December 2018 Newsletter

DECEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER

Food for Thought:

Steven Moffat's words: "When we die, we turn into stories. And every time someone tells one of those stories, it's like we're still here, for them. I'll be a story in your head. But that's okay. We're all stories in the end. Just make it a good one, eh?" 

Recipes: 

Turkey Tetrazzini 

INGREDIENTS

• 12 oz dry spaghetti
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3/4 lb mushrooms sliced
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 1/4 cups chicken broth reduced sodium
• 8 oz spreadable cream cheese garlic flavor
• 1 1/3 cups half & half or light cream
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 cups chopped turkey
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese divided
• 1/4 cup parmesan 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cook spaghetti al dente according to package directions.
3. Cook butter, onions and garlic over medium heat until softened. Add mushrooms and cook an additional 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.
4. Add broth and cream all at once. Cook until thick & bubbly, let boil 1 minute. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Add parsley and seasonings
5. Combine spaghetti, turkey, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and sauce. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Top with remaining mozzarella, cover and bake 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered until hot & bubbly.
   
   
   ******************
   Pork Roast & Gravy

   
   

   4-5 lb. boneless pork butt or pork shoulder, trimmed

   1 packet Lipton Onion Soup mix

   1 medium yellow onion, cut in strips

   1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 

   1 Family size can cream of mushroom soup

   1 tsp. Each kosher salt & coarse ground pepper 

   Optional: Add 8 oz. sliced  Baby Bella mushrooms 

   Place roast in crockpot. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over. Cover & cook on low for 8 hours. 

   
   

   This was a favorite special entree on Thursday’s at LuVicis. 

   
   

   ******************

   The other entree was Momma’s Stuffed Meatloaf. 

   
   

    I make Momma's Stuffed Meatloaf...both at home and at work. My grandson makes it frequently after learning to make it at my home.

   1-1/2 lb.Ground chuck 

   1 package Onion Soup Mix

    2 Eggs 

   1/3 cup Water 

   1/3 cup A-1 sauce 

   1/3 cup ketchup 

   1 cup Bread Crumbs 

   6 slices Swiss cheese

   6 slices deli ham ( I use honey ham)

   
   

   Mix first 7 ingredients & pat into rectangle. Layer with sliced Swiss cheese and Deli ham. Roll up jelly roll style and place in loaf pan odor 13 X 9 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 45 min to 1 hour. Combine topping ingredients & spread over top of meatloaf. 

    Topping:

   1 cup Ketchup,

   1/3 cup brown sugar, 

   1/3 cup worcestershire. 

    Bake 10 minutes after adding topping.

   
   

   Let stand 10 minutes before removing from loaf pan & slice. 

   
   

   *****************
   Sweet & Sour Pork 

   
   

   With prices of beef, I keep trying to think of recipes that use alternative cheaper & healthier cuts of meats for my "picky" eater. 
   Haven't made this in a long time & think I could easily please Rick with either the pork or chicken version! 
   
   
   
   Sweet & Sour Pork or Chicken
   oil, for deep fat frying
   2 lbs pork tenderloin or 2 lbs. b/s chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
   1⁄2cup flour
   1⁄4cup cornstarch
   1⁄2cup cold water
   1⁄2teaspoon salt
   1egg 
   1(20 ounce) can pineapple chunks (drain but keep the syrup)
   1 cup brown sugar
   1 /2cup white vinegar or rice wine vinegar 
   1 Tbsp. Sesame oil 
   1/2 teaspoon salt
   3 Tbsp. ketchup
   
   2 teaspoons soy sauce
   4 carrots, sliced thin
   1garlic clove & 1 tsp. Ginger , finely chopped
   2tablespoons cornstarch
   2tablespoons cold water
   1medium green pepper & 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
   Add enough water to drained pineapple juice to measure 1 Cup.
   Heat the syrup, brown sugar, vinegar, 1/2 t salt, soy sauce, ketchup, carrots and garlic, ginger
   to boiling in dutch oven.
   Cover and reduce heat cook until carrots are crisp tender.
   In the meantime, trim fat from pork and cut into large pieces.
   Heat oil to 360°F.
   Blend flour, 1/4 C cornstarch, 1/2 C cold water, 1/2 t salt and egg in large bowl til smooth.
   Add pork and stir to coat well.
   Fry pork pieces, don't crowd in pan, about 5 minutes turning frequently until browned.
   Drain on paper towel and keep warm.
   Mix 2 T cornstarch and 2 T water and mix til smooth.
   When the carrots are almost done, add red onion & pepper, cook 3 minutes. increase the heat on the sauce and stir in the cornstarch and water, stirring constantly.
   When thickened, add the pork, pineapple chunks.
   Continue to stir 1 minute or until warmed through.
   Serve over rice or noodles.

   
   

   *****************

   
   

   Butterscotch Love Cake

   Valerie Bertinelli 

   
   

   Ingredients

   Butterscotch Sauce:

   2 tablespoons unsalted butter

   1/2 cup light brown sugar 

   1/2 cup heavy cream 

   1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

   Batter:

   Nonstick cooking spray

   1 box yellow cake mix 

   Mascarpone-Ricotta Filling:

   3 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

   1/2 cup mascarpone 

   3 large eggs 

   3/4 cup sugar 

   1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 

   Butterscotch-Mascarpone Frosting:

   1 1/4 cups mascarpone (10 ounces)

   One 3.9-ounce package butterscotch pudding mix 

   1 tablespoon sugar 

   1 cup whole milk 

   Directions

   1. Preheat the oven according to cake mix package instructions. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
   2. For the butterscotch sauce: Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and stir to coat. Cook, stirring, until the butter gets frothy, 2 minutes. Add the cream and cook, whisking, until slightly thickened, 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature and then stir in the vanilla
   3. For the batter: Prepare the batter according to cake mix box instructions and pour into the prepared baking dish. Drizzle in the cooled butterscotch sauce and mix to swirl. Set aside.
   4. For the filling: Combine the ricotta, mascarpone, eggs, sugar and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk until smooth. Gently pour the filling onto the cake batter so the top is completely white.
   5. Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and the yellow cake layer has risen to the top of the baking dish, about 50 minutes. Let the cake cool before frosting.
   6. For the frosting: Just before serving, combine the mascarpone, butterscotch pudding mix, sugar and milk in a stand mixer and mix until smooth. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting evenly over the entire cake. Serve.