th-8th grade girls at Girls Inc. I am teaching cooking around the world. We made salsa, guacamole, nachos using my taco salad meat recipe, and my version of baked churros. I have very little funding for my cooking classes, so I always look through my freezers for ideas. For the churros, I found pie dough. So I thawed the dough. The girls rolled out the dough on a greased pan, then brushed melted butter on top of the dough. We made cinnamon sugar by adding some cinnamon to sugar and mixed well. Then they sprinkled the sugar over the buttered pie crust. We baked in a preheated oven at 350 degrees about 10 minutes until lightly golden brown. Simple, and not too sweet. Better than a deep-fried donut. See Salsa and Guacomole recipes below. So fresh and tasty. Even kids who say they don't like tomatoes or avocados like these recipes. Enjoy! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tomato Salsa 8 Servings Tools: Cutting board Knife Measuring spoons Dry measuring cups Disposable gloves Small bowl Spoon Ingredients: 1 pound Roma tomatoes, small dice 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro 2 ½ teaspoons seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper 1 cup red onion (1 medium), diced small 3 tablespoons lime juice 2 teaspoons kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1) Mix all ingredients together and marinate for 20 to 30 minutes. 2) Refrigerate leftovers for up to 1 week. Dicing Terms and sizes: - Very small dice 1/8”x 1/8” x 1/8” - Small dice ¼”x ¼” x ¼” - Medium dice ½” x ½” x ½” - Large dice ¾” x ¾” x ¾” ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guacamole with Baked Tortilla Chips 8 Servings Tools: Cutting board Knife Cookie sheet Juicer Measuring spoons Measuring cups Large spoon Potato masher or fork Small bowl Disposable gloves Ingredients: 8 8-inch corn tortillas 2 very ripe Hass avocados 1/3 cup red onion (1/2 small), small diced 1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper (1 small), small diced ¼ cup Roma tomatoes (1/2 small), small diced 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 2 teaspoons lime juice ½ teaspoon kosher salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1) For the tortilla chips, preheat the oven to 350°F. 2) Cut tortillas into triangles. 3) Spread on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake until crisp, about 15 minutes. 4) Halve, pit, and scoop the avocados. 5) Using a potato masher or a fork, mash the avocados in a small bowl. 6) Mix in the onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, and cilantro. 7) Season with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Avocado information: Hass avocado is one of the most popular and has a pebbly textured skin and is almost black. Ripe avocados yield to gentle palm pressure, but firm, unripe avocados are what are usually found in the market. Select those that are unblemished and heavy for their size. To speed the ripening process, place several avocados in a paper bag and set aside at room temperature for 2 to 4 days. Ripe avocados can be stored in the refrigerator several days.

Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes

This pumpkin pie cupcake recipe is a nice alternative for those who do not like pumpkin pie. My girls at Girls Inc. love making the cupcakes and they enjoy eating them too! I like to use mini cupcake papers this way you have a one-bite snack or a small cupcake for the younger children. A great recipe for your holiday brunch too! Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes Makes 18 cupcakes Ingredients: 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 ¼ cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ½ cup vegetable oil 2 lightly beaten eggs ½ cup 1/2 & 1/2 1 cup canned pumpkin Preheat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups in a muffin pan or grease the muffin pan. Procedure: 1) In a medium bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and allspice. 2) In a large bowl, beat the oil, eggs, and 1/2 & 1/2. 3) Stir in the pumpkin. 4) Add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix well until smooth. 5) Spoon into muffin cups. 6) Bake for 16 to 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. 7) Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely. Submitted by Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County Resident Chef Ms. Tricia. www.girlsincsrq.org

Mom's Apple Pie

I moved to Sarasota in April 2005 from Atlanta, Georgia and upstate New York. There is one thing I miss about both places, driving to the mountains and going to the fall apple festivals. I would bring home a bunch of fresh apples and make my apple pie, baked apples, and apple sauce. I have been delighting my family and friends with my Apple Pie recipe for many years, and I wanted to share it with you. Right after I moved to Sarasota, my son called me for this recipe. Not only did I share my warm and cozy pie recipe with him, I got a very special mom warm and cozy feeling. Enjoy! Mom's Apple Pie Pastry for two-crust 9inch pie, use your favorite recipe, or a store-bought refrigerator pie dough. 6-8 large apples (tart green, such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed 1/2 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg* 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces 1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 2) Combine apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Toss well to coat. 3) Turn mixture into pie crust. 4) Dot apples with butter. 5) Cover with top crust and fold top crust under bottom crust edge. Crimp** around the edge to seal crusts together. 6) Make slits in the top crust for steam to escape. 7) Place pie on a baking sheet, and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. If edges start to get too brown, cover edges with aluminum foil. 8) Let pie set at least one hour before slicing to allow filling time to set. *You can use less cinnamon and nutmeg if you like. **Crimp - To pinch or press two pastry edges together, thereby sealing the dough while forming a decorative edge with fingers (forefinger and thumb), fork or other utensil. Source: Food Lover's Companion, Barron's, Herbst. For information about apple types: www.bestapples.com. Submitted by: Ms. Tricia, Resident Chef Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County; http://precociouspatti.blogspot.com

Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup

 

 

I have made this soup for the past five years for the All Faiths Food Bank Bowls of Hope annual fund raiser, representing Girls Inc. of Sarasota County. The first year I made it, everyone loved it! They ask me to make it every year. When I make it at work, the whole building has a beautiful, tasty aroma. It's perfect for the cold wheather. Add an Italian salad and garlic bread and it's a cozy, hearty meal. It's the kind of soup you can make a day or two ahead of time.

I used to use this recipe for my knife skills classes because there is mincing, dicing, chopping, and chiffonade.

Enjoy!

 

Courtesy of: Tricia's Main Event, triciasmainevent@gmail.com

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Italian Sausage Vegetable Soup

 

Ingredients:

1 pound Italian sausage, sweet or hot

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups celery, chopped in large pieces

1 pound zucchini, sliced

2 green peppers, chopped

2 cans (28 oz.) whole tomatoes

1 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

parmesan cheese

fresh basil, chiffonade

 Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. 

Remove sausage from casings, chop up and brown in the oil.

Take sausage out of pot and set aside.

Drain excess fat leaving about one teaspoon in pot. 

Add onions and sauté a few minutes, then add garlic and cook together just to release the flavors one minute.

Add celery, cook for three minutes.

Add zucchini and peppers, sauté until barely tender. 

Add tomatoes (with liquid), water, salt, oregano and basil. 

Season with freshly ground pepper to taste. 

Add additional water if you like more broth.

Simmer for one to two hours.

Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and garnish with chiffonade of basil. 

 

Serve with salad and garlic bread for a hearty supper.

 Servings: 8

 Notes:

-You can use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.

-You can use 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled basil instead of fresh.

 

-Use ground turkey or vegetarian sauage if you do not use pork.

Shepherd's Pie

One of my girl's Mother asked me today how I make my salads because her daughter loves my salads and will not eat salad at home. She does love her veges though. I hear this from a lot from the families. It warms my heart that my girls love my food. Today was Shepherd's Pie. Of course, I will never take place of a family home cook meal, but I love to feed my girls. I offered to give the Mom my recipe for taco salad and Shepherd's pie. My son did not like everything I made and would always like other neighbors cooking, that's the way kids are. Now, my son calls me for family recipes, and he loves to cook. I supply him with lots of cooking equipment and tools. What a great pleasure for me and him too! Happy cooking! 

Shepherd’s Pie

Yield: Makes 6-8 servings

 Ingredients:

 Meat mixture:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 pounds ground beef or ground lamb or ground turkey
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
1 package French onion soup mix
1 can (10 ¾ oz.) cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup
1 can (14 oz.) beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Mashed potatoes:

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup milk
Salt to taste

 2 cups canned corn or frozen peas

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Optional:  Fresh chopped parsley to sprinkle on top of pie before serving

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil, and then add the meat and garlic. Cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Drain the fat. Add the soup mix, mushroom soup, and beef broth. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens.
3. Pour the mixture into a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
4. Bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes; drain.
5. Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, and salt.
6. Sprinkle the corn (or peas) over the top of the beef mixture.
7. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the beef and corn and cover completely. Crosshatch the top of the potatoes with a fork.
8. Bake until heated through and slightly golden about 25-30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and sprinkle top of potatoes with cheese.
10. Place back in oven and cook until cheese is melted.

Options:

-          Combine the corn (or peas) into the meat mixture instead of layering them.
-          Use already prepared store-bought mashed potatoes or boxed mashed potatoes.
-          Can be prepared the night before, and refrigerated. Bake covered with aluminum foil for about one hour or until heated through. Take foil off and bake another 10 minutes to brown the top, then sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese is melted.
-          For additional taste and color, add shredded carrots to the raw meat and cook with the meat.

 Submitted by:  Chef Tricia Dickerson, Resident Chef at Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County, Florida, and owner of Tricia’s Main Event, Personal Chef, Caterer, Culinary Consultant and Instructor, Food Stylist, Event Planner.

Bruschetta

One of my first TV appearances a couple of years ago for Girls TV, Girls Inc. of Sarasota, FL. Check it out:  youtube.com/GirlsIncSarasota. I am making bruschetta. Enjoy!

Tomato Bruschetta

Yield: 25 pieces

 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon garlic, finely minced

½ teaspoon coarsely ground salt

4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/4 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for bread

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1 baguette, cut in 1/2-inch-thick slice

3 cloves garlic, cut in half

      

Directions:

1.   Using a chef’s knife on a cutting board, mix the garlic and salt to make a paste.

2.   In a bowl, mix garlic paste, tomatoes, basil, parsley, lemon juice, and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside, at room temperature, two to three hours.

3.   Heat oven to 350°F.

4.   Brush each baguette slice with olive oil.

5.   Toast bread on a baking sheet, about 10 minutes, until golden and slightly crunchy.

6.   Rub cut side of garlic on top of each slice.

7.   Top with tomato mixture.

 

Optional:  Sprinkle top with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Source: Tricia's Main Event, triciasmainevent@gmail.com

Summer Camp 2012/Back to School 2012/Apple Strudel

Summer camp is over and it’s back to school. This was my fourth summer camp at Girls Inc. of Sarasota County, Florida. I cook a full lunch the first and last week of the ten-week camp. The school system through the Department of Agriculture brings lunch in for eight weeks. The girls are not fond of the school lunch and beg me to cook for them; however, we do not have the funding for the summer lunches. We have wonderful donors who donate funds for me to cook for two weeks. I made things like mac & cheese; Shepherd’s pie; breakfast for lunch with waffles; baked chicken; pizza pasta with an Italian salad, to name a few.  The girls love my food, and it is a pleasure cooking for them.

I am also the cooking instructor for summer club. I always teach about cooking from around the world. This summer I taught them about Germany. I lived in Germany several years ago, so I brought in my dirndl and lederhosen. I also showed them my wood carvings, handmade Christmas ornaments, nutcracker, a map of Germany, and my German cookbook. I taught them a few German words too.

I made up my own version of apple strudel. Each girl got a bowl, a graham cracker, some apple sauce, and whipped cream. I told them to crumble half of the cracker in the bowl. Then put a couple of spoons of apple sauce on top of the crumbs. Add the other half of crumbled cracker on top of the apple sauce. Then I swirled the whipped cream all over the top. Yum! Simple and easy, and even a two year old can make it. My goal is to bring families and kids back into the kitchen. Enjoy!

Another quick and easy "kid-friendly" recipe. I have my girls breakup the herbs with their fingers rather than use a knife. They love being involved in the cooking, and they love these biscuits!
Happy baking!!!...:-)

Herb Biscuits:

• 1 cup bleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced and chilled
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves (or another herb that you prefer)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, or as needed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the rosemary. Stir in the 1/2 cup buttermilk a few tablespoons at a time. Knead the dough in the bowl just until it holds together, adding additional buttermilk, a tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too dry. Take care not to overwork the dough, or the biscuits will be tough rather than light and airy.

Drop about a teaspoonful of the biscuit mixture on the baking sheet separating each about two inches. (I like to use a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop which gives you nice, even balls.)

Bake until golden on top and lightly browned on the bottom, about 12 minutes.

Serve warm with butter. Yum!

Yield: 12 biscuits

Herb Garden & Pesto Recipe

We grow Italian (Genovese) basil at Girls Inc. We also had a new variety of basil this year, baby basil, which has little leaves that you don’t have to chop. I teach the girls how to make pesto. They love it! I love making a difference in a young person’s life.

Pesto

Yield: 1 cup

 Ingredients:

½ cup pine nuts or walnuts

4 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed (2 ounces)
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

 Method:

-          Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-          Spread nuts on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden brown, tossing once, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from baking sheet immediately. Completely cool.
-          In a food processor, combine nuts, basil, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Process until finely chopped.
-          Add cheese and pulse until well mixed.
-          While machine is running, slowly pour oil in a steady stream through the feed tube. Process until smooth.

Facts:

-          You can store pesto in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to five days.
-          You can freeze pesto in a tightly sealed container for up to three months.
-          Place pesto in an ice cube tray. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Use cubes in soup.
-          Use as an appetizer with crackers or Italian bread. Take out of freezer and let thaw. Stir well.
-          Blend into hot pasta. Add about one cup of the pasta water and mix until all pasta is dressed.

Our garden at Girls Inc.

Herb Butter

My girls at Girls Inc. have a wonderful garden. We have several herbs: baby basil; Italian basil; thyme; sage; rosemary; oregano; flat leaf parsley, also known as Italian parsley; chocolate mint; and peppermint. I teach the girls how to use herbs. We start by tasting the herbs fresh from the garden. Then we make butter with herbs, cream cheese with herbs, rosemary pecans, herb biscuits, and pesto. I teach them all about eggs, how to break open an egg, how to scramble an egg, and then we add fresh herbs to the egg mixture and cook the eggs. It warms my heart when a five year old ask if we can make that “pesto stuff” again. I love to transfer skills to children and “pay it forward.”

We also are growing cherry tomatoes, hearty heat tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, watermelon, and zucchini.

The girls love taking care of their garden. They water their plants with recycled water from our rain barrel.

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BASIL

 Did you know?

1)      Basil is an annual herb belonging to the mint family.
2)      There are over 40 known varieties of basil.
3)      Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is the most commonly known and grown.
4)      Ocimum is from a Greek verb that means “to be fragrant.”
5)      Basil is recommended for digestive complaints, headaches, and anxiety.
6)      It is one of my favorite herbs. I could put it in any dish, and I love making pesto with basil.

 Italian Herb Butter

Yield: 1 cup

 Ingredients:

2 sticks butter (1 cup) room temperature

½ cup fresh basil, flat leaf parsley, & oregano leaves, finely chopped

Course salt

White pepper

 Preparation:

In a small bowl, smash butter with a fork until smooth.

Add herbs, a couple of dashes of salt, one dash of freshly ground pepper (or to taste) and mix until well combined.

Transfer to a piece of plastic wrap (11 X 10-inch).

Roll into a cylinder about 6 inches long and 2 inches in diameter.

Twist the ends to seal.

Refrigerate until firm, about two hours.

You can refrigerate up to one week, or place in a freezer bag and freeze up to three months.

 Notes:

-Rather than chop the herbs, I have my girls break up the leaves with their fingers. They love helping out.

- Great on crackers. Slice and place on steak or pork chops. Add to hot pasta.
- Add a sprinkle of garlic powder and mix.

 Source:  http://precociouspatti.blogspot.com/

Fruit Smoothies

Yesterday I had 11 girls in the kitchen and we made fruit smoothies. I always keep yogurt sticks and fruit in the freezer for quick and easy smoothies, then you do not need ice. I gave each girl a yogurt to open and put into the blender. When everything was placed in the blender, I turned the blender on and watched the expressions on their faces, pure delight and anticipation to taste the yummy smoothie. The younger girls always put their hands over their ears because of the sound of the blender. A beautiful sight with wonderful girls, big smiles, and a very tasty, healthy snack!
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FRUIT SMOOTHIES
Serves 6 full cups/12 small cups

- 10-12 frozen yogurt sticks
- 2 cups frozen fruit (we used strawberries with juice)
- 1 to 2 cups orange juice (can use other jucies)
- 1 tablespoon honey (or more to taste)

Place yogurt and fruit into large blender. Add 1 cup of orange juice and the honey. Start the blender. Blend for a few minutes. Stop the blender and push the fruit and yogurt down into the juice. Add more orange juice as needed to make the smoothie blend. This makes a thick smoothie. You can add more juice to make a thinner smoothie. Enjoy!
If I have protein powder, I add a couple of scoops into the blender. My girls ask, "What is the powder?" I tell them it's vanilla flavoring...:-)....they say, "Oh!"...Yum!

Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

As I promised, attached is my Eggplant Parmesan recipe. I rarely use recipes for dishes like this because I am a “freelance cook”-- just throw things together, a little of this, a little of that. I learned by watching by Mom preparing this without a recipe and my son learned by watching me. Everyone has been asking for my recipes, so I made my eggplant a few weeks ago and wrote down everything as I prepared it. This recipe is heartier than my Mom’s as I prefer the diced tomatoes to a thinner red sauce. I also use less mozzarella, which really brings out the eggplant flavor. My tasters were my peers at work. They loved it! This is a great recipe where kids can help dredge and layer. Have them also count how many pieces of eggplant and how many stacks and layers. This gives them a little “secret” math in the kitchen too. It’s a hearty dinner and a great vegetarian recipe too. Enjoy!

(I did not salt my eggplant to release moisture and make it tender. I purchased medium eggplants fresh from the farmers' market. Fresh eggplant makes a big difference. If you use large eggplants or older eggplants (with dark seeds), you might want to salt prior to frying. Sprinkle some salt on each slice of eggplant. Set aside for 15 minutes. Rinse well and dry.)

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EGGPLANT PARMESAN

Serves 6 large – 12 halves

Ingredients

2-3 medium eggplants (2-2 ¼ lbs. – you need 18 slices)

½ cup flour

4 eggs, beaten, add ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, mix

1 ½ cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon garlic powder or granulated garlic

Vegetable or Canola oil to fry eggplant. Enough for a large sauté pan for oil to be ½ deep.

Tomato sauce

1 ¾ cups shredded mozzarella cheese

½  cup parmesan cheese

Preparation

      -     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-         Cut eggplant into 1/2 “ round slices.

-         You will need 3 deep plates or wide shallow bowls. (Pie pans work great for this).

-         Place flour in one plate, egg into another, and bread crumbs with parmesan cheese and garlic powder into third plate.

-         Dredge each slice of eggplant into flour, then egg, then bread crumb mixture. Set aside on a baking sheet.

-         Heat oil until it shimmers. I test by putting a small amount of the bread crumbs into pan.

-         Fry eggplant in batches and don’t over crowd them. Fry each eggplant slice until golden brown, about 3 minutes, and only turn each once. Place on a baking sheet covered with paper towels to absorb oil. You might need to add some more oil after a few batches. Bring oil back to a shimmer before cooking next batch.

-         In a 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish, spread 1/4 of the sauce on the bottom f the pan. Top with 1/3 of the eggplant slices. Spread ¼ of the sauce on top of the eggplant. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese over the sauce. Make another layer of eggplant, sauce and cheeses, then another layer. You will end up with six large, three layer pieces.

-         Bake 30 minutes until cheese melts. If cheese starts to brown too quickly, place a foil tent over baking dish.

 

HEARTY TOMATO SAUCE

Yields:  5 ½ cups

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium yellow onions, small diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

Dash black pepper

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes (with juices)

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (with juices)*

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

Preparation

-         Heat oil over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan.

-         Stir in onions and cook until transparent.

-         Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

-         Stir in basil, oregano, salt, sugar, and pepper.

-         Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to incorporate everything.

-         Cook over low heat, stirring frequently until sauce thickens, about 15-20 minutes.

*You can add tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes if you like a thinner sauce.

Recipes courtesy of: Tricia's Home Plate, LLC, http://www.triciashomeplate.com/

Kids in the kitchen with Taco Salad

Happy New Year!

Start the year off with getting the family into the kitchen and creating family dinners such as this Taco Salad. You can prepare all of the ingredients the night before and just before serving the next day, reheat the taco mixture, and put together the dish. You can have quality time and fun with your family, while enjoying a nutritious one-dish dinner with little fuss. The kids love to crunch up the torilla chips.

This is one of the favorite recipes that my girls love at Girls Inc. I make it at least twice a month. YUM! Enjoy!
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TACO SALAD

Serves 6 to 8.

Equipment:

10-inch skillet

Large spoon

Colander

Can opener

Skillet lid

Cutting board

Knife

9x13 baking dish or large platter with a high edge

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey

1 package taco seasoning mix (1 oz)

1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)

1 bag tortilla chips (14.5 oz)

8 oz (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese

8 to 16 oz shredded iceberg lettuce and spinach leaves

2 to 3 tomatoes, diced

Method:

1)      Cook meat thoroughly in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink; drain. Return meat to skillet.

2)      Stir in taco seasoning mix and diced tomatoes with juice. Cook uncovered over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside and cover skillet.

3)      Crunch the tortilla chips and place in the baking dish.

4)      Spread taco mixture evenly over the tortilla chips.

5)      Sprinkle cheese over the warm meat. The heat melts the cheese.

6)      Spread lettuce/spinach mixture evenly on top of the cheese.

7)      Sprinkle tomatoes evenly over the lettuce.

8)      Serve and enjoy!

Options:

1)      Serve with salsa and guacamole.

2)      You can use ground beef or ground chicken instead of ground turkey.

3)      Use your favorite flavored tortilla chips.

4)      Use your favorite lettuce or mixed greens. Lettuce is low calorie and rich in iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C. The darker green leaves contain the most nutrients.

Submitted by:  Chef Tricia Dickerson, Resident Chef at Girls Incorporated of Sarasota, Florida, and owner of Tricia’s Home Plate, LLC, Personal Chef and Caterer