Favorite Recipes

Pig Candy

Cassie and I hosted a cookout for the DrGDSers A Yahoo group devoted to people who have had the Duodenal Switch (Bariatric Surgery)  by Dr. Greenbaum. One of our friends Christina brought this recipe to the cookout and it was fantastic! Pig candy makes a great "dessert" for folks who have to get in a lot of high quality protein, And it tastes wonderful. Thanks Christina!

Ingredients:

one pound (or more) Thick slab bacon
1/2 cup lite or dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (we used chili powder)

The way we did it was to place the bacon on my stainless steel cooking grid then sprinkle the brown sugar over the top. Then sprinkle the chili powder over that.

We cooked it on the grill on low heat and turned it after about 15 minutes. It was fantastic and so easy!

Florentine Vegetable Sauce with Penne

My wonderful friend Nancy sent me this recipe from Rachel Ray's website. Nancy said this was delicious! So last Sunday I made this for the family they loved it!
Jam-packed with veggies, this pasta dish is healthy and delicious.

I have included Nancy's changes and also the changes I made. Thanks Nancy!

Ingredients

  * 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
  * 1/2 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
  * 1 medium onion, chopped
  * 2 garlic cloves, grated
  * 2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  * 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  * A few leaves basil, torn
  * Salt and ground pepper
  * 2 bunches spinach, chopped
  * 1/2 cup heavy cream
  * Nutmeg, to taste
  * Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano

My changes:
  * 1 cup Marsala wine
  * I used Whole wheat Rotini pasta (I didn't have Penne)
  * 1 packet of Sweet-N-low (the carrorts just weren't sweet enough!)
  * I didn't chop the spinach, I just wilted it in the sauce just before serving. (tastes much better that way!)
  * I saved some of the sauce to go over my Ted's easy Chicken parmesian recipe
 

I served this with my Ted's easy Chicken Parmesian recipe 

Nancy's changes:
omitted carrots and chicken broth because we had JUST finished the last of the carrots for lunch and I did not feel like going to the store; and I thought the broth without the carrots would make it too thin. I will probably use them next time though. I subbed some Italian Seasoning for the basil because I did not have that.
I skipped the nutmeg because I don't have that. I used sliced garlic from a jar and minced it up before adding to the pan. I used organic baby spinach that I bought in a container - I think it was a 5 oz pkg. I'm sure frozen (defrosted and drained) would work just as well! I used shredded parm instead of shaved (not a big deal). The rest I did as written! And IT WAS MAGNIFICENT!!!! I can't say enough about it. I hope you guys enjoy it too!!!

Yields: 4 servings

Ted's easy Chicken Parmesian

Ingredients:

4 Chicken breasts (slice into 8 thin cutlets
2 eggs beaten
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs 1 cup grated parmesian cheese
1 cup marsala wine
2 or 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Chinese Dragon Pork Loin Dinner

I made this last night and it was a big hit with the family! 

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons tomatoe ketchup
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, peeled minced
1 tablespoon grated gingerroot
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
1/2 teaspoon red food coloring, (optional)
3 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
8 ounces Chinese wheat noodles
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
1 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts 

Flounder Mediterranean

The Flounder is baked in a Parmesan tomato sauce made with Italian herbs and seasonings, and white wine.
Originally from All Recipes and some modifications by me

INGREDIENTS:
5 or 6  roma (plum) tomatoes (chopped)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Vidalia or Spanish onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large pinch Italian seasoning
1/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
3 tablespoons freshly grated
Parmesan cheese
1 pound flounder fillets
6 leaves fresh basil, torn
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

Ham & String Bean Soup

This recipe is great for a blustery day

Ingredients
1, 3 or 4 pound smoked pork shoulder or pork butt. Cut into bite sized chunks
2 large onions, chopped
4 stalk celery, chopped
4 medium carrot
1 tablespoon oregano
1 tablespoon sweet basil
2 tablespoons parsley
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3-4 bay leaves (med sized)
2 lbs fresh string beans, cleaned
5-6 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks

Crockpot Turkey Garbanzo bean Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2@ 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes. (with liquid)
2@ 6oz cans tomato paste.
1 large onion diced. (I like to use Vidalia onions when in season)
2 stalks of celery, sliced into bite sized pieces.
4 large carrots, sliced into bite sized pieces.
2 green peppers, diced.
1/2 cup burgandy.
1 bag dried garbanzo beans.
2 tablespoons basil.
2 tablespoons chili pepper. (more or less the way you like it)
salt & pepper to taste. (I use about 1/2 teaspoon of pepper & 1 teaspoon of salt)

Optional: add 2 or 3 diced jalapenos (minus seeds) for heat.

Poached Salmon

I like to experiment when cooking and I thought of this method for poaching Salmon.
We loved it!

Ingredients:

4  6oz slabs of wild caught Salmon, without skin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 stick of butter
1 tablespoon of sliced garlic (minced is ok too)
1 cup of white wine infused with lemon (or add 2 tablespoons lemon juice to the wine)
Roux:
1 tablespoon of flour
1 tablespoon butter

Angel Hair & Tomato Pasta Salad

This is a super-easy one but always a winner!

12-16 oz box angel hair, cooked
29 oz. can diced or petite diced tomatoes, with or without spices - but DO NOT DRAIN
*1/2 cup parmesan cheese
*1/4 cup Italian dressing

Seafood Stew

I love seafood and I especially love soups and stews. I came up with this recipe while sitting at the Anapa's country house restaurant. I had a bowl of their seafood combo soup. I told Cassie I could probably make one better than that, so she said. "Go give it a try."

Ingredients:

2 large cans diced tomatoes (with liquid)
1 small can tomato paste
3 jars Centos Clam Juice
1 large carton of chicken broth
5 lbs red potatoes (diced)
1 Medium bag of baby carrots
3 large onions (diced)
1 bunch of celery (diced)
1 package of fresh basil( diced)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pint heavy cream
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 lbs peeled and de-veined shrimp
2 lbs sea scallops
2 lbs fresh crab meat (I used imitation because the fresh was $18.00 a pound)